She'd been standing so still, eyes so focused on Arion, and only when he said the words did she realize that she'd been holding her breath too. It all came out in a relieved sigh, her muscles relaxing and the ghost of a smile passing over her features for the first time in a very long while. But then he passed the question onto Nalda, and Ember did her best to not let it show on her face how nervous she was that the girl would say, maybe even just to spite her. Would she really? Her buttercup eyes slid over to the other girl, in time to watch that horrid smile spread over her face.
She agreed, but there was a hook, it was clear in that look and her voice. When she finally hissed it out, Ember felt a mixture of relief and trepidation. Simultaneously she thought 'that's all?' and 'what the fuck?'
Nalda had more family? So she wasn't the miserable little orphan she acted, the reason Ember had always taken her shit in stride because what else did Nalda have? It made her angry all over again. Most of all, it upset her that Nalda would have family and not go to them. If Ember had blood left, she would've ran to them in a heartbeat.
But whatever. That was her problem, her life, wasn't it? She couldn't let something so petty get her so riled, she couldn't let Nalda keep getting to her. Her pale gaze filled with resolution before lowering to the dirt at her paws. There was no point in moving on if she clung to habits and hauntings of the past.
Her gaze met R's a final time.
"Then that's settled. I'll meet you both there. There's... something I need to take care of in the meantime."
She had to get her own head under control before this new chapter started.
"Bye," she nodded, and then turned on her paws. It started now.
/Ember exit