It wouldn't have taken nearly as long to get from the squat to the museum if Em had been able to fly, and the need to hide her abilities chafed more than usual. Working through an Askani meditation kept her from stewing over that or all the questions Val's text had raised, and she was calm by the time she arrived.

She sent up a quiet thanks to Val for leaving the door unlocked, and she followed the buzz of voices back to his office in time to hear Jag say he was going to sleep it off.

"Everything okay?" Em asked, her gaze going straight to Jag to see how badly he was hurt, while inwardly directing the question more toward Val. The "I found what you were looking for," that followed, on the other hand, was obviously to him.