kαıηє {нคяd тσ Ъε รσƒт, тσugн тσ Ъε тεหdεя}

"Keep telling yourself that, sai," Bert answered with a smirk, waving cheerily at the servant who stopped to stare, and didn't break his stride until they reached the foot of the stairs. Here, he stopped, considering the tall stone staircase and the weight of the woman on his shoulder. The two didn't seem like they would go too well together.

"Alright," he said, after a moment. "If I put you down, are you going to run off again? Because I can and will pick you back up."