Open for Business, Chapter VI
Talianimi lay in her bed with her "sisters", Wildsong and Illastria. The three cuddled close against the bitter Halas cold and the less-than-ideal housing during this assignment. A small, enchanted brazier gave off a meager heat, its coals glowing like angry red eyes in the darkness. The room was sparse, smelling of pine and woodsmoke, and of old stone, a stark contrast to the elegant quarters they were accustomed to in Qeynos. Wildsong lay on her side, her back to Talianimi, her body a tense line of coiled muscle even in sleep, her blue-violet hair a spill of night across the coarse pillow. She was always listening, always aware, a predator who could never truly rest. Illastria, meanwhile, was the picture of languid ease. She was sprawled on her stomach, her chin propped on her hands, her blue-ash skin seeming to absorb the dim light. She traced patterns on the rough wool blanket with a single blue-tipped finger, her crimson eyes fixed on the ceiling, a faint, knowing smile ...