We both went quiet. I began carving the next Runestone. She stood around awkwardly for a while before investigating the Runestones I had dumped on the floor, sorting them into neat piles with her foot while she chewed on her lip. We were going to be there for a while, and the uneasy atmosphere wasn’t helping me feel any better about how things just went down.

“You said you were hungry earlier.”

“Excuse me?”

“I keep dried fruit in the cupboard. Beside the door.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

“It’s fine.”

She didn’t take any fruit, but at least she relaxed enough to sit down in a corner with a small collection of Runestones to inspect. We were both silent for the next hour or so as I worked and she waited for me to finish so that she could return to her dormitory. Eventually we wrapped the stones in a cloth and began to head out. If it wasn’t late before it definitely was now.

We’d crawled out of my grotto and were well on our way toward her dorm. The moons were getting low, and the morning calls of the birds were beginning to come out. Our heads were down and we shuffled in silence beside each other. We’d want to move quickly before the maintenance staff came out in the morning to place the blackout caps atop the Lightstone posts that illuminated the walkways. Then one of my mother’s peons called out from behind us.

“What are the two of you doing out at this hour?” We heard him bellow as he ran around to meet our faces. He stared intently at the two of us before locking his eyes on Ra. Her eyes were watering, bloodshot, filled with sleep, and they went wide. “You know what happens to those caught breaking curfew. ID Tags. Now.”

“Hey man, Ada asked me to take her to her dorm. It’s okay.”

“Master Agate." Even as exhausted as I was, it was obvious what was happening. He stared at my bowl, then to me and my bloodshot eyes, then back to my bowl, and back to me. “I should have recognised you. I see you’ve spoken with Ada recently.” He said it with a shit-eating grin.

“Yeah. We were asked to collect some stuff beforehand, but we’re almost there. You can escort us if you’d like.”

“No, just do it fast and stay out of trouble.” He’d already turned around before he’d finished speaking. “Say hello to your mother for me”.

I didn’t respond, I just began to stumble forward a few steps before realising that Ra hadn’t begun to walk with me.

“Do you know who that was?”

“One of the staff, I’ve seen him around the offices, it doesn’t matter,”

“I can’t believe he didn’t do anything. How did you get away with talking to him like that?” Her eyes were still wide, her breathing heavier than before.

“They all know me, they don’t expect me to do anything.” She stared at me for a while before I started walking again, she did a light jog before she managed to catch up alongside me and we continued on. “I can get away with anything”.

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“Not exactly right about that, were you?” I didn’t need to see their face to know the smug look that would be on it. Finally, I was thankful for the blindfold.

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“Before we go any further, I want to know a few things.”

“No audience participat-” I felt a slap to the face. It was hard this time. My face went numb. It only made the burning of the ropes that bound me to the chair that much more noticeable.

“Cute again, that’s nice. You were getting a little sulky toward the end.”

“How about you make me feel better and hug my nuts?” I giggled. Then I felt a fist; same place as the slap. I think there was blood that time.

“Why were you doing this in Sector E, around the First-year dormitories? That’s not Guildmistress Ada’s section.” That was a different voice, that time it came from the left. It was stern, less arrogant.

I faced toward the voice and said “Because I’m not her goddamn problem.” I felt a burning pain course through me, like a current made of fire tearing through my veins. I screamed, but I don’t know if I made a sound. It wasn’t the burn that really hurt me though.

“She’s your mother,” I began to wonder if that’s why I still had my thumbs. “I repeat, why were you doing this in Sector E?”

“I said because it’s not her goddamn problem!” The room was still for a brief moment.

“Hm. Alright.” I heard the swoosh of a match being lit, followed by the suckle of a pipe. “What happened next?”