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"No"

"Nor I"

"It has been a disappointing day," he"To be disappointed one has to have expected a different outcome"

He looked over at her He didn’t need to ask the question out loud

"I kneas unlikely we’d find word of Thomas," she said "But we had to try, didn’t we?"

He took her hand in his "We had to try," he agreed And then so occurred to him "My head did not hurt today," he said

Her eyes lit up with joy "Did it not? That is wonderful You should have said so"

He scratched his neck absently "I’m not sure I even realized it until now"

"That is just wonderful," she said "I’m so happy I--" She rose onto her tiptoes and laid an iain "I don’t like seeing you in pain"

He brought her hand to his lips "I could not bear it if our roles were reversed" It was true The thought of her in pain was like an icy fist around his heart

She let out a little chuckle "You made a fine nurse when I was ill last week"

"Yes, but I’d rather not do it again, so do stay healthy, yes?"

She looked down, in an expression that almost seemed shy, and then she shivered

"Cold?" he asked

"A little"

"We should go home"

"Hoht to live in a place naine," she said, her face starting to light up with a land named Devil’s Manor?"

"Lucifer House?"

"Satan’s Abbey"

They both dissolved into laughter at that, and Cecilia even glanced up at the sky

"Watching out for thunderbolts?"

"Either that or a plague of locusts"

Edward took her ared her back on the path toward the inn They weren’t far, a few ood people," he said, leaning in as if iossip "I think we are safe from biblical intervention"

"One can only hope"

"I could probably withstand the locusts," he mused, "but I cannot be held responsible for my behavior if the river turns to blood"

She snorted out a laugh at that, then countered with "I myself would like to avoid boils"

"And lice" He shuddered "Nasty little bastards, if you pardon e"

She looked over at him "You’ve had lice?"

"Every soldier has had lice," he told her "It’s an occupational hazard"