Notes

CC, of course, knew nothing of Ayanga's previous experience with devastatingly beautiful dark-skinned roegadyn women. When he entered she gathered herself and gracefully rose from her seat to return the formality before resuming her seated position.

"I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice, Ayanga." Her voice warm and courteous as she spoke, the late explorers influence upon her having waned in the time since she ate his brain. "As I mentioned to your man at the door I wished to more formally extend my gratitude towards you for freeing me from that hell I had been trapped in. I could well have languished there until the end of days had you and your companions not happened upon me."

She extended a hand and beckoned him closer. The healthy glow of her skin, the brightness of her eyes and the warmth of her bearing could make one scarcely believe that just a moon ago she had been a lifeless, withered husk. Whether he came closer to her or not would not dim the subtle smile upon her face. "I owe you a debt it would seem..." Her words were gentle and at the moment at least, they seemed genuine.