"I believe coin would serve, as Lady Dralina would no doubt be quite cross with me if I let slip the chance to fund our expedition further." Itzal replied, calm and quiet. "Though in this case I would simply ask for your voice against declaring war on the daeva. I will not deny the amount destruction our group may have caused there, and arguably far more than would justify self-defense... but I hardly think it is reason enough to declare genocide."

Itzal studied Justica's features and tried to read the woman for any hint of suspicion. It seemed she had bought his story, for now, but the lack of a body at the site would no doubt have her trying to track down Shade once more, though she would have better luck finding a ghost. If she agreed, their conversation would be at an end, and he would part having gained the upper moment - for the foreseeable future anyway - over his long-time adversary. In time, Justica might piece the clues together, but for now, he hoped she would consider the man sitting before her now and the man she had been hunting for a good length of her career were two very different souls.

"All I have heard of you tells me you are a just and fair woman, a champion of justice, if a little stern and fierce. So tell me, Councillor, when does a good person know when to kill?" Itzal asked. "Is there ever a good reason to draw a blade or march an army... and if there is, would you consider the current circumstances one?" He left the question hanging in the air, eager to hear the woman's answer.

---

"The council's decision stands." Kayla replied confidently, unwilling to let the two men dictate or sway her stand, and by extension - the council's, on joining the war. "We cannot and will not condone or partipate in genocide. The daeva have been unable to quell feralism, you say? Give me an honest answer then, councillors, would the seraphim be able to do any better if we were in their position? For all of our magic and intelligence, we are as close to understand feralism and find a solution for it as the daeva or humans are. Lady Dralina has personally undertaken this expedition in hopes of finding a cure or an end to it. That is more than can be said for either us or the humans, despite our constant bickering over how dangerous the daeva are to our people. For all our love of claiming we are far more intelligent and enlightened to our neighbours, your words tell me we would resort to the same barbaric measures they would. There will always be a reason for us to declare war on one another, councillor, choosing not to and working it out is what makes us better than the forces that seek to divide us.

"The Element Masters learn to control all the elements. To use them in harmony and recognise that each element gives us life as well as takes it from us. Fire fends of wild beasts and provides warmth but burns down our homes and our crops. Water sustains us and waters our crops but also drowns us in floods and crushes us under its tidal waves. The earth, for all its bounty, quakes and tears asunder our land. The same can be said for any of our races, and if feralism is cause enough to kill the daeva, our magic is cause enough for a war against us, as is the humans' engineering prowess."

She met eyes with the councillors and made sure they were fully aware she was ready to back up her words. "As for what you say of excessive force, tell me then, why the Providence was brought to bear on a small group of travelers. They had the numbers and the firepower to capture or kill us but they chose to mobilise their strongest weapons - capable of leveling their own city. Tell me, councillor, in light of those facts, did Lady Dralina truly overreact? She is a [i]dragon[/i], and to slaughter her kin before her eyes was cruel at best, no matter how justified. Would you not unleash every ounce of your magic if your wives, or children were slaughtered before you?"

Kayla sat back down in her chair, but the strength of her gaze had not changed. "The Council of Elements sent me here to inform you of our stand on the war, and my decision has not changed. I would hope, for the sake of my companions and the soldiers you are considering sending to their deaths, that you will think on yours."