Vesta sighs again, pressing her fingers more firmly to her temples this time. She leans subtly into Tristan, grounding herself, and squeezes his hand. 
=11pt“I’m sorry,” she murmurs. =11pt“She’s fine. I’m just… jumpier than usual.” She shakes her head. =11pt“Too much is happening right now.” If Nill reacts to that, it doesn’t show. She continues prodding at the chair with methodical curiosity, occasionally pausing to look up at Storm for reassurance.

Vesta watches her for a moment before speaking again, her tone gentler now, careful.

=11pt“Storm said you were… a slave?” She hesitates on the word. =11pt“Did they put those piercings in your face?”

Her gaze flicks to the metal set into Nill’s skin, and her brow furrows.

=11pt“I’m sure we could remove them, if you wanted. It wouldn’t be difficult.”

Nill finally turns away from the chair.

=11pt“No. The piercings are doing the controlling of emotions.”

Vesta frowns, confusion written across her face.

=11pt“Doesn’t that hurt? I can’t imagine it’s comfortable.” A pause. =11pt“Did you… did you do that to yourself, then?”

Nill does not answer. She simply turns back to the chair and resumes tracing the seams in the fabric.

The kettle begins to steam.

Vesta moves quickly to the stove, lifting the kettle and returning to the table. Steam curls upwards as she pours hot water into each waiting cup. =11pt“There we go,” she says, gesturing faintly. =11pt“Help yourselves.”

She returns the kettle to the stove and takes a seat beside Tristan. Leaning over, she adds two spoonfuls of sugar to her own cup, stirring it before lifting it to her lips and blowing gently across the surface. Her eyes move between Storm and Nill over the rim.
=11pt“Well, Storm,” she says carefully. =11pt“If you would like me to look into the future, I can certainly try.”

She sets the cup down again, fingers resting along the porcelain.

=11pt“To be honest… I am not entirely sure what the consequences would be if I did.”

Across the table, Nill studies the tea with wary fascination. She does not reach for her cup, just waits, watching Storm to imitate her movements.

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