Her mind went back and forth at his apology. No, it wasn't his place. He had no idea who she was or how she had wound up where she was. But, at the same time, he was right. She was losing Kentaro. One could argue that she'd lost him already, but she was too stubborn to let go, the fraying fabric of her marriage tearing in her fingers. 

This city was hard for them. Elves. Through no fault of their own, though. They were innocent victims. Her cousins, the Kartaians, were the ones at fault. Since the humans had built the city and started to grow in power, the Kartaians would travel from wherever their lair was and ransack the city, killing, raping and kidnapping. By association, all elves were hated. 

Keeping her thoughts to herself, she took his arm and followed him down the hall, pausing for a moment to grab a fourth pair of dinner gloves off her dresser, holding them as they walked. 

“You’ve mentioned this Envy twice now. Is he a friend of yours?” Taris asked curiously. 

Aera smiled. "A beloved friend. Almost eight years ago I woke up in this underground chamber. I was beaten to high hell. My skin was red from running in the sun, I was half blind with fever. He stepped out of the shadows. This, monster elf, who I had been raised all my life to fear. But he was nothing like the rest of them. He smiled, sat beside me, gave me medicine and fixed me again." Aera began to pull her gloves on. These ones were a sky blue color and stood out against her yellow dress. "He wanders the streets and finds orphans and abandoned children and gives them a home and teaches them the skills they need to survive. Mostly, he teaches them to steal back from the richer citizens who have enough to spare. The tunnels are called the Thieves Den." She turned and grinned at Taris. "But you know that, don't you, Mycah?"