"That sounds nice." Arialla might intend to discuss heavy topics, but there was no reason they couldn't sit somewhere pleasant while they discussed them -- a bright garden for dark days. She followed Amalia, also relieved to leave the crowd behind. Crowds made her think about how quickly a blade might be slid in and out of ribs. But she wasn't comfortable in deserted places, either, having been attacked in an empty alley. In truth, Arialla was rarely comfortable at all these days.
"I can understand that," Arialla said, and if there was something slightly mechanical in her expression of sympathy -- a sense that she was going through the motions to get to the point and move on -- it was only a small note. "But the people here look to you for guidance."
I look to you for guidance, Arialla thought, but didn't say, not yet. First she had to answer Amalia's question about the attack. For a moment she weighed how to respond. "I'm ... Physically, I'm fine. The gods smiled on me and healed me quickly. I ... It has changed how I look at the world, though."
please don't take my sunshine away
