Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns these characters; I do not.
She really liked pahan Briar. He was a good friend to her and the rest of the former Camelguts. He was loyal and determined, two characteristics she liked in a lover.
He had rejected her offer to dance when she gathered the courage to ask him, and he didn't seem to return her affections. Still, she hoped for the best. Perhaps gangs did that to a girl; you always hoped for things that could not be.
She knew that Briar couldn't stay in Chammur forever. He was still young, and wanted to see more. She couldn't blame him for that, but she couldn't deny that she envied him. She would never have the opportunity to travel.
Sighing, she twisted her hair. She never had thought herself in love before, and now was an awful time to start. She wasn't even sure if she believed in love, but if such a thing existed, she would be the first to believe that Briar Moss was the love of her life.
Pahan Briar was the kind of man who would do anything for the woman he loved. And she was determined to be that woman.
He was very handsome, but that really didn't matter to her. She was always going to like him, maybe love him. He knew what it was like to be a thukdak. He helped her, even though he didn't have to.
She rose, fingering her nose ring. She could tell by the way he looked at it that he disapproved. Perhaps he would have thought better of her if she remained a Camelgut.
She shrugged. There was nothing she could do now about that. She took off her nose ring, tossing it on the floor. She didn't care who picked it up; she wasn't a Viper anymore.
She wondered whether he would forgive her for leading him into a trap. She hoped that he would. She would explain it all to him, how Ikrum had made her do it to prove herself a true Viper, and he would understand. He had to.
It was dark outside; it was a good thing she knew where his stall was. She hurried to it. She needed to know he was still there.
It was deserted. He had left, leaving her alone.
