~The Game Beneath the Polite Smile~

CALISTA (as DAPHNE)

I noticed the change before Eira said a word to me.

It wasn’t dramatic. She didn’t glare or avoid me outright. She didn’t summon me or question me. That would have been easy to manage. No, this was quieter. Sharper. Her attention no longer drifted past me when we crossed paths. It stayed. Measured. Alert.

Eira had stopped observing and started watching.

That told me everything I needed to know.

I adjusted immediately.

Distance ...