Ethan rose from his seat at the back of the classroom, sliding his tablet into his bag with practiced ease. The ache in his ribs had dulled into a throb, but the weight on his mind hadn't lessened since the night of the ambush—or the hearing.
His eyes drifted across the room, landing on Astron, who stood with his usual quiet composure, adjusting the strap of his bag while scanning the final glyphs on his tablet one last time.
Ethan made his way toward him, weaving between desks and half-formed clusters of students still caught in casual conversation. When he reached Astron's side, he didn't waste time.
"Let's go."
The words were spoken quietly, but directly.
Astron looked up from his screen and gave a faint nod before turning, falling into step beside him without question.
