"I am happy to have your help," Solae began after it was clear that both Ten and Rene were waiting for her to make a judicious decision on whether or not to accept this proposal, "But I am no slaver, not of Syshin nor of young women. We will take you if you wish to come with no obligations, no strings attached, no demands. The Lieutenant Colonel and I," she continued with a smile that belied how much she enjoyed stating Rene's new title as often as possible, "are surrounded by danger. If you can accept that and the risk of traveling with the coup's largest targets, we will do our best to find you a new life and place to live."

The parallel drawn by the duchess between the situation of Rosaria, who had been Thorne's subordinate, plaything, and slave, to the plight of the captive Syshin did not go unnoticed by the shrewd teen. She was not yet willing to give the alien race as much respect mentally or socially as the heroic couple evidently did, but it did soften her bias slightly, and make her ever so minimally more willing to see them as more than bipedal beasts. She could not claim that she was all that different. Her home was perhaps nicer, but she had still been caged, restricted, and forced into a role she would have chosen for herself otherwise. A difference in the means of torture did not elevate her status. The girl knew better than to try to argue nuances with the diplomat with the golden hair; it had already been made clear to her that the aristocrat was well-educated, highly intelligent, and could talk circles around her.

What was more curious than this defense of the Syshin, however, was how generous the noblewoman was. Rosaria could not help but stare at her for a long moment in suspicion of this virtue. Alayla Thorne was many things but kind was not one of them. Ten was a calculated, cunning businessman who had no pretense of overflowing benevolence. Silently she searched Solae's expression for any hint she might be patronizing the youth, but she found none. There was a pervasive charitable grace that seeped into her eyes. Being around the duchess almost made her uncomfortable. Seeing such extraordinary character only made her aware how jarringly different their personalities were and, though it was never anyone's intention, made her feel a touch inadequate.

"Ten," Solae said, rounding on their host with an amicable tone, "do you think between yourself and Rene you could find a sidearm for Rosaria?"

"Just to make sure I understand," the criminal mastermind began slowly, "you want to find and/or modify weaponry for Syshin [i]and[/i] a teenager?" He was incredulous but not overtly defiant. In the courts a duchess could have compelled obedience; she was light years above Ten in stature. On Zatis, however, it was their alliance and friendship (as much as a merchant of sin could ever afford) that made him acquiesce. Given the almost blasphemous requests she was making his raised brows was a mild reaction.

"You're always welcome to join me yourself, Ten," Solae joked, not bothered by what could have been construed as minor insubordination. "You could be a dashing knight in shining armor to the right men on distant planets," she teased further. "But if you don't want to expand your horizons, then I suppose we'll have to go with Syshin and this teenager. Perhaps we'll start with something that merely stuns?"

Ten let out a resigned sigh and shrugged his shoulders. It was not a battle of wills he wished to partake in this day and so he relented. If Rosaria or the Syshin betrayed Solae, as he very much expected, it was her judgment that led to her damnation. He was also rather certain that if he did not assist she would find another manner, one in which she ingratiated herself to someone else and would result in a loss of favor, but achieve the same goal. Above all else he did not want to lose her favor. Having earned the personal gratitude of a duchess would ensure him into his old age; he had been content with a marquise, and he was greedy for the protection her new title held.

"Very well," he conceded, "I will evaluate our selection with Rene."

"As soon as we can for Rosaria in particular," Solae ventured more gingerly. "Until the doctor clears Rene for action- and I want to hear it from her lips directly- he's on bed rest." She gave her lover a stern look that warned him against trying to protest his health. He was lucky already she not sent him to bed or refused to share her plan until he was further in his recovery. The linguist was aware how long he had been unconscious and that he had awoken an hour ago at best.