Flagg looked a little uneasy. "You'll excuse us, Ermac, but blood exchanges usually bring on diseases.."

Sonya rolled her eyes. "I won't bore the entire table with details, but after everything I've experienced, I think my blood stream's tough enough to deal with a few drops of osh-tekk blood." Seriously, between being stabbed, bitten, burned, electrocuted, sliced and giving birth, she wasn't going to get squeamish now.

The 'translation' of what he really meant did allow her a sigh of relief. "Ohh..bridesmaids, they're not servants exactly.. their role is only until the day after the wedding. I'll see who I can get assigned from the ranks."

And Vera, come what may, she wanted the woman who was more 'sister' than 'sister-in-law' to be part of the bridal train. "And they'll be suitably armed."