The farewell took longer than it should have because Meridia had a way of making leaving feel heavier than it should have.
When they came out, Nerissa was waiting at the edge of the terrace. She stood exactly how she always did, perfectly straight, with her hands clasped in front of her.
Her seafoam hair swayed in the slow current of the deeper ocean above. From a distance, her face looked exactly the same as it always had: calm and neutral.
Rick could see that her hands were clasped a little too tightly when he got close.
"You're going to leave now," she said. It wasn't a question.
"We need to go back to Valdris and see what's up close. It's probably some kind of political situation that needed me as the Hero of Mature Hearts."
"Yes, I understand that clearly," she said, and then she was quiet for a moment. "And... I won't tell you to be careful because you clearly can't."
"Don't worry, my empress." Rick smiled. "I'll be back as fast as I can."
