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The records had failed to include an important fact.

Halver was adorable.

I stopped directly in front of him, his head lifted and his luminous eyes narrowed slightly.

I reached up and pressed one finger against his nose.

Boop.

Silence.

Halver went completely still.

Behind me, Alex made a choking noise.

I looked over my shoulder.

He had bent nearly double beside the research crates.

"You didn't."

"What?"

"You did not just boop Halver."

I looked back at the Veylith.

Halver continued staring at me.

"I did."

Alex lost whatever remained of his self-control and started laughing so hard one of his floating crates dipped dangerously toward the dock.

Corian caught it with a shield before it hit the boards. "Careful."

"Sorry."

He wasn't remotely sorry.

Nykos looked from me to Halver and rubbed a hand across his mouth, clearly attempting not to encourage the situation.

Dannian didn't bother trying.

"She's always liked the dangerous ones."

"I don't see what's dangerous about him."

Halver opened his mouth. The Veylith had very large teeth.

Dannian's mouth twitched. "Mostly harmless."

Alex made another strangled noise. Halver bumped his head hard enough against my shoulder to make me take a step sideways, then turned and disappeared into the vegetation without dignifying any of us with further attention.

I watched the dark blue scales vanish between the ferns.

"I like that one."

"You booped an Apex while he was a Rift predator," Alex said.