She looked up at him in surprise, her brow furrowing. “You didn’t do anything, Z. You were just being nice.”
She laughed a little, looking up at him. “I think that when you consider the people you’ve been with, and then you compare them to me, I don’t think there’s any contest. I’m not anything like them, Z. I’m not...” She hesitated before busying herself with the clothes. “You know. Like that.”
He approached her, his head tilting curiously. "Well, no, you're not like them, Juniper. You're different from them. But that doesn't mean you can't be a different kind of beautiful. It's like comparing chocolate to.. hm.. cheesecake. They're both great, but in different ways."
She looked up at him uncertainly, her hands dropping to her sides. After a moment, her gaze fell too and she frowned. “But... I mean, that’s just it, isn’t it? I might have some appeal in certain ways, but there is a specific thing that you find beautiful and... I just... I don’t know. I don’t have it.”
"You have it," he said incredulously, "just because I had concubines doesn't mean I only liked they looked specifically."
She frowned, looking away again, her brow furrowed as she tried to think about that. “I don’t know if I get that.”
“Because now you’re madly in love with me and attracted to me,” she replied playfully, laughing a little. “And you’re blushing at my compliments!”
He folded his hands together as they started toward the upper city. "And how do you propose we get to it?"
