“Indowy Roolnai, I see you,” she said, rising effortlessly to her feet.

She had been honestly worried he wouldn’t come. If he hadn’t, it would have spelled ruin.

Iltai Haalani had accompanied the clan head back to the bay and, as they had come in at the end where she’d been keeping vigil over her work, he was able to immediately resume control of the tanks, freeing her for discourse with the clan head.

“Human Michelle O’Neal, I see you,” Roolnai replied politely, his green-furred face blank of all expression.

“I appreciate your great kindness in coming to meet me personally,” she said.

The Indowy inclined his head in acknowledgment, an expressive gesture common to both species. “Knowing you, I am sure you would not represent a matter as important to my clan if it was not.”

A warning. He was prepared to hear her out, but not favorably inclined, and not disposed to spend any great time on the meeting. “I notice that the workers on these projects are absent today,” Michelle got right to the core of the problem.

“Did you expect otherwise?” he asked.

“No. Not under the circumstances. I did, however, hope that they might remain while Clan O’Neal reorganized obligations with allied labor.”

“Such action is not customary in the circumstances. The clans who formerly worked on these projects are at odds with Clan O’Neal. How can the estranged exchange favors?”

“I recognize that Clan Roolnai and Clan Halaani have already been more than kind.”

“You had not yet communicated with your clan head. How could we decently proceed without allowing time for both sides to receive the news?”

She accepted the polite fiction for what it was — a recognition of her own history of proper loolnieth towards her clan.