East

Too exhausted to do more than eat, I listened to those talk around me and answered the questions Ghoajin directed my way. This felt like a welcome home party for me as well as Batu. It was an odd sensation, one I wasn't sure was appropriate. It wasn't my homecoming, or wouldn't feel like it, if Ghoajin wasn't present and hadn't given me the seat of honor at her side.

My gaze drifted more than once to the pretty woman Batu had wanted to marry. She had three kids of her own hanging around her, all under the age of five, and was cheerful and outgoing. It was a good thing, except I could tell by Batu's occasional glance in her direction that he bore some sadness about his choice.

I understood regrets in a way I hadn't when I went on my first adventure. It was heavy knowledge, and I didn't like it. I had the feeling Batu saw what I did when he looked at the woman he wanted to marry: the opportunity to be normal that he passed up.

Neither of us was going to qualify as normal people in our lifetimes, no matter where or when those lives occurred. As he often said, it was the nature of things.

The party continued into the night, until my recovering body began to slouch of its own accord. My eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, and I rested my elbows on my knees and struggled not to fall asleep in my plate. I was full and comfortable, warmed by the fire and cheered by the happy people around me. Seeing Ghoajin was an unexpected morale boost. I wiped my face and drank more water to help me stay awake.

"You need rest, goddess," Batu said from behind me.

Blinking, I twisted. I hadn't noticed him move from his spot down the table, but I'd stopped noticing much of anything. "I don't want to offend Ghoajin," I murmured.

"She is asleep. She cannot be offended."

I looked at her and saw she was indeed out cold, her head resting on the shoulder of the woman beside her. I smiled and made it to my feet.

Several people called out to him as we left the feast while the others seemed content to eat and talk. The night chill helped my senses awaken some, and I hugged myself, following Batu through the tents.

He ducked into one, and I followed, pausing inside the entrance. "Whose ger is this?"

"My mother's. She had no children but me. They leave it up for when I visit."

"Do you visit often?"