No, it wasn't always beautiful. There were moments of great terror, of ugliness. Ariadne knew she owed Nina the truth. But at the same time, she didn't want to frighten her.

As a compromise, she gave a slight shrug.

"You'll judge for yourself," she said.

With that, she led Nina away, eager to point out all of her favorite sights and doubly eager to avoid anything that might scare her before she witnessed it for herself.