Ihana Ongelma leaned against the palace wall.  To her right was the door to the servants' quarters, to her left the door to the kitchen, and where she stood was shadowed by a pillar.  Ihana knew of no less conspicuous place to hear more than she should.  And indeed, she had.

[color=f9ad81]"A burning house, a rabid din, wail."[/color] Ihana whispered to herself, letting the eeriness of the words affect her mood.  [color=f9ad81]"Their eyes will stop, their children drop, fail."[/color]  She put a hand against the cold pillar.  [color=f9ad81]"No hope, no peace, an endless tongue.  Their tribe will cease, it has begun."[/color]  She, of course, was referring to the tongue of flame that had turned a village to ash.  But moreso to how she expected her uncle Adhémar would react to it.

Ihana turned her head slightly as a servant entered the kitchen.  That was Ally.  One of the more foolish servants who bumbled about the palace.  And yet, Ihana could swear that she would sometimes see whit spark in the girl's eyes.  As if...
"Vengeance hiding, colored ghost: you do and show what you need the most." The words glinted through Ihana's mind.  And perhaps to another they would be meaningless.  But not to Ihana, though such understanding is quite unsurprising given that the words were her own.

Down the hall, Ihana could see people entering the dining hall.  Clearly it was time for her to do so as well.  It was not as if she had the luxury to have every meal in her quarters.  And even if she did, would she take it?  "No," Ihana decided, it was best for now that people would see her.  Indeed, it was a way to build loyalty.  "When you see me, I am near.  When you've seen me, I am dear," Ihana thought.  That one would need work, to be sure.  But it was a phenomenon worthy of more than a verse.

Ihana looked at the apple slices suspiciously.  It was early in the season for apples.  And Ihana suspected that surrounding herself in apples day and night would do little to garner her affection for them.  She picked up her utensils to carve into the meat pie.