Marlowe
The debate that followed Bear's proposal ran considerably longer and considerably more heated than I'd expected, senior members split along lines that had nothing to do with age or seniority and everything to do with how each individual member had processed everything that happened since the ceremony.
"This isn't just about one prospect," the old traditionalist who'd nearly enforced the law against me argued, though his tone had softened considerably since that tense confrontation in the yard. "It's about precedent. Change a foundational law because one exceptional case makes us uncomfortable with it, and you open the door to reconsidering every other tradition this club's built on."
"Some traditions deserve reconsidering," Bear countered, steady. "This club claims to value skil
