"You... did something to wrong me?"
Lorne looked at Maric, whose gaze kept darting about, and asked half jokingly.
"No, how could I? How could I possibly wrong a friend?" At his words, Maric seemed to find an outlet for his pent-up emotions and protested rather defensively.
"Uh..."
Lorne froze for a moment. That reaction is making me a little uneasy...
Although he sincerely doubted Maric would harm him, and his spiritual intuition had sensed no danger, Lorne still felt there was something odd about him, as if he were hiding something.
Seeing his troubled expression, as though he had something he could not put into words, Lorne did not press him and moved past the subject.
"Give Sharron my regards."
They had not met since Sharron's unexpected "ambush" last time. Looking back, the atmosphere between them had indeed been rather delicate.
"How about... I go over and say goodbye to Sharron myself?" Lorne suggested after some thought.
"No! Let me pass on the message..." Maric hurriedly stopped him, looking guilty.
"Uh... well, Sharron hasn't fully recovered yet. And... she might not be in the best mood these past two days..." Maric scrambled for excuses.
"You... you'd better not disturb her. Give her some peace."
Lorne drew a sharp breath and opened his mouth. He was certain there was something going on that he knew nothing about. But seeing Maric look as though he were facing a formidable enemy, he asked no further questions, sparing them both the awkwardness.
Perhaps Sharron really did need time to settle her feelings.
Before leaving, Lorne took out two freshly made charms and handed them to Maric. He reminded them to be careful in Backlund and to wait until he returned from his inspection so they could deal with any difficult situations together.
"Sigh..."