A change came over Emira then- like something pulling away from her, cracks at the edges of her composure. Her shoulders were set against some invisible weight, composed and still, but the darkness of her eyes told a different story. Someone under that sheen of frost. It was small, there and gone.

She dipped her head in a nod.

“You are welcome here, Neria Surana.”

It wasn’t a polite platitude, or a matter of ceremony.