¨I never liked rain.¨ Kia informed him. Her breath whisped in warms as she spoke in the cold air.

Cherok lazily saw his reflection across the puddles of water accumulating in the small holes of the clay floor. He returned his gaze to the nervous child, who soaked towels away in the walls.

¨I wouldn´t blame you.¨ Thunder echoed sharply across his voice. ¨The palace is frightening enough as it is.¨

¨I´ve never known anywhere else.¨ Kia shrugged, water streaming down her young arms.

¨You were born here?¨ he asked, feeling the crevices of the gold walls. From his time there, he only knew of servant girls that were taken in at a young age.

Kia shook her head. ¨I wasn´t born here, well, at least that´s what Yolima told me. I never knew my parents. But this is my home. From all I can remember, Yolima is the closest thing to my mother. It...it works out.¨ Her voice quivered slightly, avoiding his gaze.

¨You mean to tell me you´ve never been out of the palace?¨ He asked.

¨No.¨

He never noticed the loveliness of her hands. They danced, gracefully efficient under the towels. It seemed obvious to him she had never known anything outside of the routines of servitude.

¨I wish I could take you somewhere else. The world is much too vast to be missing out, ¨ he finally said, offering her a smile.

Kia turned her gaze, taken by surprise. His proposal was personal, if not a whish to escape her duties. It was unthinkable, even unheard of. She cleared her throat, slapping the next towel rather firmly.

¨Wouldn´t you like that, Kia? I´ve seen your love for warm sunrises here, back in my village they are twice as majestic. Food? Food is everywhere in the little shops around the city, if you don´t get caught, that is. And you would like llama herders, they are homely,¨ he offered.

¨I can´t.¨ She whispered. ¨My place is by the Empress.¨

¨I´m not asking you to quit your work. That is the last thing I would want to happen to you. But...nobody should be be couped here forever. The empire is more than this,¨ he insisted.

¨It´s getting late.¨ She stopped short of her last towel, dropping it nervously on the basket. ¨The storm will get worse. I should be getting to my room.¨

¨Do you really think so?¨ He asked, standing up against her. His eyes were locked in hers. The apparent difference of age could be noticed in her wide pupils. ¨Let me stay with you a little longer.¨

She breathed nervously. His gaze had paralyzed her in cowardice. She admired his mastery over her, fearing of what he might do next. Tenderness radiated in his presence; he was impossibly tender.

¨I,¨ she barely opened her lips to speak, ¨I must go.¨ She said very low. She closed her eyes, dashing towards the palace hallway. Maybe if she deliberately ignored her rising thoughts, it would be easier to forget. His gaze remained, burned in her mind, condescending and sweet.

She couldn´t stay, it wasn´t a matter of choice.

She found herself in front of the servant´s room, her palms soaked with sweat. How could she have let her mind slip so foolishly? Over him, this man she barely knew? She had never seen him outside of their meeting in the kitchen. How could she even guess what his intentions were?

She turned back, running towards him. She managed to catch him, turning himself to see her agitated strut.

¨Wait!¨ She breathed abruptly. ¨How can I trust you?¨

¨Huh?¨

¨This all seems so fast, Cherok, it´s almost like somebody fathomed this in the past. You ask me all these questions about me. I have told you my entire life to somebody I feel like I don´t even know. I don´t even know where you were born, if you had any brothers or sisters. I feel like something is missing from your part.¨

Cherok turned to see the thunder light trespassing through the palace windows. She musn´t know. It would foil the plan and break her. It would ruin all chances of Yzma rewarding him. No, he would not tell her. He needed to lure her in a little more.

She was so young, so in need. He found it hard not to embrace her in his arms, to keep her still.

¨That,¨ he answered in a low voice. ¨That is something you need not know. For now, rest. Empress Nalika needs you in the morning.¨

Kia nodded, half convinced and headed back to her room, avoiding any more exchange between them.