Honeymoon

[Backo]

Eliza's all too recently lifeless gaze quickly darted back to the Gallic woman. Her eyes expressed childish hope, as if not all was in fact lost. Did her honest words really instill emotions into the ice cold interrogator? Or maybe this was part of the Commandant's game. The Maltese girl couldn't really know. The file her captors produced on the table caught her attention. She wasn't sure how much her wife had told them about her but they seemed to have plans prepared in advance. There wasn't a way to be sure what exactly said plans were without inquiring more into this offer. It didn't harm to ask, considering the alternative was quite grim and negative and as much as her conscience wanted to punish her for the grand betrayal there was still that dim spark of youth that beaconed her to consider the offer and not doom her life in a cell much similar to the one she was in not too long ago. Whatever punishment her own conscience dictated could surely be attained without wasting whatever time she had left of her own life.

"And what of my wife? Will she earn her freedom as well?"

Wife, that word was burdened with heavy emotions for Eliza. She betrayed the blonde after all but not without feeling deeply hurt herself in the first place. Ironically even though Eliza was ready to deliver her wife to the Maltese wolves in the Council, she couldn't bring herself not to try and bargain for Loyola's life as well now that she felt she had some minuscule leverage as the Gallics obviously had a use for her. It was a long shot but she'd be damned if she didn't give it a try. Nothing could make right the wrongs she inflicted but she could at least try to remedy some of the damage she had done with her betrayal, not for Enma to forgive her, as that was far unlikely, but for her own conscience's sake.

"I'm ready to bargain whatever use you can find of my life for her freedom as well."

This was a risky gamble as Eliza knew nothing of the discussion the Commandant had with Loyola beforehand. There was a chance her freedom was secured already and this desperate bargain would only drag the auburn haired girl into more chains to the Gallic kingdom. But there was no other move she could play on the board, she was cornered after all. It didn't matter really as they were the ones in absolute power right now anyways but there was the faint hope that they might show pity or even mercy for her lost soul.

"If you agree to this possibility I'll gladly consider your offer, madame Commandant. Though I must say this offer really begs the question - what use does the Gallia have in someone like me?"

Her eyes moved down to the folder on the table as her enthusiasm slowly diminished into concern. Whatever they had in store for her was going to have a pricey cost. As generous in this offer as the interrogator sounded, Eliza still doubted Montlaville was doing it out of her own good will for the troubled girl. Obviously whatever was at stake for her captors warranted bargaining with someone they could barely trust such as Valdez herself. She let out another desperate sigh before her blue eyes moved back to the Commandant in an inquisitive manner. Eliza was willing to play along and it was there turn to flip their cards on the table and tell her what they had in mind. Past experience taught Valdez that the Gallics were quite cold towards Sirians and even more so towards Maltese, or 'Outcasts' as the Commandant liked to rub it in. The girl couldn't help but think she was getting herself into a much bigger trouble but she really had no other choice, anything was better than spending the rest of her days in a prison cell.

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Republic of the Sword and Sun