"Oh, I love cats," Ariadne replied, curling her fingers up and offering the knuckles to his kitten to sniff, if she so desired. "But I don't think I'd make a very good keeper of one. I don't even have a home. I just sleep anywhere I can find a decent branch. Better to let the refugee families have the nice places."

And she said that without irony, not at all self-effacing.

It was her way.

"But a healer? That's a very noble line of work, my lord."