Rohaan made no effort to hide his absolute disdain for being made to sit before the Emperor like a dog called to heel. He was not one, and he would not be pressured into obedience just for the sake of deference. He'd go along with all of this as long as it suited him, but no further. And no matter what the reward might be, Rohaan did not relish the thought of doing another contract with this man again. He should have eaten him instead of the cheese on his table when first they met, Rohaan thought with a scowl. He'd have done the world a service, no doubt. Yet Rohaan was determined to see his people freed. Freedom would be a hard life, but it would be theirs, and he knew that much of his time in the near future would be spent facilitating that transition and helping those who were either captured young, or born into captivity. It would be worth it, however, if even one of them was spared the experience he had as a boy. 

Rohaan snorted. "C'mon Valdemar, don't act like you wouldn't rather have seen me dead. Takes a lot more than that to kill a villain like myself though. You'll have to try a little harder next time." It seemed impossible for Rohaan to say anything to Valdemar without some level of sarcasm or venom. He felt no guilt about it, either. Valdemar was a despicable person, and Rohaan would make sure the man knew it. 

For the most part, he let Ash speak. It would be good for her to get acquainted with her father anyway. But as the conversation turned to their next steps and to transport, Rohaan openly rolled his inhuman lapis eyes. How had retrieving a girl morphed into destroying a mad cultist and reporting into soldiers and lackeys? He felt rather micromanaged, and did not appreciate it. Still, getting her back was something he'd been thinking about for some time. Theoretically he could fly her, but it would be such an effort to do it, and he'd have to get not only plenty of sleep, but massive amounts of food along the way. He did think of a vague alternative, but he was curious to see what the Emperor would come up with. 

"Yeah, about that. If you were planning to give us horses, good luck. Last time I tried to mount a horse, it threw me and nearly broke my arm. They scream and flinch when I come near them. They know what I am, and I frighten them. If you found a horse with an iron constitution, then maybe I might be able to ride on Ash's shoulder as a bird or something, [I]maybe.[/I] What kind of transport did you have in mind?"