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~~((The 7th Anniversary Special -- page 22 of 24?!))~~
Hector closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room, not yet sure what he wanted to say--if anything.

In some ways, Melchor's attitude still surprised him. It had been weeks now, but Darktide had never really eased up with this performance of his, pretending to be subordinate to the Lord of Warrenhold.

And for the life of him, Hector wasn't sure why. At this point, Hector was confident that Melchor Blackburn was the absolute last person who needed to keep pretending. Having observed Melchor sparring with a few different people now, Hector was of the opinion that Melchor probably could fight Leo on even footing, if he really wanted to. In fact, with Melchor having access to hyper-states and Leo not, the battle might even be in Darktide's favor.

So why was he still bothering with this whole charade? Hector appreciated it, of course, since he certainly wasn't looking for a fight to break out among potential comrades, but it was hard to deny that Melchor seemed to take a certain delight in the deception being played here.

'Do you have new orders for us, Lord?' said Orric. Melchor's reaper had been quite obviously on board with it, as well.

Hector wasn't as surprised by that. Most reapers seemed to have a mischievous streak in one form or another. "No. Just thought I would drop by."

'Ah. Well, it is always a pleasure to see you. In fact, it's a pleasure to see just about anyone around here, sometimes. But I suspect that's why Melchor chose this place for his sleeping quarters.'

That remark piqued Hector's interest, and he regarded Melchor another time. "You like the isolation of the Star Tower?"

Melchor bobbed his head to the side briefly. "Oh, I don't know if it's that, exactly." He scratched his scruffy chin. "I've always had a soft spot for unloved things."