With an angered growl in her throat Stare ran up, clearing the space between herself and the crouched figure in a matter of moments. Hastily she snatched the paper out of the hands, not even once looking at it as she rolled it tightly up again into its scroll shape. Then she threw the paper straight into the cupboard, and slammed closed the doors as her body started hyperventilating.

She pressed herself against the door for a moment, heart hammering at having to even touch one of those piece of paper. A hard lump was already forming in her throat as she tried to force it from the mind, but now that it was there, it was going to be there; thinking about not thinking about it just made her think about it!

Her beak began to grind loudly against the wood. The kenku curled her hands into fists and held them her head as she huffed loudly, trying to not think about it. Trying not to - Joe had she even found it? Why had he even put one here? Why did it have to be her? Ansaldo's balls!

“It … it explains everything,” a haunted, shaking breath cane film behind her. “You're … You're …”

Stare could not turn around to look at her. She with the black hair, who had barely joined their horrible world.

“Why did you come in here, Sable?” Stare replied in a quaking voice. “Nobody comes in here.”

There was a pause. Stare closed her eyes tightly, and lightly hit her head with her fist, as if do so would get the thoughts out.

“Stare, I …”

Quickly the kenku turned. She glared at the still sitting figure, whose eyes were huge and full of horror. Dressed in a high-necked cotton dress and the long woollen cloak she looked ready for some form of festival. Stare the anger boiling through her system and it was only because she had dealt with the fact of belonging physically to him for so long that she managed to restrain herself, and not explode into manic pain creator.

“This goes no further than this room,” Stare said fast, pounding a fist into her hand. “Nobody knows. Nobody..”

Sable visibly swallowed, cowering. Apparently even though Stare was using restraint and trying not to burn her with pain, necrosis, or any of her other abilities, her eyes still burnt with a passive warning. The kenku tried to reign in her passion, but it was such a fire that she could barely do more than not let the magic escape.

Therefore, she decided she was going to use this energy and its effect - at least to get her promise.

“Sable,” she said sternly, looking at the girl seriously. “You have to promise me you will not tell anyone. At all. It's - he has promised. I cannot have this getting out and there being something else people can use against me.” She huffed, growling. “Another thing.”

Sable shivered a little but made no response. The kenku saw genuine fear in the girl's eyes, the same sort that Stare had once held for Vitruvion. It made her pause and sigh and drop the hand curled into a fist.

“Sable, please,” she requested, “Please agree.”

There was a beat of hearts and a pause. Slightly, Sable shook, but she slowly nodded her head. “Y-yes,” she whispered.

Stare let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. As you might imagine it's not something I like to talk about so-”

“But this is the reason,” Sable whispered. “The truth. You never actually got away from him. You're still his captive.”

Stare's jaw tightened. Quickly, she looked away, trying to ignore the painful beating at her breast. “Don't. He's … he pays me. A lot of money. And has given me his complete trust.”

“But Blaze said he is connected to your mind. That, mixed with this … you're still his.”

The kenku rolled back her shoulders, grunting. “I know that. I've known that a long time. He's never let me forget. Now,” she nodded at the open door where thankfully no guards had come through.

“Ready for the theatre?”