Ariadne sighed softly. "I don't really understand how the sorting works," she admitted. "To be honest, I try not to think about it too much." Of course, she had the luxury of being able to manifest her own traits at will. Some people weren't so lucky.

She reached out, holding her palm over the feathers on Nina's arms. Ariadne wouldn't touch her without permission but she still skimmed the surface. "They're beautiful," she said, fully meaning it. "With practice, you'll figure out how they work. Don't worry about anyone looking at you twice about it, or anything like that. We've all been changed by Thirteen, in some way."

Gods, she hoped that sounded comforting.