Everything about Iona was colorful. Not sparkling or dazzling, but vibrant and vibrating. Age hadn't dulled it at all. Zora smiled, feeling suddenly content though the retrod topic of discussion was not itself all that comfortable.

"No, I want to go," Zora said, forcing herself to admit it. "Honestly, it could be nice. Everything that's been going on - Kingstreet, Carter, Wav - go to a party that's actually a party. Not a wake in a bar or a mandatory office do."

She paused, then doubled back. "Did Balfour actually say that, 'lord of the manor', about himself? Blind me."