[ And when he'd taught her to swim, the first thing he'd showed her was how to float.

She no longer lags behind several steps, feeling a little lighter for their last-minute "detour." It wouldn't stave off the inevitable, but it was a welcome distraction. Something she could simply look forward to and feel no unshakable dread. Now she walks abreast, keeping pace. ]

I suppose you're right. Everyone seems so eager to lend us aid... I hope they won't refuse our coin. I always feel so boorish when I insist I pay my fair, eager as they are to waive it.

[ A laugh wafts around her words. Then curiosity takes its place. ]

I've been wondering something; do you have Amaro at home? In the Source, I mean.

[ From what bits and scraps she'd learned from Thancred and the others, their worlds were more like sisters than twins. Alike in many ways, and so apparently different in others. She felt as though she could ask a lifetime of questions about how each reflected the other. She wished she had that lifetime. ]