Bastien nods, holding the letter at his side without examining it. He'll have several months to do that. Now he ought to say something. Be careful, or I'll set aside books for you, or I'll set aside books for you and if you don't come back for them I will throw them all into the sea, so think about the poor books before you do anything stupid.

He stays quiet. They aren't that close, he decides just now. Friendly, more than friends. On the cusp—so how convenient Ellis is doing this now instead of next year. Next year it might have mattered.