The hug lingered for a while, but eventually Aria knew she had to pull away.

Rose, with a huge smile on her face, gave a small nod, her eyes glinting with both relief and urgency. “How have you been?” she asked, a note of worry in her tone as she shifted the basket of herbs on her hips and prepared to walk Aria deep into the human quarters.

Aria smiled and nodded, “As well as I can possibly be.”

Rose frowned at that statement but eventually shrugged and gestured for Aria to ...