[i]Thank God Lucien is smarter than his player, I would have just done the floorboards.[/i]

Lucien steps in front of Ailee - and more importantly between Ailee and the things Ailee is mad at, for the moment - and grips the end of the walking stick lightly. 

"If you're worried about a fire, the last thing I would be doing is [i]stoking it[/i]." Not even going to look at Ailee's expression right now, imagining it is bad enough. "Look, my friend here isn't a fool, trust me, she's very smart, and wise, and powerful. And angry. I'm an idiot that got pushed into a broom cupboard. I don't want to waste her time with my embarassing ignorance. So, could you explain this to me first, treating me like the know-nothing idiot that I am, while she gets us something to eat*, maybe something good to drink**?" 

*if anything here is edible
**within given definitions of 'good'

[i]I'm all for getting out of here fast, but it sounds like this might be important in helping us pick the direction. But, you know, does Ailee really need to stand here and handle the abuse to get it? Probably not. 

One of us doesn't have Pride: INFINITE on our character sheet. [/i]