Malta is getting prepared for the Summer Ball with Keffria, Ronica, and Rache sewing her a dress. They speak on the Rain Wild and Bingtown reluctance to stand up for the Vestrit cause. Malta is quietly losing her foundation of and the belief in the strength and power of men, determined to gain power and make change for herself. Meanwhile, Althea is ruminating on her situation onboard Paragon and others' opinions of him. She is trying to settle into her new role with Brashen as Captain and getting used to working with the new crew.