Ishmael said, "Oh yes. She's quite smart for her age, even though she's never learned to read or write. I haven't either, actually." He watched as the girl continued to look around, standing up on her tiptoes and craning her neck to see things that were too high for her.
Aviance kissed him very gently, then got up and walked towards the house. When she returned, she had a small basin of warm water, and a cloth. She gently lifted his shirt over his head, then dunked the cloth in the warm water. After she had done that, she sat behind him and softly massaged the cloth on his skin, trying to ease the pain a bit.