" Please don’t think you have to change your direction for my sake,” I said. “I’m just out wandering about, and my steps took me past Merindar House.” “And lose an opportunity to engage in converse without your usual crowd of swains?” Savona said, bowing. “Crowd? Swains?” I repeated, then laughed. “Has the rain affected your vision? Or am I the blind one? I don’t see any swains. Luckily.” A choke of laughter on my right made me realize--belatedly--that my comment could be taken as an insult. “I don’t mean you two!” I added hastily and glanced up at Savona (I couldn’t bring myself to look at Shevraeth). His dark eyes narrowed in mirth. “About your lack of swains,” Savona murmured. “Deric would be desolated to hear your heartless glee.” I grinned. “I suspect he’d be desolated if I thought him half serious.” “Implying,” Savona said with mendacious shock, “that I am not serious? My dear Meliara! I assure you I fell in love with you last year--the very moment I heard that you had pinched a chicken pie right from under Nenthar Debegri’s twitchy nose, then rode off on his favorite mount, getting clean away from three ridings of his handpicked warriors.” Taken by surprise, I laughed out loud. Savona gave me a look of mock consternation. “Now don’t-- don’t--destroy my faith in heroism by telling me it’s not true.” “Oh, it’s true enough, but heroic?” I scoffed. “What’s so heroic about that? I was hungry! Only got one bite of the pie,” I added with real regret. I was surprised again when both lords started laughing. "