Mana dragged Raven to her own room and closed the door firmly behind her.
"Now tell me what's wrong," she demanded.
Raven froze for a moment. "Nothing," he mumbled, refusing to meet her eyes.
Mana sighed. "I won't know if I need to be extra careful of Dawe if you don't me, Raven," she said softly.
Raven's head jerked up. He looked utterly stunned and his rainbow eyes held a faint spark of hope.
Mana's heart softened at the sight. She sat down next to him and patted his arm gingerly. "Will you tell me now?" she asked in a gentle voice.
Raven still hesitated. "What did you think of Rook, Dawe and Enca?" he asked instead.
Mana thought seriously for a moment.
"Rook is like your mother, I think," she said. "A bit of an idiot, but not very duplicitous. If I'm not mistaken, just like Crown Princess Pica, he also respects strength. Once he realises that you're his superior, you'll probably be the star big brother he goes around bragging to everyone about."
