“The rendezvous we arranged was legitimate, of course. Giles, Gideon and uh, Marina – at her insistence –”

“Christ’s sake, Lance!” Azura boiled over suddenly; she slammed her pen onto the table and gave Lance a dirty, threatening look. “For the last time, I authorised it. Stop making my daughter sound like some kind of pushy brat!”

“I didn’t say anything –”

“The way you said it!” Azura snarled; her eyes were wild. “I get that you think I was reckless in agreeing to her request. I do too, now. But – no, listen to me – she’s sixteen years old, she’s travelled half the province alone in a canoe, independent of any adult, and the Union already has her fragment of the key: most of her strategic value was and is gone. I just treated my daughter like the mature young adult that she is. I never said – no, let me finish, Maria – I never said you had to do the same with Darius. So for the love of God, stop rolling your eyes every time Marina is mentioned, and if you’re gonna talk shit on me or my daughter, at least have the goddamn courtesy to do it behind our backs!”
Damn, she sure told him off.

That last scene gave off this nice "major stuff is about to happen" sense. Liked that.

Also the burger mention earlier in the chapter made me want a burger.