The festivities of the day ended before Jill was encouraged to participate in the games. She was there to watch, she had decided, and no one leaned on her for more. Near dusk, however, the mood of the fete changed, following the sunset into in another realm. The women went to the river and quietly washed the body paint from their flesh, as if they were performing a sacred rite. They emerged from the cleansing waters, fresh, unencumbered and brazenly expecting some s****l antics for the night. Still, they remained quietly subdued; the merriment of the day had taken a more solemn, though no less alluring, turn. Jill followed along with the others, and was pulled into one of the sleeping tents with Ariana, Nirvana, Regalia and two other women—blonde twins. Inside, they all tumbled into a bed
