In the afternoon, they traveled through quieter areas, including the gardens, the market, and a long stretch drifting through one of Meridia's beautiful corridors, where the crystal walls displayed the open ocean in all directions, causing the sharp edges of the day to blur.
Zara was talking about the Eastern Wastes with the blunt affection of someone who really loved a place that most people thought was unlivable. Sylvia was asking questions about demon terrain with what seemed like real curiosity instead of competitive interest.
Rick sat on a coral bench between them and listened to both of them. When the conversation started to turn into an argument, he would occasionally change the subject.
Over time, it became more like a real conversation.
"You've never seen the volcanic plains in the late season," Zara said. "Someone must have set the whole landscape on fire, but it's just the light hitting the rocks."
"Zork used to take me out there when we needed to think."
