As she's walking away, Piripiri feels the flare of heat from behind her, and half turns. It's not an attack, though, it's- ah. Ahhhhh.

Well. That's one thing she's wanted out of this mess, accomplished. She'll have to figure out more reasons for them to cuddle later. Maybe a muscle massage for Han after hard training?

She turns back to the kitchen, pulling a stack of bowls and filling them with water halfway, before walking around the perimeter of the house. At each cardinal point, she places a bowl, leaving a selection of petals and herbs floating in the bowl, and chanting a short poem. The first five, the outer layer, are a notice-me-not, to ward away the smaller spirits that might seek out Lotus for her mother. The inner layer, each placed equidistant between two outer bowls, is a forbiddance to those same spirits. It won't keep out a focused and trained witch, but she doesn't have anything that would. Delaying and hiding.

She crouched by the last bowl, chewing her lip. She's safe, for the moment. Azazuka is off someplace. Giriel is off someplace, probably with her. Hopefully with her. The Red Wolf is at the legion's camp, most likely, with the barge scuppered. She's been ordered to bring Lotus directly to the camp, and... she's not going to. She never was going to, she realizes. It's Cathak acting out of emotions and ego, instead of what's helpful. Lotus being in the wind is better for every angle, Lotus's comfort, operational security, political risk to the Dominion, she could keep going. The only danger is if somebody makes the accurate guess that the Dominion has her, but suspects that she's in the camp, and launches a full attack.

She could fix that.

She's staring down at the bowl, the last part of the forbiddance. Right now, as it stands, everything she has done was for security. Disobeying a specific order to follow a more general one is reasonable. Letting in a fox spirit, on purpose, is not. Nobody else would know. But she would.

Her back hurts still. Agata's gift. That fierce, warm joy of the two discovering their feelings.

It'd be a kindness to them.

She tips over the bowl, pouring out the water and flipping the bowl upside down. Piripiri rises from her crouch, raises a finger to her lips, and winks out at the river. Our little secret.

She then goes back to the kitchen. Let's see what lunch options we have.