 Evren's young face crumpled with disappointment. She had genuinely thought Vita Nova would agree, and had already begun to hype up their adventure in her head. Evren had never been to the crossing before - she had never been outside of the desert, for that matter - and it would have made the experience that much more satisfying if she had someone to share it with. The prospect of doing it alone was sobering, and filled her with doubt. Could she really do it? What if she got lost, or hurt, and couldn't return?
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. There was no use worrying about things she could not prevent. "That's true," she replied with a nod, sympathy in her gaze. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with him again." She glanced across the ocean and watched the reflection of the sunset dance for a moment. "Well, I probably should wait until tomorrow morning to leave - I wouldn't want to get caught out in the middle of the water when the sun goes down."
Her eyes found Vita again. "If Koray asks about me, just tell him you think I went patrolling or something, and you haven't seen me since. If he gives you any trouble, there's another oasis on the west side of the desert near the border, a tiny one nestled in the dunes that no one ever uses. He wouldn't think to look for you there, so you'd probably have the place to yourself for a while. And in the unlikely chance that my dad returns while I'm away, you can tell him the truth." She paused.
"Is that okay? Are you sure you can manage without me?"
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