He caught the scents of lavender and mint in her hair. She was tucked against him, nuzzled against his shoulder. He could tell she was barely awake, and she sleepily ran her forefinger over the diamonds on his chest. He heard her yawn, and knew she was stubbornly resisting sleep. "Yero, my hero, do all Vinkun people have your markings?"

"No.. it's mostly an Arjiki thing. All of the boys get them the summer they're thirteen in a big cermony, meant to celebrate adulthood."

"All blue diamonds?"

"No," he said. He'd never explained this to anyone before- something so normal in his homeland, but so odd in the rest of Oz. "Differant classes have differant markings. They mean stuff."

"What do yours mean?"

"The diamonds just mean I'm a royal. The colors vary, and we get to pick them. They say what color you choose says things about you- I've never really believed it though."

She was close to sleep. "And what does blue mean?"

"It means I'm susposed to be protective of the people I care for."

"I think it's beautiful," she said.

"I think you're beautiful," he said, but knew she was asleep already, because she would have pushed him away if she'd heard that.

Just as well.