Lunise closed her eyes to think again. Meesei could read little enough on her face to indicate what was going through her mind.

"Hold," she said flatly, opening her eyes and turning her frown to Meesei. She pulled off her gloves, one by one. "Allow me to do on some different apparel."

Sliding free of Meesei's arms, Lunise walked to a luggage trunk near her bed and filed through various articles, occasionally throwing one onto the bed behind her. For one that seemed to live in her uniform, she had dresses and suits for all contexts. There were formal dresses, flowing casual clothing, a suits that would sooner be seen on socialites, practical wear, and so on. No doubt this was the first time they had seen the light of day since they were packed.

Given Meesei's arrival in baggy desert clothing, Lunise settled for a loose, long sleeved, light summer dress with a leather jerkin, along with a white silken scarf that she could wrap around her head if needed.

While she changed in front of Meesei, Lunise remained quiet and avoided eye contact. No amount of persuasion had dampened her nerves.