Blue looks right back, uncowed by Ronan's steady gaze, and listens instead as the strings resolve into fourths and thirds of each other. When he's done all five coordinate, resonating clear and harmonic against Cabeswater's echoing branches.

"Especially lately," she says, but it's without animosity. "You don't think it's subtle, you making yourself scarce, do you?"

She shakes her head. "Adam's pretending like he's not hurt, but he is; you're acting like we don't need you, and we do."