"One does not become a stiff, sensible shell of themselves over someone they merely fuck, Petite." A friend, perhaps? Were it merely that that the deflection might not be quit so on the edge of mocking.

Or perhaps it would be.

As much time as she spends about Dorian she has yet to quite winnow out the sincerity from the bullshit nuance. But no, there'd been a tension borne of sincere concern in that odd month when Senior Warden Hansen had been missing.