[SE] there's no water in the wine

I think I can manage being collateral damage

Everest caught the look Liam shot him, but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he inclined his head slightly at the question, taking a measured breath as if cataloging his answer before speaking. "Stormbreak is doing well," he confirmed, without hesitation, without irony. "Better than it has in a long time." He shifted his grip on his tea, the warmth of it seeping through his gloves.

"There’s order. Structure. The council is efficient. And people are… adjusting." A small, precise pause. "Quickly, for the most part." There was no discomfort in his tone, no sense of caution. Just a quiet, calm conviction. Stormbreak was working the way it was supposed to work.

Ever finally lifted the cup as if he might actually drink from it this time—though at the last second, he simply breathed in the steam again, gaze flicking back to Liam politely. "Well, I don't want to keep you from plans," he murmured, before glancing over his shoulder toward where it seemed as though things were finally getting underway back by the port.

"But think about what I said? If the dragoons are happy to have me in their ranks, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to welcome you back."

Even if I had to lose you to know you I'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through