It took nearly a week for Rainier to finally encounter Malzkael again.
He was in an out-of-the-way corner of the library, reading a book about tempering techniques for angels when he heard someone else enter.
She was reading a book about monsters when Rain tapped her on the shoulder, startling her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked when she realized it was him.
"I've been wanting to talk to you," Rain said.
"Well, you can forget it. You chose your side and-"
"I want to apologize," Rain said. "I'm sorry, Malz. You were just trying to help and I should have stood up for you better." He bowed his head.
For a long time, Malz just stared at him. Then she looked away.
"Thanks..." she muttered. "So did Cassie finally drop you?"
"I told her I wanted to keep things professional and she said she understood," Rainier replied. "I, uh, didn't know about you two. Or that I was your replacement..." He sighed. "She felt betrayed when you left the squad."
