As she met his gaze something stirred deep within. She felt the Gift tensing inside, preparing to push its way into Randolph while his eyes were locked to hers.
She fought the feeling down. With the wristband in place all she could achieve was to demonstrate who she was, what she was, to Randalph and to the Wanderer. That would be pointless.
“Alright?” Randalph prompted again.
“Yes,” she said in a quiet voice. “I won’t listen to the rumours anymore. I promise.”
“Good!” He pulled her into another hug, then released her and stood up. “Let’s go get some dinner!”
But she did listen to the rumours, of course. She even made up a couple herself, though she took great care to pass them off as something she’d heard elsewhere. Having spent a few weeks on the Wanderer she’d made friends
