Ari followed along easily - a lifetime on stage had taught her how to relax her body and allow it to be maneuvered by directors, choreographers, co-stars. She settled almost immediately, her body half-draped over Aspel's - which was really very nice, actually, even if they were only lying there. She took in a deep breath, let it out on a soft, rather contented sigh, then took her book from Aspel's hand with a murmured "Thank you," and opened to page 5 once again. There was the stone, like and unlike hers, and she picked up reading about the creatures' attested prowess in battle - well, having fought one, she could confirm such - and a discussion of the means and methods of communication.
She read slowly, enjoying the warmth and unexpected comfort of the situation - again, she thought this hadn't at all been in her plans for the evening, though she couldn't help but be grateful - flipping back in the book once in awhile to check something, re-reading sections as seemed appropriate, and attempting to retain as much of the knowledge as possible considering her exhausted, headachy state. She was only a few pages from the end of the tome when her eyelids began to droop; she didn't notice as her hand's grip on the book became lax, before being release altogether as she slid from consciousness into sleep.