Page 68 of Legacy Ascended

"What does that mean?"

"You've got a collar."

"It's a shirt, Leo."

"It's a serious shirt." He settles somewhere. "How's life among the aristocracy? Have you learned which fork? Do you have opinions about wine now? Are you going to come back with an accent?"

"My instructor asked me what I'm doing next year." Protection was the rotation I got given. Teaching wasn't on the sheet.

Leo goes completely silent for three seconds, which I have never once achieved before.

"Say that again."

"He asked me what I want to be doing next year."

"You have a plan," Leo says, delighted. "You're making a plan. Jake owes me money."

"Why does Jake owe you money?"

"He said you'd come back the same. I said you'd come back with a five-year plan and a nice coat." I can hear him grinning. "How's the girl? Does she know how annoying you are? Has she found out yet, or are you still in the part where you're charming?"

“She found out on the first day.”

“And she kept you anyway?”

“Apparently.”

Leo laughs. “You happy?”

I don't answer right away.

“Yeah,” I say. “I am.”

“Good. That's good, man. Actually."

"How's everybody?"

"Alex is Alex. Terrifying. Running everything and pretending she isn't." Something scrapes — he's sitting down. "Gray's fine. Jake's fine and irritating. Jim's reading things nobody asked him to read and then telling us about them. Dalton's still Dalton." A shorter pause, and the humor goes out of his voice. "RJ's good. Properly good. Better than when you left."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Then, instantly back: "And I've got three theories about a thing here that nobody will listen to."

"Are they good theories?"

"They're excellent theories. Jim did statistics at me about them."

I laugh, and then I don't say anything, and Leo notices.

"Okay," he says. "What's actually going on?"

"Nothing."

"Mateo."

"It's nothing, it's—" I rub my face. "They took her."

"I know they took her. You told me they took her."