Sonder found herself under a clear sky.
In the distance she could still see the blooms of dark clouds and the red peak of the mountain.
There was also fresh wind that swayed her hair from time to time.
It was night, so she did not see any sun, which she had missed.
Then, finally, she saw green.
At first it was only moss, clinging stubbornly to stones, but then came flat and dull grass. A little farther on, she saw small, crooked plants.
She slowed down and eventually sat on a mossy rock.
There was something that bothered her, and that was how dirty she was.
Every time she went on what she'd call an adventure, she came out caked in dust and dirt.
Her clothes had thick layers of grit, and dark lines were smeared along her sleeves and boots.
Her hair was heavy, tangled with fine stone pulled out of the dark lands.
She lifted a hand and went through her hair, grimacing when grains fell from it like sand.
"That won't do," she said.
She looked for a more private place and set down her pack and undressed from her outer layer, shaking it as best she could.
Dust puffed into the air and drifted away on a faint breeze. From her pack, she pulled a clean change of clothes, the Neshian robes still blessedly beautiful.
Her hair was another matter.
She ran her fingers through it again, trying to loosen the worst knots and pull out what grit she could.
Small stones came free, followed by more dust. She worked patiently, but she knew that she was only making it presentable, not really clean.
She found no stream of water or pool anywhere.
"Vell would never let it get this bad," she thought.
No matter where he had been, in mud, ash, rain, or even fire and blood, his hair always seemed clean, or cleaner than Sonder had managed on her journey.
His pale skin and white hair were natural. Even under heavy sun, his skin would never tan, but other than that, his beauty, as Sonder would describe it, wasn't just nature.
He took great care of himself, with careful washing and perfume and oils.
At first she thought he was joking, but he was serious.
Now, after tugging another clump of dirt free from her hair, she understood how hard keeping that cleanliness must have been.