16. Reunion  Danette straightened the curtains one last time,
allowing for maximum light, then glanced at the hourglass. Its
weights had turned it over three times since Gig and Revya had
left that morning for Astec to bring Father Valerio back with
them. Danette would've liked to go with them, but Ben had her
teaching the children fighting now and she hadn't wanted to miss
even one morning of instruction. She clip-clopped around the
small sitting room Lady Virtuous had allowed her to use for this
visit, dragging the chairs closer to the window, arranging the
plates of thick sandwiches and the bowl of raw hotpods. She
always enjoyed seeing Father Valerio; she'd liked him the first
time they'd met six years ago. She wondered if he subconsciously
reminded her of her own priest father, Mosley.  There was knock
on the door post, and, turning, Danette saw Father Valerio
standing in the door. "Hello, dear child."  Danette clattered
over. "It's great to see you again, Papa V! Your last letter was
so long, I never go