[ Somewhere from across the room, a head swung upward, a gracious turn of her head toward the altercation, brewing like a pot about to boil over. She'd neared calmly, at first, to catch the small snippets of conversation, and her lips pursed over her cup of wine as she listened, subtly settled behind a pillar, waiting, listening. She did not need to have the ability to See to knhowich the wind turned. She did not need to Narrate to find the trail of the story and draw it to a close.

She moved, when she heard Hayame start to talk, her fingers in his robes, as she peered, her tone was cold and sharp. Akua's feet took her swiftly, closed in from behind before she cleared her throat, and her hand came up to rest against Hayame's arm, to still the coiled violence that was near to bursting. ]

Are you going to let him goad you?

[ She asked, her gold eyes flashed, and though Hayame was much stronger than she, and she could, Akua kept her eyes on the woman. Her tone was derisive, not toward Hayame, but... ]

Those who refuse to adapt will be left behind, soon enough. Will it not be more satisfying, in his hour of need, to remind him of his failing? [ Eyes slid to him. ] Will it not mean more when there is Power behind your revenge, rather than him playing a tune for you to follow?

[ He had goaded her, pulled her in, and it was such an easy thing to lose. That would establish a pattern though, wouldn't it? That he could force Hayame to prance on strings that he laid out, by simply saying the right words? No. Then again, she'd heard him try to speak with her calmly, and while Akua could appreciate a proper de-escalation, it was the wrong person who did so. He spoke of proving them wrong, of masters and slaves, and that was not the person he could be. Akua though, she could. The Praes that she had grown up in had committed plenty of crimes, but they were no Stygia, and would not indulge in such things. ]

Let's not prove him right, hm? There will be plenty of time for revenge soon enough.