He nodded to the words that came from voice. He heard them, though they were a little hard to process. Earlier, Vulpesen had mentioned closing the door to prevent any extra emotions from passing through the bond. Such had been done to Ace, for his sake, and Vulpesen's. But their games offered another exercise, teaching them how to breach when possible, and like a Vitae soldier busting into a slave den, Ace had reared back and kicked down the door, sending Vulpesen into a brief stupor. After a second of recovery, Vulpesen received the message through his friend.
At once, his playful smile and teasing tone seemed to vanish, though his lips were still turned upwards in a different look. It was as if one were congratulating a friend for figuring out a riddle or difficult problem. And in his eyes, he didn't bother to hide any of the affection he had for her. Not yet speaking to Ra's words, he sent a message back through his friend. A single word. Obviously. How often had he been asked by his council why he was sending men out to serve in unknown battles. Why had he done so without any large compensation? And why couldn't he send some trusted official to watch this woman that he had named a Vitae VIP? He had always managed to bat away or avoid the questions, sometimes even using his title to do so. But with Ra, he found that he had some instinctual policy of being forthcoming. If she had a question, he would have an answer.
[member="Riamah"]