"You are kind," Solae said, clearing her throat as the liquid medicine she had just swallowed stubbornly clung to the back of her throat. "But having the courage to run pales in comparison to the bravery of your people and..," she paused, eyes flitting to Rene briefly before returning to Enro, "my bonded. There is a story I read once about two sisters who walked the same path, seeking to unite their country in a time before the empire. One refused to fight, using her words to spread peace and unity, while the other was a warrior. The one who spoke brought many together but not all. One was enraged and wanted the power she had, so he threatened her. When she refused to help him, he cut down a man. Still she refused, imploring him to be compassionate. He cut down a woman. She continued to refuse, invoking his empathy. He cut down a child. She pleaded with him for mercy. As he moved to cut her down, the warrior cut him down. When she was asked why she intervened, when the one who spoke was spreading word how they ought not to fight, the warrior said she stained her hands so the one who spoke did not need to. I believe that is much like our world. The Inyorin and Rene have killed so that others could be saved and protected. I only ran."

Lasha and Enro listened to the tale quietly. While the moral was still at odds with Lasha's personal beliefs as a healer she understood what the noblewoman was trying to say. There was some truth in that it was easier for a virtuous soul to talk, to heal, to nurture than it was for them to harm another even if the cause was righteous.

Enro bobbed his head appreciatively. "You are different from the other humans we have met, Solae of the Empire," he declared. The tone of his statement was a clearly a compliment rather than an insult. End results of the would-be assault on Amber Horizon were better than any Syshin had anticipated and the two imperial citizens that had contributed heavily were humble. Their genuine disposition and willingness to sacrifice meant that their names would be as close to heroes as humans could be in their community.

"I am of my people, but I am not my people," Solae remarked wryly. It was a proverb that was uttered more frequently in diplomatic relations and the courts than rural reaches of the sector. The meaning, however, was not lost on the less sophisticated speakers of the common tongue. Solae was purposefully creating a distance between herself and other humans' actions while still acknowledging she was of the species.

"If you mean to ask her to translate for the captive, you should do it now. They should both rest," Lasha told Enro sternly. They conversed in common for Rene's sake so as not to be rude. Although Enro was her superior in their culture, as healer he deferred to her when the health of the wounded needed to be taken into consideration.

"He speaks too quickly for us to understand," Enro said to Solae in explanation as he shook his head. Most of the Syshin spoke with relative fluency but as with many languages the speed of the speaker could greatly affect comprehension of the listener.

"We have two rooms with the metal doors still," Lasha interrupted. "I will make one of them ready for you so you may have privacy more like your people." The two rooms in question had not been fully converted to Syshin living quarters as the population had not expanded in such a way it was necessary. Along with the 'pruning' of their population that was done incidentally or planned by Armistice their culture valued sharing of space between familial members that were not yet bonded or had lost a mate.

Lasha exited the room, moving past Enro briskly, and Solae took this as her endorsement to stand of her own accord. Rene moved to support her arm but she shrank back slightly as guilt played upon her features. With the fog of confusion lifted from her mind she was overwhelmed with how many things caused an aching guilt: that Rene put himself in danger for her, that he was injured because of her, that he killed because of her, that his future could be jeopardized by her, that she had worried him, and that she could not separate herself from him no matter how hard she tried. To keep touching him would invoke a longing for his continued comfort. Were she to close herself she would still clearly see the purple-faced monstrous Empress as her accusations echoed in her ears.

"You should lay down," she told Rene quietly. "Please do not push yourself for my sake," she added rather hypocritically.