The room was quiet again.
Liliana lingered the longest, casting one last glance over her shoulder as Elara gently pulled her toward the door.
Adrian followed, hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders tense in a way that said he wasn't done talking to Merlin, just postponing it.
The door clicked shut behind them with a muted thud.
Nathan didn't move from the stool.
Merlin hadn't looked at him since they left.
He was sitting half-upright, head tipped against the wall, golden eyes dull with something Nathan didn't recognize. Not pain. Not exhaustion.
Something quieter.
Something colder.
Nathan rested his chin on the stool's backrest, folding his arms over it. "You didn't think we'd come."
It wasn't a question.
Merlin didn't answer. Not right away.
Then—without turning his head—he said, "No."
Nathan exhaled through his nose. "Cool. Rude, but cool."
Silence stretched between them.
Nathan let it.
Because something about Merlin felt… brittle.
Not breakable.
