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.