Viridis busied herself with the shackles, not trusting herself to speak just yet. A gift? She worried at her lower lip as she peered at the keyholes. Gentle hands manipulated Mira's wrists, turning them so the firelight illuminated the physical symbol of his captivity.

Finally, Viridis chose one of her smaller picks. The piece of metal slid into the ornate shackles. With a few jiggles and twists, there was an audible click and one of the cuffs fell to the table. Soon the other joined it. The book seller's daughter disappeared form sight for a few seconds and popped back above the table with a plain canvas drawstring bag. She slid the gold inside, pulled the rope tight, and handed it all to Mira with a soft smile.

"Mira is a wonderful name; it suits you."The dark haired woman glanced at the table, a little embarrassed by the title Mira had given her now that she had a moment to think about it. "As for calling me a lady... I'm flattered, but I'm no more than a book merchant's daughter, so please just call me Viridis."

Her mother would have had a fit. That woman would have loved being bowed and catered to. Viridis on the other hand was more like her father, concerned more with books than titles and riches. The eldest daughter of two, with a younger brother as well, Viridis had long ago decided to let her siblings worry about their mother's ambitions.