River

"You like sitting here, I did not see you around much," he said. She did look enchanting.

She shrugged. "I feel at peace. Most of the time, if I'm not working, I sleep," she said. "Which, it seems to me, might be a wise course for you, my lord."

Her tone was forbidding. There was nothing about her to suggest that they'd ever kissed or had any intimacy. Wuyi was confused for a while.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"No, I did not," she replied.

"I got the note. If you like me, why don't you join my group when we leave?" he asked.

"I am not interested. You have made me impure in heaven's eyes. Pavilion Novices are not supposed to be touched by a man with those intents. I sacrificed myself, maybe for the greater good," she replied.