The Vice Dean's observation carried both intrigue and begrudging respect. "Quite a brazen kid we got here," he remarked, eyes narrowing as he listened Ashok's words through the surveillance orb.
It was then that his gaze landed on the communication orb in Ashok's hand that the boy took out from the storage ring, and the realization hit him. "We have to open the gates, Dean, or he'll call the Duke," he urged, his tone quick and insistent.
But the Dean remained unmoved, her silence stretching long enough to test the Vice Dean's patience. Then, almost as an afterthought, she spoke in a low voice, her command succinct and resolute. "Open."
The moment the single word left her lips, the gates within the surveillance orb began to shift. Slowly but surely, they moved inward, revealing the path beyond.
The Vice Dean observed this with a mix of relief and curiosity, while the Dean rose from her chair, her ice cream momentarily forgotten.
