Liv blushed, taking some solace from Fareeha’s answer. Her littlest sparrow, the little cream-colored one named Lumina, chirped and began preening a strand of her hair that had fallen over her shoulder. Liv cracked a small smile, lightly running a fingernail through the sparrow’s soft feathers.

She looked up sharply at Fareeha’s mention of a happy… hy…hyena?! A hyena. A happy hyena. What in all the heavens….?! But Mai took the offer in grace, and then turned the subject away from terrifying animals to a much less stressful one- the royal ball.

Liv giggled softly, happy that the mood had relaxed. “I am looking forward to it very much.” She said. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s formal outfits… In Lusitania everyone more or less wore the same thing.” What she didn’t say was that she had never been outside of Lusitania- well, save for visits to Athens, but their attire and social customs were all very similar to what Liv was used to. Sure, she’d read a few books on the matter- glossy magazines from Trelins and Aciras. Her father had confiscated them when he’d seen, telling her that it was improper to turn her back on her people’s traditions for the “glossy lies” of the fashion publications.