There was certainly justification to the things Megaera said. What bothered Ampere was the dishonesty of it however. Though she held nothing against sneaks for their career, an important one at times, she had always been a rather honest mare (save for matters of the heart, apparently). That Megaera had not openly lied to the stallion didn't cross Ampere as any better than purposefully not telling the truth, but she did not say as much. No, Ampere didn't need to push the matter, it was clear enough that the Sunspear, honorable warrior-mare that she was, already felt the weight of that shadowy deception.

"I can understand your motives," she murmured, to bridge the divide that yawned between them. "And he certainly had his faults... we both agreed his choice of fighting for a living was not the best option." His fear continued to ring inside of her mind, so solid and encompassing, she couldn't even imagine it. Ampere had felt fear, to be sure, and Megaera's admission was essentially fear of failure to protect her herd; their fear though seemed to inspire them to be better, to bear rage and strength, where as his was a selfish fear that gave him weakness and cowardice. Ampere did not fault his fear, she faulted the placement of it. "I'm sure he'd appreciate further words with you, he's lost some trust for the ones already spoken." That was fine though, he'd lost some of their trust too. Together perhaps they could rebuild a family among each other, but only together, and only with honesty.

"Perhaps he'd do well as a sneak, or a crafter," she mused absently. His swiftness had certainly been useful, and it was a skill spies heralded. Regarding craftsmanship, she didn't know if the stag had a talent for it, but it was certainly one of the safer roles, in her opinion.

Thoughts of Cathun dwindled under the weight of her sultana's final words though, and ins response Ampere's features deepened into a frown reminiscent of a grimace. Most of her bitterness and anger had since left her, but she still had things to say, things she wanted to understand regarding the messy ordeal. If she didn't she knew she'd regret it later. "Yes..." she began, hesitating. Talking about Cathun had been easy, like his champion, but she wasn't so comfortable with doing the same for herself.

Besides that, she'd need to pick her words with tact, or else the divide would remain. "It surprised me to lose your trust so easily, Sultana," Ampere started slowly, carefully, her blue gaze watching the bay mare studiously. "For, you called me, before the entire herd, an abuser before even knowing the ordeal. You used a term slung by someone else, and whether it was true or not, that it rung with your voice gave it an importance, a truth perhaps, to the rest of the herd." The issue had been more or less settled that day and Ampere had been exonerated, but the still struggled with the hard tone and matching eyes Megaera had wielded on with so little of a push. If Gaucho hadn't come, what would have happened? "I recognize the hardships of your role, Sultana," Ampere obliged, remembering her stint as lead and how much she had disliked it. "I would urge in the future though, that any herd disputes be handled more," Ampere searched for the word, trying her best to be diplomatic. "More privately, so that your ears may hear both sides in equal, without the rumblings of the herd mixed in, without them needing to hear if there is no judgement due."

Ampere hoped she did not come across as wanting discipline to be secretive. What she wanted was fairness, and she knew before a crowd, when one wore a crown, that at times was difficult. She couldn't say she would have done any better in Megaera's shoes; it was much easier to criticize, but she hoped at least one of them would be better for it.

A M P E R E
PRETTY FACE AND ELECTRIC SOUL