Blackwater Islands if i had a voice, i'd sing

What happened next caught Salish off guard. With haste the ivory woman rushed to her side, her anger all but radiating from her body. The golden girl's ears lowered and splayed out sideways. Kalika's words were spoken in the common language rather than the language of the sisterhood, confirming that Salish had done something very wrong.

She knew the ways of the Nereides, and she had not forgotten them. Yet, in her bold and rather reckless way, Salish had not thought things through. She had not considered that a comment about one of the consorts would warrant such an intense response, but that was apparently where she went wrong. 

Stopping in her tracks, Salish shook her head apologetically. I was just saying that I think he is good-looking, she spoke, her tone slightly defensive. I don't have any... intentions. She was still trying to figure out why Kalika had jumped to the conclusion that she had "plans" for the snowy consort. But perhaps her words about Gabe were considered more disrespectful than she had intended.

I'm... sorry. It was difficult to apologize when Salish still believed she had done nothing wrong. However, she also did not wish to begin her life in the Nereides with an enemy.