Ryuken was already in the inner sanctum.
He did not look up when Vane entered.
He was sitting against the far wall.
That alone told Vane something.
He had only seen Ryuken sit like this once before, years ago, during a session that had not technically been Vane's. Ryuken preferred standing. Preferred motion. Preferred making stillness look like a choice rather than a condition.
The lamp burned in the high window.
Always on.
Always there.
The floor still carried the old damage from four years ago, darkened impact lines running through the stone where the first three minutes of a forty-minute session had done more harm to the sanctum than most fights did to actual battlefields.
Ryuken looked at none of it.
"Sit down."
Vane sat.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Ryuken said:
"You came about Lancelot."
"Yes."
"I don't know where he is."
"I know. Kaito told us."
Ryuken's eyes lifted.
"Kaito told you the accurate version."
A pause.
