The city was waking up in earnest now. Ba’an walked as closely as she dared to Lukios in public, knowing by how he had fallen silent that he was thinking of Rekos. She slipped her hand in his, and he looked down at her briefly with a small smile, squeezing her fingers.

The temple was made of stone—at least on the outside.

“Most buildings in Kyros are wood inside,” Lukios explained. “This place was actually a fort first—I guess that’s the barracks now—and the camp around it became a town, then a city once the outer walls went up. That’s why this place is so chaotic. I don’t think there’s another city quite like Kyros in the entire empire, to be honest. Most of them are all planned out so the districts are all in their proper places, but here?” He shook his head. "Anywhere and everywhere. Well, Heliopolis is a bit like that too—the old quarter is extra confusing." He hadn’t let go of her hand and was now rubbing his thumb over her skin where it lay. “Honestly, I think I’ve only been here maybe twice before? It was for our incursion into…well, into the desert.” He grimaced. “Guess you know about those.”

“I do.” Ba’an did not press him on this, just as she had not pressed him about his role in the war. She did not wish to know; knowing came with judgement, and Ba’an…

Ba’an was no longer K’Avaari, never mind a witch, so what did it matter? It did not.

And surely he would have said something during the long desert nights if there was something important? Lukios could scarcely keep still or quiet or five minutes at a time; the idea of him keeping anything serious to himself struck her as somewhat absurd.

Surely not. The only person here with something important to share was Ba'an, and she would speak to him of it soon enough—once Eirene was safe. She would tell him then, and…

That would be that.

There were gardens around the temple, a little fence of greenery and flowing water with stone benches, of all things. A little garden of peace, perhaps, amidst the bustle.

Naturally, they were ringed by merchants. They were like cockroaches: everywhere and anywhere, even places of worship.

They paused at the white cobbled road that led into the courtyard proper. Even inside there were stalls, though they looked expensive and orderly. Ba'an could see people lining up to buy last-minute sacrifices or incense. Some even seemed to be buying jugs of…oil, was it?…and other supplies.

Ba'an focused, listening for souls. There were many, though they did not sound gifted; even so, she felt wary, knowing that Nikias had not felt all that special until suddenly, he had noticed.

"Ba'an?" Lukios was looking down at her. "Do you think…you can come up with me? Or…"

"If you wish." Perhaps all would be well.

…But perhaps it would not. Ba'an frowned.

"Um…" Lukios' brows furrowed. "Something wrong?"

"No."

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Ba'an. I mean, no one really likes temples. We just go because we have to. Twice a year at least. Or we get fined."

"What?" Now that sounded truly absurd.

"Yeah, I know." He rolled his eyes. "It's a long, stupid story. I'll tell you later. But anyway, the priests give you receipts and you show 'em to the tax collector when he comes around. It's beyond stupid."

"But what if you lose your receipts?"

"Fined."

"But…"

"Doesn't matter. Fined. More than three times? Arrested." Lukios shook his head. "You should see the line ups after Kronia. You know they charge triple the usual rate at the end of the year?"

Ba'an blinked. Well. Leave it to the Dolkoi'ri to make profits on worship, even worship that held no magic. "I do not understand. Is this the will of your gods?" A god of greed, perhaps? A personification of their avarice?

He snorted. "More like the will of the priesthoods. They all raise 'em the same amount at the same time. It's a racket, I'm telling you. A gods-damned racket." He shrugged. "Anyway, you can wait out here if you want. Not the nicest place to take a lady, I know."

"It is not that, Lukios. It is only…"

He waited, expression mild, and Ba'an was sure he would not be angry if she refused.

Hurt, perhaps, but not angry.

It was not that she did not wish to go with him. It was that her mind spoke sense, though her heart battled it whenever Lukios was near. "Nikias noticed me. I did not expect him, and if there are talented Dolkoi'ri elsewhere in this city, they would be at a temple." During the war it had been their priests and priestesses that had been deployed to counter witches, though they had not been particularly effective.

In the end their altars had been bathed in the blood of hundreds—if not thousands—of slaves. Ba'an had not seen the point of this; they did not understand magic. They seemed to believe it was a matter of sacrificing the right kind of soul in large quantities to their silent gods, but it had not worked very well, had it? It had been like watching toddlers attempt to light a fire after watching their father do it. They only wasted the fuel, except instead of wood or fire-rocks, they had burned through souls.

It was revolting. The entire business of Dolkoi'ri 'magic' was disgusting.

Lukios' eyes widened. "Well, shit. That's true." He gave a little laugh. "Good thing one of us has sense, hm? You're right. We're not as magical as your people—"

"—They are not mine, Lukios—"

"—but if there's another Niki anywhere in Kyros, it'd definitely be a temple." He paused for a beat, looking at her, and she thought he might say something more, but he only huffed lightly and shook his head. "Anyway, stay here, sweetheart. I’ll be quick.”

“Do not worry. Take your time, Lukios. I will be here.”

“Right.” He flashed her a short, soft smile. "I think it's for the best." He glanced at Ba'an's new goat, who was tugging against her rope with her eyes on the flower gardens. "Bet you all the blood would make her crazy. Yeah, better to stay put. I'll be right back. Hey, you can think about what you want for breakfast!" Ba'an rolled her eyes at him, though he only beamed at her. She did not spend all her time thinking of food. It was only that she was always hungry. That was all.

He separated her goat from the rest, and Ba’an soothed her when she bleated at her sisters as they walked away. “No, you do not wish to go with them. You will stay here, with me.” Of course she could not understand Ba’an. She looked toward the other goats and bleated again, pulling against her rope. Ba’an plucked a harmless flower from the garden and offered it to her. “See how pretty it is? It tastes mild, as well.” The goat looked at the flower, then at Ba’an, then back to Lukios’ rapidly diminishing figure. She bleated again. Then she ate the flower, looking torn. Ba’an laughed softly. Food always won out in the end, did it not?

The goat began to snuffle around the garden, munching on whatever she found interesting. Ba’an glanced around, feeling mildly guilty. It was likely very rude to allow a goat to graze here. Perhaps she could take her for a walk?

She clicked her tongue at the goat. The goat looked up at her, tilting her head in a curious way as though to say, What’s wrong with your mouth? then went back to munching through the temple gardens.

“Mai’ra. That is your name. Mai’ra.” It was not as ridiculous as Am’rayanasa had been, and it suited her. “Come, Mai’ra. We must not draw attention to ourselves here.” She tugged the rope, but the goat ignored her. Ba’an stroked her head and ears, and the goat finally looked at her with something other than annoyance or puzzlement. She liked being petted. Ba’an tugged the rope gently, trying to coax her from the garden. Mai’ra flicked her ear in annoyance and went back to feeding. Hm. She would need something much more tempting than the garden then, wouldn’t she?

Ba’an glanced around. There was someone setting up a stall with what looked like fresh produce, just across the way in the plaza. It looked as though they were selling things meant to be sacrificed—burned, very likely, to some god or goddess of the harvest. It was the closest, and it had the added convenience of keeping Mai’ra within her field of vision. Ba’an quickly tethered Mai’ra to the bench, who simply continued to munch, completely unperturbed.

The prices were exorbitant. “That is very expensive,” Ba’an told the merchant, but he seemed undisturbed by the accusation.

“This produce was grown with blessed water from the Divine Temple of Dāmā́tēr in Elysium. It is worth every copper, lady. Your prayers to are sure to be granted.” Ba’an doubted there was any benefit to using blessed water for crops, but she did not wish to allow Mai’ra to wreak any more havoc on the garden than strictly necessary. She bought some carrots, then paused. The merchant sold flowers too, beautiful ones, very much like the ones in Gaios’ garden.

“Do these flowers have meaning?”

The merchant beamed, pleased at the prospect of her purchasing even more at stupidly high prices. “Yes! I have flowers for all occasions. A fragrant sacrifice is always pleasing! What is the occasion?”

She hesitated. “We are mourning a loved one. We wish his soul to be well.”

The man’s expression sobered; even the dark curls of his beard seemed to droop. “Ah. That is always hard. My condolences, lady. Here, you will want these.” He pointed to a pot of white flowers with large, waxy petals. From the center protruded elaborate white stamen with reddish-pink tips. The grooves running down the center of the petals were the same colour, a mix of innocent and ominous. “These are asphodel. They will carry your prayers to the Meadows.”

“I am not Dolkoi—local. What are the Meadows?”

“Of course. You do have the look of desert folk about you. A Red Sander?”

“Yes.”

“I thought as much.” He looked at her curiously but held his tongue. “I mean the Asphodel Meadows. It is where our souls go when we die. Your loved one is surely resting there, and if you wish to send him a message, this will be the best way.” Ah.

“I see. Thank you. I will buy those as well. Enough to send…many messages.”

Ba’an walked back quickly, relieved to see Mai’ra still grazing peacefully. “Come, Mai’ra.” She held out a carrot. Ba'an watched as Mai'ra's eyes fixed on the orange treat; the goat's ears perked upwards and forwards. “Do you like carrots? Be a good girl and come with me then.” Ba’an coaxed her away step by step, cooing and rewarding her when she did as she was asked. When Mai'ra spotted the asphodel, she became very interested; the goat kept trying to snatch them with her mouth, and Ba’an had to play an elaborate game of keep-away to prevent them from being a part of Mai’ra’s breakfast.

“No, Mai’ra. The carrots are for you. The flowers are for Lukios. Do not—!”

Ba’an had been coaxing Mai’ra away from the garden and toward the temple plaza. The merchant who had sold her the carrots and flowers appeared very amused; Ba’an ignored him.

“The flowers are poisonous to goats, lady!” he called out, and Ba’an could only spare him a sparse word of thanks as Mai’ra began jumping to snatch the flowers from her hands.

“Mai’ra! Behave yourself! Did you not hear the nice merchant? They will kill you!” Ba’an backed away and slammed into a wall—except there was no wall. Arms snaked around her to keep her from falling—a very familiar pair of arms, paired with a very familiar soul.

"Named her already, huh? Bad girl, Mai’ra. Stop trying to steal Ba’an’s flowers.” His voice was as cheery as ever, which was a relief.

She tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. “They are your flowers.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Really? Um, thank you?” He sounded puzzled, but took them from her with an appreciative kiss on the top of her head. Ba'an felt her cheeks heat once more. She made to step away from him, but he simply tightened his arms around her, keeping her trapped. Mai’ra bleated up at Lukios, as though complaining about the unfairness of his superior height.

Quietly, she explained, “The merchant told me they can be burned to send messages to the Meadow. I thought…if you wished to…you could…burn one whenever you wished to send Rekos a message. At a temple or…if your people have shrines, you can…or perhaps even outside?” She faltered. It sounded rather foolish now that she had said it out loud.

Lukios was silent.

“Or…you could simply…put them in a vase? Perhaps it was a poor idea. I did not mean to presume, I only thought—”

“Oh, Ba’an.” He said it very, very softly and pulled her tighter against him. He rested his cheek lightly against the top of her head; he was simply too tall for anything else, and she too short. “Thank you.” He gripped her tightly, as if afraid she would slip through his fingers. “Thank you.”

She placed her hands over his, gently rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. After a moment, he sighed and released her, though he did not quite let her go; he held her hand, lacing his fingers between hers.

Mai’ra bleated unhappily, still wanting to sample the asphodel. Ba’an glared down at her. “No. You may not eat the asphodel.”

Lukios snickered. “That’s right, they’re for me, not you. You can’t have any.”

Ba’an rolled her eyes so he could see it. “Because they are poisonous to goats, Lukios.”

“Right, but even if they weren’t, she can’t have any.” Ba’an sighed, and Lukios laughed. He pulled her closer and lifted her; she squeaked as he kissed her on the mouth, right there in the temple square.

“Lukios!” He grinned unrepentantly and set her down.

“Yes, Ba’an?”

“We are in public,” she hissed, but he only gave her an innocent look.

“So we are. And?”

“Lukios!”

“No one’s watching, Ba’an.” That was not true. Ba’an was certain the produce merchant had been watching them the entire time. When she glanced over, he lifted an eyebrow, looked over at Lukios then back at her with an encouraging smile. It was obvious he had drawn some conclusions, just as it was obvious that this was more entertainment than he usually got all day.

Oh sacred ancestors.

She pulled her shawl down over her forehead, as low as it would go.

“Okay, no one important is watching. No one’s going to show up and arrest us for public displays of affection, Ba’an. I mean, it’s just a kiss. If we started getting naked in the square—”

"Lukios!"

“I’m just saying, actual sex acts would result in an arrest. A man kissing his wi—uh." He cut himself off with a little cough, and suddenly he was flustered, which should have been very satisfying, but was only endearing, instead. "Okay, right, it might not be great for your reputation. You’re right. I’ll try to contain myself and save it up for…later.” His grin was now significantly less innocent.

Ba’an’s retort was interrupted as Mai’ra spotted something interesting and yanked on her rope.

“Ah! Mai'ra!”

Lukios tsked. “Here. Let’s switch until we get back.” He handed her the bouquet and took the rope. He clucked his tongue at the errant goat. “Here, girl.” Ba’an handed him a carrot. “Here’s a carrot. Do you want a treat?” He looked over at Ba’an and said, sounding deeply amused, “And of course you chose the small one with no sense of danger. Hm, kind of like another lady I know.”

“I have a sense of danger. I do not know what you are saying.”

“Oh, was I talking about you?”

“If you continue grinning, your face will split in half. I will not fix it.”

“Now that would be a tragedy. Not a lot of men with a face like mine. You’d miss it, right?”

“No.”

“Aw, lies. You love my face. It’s handsome.”

“And it could not belong to a more modest and humble man.”

“I know. How lucky is that?”

She rolled her eyes at him again, though he was too busy chortling to pay her any mind. “Mai’ra, you have my permission to bite him.”

“Ha! She won’t. She likes me. Isn’t that right, Mai’ra? We’re good friends now, aren’t we?”

Ba’an stared in irritation as Mai’ra cantered around Lukios, seemingly happy now that she had his attention. Traitor.

“Don’t worry, Ba’an. You’re still my number one. Mai’ra’s not pretty enough to tempt me. Also, she’s a goat.”

“I was not worried.”

“Good,” he said, looking at her and with an expression of utter sincerity. “Because you’re the only one for me.”

Her heart thumped in her chest and her head suddenly went light and airy; her face was hot. Her neck was hot. Everywhere was hot. Hastily, she tilted her head down and tugged on her shawl, wishing her hair had not been tucked so effectively beneath it. She snuck a peek at him from beneath the rim of thick wool, and yes, he was looking at her still, looking at her with that…that expression he got, sometimes. She refrained from fidgeting; it was an act of will.

“Aw, Ba’an,” he said, voice softer than it had been a moment ago. “What am I supposed to do if you look like that?” He slipped his fingers between her cheek and hood and caressed her lip with his thumb, turning her face to look at him. “See, if you don’t want me to be kissing you out in public, you really shouldn’t tempt me like that, being all adorable.” His gaze too intense and she looked away, unreasonably rattled. “Ah, gods be good. Ba’an, you’re just too…” He sighed, and stepped away. “I better walk over here, since I’ve promised to behave in public. You make it real hard, sometimes.”

Ba’an cleared her throat. When in doubt, change the subject. “Lukios. How much longer do you think before your brother arrives?"

“What? Oh. Uh…a week, maybe? He'll send a messenger ahead first, and the rest of them'll be…hm, two or three days behind? Something like that." Lukios shrugged. "We've got…a little bit of time still." And now he looked morose.

"You said we will spend the day together."

"Yup." He smiled at her. "Did you want to go somewhere?"

No. Ba'an wished to take him to bed and…

Embarrassed by the sudden turn in her thoughts, she turned her face to cluck her tongue at Mai'ra. "Do not put that in your mouth, Mai'ra. You will die." Or at least be very, very ill.

Lukios gave one of his amused little laughs. "She's like a little kid, hm? Wants to touch absolutely everything, but she doesn't have hands so she keeps putting things in her mouth." Still chuckling, he tugged Mai'ra closer despite her unhappy bleating. "No, no. You're going to stay nice and close to me. There you go. You'll thank me later—well, no. You won't. You're a goat." And then he laughed again.

"Do not let her eat things off the street, Lukios. That is dangerous."

"I got it, I got it. Ha." He caught her eye and winked. "I shouldn't be jealous, should I? You can't possibly like the goat more than me. She's a goat." And then he made a little bleating sound. Ba'an saw Mai'ra's ears perk up as she turned to look at him, then she made a disappointed snuffling noise and went back to trying to defeat the rope.

"Hm." Ba'an pretended to think about it, just long enough to make him nervous.

"Oh, come on. I was joking, Ba'an, don't look so…so…serious about…Oh come on! She's a goat!"

"Yes," Ba'an agreed. "That means she cannot talk at me, Lukios."

"Haha. Very funny. You know you love the sound of my voice."

"You love the sound of your voice."

"Hey, hey, let's be fair. I have a very nice voice. You like it. I like it. The guy we bought cheese buns off of liked it. I have a very likeable voice."

"Mai'ra has very long lashes and adorable goat-ears."

"Oh, come on. I have long lashes. I can't do anything about the ears, but use your imagination. Also? I have hands. With thumbs. Know what that means?" He raised the relevant appendage and wriggled his digits. "It means I can make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not to mention a whole lot of other things. Mai'ra can't beat that, can she? She's just not…that…handy."

Ba'an turned her head slowly to look at him. "Lukios."

He only grinned.

"Dolkoi'ri humour…"

His grin widened.

"…is not…"

He opened his mouth to speak, still grinning.

"…funny."

Lukios swooped without a hint of reticence. "…'Cause we're just too…damn…punny!"

And then he cackled.

Ba'an covered her eyes with her free hand and sighed.

----------------------------------------

"…for sure?"

Ba'an did not know when the conversation had taken a turn for the serious, but it had; somehow, Lukios had redirected the flow so it had returned to their previous topic: Ba'an's departure.

The man had a way with words. Ba'an had often found herself wondering, in the long, dark nights after he had told her what he had been, what he would have become if he had been born into a noble house instead; she rather thought he would have become one of their chanters.

He certainly had the tongue for it.

Lukios was looking at Mai'ra, seemingly calm, but she knew he was unhappy with the prospect of her leaving, and leaving soon. She could read it in the line of his shoulders, the way his voice was just a little too relaxed and a little too casual. He was doing his best to appear content, and knowing he was doing so for her benefit made her feel even worse.

"It is what we planned, is it not?" Ba'an looked at Mai'ra, pointedly. "That is why you bought me a goat, yes?"

"Yeah." He licked his lips. "But…you know, Ba'an, you could just come to Heliopolis with me. We can take Mai'ra, that's fine. We'll be taking horses so one goat isn't a problem. I was just…" He trailed off.

"I do not like cities, Lukios. And if your Heliopolis is so big"—he winced, and Ba'an knew he was regretting what he had told her only a scant hour or so ago—"then I will hate it more than Kyros."

"Right," he mumbled. "Too big, too dirty, too noisy."

"Yes." Gently, she added, "And it is too dangerous, Lukios. We already have a problem with…your friend. Perhaps we can trick him, but what if there are more like him in Heliopolis?" She shook her head. "We will be very far from the desert, and escaping would be harder."

And it could very well be that he would regret his invitation, anyway, once he realized what she truly needed: souls.

No, it was by far the better decision to send him off to his sprawling city alone once Eirene was safe, so he could think over his proposal in peace. Perhaps he would decide he did not wish to marry her, after all, and it would be easier to bear if she did not have to see it.

Lukios was silent, and she could see he was thinking on something deeply. Slowly, he shook his head. "I don't think you'd have to worry about that. Not if you stuck to Heliopolis-East and Tritonus. I think…it'd be fine, as long as you didn't use any…you know." He caught her eye and mouthed, 'magic'; she understood his reluctance to use the word, now that the streets were bustling. He sighed. "I mean…it's up to you, sweetheart. It's just…" He looked at her from under his bangs, somehow looking even more like a scolded puppy than he had that morning at the baths. "It'll be two months, Ba'an. Two. Months. At least. I barely lasted one day."

Ba'an distracted herself by watching Mai'ra. She was very energetic goat, though Ba'an did not think she was all that young. It was soothing to watch her trot back and forth as far as the rope allowed her.

"…Can you at least think about it? Coming down to Heliopolis with me, I mean. We can still take Mai'ra, Ba'an, and it won't be too hard to drop your things off at your not-vuti before we go. I'm going to need a horse anyway, and we can just have one haul a cart with your things. See? That's even easier."

She chewed her lower lip. It was a very sensible suggestion, and difficult to counter without simply telling him the truth.

"And you can meet Danaë and the girls."

…Ah.

"Um, on second thought, maybe not Danaë, but definitely the girls."

"Oh?"

He gave an awkward laugh. "Danaë's…um. Terrifying?" He cleared his throat. "But I'm sure she won't scare you. It's just…uh. You might hate me later, haha…ha."

"…But she is your mother now."

"Uh…well, only because Rekos adopted me. But she was real sour about it." He glanced around, then dropped his voice lower. "She couldn't give him a son. That's why he adopted me. I don't think she'll ever forgive me for that."

"That is absurd. It is not your fault she could not bear her man a son, and it is not your fault that Rekos adopted you. I do not understand. There is no sense in it." Ba'an could feel her forehead crinkle into a frown. "Does she bother you?"

"…Yeeeeah, maybe we should…stay somewhere that's not Tritonus."

Ba'an sighed. And now she was concerned all over again. If this 'Danaë ' was unkind to Lukios, it would behoove him to have allies with him.

If she blamed him for not birthing a son, then she would likely blame him for Rekos, as well. Ba'an did not need to see this to know.

"I will think on this, Lukios."

"You will?" His head came up, and he was smiling again. "That's great! Hey, we should go to a temple and get married. Forget the wedding. Let's just get our vows and our papers and then Danaë won't be able to do shit!"

Ba'an blinked. "…Lukios. Are we having the same conversation still?"

"Uh…" He gave a nervous little laugh. "I just thought I'd mention the option while you were thinking about it. Um. It was just a thought! An option! You…take all the time you want." He beamed at her. "Oh hey, look! We're here. Let's get Mai'ra into a stable and make sure she's all comfy before we eat."

The gates of Gaios' estate had been flung open. They slowed, glancing at each other in confusion at the chaos within; people, unfamiliar souls, were rushing here and there, and Ba'an could hear excited babbling. There were horses and carriages in the courtyard.

Lukios was frowning, trying to keep a very excited little goat from running off to greet all the new people. Mai'ra tugged against her rope and bleated, glancing back at Lukios then forward; she did it over and over, her bleating getting more and more insistent each time. Ba'an shushed her, but it had no effect. Ba'an eyed the rope. With the way Mai'ra was running around, he was in danger of tripping.

Lukios was still peering into the courtyard. He had stopped walking altogether now. "That…looks like…"

He never got to finish.

"Lukios? Lukios! Lukios!" There was a passionate cry and a flurry of movement; someone dashed across the courtyard and out the gates, ignoring the shouting that rose behind her.

Everything seemed to slow.

Ba'an saw Lukios eyes widen in recognition even as he took single step back. Mai'ra bleated, dashing around him so the rope tucked against his knee then tensed as the little goat made for the sprinting figure, thrilled to meet this new, strange creature.

The figure, dressed in white with dark hair piled loosely on her head, flung herself forward. Her shawl, also white, came loose, fluttering in the breeze like a flag as she stretched her arms out, exactly in the manner of a lover.

Ba'an took a single step forward, hand uselessly reaching for Lukios as Mai'ra pulled the rope taut just as he attempted to take another step backwards.

The young woman threw herself toward him.

Lukios' arms came up, reflexively; he caught her, looking confused and mildly surprised, but this was a mistake: Mai'ra tugged.

The rope snapped into a hard line.

Lukios lost his balance.

The woman's arms, deceptively delicate, went around his neck like a noose.

Lukios fell and landed badly, gasping soundlessly as his back struck the ground. Mai'ra, now free to run amok, bleated and began prancing around them with wild, frenetic energy. Ba'an darted forward to stop her before she could step on Lukios' hand—or even worse, his head; she grabbed the rope, aghast at how Mai'ra's happy and oblivious efforts had ensnared the two in a hopeless tangle.

"Mai'ra!" Ba'an snapped, uselessly. "Stop! Stop this immediately!"

Mai'ra did not respond, because Mai'ra was a goat.

"Lukios!" The woman smiled, face lighting with joy. Ba'an felt her spine stiffen as the lady raised her hands and ran her fingers through his hair and over his face in a way that was shockingly familiar. "You're alive! I knew it! I knew it!"

Lukios took a wheezing breath and attempted to wriggle away.

This only served to tighten the rope.

"Uh…surprise? Hey, good to see you! But, uh…would you mind…?" He squirmed, but she only laughed as she pressed herself closer and raised her head.

Lukios' look of awkward friendliness morphed into one of alarm, but it was too late; he started to sit up, hands hovering helplessly over the woman as he tried to get her off him without touching her.

The female stranger-who-was-not held no such reservations around touching.

Still laughing with delight, she slid her hands onto Lukios' cheeks and kissed him.

On the mouth.

Ba'an dropped the rope.