Through the storm
an excerpt

"When I first saw you, all I could think was that you were wasting away.”
“And am I still?” Radia enquired, gratefully taking the bowl Pyrin was gently pushing against her hands.
“Yes.” conceded the young man, “But less so. And we’re beginning to actually see…you…”
“That’s just because you’ve seen me in my nightgown!” Radia laughed.
“No!” Pyrin persisted, embarrassed, “You’re just…a person who takes a while to get to know. Like a cabbage.”
“I’m like a cabbage?”
“Yes. Well, no .But yes. I mean, from the outside, you can tell a good cabbage from a bad cabbage- that’s easy.”
“I’m a good cabbage?”
“Yes. But you can’t know if it’s a really good cabbage, until you’ve peeled off the outer layers, and then, if it’s really that good a cabbage…”
“Yes?”
“It just gets better and better.”