Kael, on his bed said with a sigh: "Do you want us there?"
"Yes. If she'll accept it. The meeting happens with all three of us or it doesn't happen."
"Understood."
"When Caelen comes back in two days, I'll tell him. If Elenora accepts a three-way meeting, we schedule it. If she doesn't, if she insists on meeting me alone, I decline. Not because I couldn't handle a solo meeting, but because a person who won't accept our team in a first meeting is not the kind of political ally I want to make. Elenora Vessa's willingness to meet us as a party, on our terms, is itself a test. If she passes it, we move forward. If she fails it, we've learned something valuable at no cost."
"That's clean," Kael said.
"It's clean."
