Kire listened as Envy called upon Ruli to vouch for her and her story, which she honestly didn’t know whether to be a good thing or a bad thing. She was curious to know why Rulitus did decide to trust her enough to bring her here, and when he gave his answer, she huffed, leaning back. [i]Hatred, huh.[/i] She supposed that made sense; there were days she felt like her frown at the thought of Ikegai and the people who had driven them out of the Capital was permanently etched on her face these days. 

“Akuma,” she murmured under her breath. He even found a name for this doll that was a dark mirror of hers. She pursed her lips when Envy bade Ruli quiet down, piecing a few more things together about what had happened between the two. Something about trust, then, and how Akuma had betrayed theirs. [i]Ruli’s guilt then—was he the first to trust her?[/i] She remembered how Ikegai had done the same, and she seethed at the thought, almost forgetting the question posed to her. 

“To be honest, I’m not sure how he could have decided that. He was quite resolute in driving me out of the city and wanted nothing to do with me when he finally saw my face. If I were in your position, I wouldn’t trust me, either. I have family back home, I know how it feels to have let them down and put them in danger. I’ve paid for it, and then some.” She touched her scarred brow. “I have nothing to give except my word, the fact that I owe Ruli for not leaving me alone when the hunters came for me, and the fact of my hatred for Ikegai.” She ran a hand through her disheveled hair. “I’m not asking anyone to like me, or even to trust me. But I will deliver their heads to you, either way.”