Alia cups his cheek. "Am I?" she asks with a small smile. "Fitting, since you make me take life a bit less serious."

They balance one another out. Alia is under quite a lot of pressure, being the scion of a new House and the first in her family to attend the House of Bells. There are always eyes on her, expecting perfection. But with Malakai, she can be silly, relaxed.