[OOC | YAY. I'm back!]

Somehow Mauja’s appearance did not surprise her. Should it? After all, they had quickly become one and the same in the weeks since his return in a way that she did not quite understand. It was not the heated union of lovers, nor was it the cool bond of leaders – it was something else entirely, something that perhaps some would call ‘friendship.’ The Ice King, he had once been, and after her own desertion she had been afraid that his heart had been sealed to her for good. After all, she had let him down – no, more than that, she had hurt him in a way that she hadn’t thought she was capable of, if only because she had not understood the bond that had begun to blossom between them. She still didn’t quite understand what had been or what would be – hell, she didn’t understand what they were at present, either.

And so his presence was understood, almost expected. What surprised her, though, was that he seemed to know the prisoner. ”Cassiopeia.” His voice was pleasant, and the shade wondered if perhaps a small part of him regretted the capture of one he knew. But she dismissed it, as she always would, knowing that he was loyal to their cause. Or, rather, assuming that he was, seeing as she had no reason to doubt it. She turned her attention to the captured mare – what thoughts were held behind those too-clear blue-green orbs? It is clear that she was unhappy, but hatred did not sit in her gaze. Curious. What other emotion could be riding inside one that had so clearly been forced from her home?

The diviner ignored Mauja, in turn spiting the Empress. It would seem that she would grow offended for him, though she managed to hold her tongue in cheek. You will respond, she wanted to say. The Bane of the Plague warrants more respect. But she would not, could not say it – if only to keep their secret. It would seem that her desire to hold the silence of the Plague was mirrored by Ulrik, who seemed unwilling to make any real allusion to it; she simply nodded regally, understanding, taking in the information that he had provided. The ensuing exchange between Ulrik and Mauja was largely ignored as she studied the caves in the mountains. Of course she had thought of turning the rock into a prison, not that she would have been able to make it so. At least, not without Ulrik’s assistance.

”The thought had crossed my mind a time or two,” she told the engineer with a smile, her orbs flitting to Mauja as he moved to stand beside her. ”Not that I would have known how to make it happen.” Mauja asked for a contract, to which Psyche nodded her approval. Perhaps they would be lucky and he would build one out of loyalty; but if not, they would find a way to pay. The benefits of such a machine would far outweigh the costs in the long run.

"Talk talk talk."