Shuna's heart hammered against her ribs. She grabbed Gin's arm, her grip frantic. Her voice shaking as she whispered,
"Gin, please… She is right. We cannot draw attention. Not now. Not yet. Let's just go."
Gin's eyes flared with a predatory gold light. For a second, it looked like she would lung across the table and rip the silk from the woman's throat. Her muscles coiled… but she felt Shuna's trembling hand and remembered the cage.
"Fine!"
Gin spat. She stood up, towering over the noblewoman. She grabbed the entire boar thigh from her plate and took a massive, defiant bite.
"Enjoy your 'High Table.' It's a very pretty place to rot."
Gin turned and walked away, her footsteps heavy. Shuna scurried behind her, head bowed, clutching her half empty tray.
As they sat down in the "low born" section on hard wooden benches, the smell of grease and sweat replaced the scent of incense. Gin stabbed her meat with a wooden knife, her jaw tight.
