Keir let Eli finish before he said anything.
Eli described the restricted sign, the official checking a card, his decision to follow the public service lane and the judge’s instruction to return to his group. He told them he had seen Mira again near the meeting room and had gone farther than he intended. He explained the accusation, the witnessed inspection and the missing packs.
He did not mention the obituary he remembered. He did not claim that Dain was in immediate danger. He could see that the facts he was willing to share left a gap where his urgency should have been.
Pell listened with his arms folded. “You saw an official admit them. You asked another official, who told you to return. Then you kept following.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I was worried about the route and the security around it.”
“Everyone has security around a restricted route.”
