After losing half of their date to Kir's tendency to wander into trouble, and his tendency to thoroughly explain his theories even after losing his audience, Kordia felt she was owed a little something for the trouble.
"I was very restrained with that boy, Tulare."
"I'm very grateful for it," Kir replied with a gentle smile.
They were sitting on the second story of a bus, heading back to the 1st District and Kir's house, which was next to the sibliary dorm where she had her Academy quarters.
"How grateful?" Kordia asked.
Kir paused to think, which meant he didn't know what she was feeling. She was still angry at him for his lackluster response to the assassin, but she couldn't be unforgiving because she knew that someone with nothing to lose was susceptible to whatever sense of purpose a figure like Selene could give them. She could see it in the way Tulare's eyes sparkled, how he'd been hooked on Kir's every word, at least up to the point she fell asleep.
