Ariadne heard the hesitation and had to smile. "It was a means to an end," she replied, shrugging up one shoulder.

A front for a much more important operation, really. A resistance, a rebellion. But she still wasn't entirely comfortable talking about that with the natives. Even if the Red Dragon meant nothing to them. She'd been trained to keep secrets. Born to do it, as all Alastrians were.

"And what about you?" she asked, sliding away from the issue. "What is it that you do?"