A slave's broken hopes

After Tamara leaves for the party, Astrid decides to do something stupid.

Well, not stupid-stupid, even though Tamara would argue that it is, but something not so smart.

The few soft knocks on the door are met with silence. Astrid knows she's inside, but...

"Lanna... It's me. Please open." She pleads with her.

This conversation is long overdue and even though Astrid knows it's too late to salvage the friendship, Lanna still deserves some explanations. If it wasn't for her, Astrid would have died on that ship.

"Lanna..." She tries again. But still nothing. Maybe for the best...

She's about to give up when she hears some movement. The doors open.

Lanna looks better, but that sparkle in her eyes is still gone. The events of the past week transformed her into a shadow of the girl she was when they arrived here. Astrid feels a lump in her throat thinking how contagious and carefree her laughter was when they played at the fountains.

"I just want to talk..."

Lanna looks at her for a moment,