"More insufferable, then. Which I didn't think was possible, so congratulations to you for expanding my understanding of the universe."
Eliviraa's presence shifted — a sensation like a great warm weight settling, something vast and fond.
Get dressed, she said.
You look like someone who slept in their clothes.
"I slept partially in my clothes, which is a meaningful distinction."
Get dressed, Aragon.
"Yes, yes."
He was already moving toward the wardrobe. He had maybe an hour before Beltar arrived and the dance began, and an hour was enough time to be ready, if not enough time to actually want to be.
He ran one hand through his hair, accomplished nothing, and accepted this as his current relationship with personal grooming.
In the bronze mirror above the washbasin, his reflection looked back at him.
"Ready?" he asked it.
The reflection, wisely, said nothing.
-
He found his grandmother in the solar.
