Uneasy lies the head

YOU SAID THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOON IT ROSE TOO SOON AND WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SHOULD Of course Amalia is there. It is her basement, after all - and her resistance, her rebellion, her attempt to right the world. She is present, and listening, silent in the back, having slipped in largely unnoticed and settled into a corner. She knows about Jigano, of course - everybody does - but she, like the rest of them, does not know why. Amalia would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. But having faith in people is becoming harder and harder to do. She listens and processes, each word repeated, trying to remain calm in the face of so much anger, so much misplaced good intention. For she does not doubt that Jigano's intentions are good - they're simply selfish, and as he grows more and more defensive about his choices the tension rises in the room. Jyoti coos from her place in her lap, a questioning song: will you be okay? It is a request for permission, and Amalia consents, allowing the starwhale to swim above them all, shedding calming starlight, quieting the storm. Her storm, however, continues to rage. I'll tell Edy I'll abdicate. It is this statement which pushes Amalia to her limit, making her rise to her feet. From her place in the shadows she steps forward, expression weary, her dark eyes staring blankly at Jigano. "That's stupid." The baker puts her hands on the table, leaning against it for support, her fingers playing anxiously with the lines of the wood. "Running away now won't solve anything. You've already accepted. You gave your reasons. Now do something with it." She has more to say, more feelings, more anger, but that will do them no good right now. She can speak to Jigano later. Right now, they need to plan. Glancing at Kiada, whose intelligence and insight never fails to make her proud, Amalia softens slightly before turning her attention to Ronin. "This isn't what we intended to happen. But it's what we have, and getting angry and fighting among ourselves won't solve anything. And this doesn't solve anything, not if Zariah comes back. Kiada is right- we can't trust Edrei not to hand the reins back to her." Frankly, Amalia does not trust the volatile young woman as far as she can throw her. "So the question is, what do we do from here? At least if there are two of us in charge we can overrule Edrei. You can remove her from power without violence. And we can prepare for the future, so we're ready when Zariah returns." She doubts it is what he wants to hear, but such is their relationship. Hard truths and honesty, accountability shared through a bond with the Gods, with the world. Her black eyes offer no apology: she respects him too much for that. "You need to accept before she chooses someone worse. Or before she does something stupid, and others suffer for it." a m a l i a You said it's life that moves too much We're losing touch But I'm not losing you