She is silent for a moment, looking down at the dress she still holding in front of herself. It occurs to her suddenly how intimate a gift it is in some ways--something she will wear against her bare skin, to keep her warm. And how much time did he need to spend thinking about her body, as he cut out patterns and guessed at the size of her?

Haleth's flush is sudden and as deep as any of his have ever been as she folds the dress with brisk, neat movements, returning it to its packaging. "We will discuss that," she says, her tone even despite her reddened face. As for ceremony, we deem it appropriate to acknowledge the dark of the longest night before we celebrate the sun's return, so at midnight we douse all light and all fire for a time. You will see."