Elara's POV
"Can we talk? Just for a moment."
Lyris was standing directly in my path, that direct gaze of hers leaving very little room for pretending I hadn't noticed her. Which I did and clearly she noticed me too.
"I'm on my way to dinner," I said, keeping my voice somewhere between neutral and polite, "we can talk later."
"Please." Something genuine came through in how she said it, not dramatic, just honest, the kind of please that meant exactly what it sounded like and wasn't asking for more than a moment.
I was still deciding how to respond, running through the options in my head, when Freya stepped in beside me like she had been standing there the whole time waiting for exactly this moment, perfectly timed and completely unbothered about it.
"She'll catch you after dinner." Fr
