The Golden Cage

[Omi]

Enma's reply was like a punch in the gut. Oh, shit. Initially, Charlotte had taken the other woman to be some sort of official; the kind of person acting on someone else's authority, but not the actual driving force behind her imprisonment. Judging from the other woman's dangerously quiet tone, and the smirk that never quite reached her piercing gaze, Charlotte had miscalculated. It had still been worth it to poke the hornet's nest - now she knew where she stood and who exactly hse was dealing with, for a start - but she had come closer to upsetting everything than she could have liked. The olive branch would have to come out again, and quickly.

"I understand," she replied, shifting into that metaphorical reverse gear all nobles seemed to possess by birth. "I didn't mean to cause any offense." Even for someone like her, for whom lying had quickly become an integral part of her skillset back in Gallia, it was difficult to say one thing and mean exactly the opposite. Her hand was forced by this point, however. "I'm very grateful for your- for all this hospitality - and I appreciate that you're trying to make- ah, all of this- easier on me." Her gaze couldn't quite hold Enma's - the other woman's stare seemed to bore right through her. Was she really thanking the other woman for holding her hostage? No - not quite, but close enough that it made her skin crawl. As long as it kept the whips, chains, and whatever else the Maltese put their rank and file captives through, though, Charlotte would have been happy to do it. It still felt like a betrayal to hold any sort of conversation with this woman, both of her people and of herself. She eyed the produced communicator with some wariness, not quite arriving at any particular conclusion. Was she going to be recorded? What exactly was she in for here? "If you have any questions for me, I'll be happy to answer them as best I can." Her tone was smoother now, her composure returning in some noticeable degree at last. Better to get on with it than drag it out - the longer the other woman stayed, the more time Charlotte would have to spend talking to her. Enma could come and 'visit' any time she wanted, so the only way to encourage her to leave was to make her happy. If that meant having dinner with the face behind all the trauma she'd been put through, behind all the countless Royalist lives taken by the Maltese menace, then as much as she hated it her course had already been set. Besides, the apple hadn't really been enough, and the mere mention of dinner had reminded her just how hungry she was.

"Although- how long was I out for? What time is it?" she asked, realising that she really had no idea. Was it hours or days? Her eyes were already searching Enma's face before she even began to reply, studying the other woman's face for any signs of lying.

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