Eliora watched Samson disappear into the crowd before turning back to her food.
She picked up her fork but didn't start eating immediately. Instead, she leaned a little toward Maelina, and lowered her voice.
"They seem to really like introducing themselves here," she said. "First Gina… now Samson."
Maelina took a sip of her drink before answering.
"It's traveler's courtesy," she replied. "You introduce yourself when you meet others on the road, especially in shared resting grounds like this."
Eliora nodded slowly, glancing around again.
"Won't they think we're rude?" she asked. "We haven't introduced ourselves to anyone."
Maelina shrugged like it didn't matter.
"It's not that serious," she said. "People understand that some travelers prefer privacy. Besides…" she tilted her head, voice dropping a notch, "most names shared in places like this are fake anyway."
Eliora blinked.
"Fake?"
Maelina nodded, taking another bite.
