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Graves spared a glance toward Zeff before regarding Jun again. “Interesting that you would present me with this offer while I have company instead of when I am alone. What am I to make of that, I wonder?”

She smiled, then gave Zeff a wink. “You’re to make of it that your friends here are invited, too. The more, the merrier.”

Up until now, Zeff had thought that perhaps she wouldn’t be as weird as Leo. “We know nothing about you,” he said plainly. “How could we ally with such a person?”

“It’s just an offer, handsome. Something to start us off on the right foot. Get the mind thinking in the proper direction. I’m not saying we have to jump into bed together right away.” She eyed him up and down. “Although...”

Zeff was lost for words again.

Graves, however, was not. “Take it easy, Jun, before we have a repeat of the Richland affair on our hands.”

Zeff didn’t need reminding of that particular incident. It may have been from before his time, but he’d heard the tales of it often enough for it to have made a lasting impression about the bad blood between Sai-hee and the Rainlords.

Granted, though, that bad blood had primarily been between Sai-hee and the Rainlords of Intar. The Rainlords of Sair felt increasingly estranged from their Intarian brethren, especially in recent months.

Supposedly, the Intarian Rainlords had at least sent support to the Sairi wetlands against Abolish, but the exact truth of things remained rather murky within the fog of war. And even if that was entirely true, Zeff and the other heads had thus far been unable to shake the feeling of it all being too little, too late.

One more thing to reassess, once they finally returned home.

“You really are trying to poison the Rainlords against me, aren’t you?” said Jun. She frowned at Zeff. “I’ll have you know that I had nothing to do with that mess in Richland. It may have been almost a century ago now, but I’ve always thought it was a travesty how your people were treated.”

“Pretty words,” said Zeff dryly. “And too easily said.” Then, at the deepening frown on her face, he felt compelled to add, “But... I do appreciate them, if only a little.”

Graves gave him another look.

What, Hawk? Something to say? Spit it out, then.

Zeff resisted the urge to say any of that aloud.