Shrugging, Loren rubbed his eyes. It ended with him pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, okay? All I know is that the day after Sunjata and Nate came to talk to me you all showed up at my office." Or maybe two days, but it definitely hadn't been enough time for him to reach out to the Warden. Because OOC and IC timelines got really tangled. The messengers must've been sprinting back and forth across the Tundra or something. He groaned in the back of his throat.
"As for the metal, I wasn't sure. That's why I went to Frey. I figured if anyone knew what the metal was, it was the herald of nature, and they told me it was nothing but a bauble at that point." Sighing, he felt his free hand twitching as his anxiety found an outlet.
Lowering his hand, his brow furrowed and his mouth parted as he stared at Morgan. "The...the lilies. They don't involve the gods directly intervening." He blinked, still a little slack-jawed at her question.
Then he took a deep breath. Meeting her gaze, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Look, I messed up, okay? Both by not telling you about the metal and by not bringing the metal to the Voice when there was even a hint that it might cure the Ascended. I'm sorry."
Looking down, he scuffed at the floor a bit. "But...it was one mistake. A big one, but still...one mistake." Lifting his his head again, he pressed his lips together. "And the fact that you...threw me under the wagon," buses not being a thing in Caido, "after one mistake that...it hurts." He'd served as Grand Healer, with her and under her, for a year and change, and thought he'd earned at least a little loyalty and the benefit of the doubt.
Pausing, he let a few moments pass before he spoke again. "So I can promise to be completely transparent with you moving forward. But in return I need you to promise that next time you have doubts about me, you come talk to me in private and give me a chance to explain. And if you still disagree with me after we've spoken, I will defer to your judgment." He clenched his jaw, though at least he didn't shift.
Thankfully, she couldn't see how tightly he was clutching his fingers behind his back. At least until Astra pressed against the back of his legs and he patted her instead.
"As for the metal, I wasn't sure. That's why I went to Frey. I figured if anyone knew what the metal was, it was the herald of nature, and they told me it was nothing but a bauble at that point." Sighing, he felt his free hand twitching as his anxiety found an outlet.
Lowering his hand, his brow furrowed and his mouth parted as he stared at Morgan. "The...the lilies. They don't involve the gods directly intervening." He blinked, still a little slack-jawed at her question.
Then he took a deep breath. Meeting her gaze, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Look, I messed up, okay? Both by not telling you about the metal and by not bringing the metal to the Voice when there was even a hint that it might cure the Ascended. I'm sorry."
Looking down, he scuffed at the floor a bit. "But...it was one mistake. A big one, but still...one mistake." Lifting his his head again, he pressed his lips together. "And the fact that you...threw me under the wagon," buses not being a thing in Caido, "after one mistake that...it hurts." He'd served as Grand Healer, with her and under her, for a year and change, and thought he'd earned at least a little loyalty and the benefit of the doubt.
Pausing, he let a few moments pass before he spoke again. "So I can promise to be completely transparent with you moving forward. But in return I need you to promise that next time you have doubts about me, you come talk to me in private and give me a chance to explain. And if you still disagree with me after we've spoken, I will defer to your judgment." He clenched his jaw, though at least he didn't shift.
Thankfully, she couldn't see how tightly he was clutching his fingers behind his back. At least until Astra pressed against the back of his legs and he patted her instead.
THE FIREBRAND
Loren
