Alcuin glanced up briefly at the question, cautiously startled by the nature of it. It never occurred to him that his master might seek permission before investigating; his previous masters would undoubtedly have expected a full report on the situation. Slaves had little expectation of privacy beyond what their masters would allow, after all, and neither of them were particularly special in that regard – or so Alcuin thought at the time. He resisted the urge to chew at his lip in a moment of uncharacteristic indecision and quickly turned his thoughts toward what he did know – and would always know. “Hermes would not have sent me that information if it was not for our eyes to see,” he reasoned. “and he knows you sought him out when no other master but the one whom holds his contract would.”
“You deserve an answer...” Alcuin hesitated. “Even if it is not the answer either of us would have hoped for.”