[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/3hbl8fH.png[/img][hr][hr][/center]
[center][color=lightgray][h3]*   *   *[/h3][/color][/center]
[center][sub]Mentions: Daphne [@PrinceAlexus], Kira [@The Muse][/sub][/center]

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As Kira departed, Katherine’s eyes returned to the emptiness before her. The pit in her throat coiled tightly as tears welled in her eyes, before she felt the frustration--the anger--sparking into a flame in her chest. Of course Kira didn’t trust her, why would she? The Inquisition’s shadow had followed Katherine everywhere, its curse coursing through her veins. The very same organization that would very likely want Kira dead now that they knew she was alive. 

She could understand Kira walking away. None of this was her fault, quite the opposite.

And yet the rejection still burned. It threaded frustration through grief and wove a viciously tight knot around her heart.

A shaky breath escaped her mouth as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

[color=19CACA]“Damn you, father. Damn you for turning me into this…”[/color] She muttered, her hands so tightly balled into fists that she could feel her nails biting into her palm. Her gaze drew downward, catching itself on the basket of food resting on the chair beside her. Daphne’s kindness had been meant to be warm, to be comforting. Yet there it sat, its heat gone and its promise mostly faded. 

She stared at it for a long moment, the quiet recognition of it dawning on her slowly; Even kindness could spoil in her hands, left to rot just like the trust and friendship she once carried--

[color=19CACA][i]No.[/i][/color]

She forced the word into her mind. [color=19CACA][i]I will not let you ruin the only good thing I have here.[/i][/color] She spoke into the void of her mind with a confidence that had thus far laid dormant. 

Katherine forced a weak smile to her lips as she pulled back the blanket that covered Daphne’s gift and began pulling its contents out one-by-one: a bowl of porridge, what appeared to be some sort of filled pastry, as well as a cheesecloth bundle of meats and cheeses. She felt her stomach growl as she looked across the veritable feast before her, and without wasting a moment longer, she dug in.

She was too hungry to care that the porridge was cold, and in a heartbeat it was gone, followed closely by the porridge-filled pastry. Though they lacked any warmth, Katherine felt her mood lightening with every passing moment. A far cry from feeling [i]good[/i], but any improvement was welcome.


[color=19CACA]“Thank you Daphne.”[/color] She whispered, words just barely audible to herself above the idle chatter of the Eye. 

Daphne.

The squire. The one who helped her to safety without a second thought, without hesitating even for a moment. Even now with distance between them, the image of vivid violet eyes lingered in her thoughts. There was little that the priestess wouldn’t consider giving to feel that warmth and safety right now.

Katherine shook her head and brought herself back to reality. Coming to the tavern had been a mistake, even if she did get to see Kira again. Part of her wished she had left her old colleague alone, that Kira was still dead in her mind.

But it was time to move on, and the tavern was no longer the place she wanted to be.

It took a moment, but she finally rose from her seat and placed the mostly-empty breakfast basket on the bar. A quick and silent nod of gratitude to the barkeep, and then the priestess departed back into the habitual darkness of Dawnhaven.

[color=19CACA][i]Moonmaiden, hear the restlessness in me,
Guide my mind--my heart, through the uncertainty.
Where light falters, let your chosen sentinel remain,
A lantern cradled in the dark.

Take comfort in the shadows,
For in their darkness, no blade may find you.
Where fear whispers, make courage bloom.
Where sorrow lingers, let peace take root.

Selune, keeper of the night.
Hold me steady beneath your light.[/i][/color]

Though no words left her lips, she could hear every word perfectly enunciated in her mind. It felt only fair to ask for assistance--even if it never came--when she knew exactly what was going to be asked of her next. 

Her official purpose in Dawnhaven was to act as High Priestess and aid the people in their practice of traditional Lunarian rites. And of course, if and when the time came, she was to end Amaya’s life and fulfill the prophecy.

But beyond what was written on royal parchment, there was not a single shadow of doubt in Katherine’s mind of what was to come next.

Her orders would be to kill Kira.
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