Aleksander paused in the middle of taking a sip. He supposed it was a reasonable question to ask but he'd never thought of ranking the inhabitants that way. People to know, people to avoid, people with useful abilities - but favorite? Friendship was still a nebulous concept.

"I don't know that I have one," he said. "But Sagramore and Claudius were both kind, surprisingly kind when I arrived. Shen Yuan, as well."

He took a deep drink from his glass, eyed it critically then topped it up.