Lorne was raised to do more than blindly follow the letter of the law; if nothing else, he learned to understand the spirit of the laws, too, and in that was an emphasis on critical thinking. Seeing what Colin and Camilla suffered brought questions to his mind about the way things are done. It would not be inaccurate to say this is what rebellion looks like on Lorne: quiet and resolute in his opinions.

Dain still doesn't explain the why, but the what is good enough for Lorne at the moment. "He's right," Lorne says, a touch wryly as he sips from his cup. Faintly teasing: "You might wish to employ more subtlety, or we won't be the last to find out."

They may not be the first, either, but Detlef hasn't been hauled off to less discerning Shepherds as of yet.