“You’re telling me you actually messed up who you were talking to.”

“Yes,” Dyasen snapped.

“You told them to shut up because you were talking to someone else.”

“Just shut up,” he mentally groaned. His fingers were wound into a knot in front of him as he walked. He wasn’t usually nervous talking to Miracca, but this would be his first time coming back with something so big. He swore he was more nervous than Nora herself was.

“Like that!” Pepperjack snickered.

“I just can’t make this mistake again, or they’ll think I’m going crazy or something.”

“At least it won’t just be me who thinks that anymore.”

He scowled at the ground in front of him. “You’re literally the voice in my head. You have no right to say you think I’m crazy.”

“You’re thinking in a very self-centered way, as usual,” they commented. “Has it occurred to you that I’ve also been ‘the voice’ in other people’s heads before, and they don’t tell themselves weird things all the time?”

Dyasen ignored their comment, continuing to walk.

“And you’ve been so busy lately, too,” they complained, apparently not intending to let up. “Talking to other people and everything.”

“Have I ever not been busy?” Dyasen countered. “This is the fifth day we’ve known each other, and I think every single one of them, I’ve told you to shut up.”

“What does that say about you as a person?”

“That I’m busy!” He crossed his arms, then quickly glanced around to make sure no one had noticed the sudden action.

“You know, if you keep doing it, it’ll stop being offensive and start being a tradition. I’ll have to remind you to remind me to shut up.”

“I’m not trying to offend you,” he told them, resisting the urge to huff out loud.

“Well, you kind of are.”

Dyasen pursed his lips, not in the mood to argue. He knew he should apologize, or something, and knew it was harder to make excuses since they couldn’t actually see what situation he was in, but with the anxiety over the upcoming meeting weighing on him, he didn’t think he could resolve this right now.

“Silence? Waoww.”

He gritted his teeth, trying not to feel guilty. Not thinking in words was especially difficult now that he was thinking about not thinking in words, but he focused on breathing, watching the group in front of him as they walked through the streets toward the Sheer’s palace.

Jade had run ahead to get Voryis so he could be there for the occasion and give his inputs if desired. Yes, it was ultimately Miracca’s decision, but the Sheer did make an effort to listen to everyone’s thoughts, especially for things like this that so directly affected them. Hexis and Kynar were catching up about something, leaving Nora to walk by herself as well.

“Are you nervous?” Dyasen asked, speeding up to walk next to her.

“I could make your life very difficult, you know.”

Dyasen ignored them, and to his surprise, they went silent after that.

“Kind of,” Nora responded, looking around at the buildings. “It’s just a lot. This is my first time in the capital, and I’m already on the way to meet the Sheer personally. Not to mention just meeting your teammates. Is this all of them?”

“Almost,” he answered. The silence in his head felt weirdly empty, but he didn’t let himself think about it. He was good at not letting himself think about things. “There’s one more, Voryis K’Keishan. He’s the only one without an ERA. I think I told you about him a little bit before.”

“Oh, right, he was the one that infiltrates social gatherings and stuff.”

“Yeah. He may be a stuck-up asshole sometimes, but he knows the ins and outs of the Three Courts better than anyone.”

“You’re going to have to explain exactly what these Three Courts are if I’m ever supposed to infiltrate them,” Nora said. “All I’ve heard is that they’re three interlocked circles at the center of CaSaryn’s political system. Figurative circles, but I’m not even sure of that.”

“You should ask Voryis,” Dyasen told her. “Or Jade. Or Miracca, for that matter.”

She frowned. “I don’t know how I feel about approaching the Sheer for casual conversation. Isn’t she busy?”

“Yes, but this isn’t casual conversation. It’s your job. Possibly.”

“Right.” She let out a shaky breath.

They turned onto the main street leading toward the palace, and when Nora’s eyes landed on the structure, gawked at it, feet stopping.

“Come on,” Dyasen said, walking past her.

“It’s just that I’ve never seen a building that big before!” she said, hurrying to catch up. “Who lives there besides the Sheer?”

Hexis turned around, walking backwards as they grinned at Nora. “We do. As well as servants, guards, staff, the works.”

“You live in there?”

“Yep.”

“I’m going to live in there?”

“Most likely.”

“Only if you want to,” Kynar inserted, looking back at her.

Nora glanced at the building again, looking uncertain.

“Let’s introduce you to Miracca first and go from there,” Dyasen suggested. He wasn’t in the mood to wait any longer.

When they got to the palace gates, Hexis walked over to talk to the guard captain, explaining that Nora needed to be let in with them, and making the man promise them a duel later. He looked somewhat terrified by the prospect. Dyasen would have been too.

They practically had to drag Nora through the arching halls inside; she wanted to stop and look at just about everything. Yes, the building was impressive, but Dyasen didn’t understand how she could be thinking about it considering what they were about to do.

They were almost to the double doors that marked the entrance to Miracca’s throne room when Jade finally appeared from the other direction, dragging a panting Voryis behind her. The noble looked worse for wear, with beads of sweat rolling down from his short, curly dark brown hair and across his dark skin.

“My, aren’t you radiant this morning,” Dyasen observed.

“Will someone please tell me what this is about?” Voryis heaved, wiping his brow and sending Jade a dirty look.

“I think Dyasen should explain,” the bodyguard said coolly.

Dyasen sighed, meeting Voryis’ dark eyes. “This-” he motioned to Nora, who was absorbed in looking at the carvings on the throne room door- “is Nora Sefares. I think…” Good world, how many times do I have to explain this? “I think she’d make a good addition to our team.”

Voryis’ eyes widened at that.

Nora turned around, hurrying over and holding out her hand. “Nora Sefares. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Voryis K’Keishin,” the man answered, taking her hand. He was clearly skeptical, but was never one to let that get in the way of his manners.

Hexis clapped their hands. “Alright, are we ready to present our case?” they asked the group.

“Yep! p p p p,” Kynar answered, twitching nervously as she repeated the last consonant.

Nora breathed out quickly, squaring her shoulders. “Let’s do it.”

Dyasen took a deep breath. Just one more explanation.

A second later, he realized he'd thought the words, but apparently to the other party in his head, it didn't matter.

He nodded, and Hexis pushed the doors open.