Elias began lying.
Not in words — those were too traceable. He lied in outcomes. He changed his actions and let observers draw the wrong conclusions.
The first adjustment was proximity. He stopped sleeping with the door between his chambers and Cassian's open. Not locked. Just closed. The bond dimmed slightly as a result — not enough to trigger alarms, but enough to register. He felt the ache behind his sternum sharpen and then settle into a manageable throb.
Good.
He dressed himself more slowly in the mornings. Delayed shared schedules by minutes. Occasionally arrived late to shared corridors. The bond responded. Not catastrophically. It stretched.
Which meant it could stretch.
Elias logged the sensation privately, then did something deliberate and dangerous.
He endured it.
Plants came next.
