Neria held it together as the guards approached, though her grip on the boxes in her hands tightened, if only to ensure she did not do something else. She put her faith in Kell; he would not lead her anywhere where she would be out of her league. Remaining silent, she looked from one guard to the next, gaze briefly wary. Hastra, at least, seemed unassuming.

My personal guard. It garnered a brief glance of confusion toward Kell before that, too, eased away. Questions wouldn't be helpful here.

(She managed to hide her smile when he called her a close friend, though it was a near thing. Her eyes, however, held the faintest hint of mirth.)

To Staff and Hastra, Neria dipped herself into a brief bow. "Thank you, sirs. You've been most kind." She regarded their curiosity coolly; she remembered, after all, what Kell had said before: that those who might ask for him were clearly from other worlds and always a potential danger. That she was Kell's friend made that clear enough.

She wondered though, and perhaps not for the first time, if Kell had been allowed to have friends besides his brother or if his duty encompassed everything. And she wondered if that was who Lila was, once upon a time, and things had changed.