Ariadne sat down on the floor, pulling a pillow up against her side. Just like one of the children who'd been totally entranced by Anakin's stories about a galaxy far, far away.

With a glowing smile, she looked up at him.

And mad a gesture as if to say, 'Go on.'

Having spent a bit of time around princesses, Ariadne wasn't all that surprised. Some people had the wild idea that they were helpless creatures, but it wasn't so. Princess Amanda and her daughter Princess Tranns were two of the fiercest women she'd ever known. They weren't like anything a storybook, admittedly.

Still, if they ever came upon a dragon, Ariadne was inclined to pity the dragon.

She smiled a little bit. "Somehow, I don't doubt it," she told him. "Courage and conviction certainly seem to run in your family. Back home, we believe in three virtues: Bravery, strength, and intellect. None of you seem to want for bravery at all."

"Well, the two often go together," she said with a slight dip of her head. "That's why we balance out bravery with the other virtues. At least, in theory."

Admittedly, most of the people she knew tended to favor one over the others.

She even knew herself well enough to know that she was much braver than she was wise or strong.

"Something like that," she replied.

Aside from Orpheus, she hadn't really broached the topic of religion with anyone else in the multiverse. People got touchy about it. And some people wanted to be private about it.

As for Ariadne herself, she often wondered if her prayers could travel through the fabric separating worlds, to reach her gods. She liked to think so, but there was some doubt there as well.

All that to say, it sort of felt nice to talk about. Like she'd been holding part of herself back for a while. "I try to think about each virtue, before I do something. But life happens very fast sometimes. It makes me a poor student."

"Well, here it definitely is."

Every month seemed to hold a new surprise. She was getting a little nervous as October approached. In Deerington, that had always been the worst of the worst. She was hoping for something better now. Trench had a gentleness that Deerington lacked.

But who knew?

Her skill with probability didn't work in the multiverse. She'd learned that the hard way.

"You know," she said thoughtfully. "You're a lot like your uncle. You're very kind."