"Hey," she answered, mustering a small smile. She stopped scratching away at an essay and poked her quill against her black robes until the ink drained out, making sure it wouldn't dry out and clot. She set it down, then carefully capped her ink before she opened her mouth again to answer. "I'll be okay."
She took a deep breath, picking up her quill to fiddle with it, setting it down, and picking it up again. She realized she was fidgeting and set it down, folding her hands in her lap. Melinda took another deep breath. "I was planning on keeping my head down to keep you safe, but that...after...they're replacing Simon with me so obviously I can't do that now. Kirke is going to make this hard. So." She cleared her throat. "I think we need to fight publicly. Or you need to...denounce me, something. We need to do something to make them think they can't use us against each other." Because, she did not say, they absolutely can.