As anchor-bearers go, Gwenaëlle is a good choice; the gauntlet encasing hers is clearly to purpose, even if he hasn’t seen specifically what, yet, and he’s already identified her. Captain Baudin is unlikely to be mislaid, unattended — but she does have a bad habit of pursuing curiosity with so much less impulse control than she generally brings to bear on her duties and responsibilities.

To wit, “Probably not, no,” is not the most heartening answer she could’ve given him, albeit a prompt and honest one.

“Ignoring it doesn’t seem like a better one, though, so—”