[b]"And the sea is probably wet and politician probably lie,"[/b] Emmaline observed. Since the battle with the bandits she had felt oddly elated. The magical power still tingled beneath her skin filling her with a seemingly boundless energy. Deep down inside she felt a little spec of pride at having been able to save the villagers from the bandits. It wasn't the kind of thing which fit with her internal sense of being completely self centered and uninterested in others. She found that dwelling on the memory of the the incident seemed to irritate the voice that lurked in the back of her head, and that was worth it in and of itself.

[b]"Also, I will be very surprised if we have enough to attract the attention of any serious thieves,"[/b] she continued with an air of authority borne of having known more than her share of thieves back in her old life. Still her spirits were high. Varone might not be the greatest city in the world, but it was still a city, with beds and wine and, in theory, all the comforts of her lost home. Maybe she could even find a bath if she put her mind to it!

[b]"Do you suppose we should tell someone... you know... what we have seen?"[/b] she asked, unwilling to put words to what the group had seen in the night sky. This way at least she could pretend she was talking about the bandits, a thought which didn't make her guts twist in such an unpleasant way.

[i]Lying to yourself wont help [/i]- The voice in the back of her head whispered. Emmaline narrowed her eyes and focused on saving innocent villagers from bandits. The voice seemed to withdraw to... wherever it went and her smile brightened even further. For the first time since she had been tied up in that ritual circle she felt like she had some control.