"Not silly at all," Merrill says with a soft smile, reaching up to tuck some of Beleth's hair behind an ear. "I know what it's like to be isolated because of a position."

Beleth is lucky, in a way; Beleth had friends before she became the Scoutmaster. But Merrill doesn't envy her the position or the friends. Beleth deserves both, she thinks, and she'll stand with her.