Bread and Butter

Disclaimer: All characters and locations herein are the property of Tamora Pierce. Plot and actual written words owned by me.

When Aly woke, Kel wasn't there. She panicked for a moment, then kicked off the comforter and linen and shoved aside the bed's hangings. She let out an audible sigh when she saw that Kel, already dressed, was circling around the room with a long spear-like weapon that swished when she swung it.

She got up and started inspecting the chamber again, giving the knight and her blade a respectful berth. It was neat and spare, with foreign-looking watercolor images decorating the walls and a series of statuettes lined up on the mantle. Idly, she picked up a silver-backed brush from the dressing table and ran it through her hair a few times. She was just examining the seals pressed into the leather of a clothing chest when someone spoke behind her.

"You should put some clothes on."

She smiled, but did not turn around. "You seemed less fond of them, last night," she remarked.

"You'll catch your death of cold, though."

"Perhaps you're right," said Aly pensively.

She had no idea where her own clothes were, could not even remember what she'd been wearing last night. The clothing chest at her feet, however, was not locked. She lifted its cover and peered inside. The garments were as alien as the watercolor cherry trees or the porcelain cats. A color caught her eye, a pale, wintry green. Her hands found the correct silken layer and pulled it out without disrupting the other carefully folded layers.

Aly shook out the folded garment and held it against her bare body. The silk was smooth and chilly to touch, but she knew it would warm to her, if she wore it long enough. She decided she liked it, and went to appraise its effect on her in the large mirror.

"It's a Kimono robe, a Yamani garment."

Aly nodded and turned around, slipping her arms into the robe's wide sleeves.

"That color looks good on you," offered Kel.

Aly hesitated. "Thank you."

She was dressed in serviceable cotton training clothes such as Aly had seen those of the Queen's Riders or her mother wear. Her skin gleamed with sweat from her exercises, and her normally sleek hair was mussed. When she noticed Aly's scrutiny, her hand flew self-consciously to straighten it.

"I need something to hold this closed," mumbled Aly, returning to the clothes chest to look for a sash or belt. Behind her back, she heard Kel's footsteps going in the direction of the dressing table.

When she had secured the robe with a wide black sash and turned around, Kel was not in the room. She picked one of the two doors in random and tried to open it. It was latched. She knocked.

"A moment, please!" called Kel from inside.

Aly waited with apprehension.

The latch clicked and the door swung slowly open.

"So," said Kel.

"So," agreed Aly, even though it seemed such a stupid thing to say at this time.

"We should get breakfast," said Kel. "We should talk about what happened last night."

Reluctantly, Aly agreed again.

After a moment Kel moved away from the dressing room door. "Stay here; I'll get us something to eat." She left.

She brought fresh bread, cheese and butter, and those autumn apples that carried such a heady scent. She set the tray on the table in the center of the room, and went out again. This time, she returned with a pot of tea, which she poured into two cups without needing to ask. Aly sat and picked up the cup, letting her mind focus on the smell of jasmine and the warm steam.

"Are you… going with… anyone?" she finally thought to ask.

Kel's face was inscrutable when she said, "One usually asks that before, not after."

Aly shrugged. "It seemed unimportant," she said.

"It's important now?" asked Kel.

"I think it might be," answered Aly.

"I'm not. Not anymore, that is," said Kel.

Aly nodded. "The same with me," she said quietly.

"What happened?" asked Kel, her expression very visibly bemused.

"Something good," answered Aly. "I'm starving, though."

Kel smiled. "Me too."