Ari and Harn filled their bowls and settled down opposite Sastra. Hip and thigh and knee touching in a way that would be scandalous in Milany. Sastra found herself blushing as she looked at the two of them. They were like a debutant and a courtier, giggling, blushing as they muttered to another and tried to share their conversation with her.
‘You look lovely,’ Ari smiled, she wore a similar selection of clothes, except that her dark under dress was a deep cherry red, and the robe fastened over the top almost a sheer white, decorated with embroidered white flowers and leaves.
‘Thank you,’ Sastra was relieved. Not that she hadn’t trusted Mala’s opinion, but Ari had become more than just a travelling companion, or a healer. She had become a friend, someone Sastra thought she might be able
