An hour later Mave was dressed in a simple dress of bleached linen. Though it had originally belonged to Ali's mother, he was true to his word and had made the necessary alterations with the skill of long practice. The dress still didn't fit perfectly, but it had been bought in significantly to accommodate Mave's wasp like waist. There was an old pair of stockings and shoes that didn't fit to badly also. Having been under a strain of urgency for a long while, part of her wanted to be off that very moment, but part of her realized that rest and preparation were better uses of her time than blindly rushing off in the general direction of Illian. She needed to take the time to gather supplies from the peddlers and figure out the best route to take.

It was nice too, she had to admit, to be in the company of someone her own age who was both handsome and was ignorant of all of the peril and politics that had been her life these last weeks. For a moment, at least, she could pretend that she was a normal person and this was a normal day. It was surprisingly fun. Ali was fussing about the stitching of the waist coat he had found and was in the process of fitting it when the door swung open without a knock. Two boys both unfamiliar to Mave, though Ali clearly recognized them both stood at the door mouths hanging agape to find their friend alone with a girl none of them had ever seen, his hands on her hips as he fitted to the waistcoat.

Before ALi could speak they both turned and bolted down the drive way hooting and hollering with the mirth of boys with a secret they had just uncovered.