The woman smiled. "My name is Neelei, daughter of Galt, from the Khairkhan tribe. Should I take this to mean you accept my request?"
"When a pretty lady like you is asking? I have no choice but to agree," Benjamin raised a thumb up in approval and Neelei was pleased, her smile widening at his easy acceptance. "But you don't mind me calling you Lei, right?"
"Do as you please, Sir. Benjamin," she bowed her neck, but her back remained straight.
The gesture was one of respect, of deference, but it was also one of dignity, a recognition that she was offering hospitality as an equal, not as a supplicant.
Heka soon snapped out of her daze and got a bit worried, her brow furrowing with concern as the implications of their detour settled upon her.
The initial surprise of Benjamin's fluent speech had also faded, replaced by the practical considerations of their mission.
