There was hesitation behind her. Stare looked over her shoulder to see Sable and Blaze standing awkwardly in the doorway, Blaze herself looking incredibly pale. The kenku eyed her, quickly looking into her aura to see that the redhead was experiencing anxiety and guilt. Pausing, Stare took a moment before moving back.

“What did you do Blaze?”

The woman shot her a frightful look as she took a step in. “What?”

Stare sighed and glanced to Sable, checking her emotions - but the young enthusiast was experiencing mostly just happiness.

“You did … something.” Stare huffed as Zulon stepped in after, concern written deep on his face. But the kenku kept her gaze on Blaze. “I do not control this night, aside from the decision to actually come here. He,” she gestured roughly at Zulon, “Can have us back in a single word, if he wanted, the arsehole gave him just enough authority for that before he left. Now what did-”

Blaze curled her lip hatefully, eyes darkening as she glared at Stare. “Fine, you bitch. I gave a note. Not going to tell you whom but-”

Stare nodded once, tilted her head around, remembering almost precisely what she had seen from the corner of her eye. It came to her suddenly, even though she had never precisely registered it at the time. There had been a man come close, and Blaze had been shifting awkwardly.

“When Lord Durvaney was speaking, tall man, old, white hair, had a rose at his collar.”

Zulon lifted his brows, but nodded once. He accepted Stare’s ability to see and be aware of what she could see, wholeheartedly. It was a surprise to her also that she remembered so much, and could recall it with such clarity. Though, as the words slipped from Stare’s mouth she felt a horrible twist of guilt in her stomach, she had known from the start there was no other way around the knowledge. Quickly, she looked over to Blaze, a brief look of apology there; the fiery woman twisted away, pressing her lips together and went to go slump into one of the seats at the front.

It had most likely been an attempt to make contact. The note would have said, 'Help, I have been kidnapped,’ or some such. Stare looked at the back of Blaze's head for a moment before she spoke. “You know I had to say something, Blaze,” she said, and none too calmly. “You can't just - you couldn't just -”

“Oh fuck off, you hypocritical bitch,” Blaze snapped back.

Stare breathed in sharply, folding her arms across her chest. There was silence for a moment before a quiet cough came. Stare looked over to see Zulon standing with Sanle just behind her, and more guards after that, some clearly anxious to get into the space now that Blaze had done what she had.

“I'll sort the note,” Zulon looked at the kenku. “You sit and relax.”

“Relaxing. Tell me what that is again?” Stare sarcastically replied. But she moved in order to let the two twins move into the space, one of them coming around to settle and stand right by Blaze.

Sable let out a small giggle. Stare glanced at her as more guards filled the box, though limiting themselves because of the space. Some remained outside, and Jordain loitered closely alongside Eirik, as if ready.

“You might as well sit as well,” Stare sighed. “I'll organise … refreshments. Whatever.”

The young woman before her paused a moment before setting a hand on Stare's arm. It was strange, a weird comfort of friendship that Stare was not used to, and that only people like Nevin dared to express. Slightly, she froze, panic rising for a moment alongside suspicion.

“What are you-"

“I know you cannot do anything more for us than this,” Sable whispered. And Stare was horribly, disgustingly reminded of what Sable now knew. “But thank you for it.”

The kenku was aware of how close Sable was to her dagger, neatly tied to her waist. She moved back a footstep, eyes like cautious knives. “Sable …”

But Sable seemed to misunderstand her apprehension. A small, sad smile appeared on the girl's face, and a look into the girl's chakras told Stare that she was feeling shame - but not for herself; for Stare. She felt sorry for Stare's situation, the 'captive’ she had called her.

“Thank you anyway,” Sable gently said, before finally stepping away. She removed her hand, and thankfully it was not full of anything. Turning slowly she glanced briefly at the guards around them and made her way to the chair beside the fuming Blaze.

Stare let out a long sigh. A lump was forming in her throat again, and thoughts were coming into her mind at how she needed to explain things to Sable. That it wasn't as bad as the girl thought. That Vitruvion was not harsh, that he paid her and gave her responsibilities. That the only reason he ever made Stare his property was to remind her just where her place was, who she belonged to and so that if she ever was to go missing then bounty hunters could -

But who trusted a bounty hunter these days? There was a guild of them who had been working with Vindrexis for some time now, and had been the ones responsible for kidnapping Stare. Naturally, Vitruvion and her had gone back and killed the remainder of them. Further to that they had found more of their hideouts, and lost mercenaries’ lives going to try to fight against them. They were monsters and brutes, who were far worse than any of the guards she knew. It was also the same guild who were responsible for the attack on Vitruvion's Grand Celestial Brewery outside of Radasanth, where Raevin had been poisoned by demonic magic and now had a leg missing, all because he had been working for the one man he held in higher esteem than anyone else.

Stare paused, as her breath caught in her throat. Had she really just - had she really just been defending Vitruvion in her mind and his life choices? The halves of her beak parted. He had enslaved her, raped her, bruised her to the point of nausea all because of his own anger. That anger she now understood to be rooted deep in the fury at his own father, who had created him and then tortured him for an unknown amounts of time before sending him here, to Althanas. Yet, it still did not make everything he had done right. He was a god, but he was also a manipulator, a kidnapper, a self-confessed bully, a possessive sociopath, a man who had changed who she was down to the core. Once, Stare would have looked at these girls and done everything she could to free them, even giving her life. Now, she worked with the guards, using her abilities (including that odd new one, apparently of exact remembrance) to keep Sable and Blaze prisoners. It was true, she was a hypocritical bitch, and she was getting worse.

“Ansaldo's balls,” she cursed silently, and looked at Eirik. “I give in. Just get the wine.”

And she went over to the fanciest chair and slumped in it, the steward of an absent god.