'Now what?'
Tessa had stopped mid-motion of her attack, her scythe was still vibrating faintly near his skin, and her piercing eyes narrowed onto him.
At most, he had bought himself a couple of seconds.
Now came the difficult part. Conrad's mind raced. He needed something, a story, an excuse, and knowing how perceptive Tessa was, that story must be believable.
Even if she didn't believe it, it would be good enough to hold up under scrutiny, but not so good that she'd press for more details.
This needed to explain Meliora's behavior, deflect Tessa's suspicions, and most importantly, prevent her from causing any more damage.
He thought about Mel, about the terrible time they spent together and how well Tessa knew her.
And then, it hit him. A ridiculous and possibly suicidal idea.
He had considered just telling her it was something personal, but he had his doubts that Tessa would take it well.
