Kire pouted at him when he mentioned being dragged into the portal, but smirked afterward. “Risa seems the kind of person with whom you wouldn’t ever want to agree even when she’s doing you a favor,” she commented, remembering her first encounter with the haughty princess. “Not that I was much better when I was younger. I was much more obnoxious back then than I am now—I think? Young Empress, chip on her shoulder, newly-crowned, newly-orphaned. Toxic combination.” 

She thought over his answer, though, particularly about not having much of a choice except to see the war through. “Alright. But know that your hands aren’t [i]completely[/I] tied. Just let me know if you think you want out, and I’ll take you and Gavin back home. I think even if you didn’t stay for the whole campaign, once you teach Daryll how the wards work, it’s manageable. After the war council, we could—” She looked up suddenly, wrinkling her nose. “Look at me go on about work while at dinner. See? I’m not very good at this, either.” She clicked her tongue, then had a bit more of the sweet drink. 

“The important questions then. What kind of cakes can you bake?” she asked, grinning. “Precy teased me that Etta and I are alike. Near-bottomless appetite, and a fiend for sugar. The impulsiveness she seemed to have gotten, but hopefully she doesn’t take after me [i]too[/i] much. Either way, I should warn you that she’d probably badger you about that next time she sees you. It has been a while since we’ve all had a celebratory dessert of some sort.”