Sage blew out his candle before he slipped beneath the sheets.
“That is not an answer to my question.”
Mr.Moore saved his place in the book by resting it open against his chest.
“We just spoke this morning about my concerns regarding the Council.”
“Yes, and somehow you were still smiling the entire time,” Sage said.“Quite the contradiction.”
Mr.Moore hummed.“I apologize.I will attempt to better match my expression to my emotions moving forward.”Deep wrinkles appeared on his forehead as his bottom lip jutted out.“How’s this?”
The reaction was so unexpected that a laugh burst out of Sage.He covered his mouth and nose with his hand and willed himself to stop.Only after he regained his composure did he move his hand to the base of his throat and gave a short nod.
“An improvement,” he agreed.
Mr.Moore’s smile was wide enough to crinkle the corners of his eyes.He moved the book from his chest and rolled to place it atop the others stacked on his table before he blew out his candle.Sage blinked into the darkened space.He waited for Mr.Moore to settle beneath the covers before he spoke again.
“I am bothered by many things,” he said, almost proudly.
“That’s most unfortunate,” Mr.Moore replied beside him.
“However, I find that I am usually able to find solutions to the things that unsettle me.It can be quite rewarding.And while I am most often focused on working through my own frustrations, it has occurred to me, after what you said this morning, that perhaps I could come up with something that will satisfy the both of us.”
