After a moment, Ronan leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Can I ask you something?"
Riven glanced up. "Sure."
"How did you end up in the Snow Leopard's territory?" His voice was soft, but there was a subtle intensity behind it.
Riven looked down at the table for a moment, his expression growing distant. "It was after I ran away," he said slowly. "I did not know where to go, so I just kept walking. Eventually, I ended up in a town. Small, kind of like this one."
He shrugged and continued, "I was starving. I had been running for a while. I saw a bar and thought I might be able to get something—anything. But it was a mistake. It was one of those shady places where people don't ask questions, and I didn't have money. They figured I was an easy target."
Riven looked at the ceiling as if trying to remember the exact details.
