Noble cringed, sympathetic, at the bite mark on Daff's arm — it had to have hurt, although this was not the worst he'd seen Daff get from the cabbage. "I hope he's grateful," Noble said, with a skeptical look at the pot. He'd gotten in the habit of personifying some of Daff's plants in the same way as she did.

He'd just about made up his resolve to tell her on their walk back to the castle when rain started splattering against the glass panes on the greenhouse roof. Noble looked upwards, watching the fat drops shatter, and then looked back at Daff and smile. "I never mind waiting for you," he said, tone serious despite the grin on his face.