"Before we go," Elowyn said, her voice soft but clear, "I wanted to say… it was good fighting with you."
Valeria blinked. For a heartbeat she wondered if she had misheard. Compliments aimed at her were usually stiff, political, or accompanied by an ulterior motive. This one felt… simple. Genuine. Too effortless to be rehearsed.
"Oh," Valeria answered, far more quietly than she intended. She cleared her throat. "Likewise. You were… reliable."
Elowyn's lips curved, not into a smile exactly, but into something close. "I'd like to work with you again. If the Academy throws us into another group assessment."
Valeria stared for a moment, caught between composure and surprise. Of all the outcomes she had prepared for—a formal acknowledgment, a polite parting, even a follow-up question about the technique she used against the Strider—this wasn't one of them.
