The week that followed was largely miserable. Pride she'd once found in routine tolls had given way to an aching feeling of eternal dread in her stomach. Every last death of the past was a distraction from the death of her soul that was sure to come. Never before had her best attempts to cling to her favorite mantra been so relevant, and never had they simultaneously been so unsuccessful. Not thinking about it was proving absolutely fruitless time and time again. Octavia hadn’t even needed a church to warrant her chronic distress.

Every Maestro seeking liberation, she greeted with a false smile and healing hands all the same. There was a part of her that strongly considered stalling, taking her time with the residual eleven that were permitted prior to forming a battle plan. Octavia couldn’t help but wonder how many Maestros would answer the call, given the lethal agony that potentially awaited below the surface of the Velrose church. She wondered if she’d manage to stay conscious all the way down the stairs, lest she recall the way Sonata had so scathingly cast judgment with piercing eyes from atop the steps.

Still, a mere six days left Octavia eleven Muses shorter, for better or worse. She was down to seventy-five, a respectable number for only two weeks in Tacell. Thirty-four Maestros left in Tacell was still an ample pool from which to draw their variable army, relatively comfortable in their Maestro shoes as most of them were.

She’d seen some in passing. She’d waved. She’d made idle conversation. She hadn’t gotten even slightly further than that, despite her prior platitudes regarding efforts to memorize Muse names and accompanying aliases. Even now, she’d still been forced to ask River to clarify the Ensemble’s partners for her at least two more times. She didn’t want to be the one to ask anyone to take up arms. After all, this was a mess of her own making.

Despite her knowledge that the words weren't hers to hear, Renato had a point. It was somewhat off-putting how cool and composed Josiah seemed to be about returning to the shattered remains of his home. He was, truly, the most suitable person to organize the task in the first place, Maestro or not. In some sick way, it was admirable. It still left Octavia avoiding him at every conceivable opportunity, thoroughly unable to divorce him from the thought of two cities haunting her every waking moment. She wondered if he’d noticed.

The primary problem, as a result, came in the form of wearing the Ambassador mask even through the midst of her intolerable suffering. Keeping up appearances was a nightmare, particularly in front of the Ensemble. Still, she was as much of a leader as River, and she knew it to be true. She couldn’t not help. At the very least, she didn’t have to make the walk back to Selbright alone.

“Are you holding up okay?” River pressed.

Not in the slightest, if he'd meant emotionally. “I’m alright. I’ve walked for a lot longer than this before,” Octavia reassured.

He smiled. “Let me know if you need a break. We’ll stay with Mina for the night.”

“Do you go to see her often?” Octavia asked, tilting her head.

River adjusted Renegadria’s case on his shoulders slightly. “I don’t leave Tacell very much, to be honest. There’s not a lot of opportunities to. Too much to worry about.”

Octavia’s face fell. “That’s…not very fun. You told me you like going out and seeing new places. You’re really stuck there all the time?”

“It’s okay, really. I’ll have plenty of time to go wherever I want, someday. You won’t have to do this forever,” he offered.

“Still,” she murmured.

“You’re…doing an excellent job with your task,” River praised gently, changing the subject.

“I still have a long way to go.”

“But what you’ve done so far has been phenomenal. Be proud of that. There’s a lot of people who can lead peaceful lives now, away from all of this.”

“I…thank you,” Octavia mumbled.

Typically, she found comfort in seafoam. Today wasn’t one of those days, and she instead found solace only in dirt. He called her out on it. It wasn’t pleasant.

“Is something wrong?” River asked quietly.

For him, of all people, she swallowed her honest response. “I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

He winced. “I probably shouldn’t have dragged you along for this, then. I should’ve let you get some rest.”

Octavia shook her head weakly. “It’s alright. I wanted to go. I know Mina’s father, and I know the…situation. Truthfully, Mina’s father knows what happened, too, and he knows that situation almost as well as we do. If I can help her explain what to say, it’ll go smoother, I think.”

“That situation” was an easier way of phrasing it. At least for now, the wording wasn’t prompting any bells to toll in her head. She settled upon it rather than the true names of the blossom and the flame, miserable as they were to so much as think in full.

“That’s very helpful. It’s better than me trying to explain, at least.”

“I’m sorry to drag you into it,” Octavia apologized. “The Ensemble, too. Everyone. It…shouldn’t have happened. You shouldn’t have to put your lives in the line, especially not for one Harmonial Instrument. We don’t even know what’s down there.”

Octavia chose her words carefully. River seemed to accept them with grace, feeding her another smile in return. “This is the path we chose to take. We’re here for you, and we meant what we said. All of us will fight for you, and we’ll do whatever it takes to see this through to the end. Every Muse counts. Every Maestro counts.”

“You’ll be in danger,” she whispered. “I don’t want to do that to you guys. This goes beyond helping.”

He stopped for a moment, the soft shuffle of his shoes through the grass muted in place of his gentle voice alone. “Trust us. Trust what we’re capable of. That’s all I can ask of you, Ambassador. Believe in us, just like we believe in you. We’re stronger than you think, Apexes or not.”

Octavia gripped Stradivaria’s straps uncomfortably. “I…it’s not that I doubt you, any of you. I know you guys are strong, just by looking at you. Even without Apexes, I’m sure the Ensemble would still be just as powerful. I…do trust that. I’m not afraid of failing. I’m just afraid of people getting hurt.”

River was quiet. When he spoke, his voice was equally so. “I…like to imagine that strength has nothing to do with whether or not a Maestro has an Apex. I agree with you.”

When he remained idle, she took the initiative, pressing onwards. She wasn’t certain how distant from Selbright they were by now, the sun already descending suspiciously low. Getting stuck in the middle of grassy nowhere in the dark of night wasn’t a pleasant concept, even with River in tow. “How far out are we?”

He blinked, following her lead again at last. “N-Not that far. It shouldn’t be long.”

That was a relief, somewhat. Octavia was looking forward to Mina’s hospitality again, admittedly. Breakfast had been pleasant, as had the girl herself--mild sass notwithstanding. She wouldn’t have minded spending more time together, distance willing. Samuel would surely have been satisfied to know of their friendship, or so she liked to think.

“Octavia?”

River’s soft voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Yes?”

“How…strong are your friends?”

She raised an eyebrow in the slightest. “I…as Maestros? They’re pretty strong, all of them. Why?”

It was his turn to indulge in a moment of silence. “It’s…been awhile since I’ve been around people who didn’t have Apexes. I spend most of my time with the Ensemble, so it’s…strange.”

Octavia swallowed the one correction that sat atop her lips. Even now, she remembered Rondelio’s plea, cryptic as it was. She wasn’t sure if it was still applicable. “Faith doesn’t have an Apex, though.”

He chuckled. “None of the Heartful we know should, at least. It would scare me a bit if they did. I don’t know where that Muse ended up, but it’s certainly not anywhere we’ve found. Faith isn’t exactly part of our little group, anyway. She’s more of a helper. Was, anyway.”

“‘Was’? I thought she still helps out with her gift.”

River smiled. “We have you for that, now.”

Octavia’s eyes widened. “I…me?”

“I feel bad for her. We dragged her into enough of a mess. We put enough pressure on her. It’s kind of a relief that you’re here, honestly. She doesn't have to…deal with anything else. She can go back to being herself.”

“What are you talking about?” Octavia asked.

His smile slipped somewhat. “Faith was…we were training her to be the Ambassador.”

Octavia, too, almost came to a halt. It took conscious effort to will her feet forward, driven primarily by a desire to reach the warmth of Mina’s house before nightfall. It didn’t make his words any less jarring. “You were…what?”

“It was before we knew there was one. Her gift didn’t work, so we assumed the Muses hadn’t chosen yet. There’s only so many Heartful, and she was a good candidate. From there, it was just…getting her ready for it, mostly mentally. I don’t think she enjoyed it much. It’s our fault for pushing her into it. One day, her gift finally worked, and we could see the Muses in a form she hadn’t chosen. We knew someone took on the task before she did, even if we didn’t know who. I like to imagine it took some weight off her shoulders.”

Octavia couldn’t find the words to answer him, at first. It took a moment. “There weren’t any other Heartful Maestros you had in mind? Or that volunteered, even?”

River shook his head. “It’s not exactly a task anyone jumps to volunteer for. Besides, the Muses are kind of picky about that--at least, ours are. Knowing them, they probably wanted the perfect Heartful to stand up for the job. If we wasted time training up the wrong one, I think they’d be angry at us.”

Octavia winced. In the case of her circle, time had supposedly been of the essence. On multiple occasions, she'd been reminded of her disposability, typically accompanied by venom. She still wondered if her selection as Ambassador had been largely a byproduct of urgency rather than careful decision-making. His experience contradicted her own. That, too, was jarring.

“Are there other Heartful Maestros in Tacell, even? I’ve only seen Faith and…that boy. Theo, right?”

He nodded. “Yes. As to any others, we have two more. We know the location of one besides that outside of Tacell. There’s also the Muses’ Lord of All, who…I’m not sure what’s going on there, in terms of Maestros. We haven’t given it thought yet. They don’t talk about him much.”

“So there’s three unaccounted for, then,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s weird knowing exactly how many finite Maestros of a legacy there are.”

“Do you feel any kinship with your Heartful counterparts?” River asked.

Octavia shrugged. “A little bit. It’s…nice to have Faith around. I like knowing there’s more of them out there, especially when I’m the only one I’ve seen in…well, ever. Meeting Theo was a surprise, too, even though I don’t think he likes me very much.”

River laughed--a long overdue sound that eased her soul. “I feel the same way about the other Spirited. It’s a bond that’s hard to explain. You can feel it in your blood, almost.”

Octavia smirked. “You better be fine getting along with other legacies, too, if we’re gonna make this partnership work.”

Again, he laughed. The chimes in his voice were far preferable to the bells that threatened her head. “I assure you, I have no issue with any of them. It’s just…nice to be on the same page. You’ll see what I mean, someday.”

She already understood, somewhat, if Faith was any indicator. She still hadn’t gotten a chance to go see her garden just yet. Octavia made a mental note, once this mess was over and she could complete the rest of her task in peace, to see beloved petunias blooming for herself. It lightened her step, somewhat. River was good at leading her to that overall, his company a comfort she’d grown to look forward to.

“I…do wonder who ended up with our Apex, though.”

Octavia didn’t dare.

“W-Why?” she stammered. It wasn’t subtle.

He shrugged, his eyes straight ahead as he walked. “Just a curiosity. We found three of them. We know one of them is…well, the Lord of All they mention sometimes. That leaves the Apex of Strength and our own Apex. We’ll find out eventually, I’m sure, but it’s…still bothering me a bit. I’m impatient.”

“I-I’m sure we’ll…figure it out soon enough,” she lied through her teeth. Restraining the urge to simply tell him was shockingly difficult.

“Yeah. I’m curious what kind of Maestro bonded with our Apex. I don’t even know what our Apex…looks like, or acts like, or sounds like. I want to meet them, too. I’m looking forward to it.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

It wouldn’t be a tricky introduction at all. All they’d need to do was turn around right now. It hadn’t occurred to her to just outright ask as to the nature of her mandated silence, although she wasn’t quite sure if she’d get a quality answer.

Rondelio?

She was relieved to hear his voice, a solid confirmation that he was listening from inside a bulky case at all. Yes, Ambassador?

Can’t I just tell him? He wants to meet her. I don’t understand why I have to keep it a secret.

Please, do not, he again pleaded softly. I ask this for his sake.

What? Why?

Your heart is kind. You will…come to understand him, as you have already begun to do. I believe such knowledge would only wound this boy.

Even though he said he wants to meet Lyra? I don’t get it.

You shall, in time. I ask again, please keep the Apex of Spirit close to your heart. If possible, please implore your companions to do the same.

It was an even more confusing answer than his initial request weeks ago. Octavia didn’t pry, nor did River press her on her silence. His vivid gaze beneath the setting sun was placid, tranquil, enough to calm her heart and steady the thoughts that had raced minutes before. For all the good his company alone did her, she refused to touch anything that so much as had the potential to hurt him. She would already be hurting him enough by dragging him down to the depths of Velpyre, no matter how much he insisted as to the contrary.

----------------------------------------

Nightfall had crashed upon the streets of Selbright by the time they’d reached Mina’s abode. Octavia again counted her blessings that her path had been guided by another. The lamps wouldn’t have done her justice, and the degree to which she would’ve become hopelessly lost trying to retrace her steps would’ve further compounded her misery. Even with no prior knowledge of their arrival, Mina had welcomed them with open arms, hot tea, and a willingness to hear them out. True to River’s words, she was every bit as hospitable as their first encounter, more than glad to lend them soft beds for the evening. The tea was nice. The nature of Octavia's visit was not, and explaining her circumstances wasn’t enjoyable.

She’d seen Samuel’s true nature on three occasions, through the perspectives of three different people whose shoes she otherwise never should’ve worn. She knew his heart to be genuine, his intentions pure. Josiah’s prior ire at the man regarding his role in the Velrose catastrophe hadn't slipped her mind. Octavia still found it surprising that he'd been receptive to Samuel’s assistance in any capacity. He didn’t seem the type to forgive so easily, justified as he’d been in the moment.

Samuel knew Velrose, and he’d known what had befallen both the Blessed and Cursed Cities alike. If anyone could trace the lineage of the Ebony family, Octavia felt comfortable surrendering the task to the historian who’d made the blossom his own mission so long ago. The flame might've been a new challenge, by comparison, and yet she trusted him all the same--fickle as such trust was.

She wouldn’t dare tell Mina anything of the indirect blood on her father’s hands. She had to wonder if Mina knew in the first place, ignorant to the plight of the blossom and the flame as she was. Whether or not Mina knew the personal affairs of her father at all was debatable. Octavia wondered if Mina had ever met Drey. The thought was nauseating. She stifled it as quickly as possible, given the mental questions in wait that immediately followed.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear absolutely anything back,” Mina offered.

Octavia nodded. “Thank you. I’m sorry to drag you into this, too.”

“Don’t worry about it. I get dragged into stuff all the time. It’s all the Ensemble ever does to me. It’s nice to get dragged into something by someone new, for a change,” she joked.

Octavia couldn’t stifle a tiny smile, dark as Mina’s words were. “Still.”

“You need Maestros, right?” Mina said. “To fight down there, I mean.”

She nodded. “As many as we can get. It’s gonna be dangerous. I don’t know what’ll happen. I don’t know if anything will happen, but I just have a…feeling.”

“A feeling?”

“None of my feelings are ever good feelings, but they’re usually right.”

Mina laughed. “That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

For a moment, they were content to settle into silence. In Octavia’s case, that meant indulging in her tea just a bit more. In its own way, crass as she was, Mina’s company was nice, too.

“I’ll fight.”

Octavia nearly choked, a borderline waste of perfectly good hibiscus. “What?”

“You heard me,” the Essenced Maestra said with a grin. “I’ll fight. I’ll go with you.”

Octavia cleared her throat, somewhat embarrassed at her tea-flavored aspiration. “You heard what I said, right? It’s dangerous. You could get seriously hurt. You might even…”

Mina cocked her head. “You know, for someone who’s trying to recruit Maestros, you sound more like you’re trying to talk me out of it.”

Octavia winced. “I…I just don’t want you to feel obligated.”

“I don’t,” she reassured. “I promise.”

If River was awake, Octavia wondered if he’d be scolding her on behalf of her resurfacing doubts. As it stood, it took effort to trust in Mina’s words. She was not at all fond of the idea of people obeying the requests of the Ambassador based on title alone, and it was becoming a paranoia. She prayed that wasn’t the case, although she couldn’t quite summon the courage to ask directly.

“You having fun with all the Ambassador stuff so far?”

Octavia threw her eyes deep into her drink. “It’s…definitely progressing, little by little. I don’t think ‘fun’ is the word for it, especially with what’s about to happen. I’m not looking forward to this one bit.”

“Don’t blame you,” Mina muttered, resting her cheek in her palm. “Sometimes, being a Maestra sucks. Can’t imagine being the Ambassador on top of that.”

“You don’t like being a Maestra?” Octavia asked.

Mina tipped her hand back and forth. “Some days, I do. Some days, I don’t. Most days, I like it. I’m happy with it. I appreciate what I can do. There’s days every now and then where I just…overthink things a bit.”

Octavia groaned. “Tell me about it.”

Mina smirked. “You, too, huh?”

“The overthinking more so than the Maestra stuff.”

“You like being a Maestra?”

“I…yeah, mostly. I think everyone has bad days, but for the most part, I like being a part of this world. It’s not easy, that’s for sure, but it’s…nice.”

The way Mina eyed her was mildly uncomfortable. She sipped at her tea again, lethal as it apparently was.

“You like your light?”

Octavia blinked. “I mean…yes. I’ve…never had a problem with it.”

“If you could have any other legacy, what would it be?”

Octavia tilted her head. “I’ve never really thought about it. I think they’d all be fun to try at least once.”

“Fun?”

“Well, if I was Soulful for a little while, it’d be fun to make snow, or something. It might even be fun to be Strong and…blow stuff up, just a teeny bit. Within reason.”

“Huh.”

She wasn’t sure if the answer was incorrect. Mina’s response made her self-conscious, nonetheless. Hiding in her tea wasn’t working very well.

“You ever met anyone who dislikes their legacy?” Mina asked quietly, resting her other cheek in her opposite hand instead.

Octavia hesitated. Frankly, she wasn’t sure if it was her place to say. “Yes, actually.”

Mina’s eyes widened in the slightest. “Really?”

“I don’t know if he still dislikes it,” she clarified. “But he…did for a while, I think. He had a very unfortunate background that didn’t match well with the legacy he was given. It…hurt him. He enjoys being a Maestro, though, to my knowledge, so I like to imagine he’s come to terms with it. I hope he’s made his peace. I don’t want him to hate himself like that, not for how wonderful the gifts he was blessed with are.”

“People don’t realize how dangerous Maestro stuff actually is,” Mina murmured. “They get so wrapped up in the wonder of it all that they forget the power it comes with. They’re not toys. They can kill people. You’ve gotta know your legacy inside and out, if you’re gonna be safe--both for yourself and for the sake of other people.”

“What do you mean?”

Mina was silent. Octavia didn’t have the heart to nudge her. She waited.

“You ever hurt anybody with your light?”

That, in particular, was a subject she very much did not enjoy thinking about. “Hurt” was an understatement. It wasn’t something she wanted to share at length, and Octavia wasn’t fond of the mild nausea that threatened the taste of otherwise delicious tea. “Yeah,” she admitted, her voice tiny.

“On purpose?”

“Yeah.”

“You…ever do it on accident?”

If memory served, she couldn’t recall a time. Somehow, knowing all of her damage to others had been largely intentional didn’t make Octavia feel any better. “No, I don’t think so.”

“I see.”

The awkward silences that Mina kept leaving in her wake were starting to burn. Her newest one was far too long--enough that Mina’s eyes wandered away from Octavia’s own. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask for more tea in the midst of her heavy words.

“I did, once.”

Octavia raised her eyes to the girl, uncomfortable as she appeared. Her own tea was likely wasted, untouched and surely cold by now. At the very least, it had her attention, leaving the Maestra trailing one nail along the porcelain rim absentmindedly. Octavia wasn’t fully sure how to respond.

“What happened?” she tried, settling on the most straightforward question.

When Mina didn’t answer, Octavia immediately regretted it. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer if you--”

“It’s my toll,” Mina murmured.

Octavia could only stare. “Your…toll?”

“Tell me something,” Mina began, still preoccupied with touching the teacup. “You ever done a toll without guiding a Muse before?”

Octavia nodded. “A bunch of times, actually. Just to get them over with. I did the same thing for myself, even.”

“Good. Can you…do me a favor?”

“What is it?”

Only now did Mina offer her the gift of eye contact, hollow as it was. “I’ll trade you. I’ll fight for you if you get mine over with, too.”

Octavia couldn’t help but flinch. “You…want me to do it now?”

Mina shrugged. “It can be in the morning, if you want. I don’t know the next time I’ll see you. Just…the sooner, the better. I want it done and over with. I don’t wanna be sitting on it anymore. I don’t like knowing it’s in there. I still want to be a Maestra, I just…I don’t want it to be there.”

“You already know what it is?”

“I’m 100% confident about what it is.”

Even as the Ambassador, Octavia disliked the way she couldn’t resist hesitating. There was a fine line between prying and blindly agreeing that she was afraid to walk. Something in Mina’s words felt trusting enough to warrant privacy, and she didn’t particularly like the idea of sharing the situation with River. The subsequent explanation wouldn’t have been her place to give, anyway. Surprising as it was, this was a better time than the morning, and their scathingly unfortunate trip to the Cursed City was on an unpredictable timetable. She wasn’t sure how to get back to Selbright from Tacell alone, anyway.

“I’ll do it. I can do it now, if you want.”

Mina sat up straight. “Really?”

“Yeah. We can…get it over with. The sooner, the better, right?”

Mina’s more gentle smile, for once, was welcome--faint as it was. “Yeah.”

Octavia did what she could to return the favor with one of her own. Her eyes wandered, particularly given the way Mina stayed mostly glued to her seat. “So, uh…where’s your partner?”

“Oh. Sorry,” Mina apologized quickly.

To Octavia’s surprise, there was no case. There wasn’t even a need for the girl to get up. She was like Renato, in that way, in that her partner rested close to her heart--literally. Her fingers delved into the inner linings of her cardigan, down into pockets Octavia couldn’t see from her side of the table. She saw rustling. Then, she saw glimmering, shining. She saw two halves of silver, so carefully shaped and pristinely glistening beneath the soft lights of the kitchen.

Mina held it with such care, tiny as it was for a legacy so vicious. Every little motion with which it spun and shifted in the open air, dangling preciously, only added to the triangle’s radiant splendor.

“She’s little,” Mina clarified, “but she packs a punch. Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

“I-I wouldn’t,” Octavia stammered. “She’s pretty. What’s her name?”

“This is Savior’s Resplendence. I’ve…had her since I was a kid. She means a lot to me.”

As always, the beauty of a Harmonial Instrument alone was enough to bring a smile to Octavia’s face. She waved, a smaller wave than usual for an equally small instrument. “Hello. Nice to meet you,” she offered.

Mina raised an eyebrow. “You say hi to them?”

Octavia flushed. “I-I mean, there’s a Muse in there, somewhere. It’s…polite.”

Mina smirked. “Yeah, you’re Heartful, alright. I’m sure they get a lot out of that kind of Ambassador.”

Whether it was a compliment or an insult remained to be seen. Octavia liked to imagine that Mina was the type to settle on the former--at least, in her case.

“I’m sorry in advance,” Mina offered sadly, cupping the small metal fragments in her palms. “You’re not gonna like it. All I ask is that you don’t judge. It really was an accident. I just…don’t want to think about it anymore.”

Octavia wished beyond wished it were that simple from her end--a toll she could watch once and discard the pain of for life thereafter. In a way, a miniscule part of her was envious. “I would never judge. I promise you, I’ve seen some pretty bad tolls. Really bad, actually. I’m not minimizing it in any way, but I’ll be okay. This is…what I do. I’m used to it.”

Mina smirked once more, even as she extended the triangle across the table. “What was your worst toll?”

Octavia gulped. That was an exceedingly personal question. Given that her worst toll thus far had directly involved Mina’s father, she bit her tongue somewhat. “The man who killed my sister,” she answered with shocking coolness.

Mina’s face contorted with disgust. “God, what the hell? What is wrong with your life?”

She never thought she’d laugh over such a horrifying topic, but Mina’s reaction got to her anyway. “I ask myself that question a lot.”

Mina shuddered. “Alright, maybe mine’s not that bad by comparison. But it’s still bad,” she added quickly.

Octavia's smile was soft. “I’ll get through it.”

Mina, too, smiled back, equally soft in a way Octavia enjoyed. “If you’re sure, then. Whenever you’re ready. She’ll like you, probably.”

Octavia tapped one finger upon the cool metal of the triangle with as much cautious care as she could. It was a pattern that was slowly becoming muscle memory, and she was slipping right back into a routine that had grown to reject conscious effort. “I’d like to meet you,” she implored gently. “Can we talk for a bit?”

Her prayers were answered with ease. She was gradually getting used to the splendor of the Essenced, brilliant yellows that had once been somewhat blinding no longer stinging her pupils with as much fervor. Their forms, as they settled into radiant existences for the Heartful alone, had been growing on her. Luminous hues of golds so befitting of their electrifying legacy were a treasure to witness.

She was grateful for the way she could appreciate them in much the same way she could the other Muses, lest she feel like a poor Ambassador. For such a small vessel, the feminine Muse that greeted her eyes with lustrous beauty was of average stature. It didn’t make her any less resplendent than her namesake, and the richness of her voice spoke to the pleasure of her presence.

“Greetings, Ambassador,” she offered with a bow. “I am Raisare of the Essenced. It is a pleasure.”

Octavia waved. “Hi there. Octavia. Ambassador. Nice to meet you.”

“You good with sticking around for a bit if we just…wipe the slate clean, Rai?” Mina asked casually, her eyes floating upwards.

The Muse nodded. “As you wish. I am in no hurry, my child. Do what must be done, and I will accept my guidance with grace when the time is right.”

Mina's smile, offered to a Muse clearly cherished, was just as pleasant. Even from afar, their bond was enough to warm the Ambassador by proxy. “As long as you’re good with it.”

It was the same as always, on cue as she’d expected. “Mina Sostoviri, your toll has been paid once over. Now, Ambassador, see through the eyes of the one who paid the toll.”

“Ready?” Octavia asked.

Mina’s face fell, and it hurt to see. “I…you promise you won’t judge?”

Octavia shook her head. “I promise.”

Mina took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Even if she could reach across the table, Octavia had never witnessed a toll while sitting before. It was a mildly uncomfortable sensation. She closed her eyes, lowered her fingers, and embraced death for the happiness of another once more. It was routine in the sickest way.

Dying, too, was far preferable to the thought of challenging the blossom and the flame once more. Octavia wondered at what point she’d come to that conclusion.