“Perhaps not.” Those pale eyes met his. “But I was told you were handsome, and so I think you must be the standard by which I judge. Though it also seems there is beauty in everyone I see. I thought Toric must be speaking of Danoh or Ardyl, for there have been times these past days when I have not been able to look away from them. But I cannot truly judge, for I have stared as often at all of you. And so much that I see seems so beautiful. That woman, for example”—she gestured discreetly toward an older woman seated at another table—“has lines beside her mouth and eyes, as if she smiles often.
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