"I'll keep you posted if Sarelle comes to me about anything else, I guess."

"Thanks."

"Depends how, and when, and to who, and what gets out. If it was anything about Father, I'd want to talk to Isten. If it was just rumours that I'm secretly a vanished prince—" he shrugs— "eh, rumours. I'd stick to my story unless there was a good reason not to. The story being, parents moved to Thiyec when I was a kid, I'm not sure which one of them was Lalindar but I don't think they were somebody's legitimate Lalindar child, and they died a while ago and I've made my peace with it. I haven't had to come up with details yet; people haven't been prying."

"Right - if you do produce details maybe send them to me, I haven't been keeping it secret that you let me read you."

"Sure. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Heh. Do you have the fixings for panbread and strawberries?"

Mmm, breakfast.

A slightly disheveled Ekador wanders into the vicinity of the kitchen shortly after Loel starts cooking, and peers at the incipient breakfast.

"Morning."

"Good morning," he yawns.

"Hey," Loel says amicably. "I was gonna talk to you, actually. Kinda-sorta important thing. Is now a good time, or should I wait until you've had breakfast?"

"Mm?" He blinks. "No, go on. I am more awake than I may seem."

"Okay." Loel smiles crookedly. "So - the thing, from yesterday, with my bones? How they used to break a lot? Can you... not talk to anybody about that? It's kind of personal, for me, and I really don't like the thought of people in general knowing about it. I can handle it when it's just us primes, but even then, I sorta wish it hadn't ever come up."

"Yes, of course," he says. "I'm sorry. I begin to think I should never have said anything."

"Mm." He smiles again. "I'd rather know you know. I'd just... also rather you didn't know. You know?"

Ekador also smiles, briefly. "Yes, I believe I understand."

"Speaking of primes, what protocol do you prefer when Patience shows up?"

"Sure, that makes sense."

Om nom nom.