Naive Esya, still caught in the whirlwind of emotion, glanced back and forth between Jake and her sister, confusion etched on her face. Neither of them bothered to explain themselves. Before she could find another excuse to throw herself into their leader's arms, Will cleared his throat loudly and fixed Jake with an intense stare.
"Jake... Can I assume this is all part of the plan?"
"Will," Jake greeted, meeting his gaze with a look heavy with unspoken meaning. "This is very much part of the plan. To both our allies and enemies, I'm a hot potato nobody wants to handle, but on the flip side, they can't just bury their heads in the sand about me unless they're willing to give up control over their own fate. By showing up here openly, I'm not only revealing my location but also giving them the freedom to react to my presence on the front lines however they see fit. Pretty fair play on my part, wouldn't you say?"
