“Maybe,” Noah said. “It won't be long, and then we can take nice hot baths.”

It was clear that was what he was looking forward to most of all in returning to Zeltiva. He hadn't taken many hot baths in Syliras. The time Elann bathed him when he was injured was the most he had taken. He'd never been to the bathhouse, as much as he wanted to go. The volume of people vying for a spot in the community pool was discouraging to him. He liked bathing alone or with relatively few people to give him the illusion of being alone.

Elann explained her hair situation to him. It was a little disheartening to hear that, although she didn't mean to, the dye would remain for a while. “Oh,” he said in clear disappointment. He didn't have much experience with people dyeing their hair. He'd seen plenty of it in Zeltiva, lighter haired women and men dying their hair dark or in other various colors. What he was ignorant to was how long it would stay dyed and how the dye was taken out, if it could be.

“Do you like it?” he wondered since she said it was unintentional.

“How do you get it out?” he asked, not because he wanted to it changed, but he because he was curious.