Breaking the Shackles

{Took you long enough to figure that out,} Nova replied, a hint of amusement in her tone, making it clear she’d noticed this long before Aron had caught on himself.

"Why didn’t you just tell me, so I could have corrected it earlier?" Aron asked, curious rather than surprised that Nova had already picked up on his habit.

{People rarely learn from mere warnings,} she explained with a tone that was almost like a teacher addressing a student’s oversight. {Since your life wasn’t actually at risk, I thought it would be more valuable for you to realize it on your own after experiencing the consequences firsthand.}