They weren't exactly strangers—they were both acquaintances of Prince Siegfried, who had arranged this whole thing in the first place—but they quickly lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, interrupted only by the sound of her paintbrush upon the canvas. Finally, with a little sigh, she began to talk: "Mytho put me up to this, you know"—Mytho being a childhood nickname of Siegfried's—"because he feels guilty, about Rue and me, even though there's no reason for it and I'm very happy for him, and Rue too, and I mean of course I'm sad, but I don't need him finding work for me because he re—well because he picked Rue, and it's just…" When she trailed off, Fakir was briefly at a loss for what to say, but she filled the gap soon enough, asking quietly, "Can I paint you again sometime?"