Noctisardor Bypass through caverns measureless to man

she is charmed for only a moment by his accented tongue--

and then the insult comes.

her face turns to stone, the warmth in her eyes abruptly dying out. she stares at him silently for a long moment, gaze set very still upon his. she is motionless, the only movement her pelt rippling in the slight breeze.

i am no slave, şirik, tasha responds, her voice like ice upon a lake long frozen. i am khanum and you will address me as such.

one beat, two, three, and nothing changes. then the ice melts quickly, her face blossoming into a smile, like nothing at all of consequence has happened between the two of them. what is your name? she asks sweetly, in a very different tone from before.

the insult is not forgotten; she has tucked it away.