He draws a breath, ready to answer, but reconsiders a moment. Alayre seemed to think their being Templar and mage played some role in it, though he couldn’t recall Adelaide mentioning it during their talk. They must have had a different kind of talk.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know, Sam. I think if I were a Templar of the same age and no rank, it would matter just as much.” Though he doesn’t know if she would have bothered to say anything. “She was worried about coercion and power dynamics and appearances… And when I brought it up with Alayre, he … He agreed.”