Ari/Alecta - Sackheim Inn
Ari rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands to give her companion a look laced with bemusement and something that might very well read as pity. "Isn't it odd," she mused, "how among the nobility, a woman who makes her own choices about her life is immediately branded a whore?" It was a laughable claim, really, but refuting it with fact wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as brushing it off.
She found that people who pulled out that tired old insult always expected it to work. She took great pleasure in disabusing them of their notions.
"Amusingly enough," she continued, "nether my affections nor my favor can be bought - which, considering the way you simper around people you deem important, cannot be said for you." She picked up her soup spoon, swinging it idly between her fingers, as the next course was served in silence. Once the waiter had retreated, she finished, "That I find favor with many despite my general honesty must be terribly irritating for you, darling; it must be so tedious to have to lie and struggle to get people to enjoy your company."