Ah, and back to normalcy again -- or at least, that sense of it Byerly somehow always manages to provide. Sonia falls back into it with a sigh, letting it catch her like a safety net, and grins impishly back at Byerly.

"Are you only going to describe me in the negative, Byerly?" Sonia asks, feigning coy offense. "That well is a little shallow. Your Vorbarr Sultana must be very different indeed."