Pia turned to look at Yasmine curiously.
“I brought up the idea of a personal visit to Pirn,” he said. “A listening tour, they’re calling it. We’re really hopeful that we can learn more about the people of Pirn before any concrete steps are taken.”
“That’s amazing,” Yasmine breathed. “You’re a wonderful leader.”
He felt a buzz of warm pride in his chest.
“It was basically your idea,” he said. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, if you have a moment after dinner tonight.”
Her eyes widened.
Before she could answer, the doors burst open again.
Madge Slaite marched in like a teacher whose class had been misbehaving while she was on comms with a parent.
“Hey, Madge,” he called out to her. “How was your vacation?”
“Too long,” she said briskly.
“I’m glad you got some much-needed rest,” he told her, lowering Pia to the ground.
She clung to his legs. Pia had always been a little afraid of Madge, even though she understood the woman worked for them, and was only grumpy because she worried.
Madge nodded once and looked around, as if she expected the place to be a pile of ashes after her absence.
She stopped when her eyes landed on Yasmine.
“Who is that?” Madge demanded.