Hand squeezes! He smiles. 

He tries not to watch the conversation too closely, but the runestone ensures he knows what's being said - the one using it can understand any language a person is using within range, and any written language they are looking at. He doesn't want to miss something if she tries to talk to him, so he can't detach his thread. He doesn't comment on anything said. 

When she stands to collect her things (and Stormsinger), he does as well, slipping his shoes back on, securing his belt and sword, and pulling on his coat - even if they're only going across the hall, he doesn't want to leave it here. 

She's pretty good at expressing them once she knows them - it took a while to convince her I wanted her to, but she's got it now. But she doesn't know them herself without thinking about it. She's still new to it, though - she's much younger than you're probably guessing, I've only had her for nine or ten months.

She puts her shoes back on too, and they can go.

Ah. He considers for a moment, She must have begun with some amount of knowledge, I suppose, he muses, Perhaps similar to the way Artefacts do. 

Then they can go.

Just outside of her room, and across the hall to Jaim's. 

Ilek knocks. 

Not very much like that. I'd rather explain it to you both together, if he's staying with us.

She stands close but doesn't take Ilek's hand, waiting for Jaim.

After a moment, the door opens to reveal Jaim, coat off and sleeves rolled up. He blinks in surprise to see the two of them together - he'd known both were still in the building, but hadn't been paying close enough attention to notice where.

"Good morning," he greets after a moment. He gives Ilek a concerned once-over, then turns back to Deskyl, "Do you need something?" 

DZ moves to translate. Do you want to start?, Deskyl signs to Ilek, and she doesn't translate that. I can, if you'd rather.

Ilek nods, "I'll explain," he agrees. They'd have to keep swapping the runestone back and forth otherwise, so both Ilek and Jaim could understand her. 

Jaim steps back at the quick exchange, realising this will be a conversation rather than a simple request. "Inside?" He offers, motioning to his small sitting area, "I have tea," he adds. 

Of course he does. 

Ilek steps into the room and settles down on the couch. 

How does he begin? He has no idea. 

"...Deskyl is leaving," he says, after a moment.

Jaim stares at him for a long, silent moment. 

After, once he's reached what he suspects is the correct conclusion, he sighs, his shoulders slumping a little. 

"...Yes." He says. "...Is it that bad, Ilek?" 

Ilek looks down, shoulders hunching up. He nods. 

"...I want to go with her," he explains, "To the rebellion, or wherever she's going." He doesn't actually know the full plan, just that she'd be leaving with one of Jaim's contacts with the rebellion. 

Deskyl scoots closer, and puts an arm around his shoulders.

    "It's not good for him to be here, sir," DZ translates for her.

Wherever she's going, is it? He wonders what had happened to pull Ilek so fully into her orbit overnight. He can't really comment, himself - he's fallen in love in the same space of time. Admittedly with terrible results, but then Ilek doesn't have his specific issues. 

"It is," he agrees, glancing at DZ, and then back to the image Deskyl and Ilek make on his couch. 

He'd known this path would be hard on Ilek. Despite his prickly outer shell, his brother is a gentle soul, not suited to the position he is being groomed for. He'd hoped that if he was careful about the sort of people he assigned to him Ilek might be able to come to terms with leading, might learn to lean on his people and move forward.

He should have known better - they may have some things in common, but Ilek is not Jaim. 

"If you want to leave with her, you can. It might take some doing, to convince my contact to take you, but I will manage." 

He'll manage the backlash from the king, as well. Lord Tain... well, that might be more problematic. Gael will do his best, however. 

Deskyl nods.

    "You'll be all right, sir?"

He huffs a wry laugh, "The consequences won't be anything I can't handle," he insists. And they won't. Ilek's happiness is more important than anything - only equalled by Rial and Gael's happiness. The king can't do much to harm him, in truth. Restrict his meetings with his brothers more than he already does. Likely he won't be given command of Rial whenever he does his first campaign. He'll have to see what he can do to make sure it's someone suitable. 

But Rael can't dismiss him, or even demote him, which is what matters to their plans, in the end. 

There will likely be some loss of confindence in his skills - for losing the prince in his care, as if it came out that he actually helped him leave, well. That would be a problem. 

Possibly he will have to tell his elites to guard their backs closely, if Tain attempts to attack him through them. 

    "It wouldn't be out of character for a Sith to kidnap someone they saw a use for, sir, if that would be a helpful story to tell."

He raises an eyebrow, and then hums in thought. 

"I don't imagine it would change much, at first. No one at court has any idea what you're capable of," he nods at Deskyl. 

"...It may reduce some of the loss of confidence, however. The soldiers here have seen you work. Some number of them know you are in less than perfect shape. It would be believeable to them, that you could overpower me and take him. And their stories would eventually reach the rest of the army." And from there, the people, and the court. 

"It may make some of our later plans more complicated - though I suppose there's no reason the truth of the matter couldn't come out, then." At which point people will spin their own stories for him - that he sent Ilek with her to keep him safe from more attempts like the ambush, that he sent him to keep an eye on her, to get an operative in with the rebellion, pushing them towards outright war. 

    "Or answer the question of why in whatever way seems prudent, yes sir."

If that's all right with you, she adds, to Ilek.

He nods, "I don't mind." It's not as though she couldn't, if she wanted to. He appreciates the fact that it'll take some pressure off of Jaim. 

Jaim notes the look, smiling slightly to see Ilek so relaxed with someone outside their family. 

"We may have to stage something of an altercation," he suggests. "At the meeting place." 

His contact also won't love that. He's going to owe the woman a large favour for putting up with it. 

Deskyl nods.

    "That's fine, sir. It may be a little difficult to make it seem realistic; she can work with you on that closer to the time."

"Using the pretext that she's not trying to kill me?" He asks. "Only disable?" He glances at Ilek, "If we are saying you stole him, there's no reason he couldn't have been somewhat willing. Likely, even, to the minds of the nobility, given they don't know this is common among your people."

If this story is the one they use, there's going to be rumours of elopement either way. 

"It would be understandable that you may not wish to harm his brother overmuch, in that case." 

    "Yes sir. You know what her lightsaber is and isn't capable of," - and this is DZ's chosen translation of 'explain what I can do' - "and she would rather not actually injure you. But she's confident that you can figure something out."

His hand goes to the Nomad's Bow, leaning against his chair. Yes, he saw what that saber did to the Blade she's now carrying, and to that wardbreaker. Never mind the effects it had on the humans it was used on. 

"It doesn't matter terribly much how easily you defeat me," he muses, "That I was beaten at all, and Ilek stolen, is all that matters. Particularly if we arrange this to happen when the regulars escorting us are busy elsewhere." His elites won't speak a word to anyone on the matter.