Annotated 38-12
If Reynolds were a more suspicious sort, he might wonder why this leave of absence that Ardaic came up with just now requires no paperwork on his part. But in addition to his sometime naivete, he does have the gnomish focus on the work right in front of his nose. This really is a tailor-made solution for getting him out of the way while arousing minimal suspicion in him and in anyone else.
If only the Caneghem factor weren’t there to complicate things.
Pretty sure Caneghem’s bond with Reynolds is platonic, despite the alt text…although if it weren’t, he probably wouldn’t act any differently about it. So, hell, who knows.
This was the peak of Caneghem’s involvement in the story. He went through the absolutely massive (for him) change of “incredibly inconsequential and painfully neutral” to “nearly actually had a miniscule effect, somewhat”.
Reynolds may have been the only non-Sky Elf person Caneghem ever cared for in all his passive neutral life. His face in panel 5 is perhaps the softest he’s ever made since he was a babe at his mother’s bosom.
You’re not wrong! This is an amazing bit of emotion from him. While his eyes are fierce, they indicate that he actually cares for once.
Something I really like (and maybe it’s just my reading into it) is the shift between panels 3 and 4. He’s totally about to leave with Ardaic, he stops to provide the warning because Reynolds just keeps referring to him as a friend and he supposes maybe this annoying gnome can be right about that for once.
You *could* read it that way, but that’s not how I read it; I think he intended all along to warn Reynolds if the opportunity presented itself. Note how his posture barely changes at all between panels 3 and 4 — that doesn’t suggest that he was about to leave and then changed his mind. Also, I rather doubt that Caneghem’s ever done *anything* on impulse.
Perhaps he understands that the Gastonian Hall of Houses is the last place you want people to know what you’re really thinking.
Seems to me that a combination of all the comments thus far would be at play for Canegham.
I think Canaghem knows the game and plays it, but only to find out there’s little for him to win. He manages to not lose, but he’s royally pissed what kind of club he’s joined, and is rather honest about it. I feel he would pull no punches on most of the other members, but Reynolds actually means well, while the other ones know what they signed up for. Caneghem couldn’t care less if they all died from an acute overdose of intrigue, because that’s the poison they’re spreading themselves — but Reynolds is not so disillusioned, and there’s something precious about that attitude.