Natalia nodded, swinging an elegant fur-trimmed cloak around her shoulders and fastening it in place with a pretty silver brooch. She fluffed out her hair, shaking it free from the cloak's collar, and drew up the hood to keep her ears warm.

"Certainly," she agreed, tugging a pair of gloves onto her fingers before taking up the basket and settling it to hang from the crook of her elbow. Natalia neatly folded up the list and pocketed it to better protect it from the falling snow outside.

She listened to his story, but rather than looking at him with sympathy, she frowned. "That is no laughing matter, Yuri Lowell! How dreadful, that your city had no measures in place to properly care for young orphans." That would never have happened in Baticul, not as long as she retained any degree of influence over what happened there.

She pressed her knuckle to her mouth, closing her eyes and clearing her throat. "Nonetheless, it's impressive that you've managed to become so independent. In that sense, I envy you. My own limits have constantly been tested because of my own upbringing. You are far better equipped to survive in this world than I."