Ampere is so stunned at first that she does not respond, which is probably for the better. That the pink spy, whom Ampere just preferred to known as stupid bitch, wanted to stop her from taking the companion wasn't something Ampere had expected. She was first and foremost stunned that the stupid bitch was here, given she was a prisoner of the Throat, willingly (hence the nickname). Although Ampere didn't care enough of what the prisoner did, willing to turn a blind eye of she waltzed out free of chains - as it should be.

What mostly startled Ampere was that Hotaru even gave a damn about the companion. In fact, Ampere was inclined to think she was faking it, doing nothing more than instigating (her tone certainly had been), but as Ampere watched the pink mare sink to the snow beside the corpse, fawning over it more than the dead horses, she thought perhaps not. Although she didn't fully understand everything, by the words spoken, Ampere gathered that the dead mare was the pink spy's mother. It made sense that she would be here then - Gaucho was not heartless.

It's a new idea to Ampere as she observes, never having considered what part a bonded companion might play in the life of the children born by the bonded horse. The scene was certainly moving, although in some ways awful to see - Hotaru barely even seemed to mourn her mother. Still, this little insight into growing up with a bonded did not change Ampere's stance. The truth was Setlla lay dead of nothing more than a broken soul, and was loved by a horse's child, rather than her own chicks. It was a moving scene, but it was not right.

Then of course the final thing that ruffled Ampere was that Hotaru was almost unwilling to let her take the companion, at least at first. It was only Gaucho's smooth and even tones that kept Ampere rooted and silent, managing some modicum of self control. She wanted to tell the stupid bitch that none of this was Stella's home, and that Ampere definitely knew she meant more, but the Mother of Companions was not unreasonable, just difficult.

"I will," Ampere replied softly to Hotaru, truthful and sincere. "I promise."

The conversation redirected towards Ophelia as she and Gaucho talked politics. She smiled at her sultan when he not only let the pink spy go, but when he openly admitted to being wrong, a difficult thing to do, she knew. The elation did not last long however (when does it ever?) and was quickly replaced with a frown when the Wildfire continued to insist on imprisoning someone.

Not just anyone though, a leader. Horror struck Ampere like a bolt of lightning, only furthered by the information Ophelia so calmly divulged. "Is he willing to incite war over a dead body?!" Ampere wondered frantically, her feathers bristling as Ophelia spoke, as calm as the ice she governed. Tensely Ampere stepped towards Gaucho, her position a show of support, but also an attempt to be near him, to reach out and draw him back if needed. This was not a good reason to stir the waters, and this was definitely not the time or place to do so. She thought he might know as much, but she couldn't be sure, sometimes he was as rash as she was under the heat of the moment.