"Only by gluttony. Come along, Oscar." She led him from the rooms, through the kitchen and out to the garden area.

Yehudit sadly looked at the empty basket.

Sileas helped Ila down the stairs and into her room. She passed Yehudit and Questa and sat her down on the bed.

Yehudit was bruised up from tripping over her walking stick trying to go up to Sileas.

"What happened? What's going on up there?"

Sileas' face was a mask of anger. She doubted she had ever felt such rage. "A bunch of judgmental hypocrites who think they're better than everyone else. They're trying to push Ila from the kitchen because of her past. They are telling lies and are refusing her a second start in life."

Ila looked down at her arm and covered the tattoo with her hand. "I should have known better than to think I could find a place in a kitchen. I'm sorry I brought your mother trouble."

"You are not the one who brought her trouble. You are not the one in the wrong."

Ila stared at her bleeding arms. "I never wanted any of that."

"None of what? The Crimson Dove? I have no doubt you didn't. I suspect you were forced into it," Sileas said softly. "You don't seem like the sort of person who would want to have that life."

"Forced? I made a stupid decision that put me there." Ila's shoulders shook as she tried to keep from crying. "Another stupid choice I made got me out of there, but with those pretending to be your uncle."

"And who hasn't made stupid choices when they were young?" Sileas asked. "There was no way for you to know what Mazi was about until it was too late."

"I was only two years younger than I am now when I made my first stupid choice that first got me into trouble. Just because I was younger doesn't mean it doesn't still effect me." Ila wiped her eyes. "It was the other one, Onyi, that I went with to get away from the Crimson Dove... A couple months later Mazi took Onyi's place at masquerading as your uncle."

"And you're still young. Life is all about choices. Some are good, some are bad. It's how we deal with them that matters."

"This is one that's going to keep following me." Ila said.

Sileas cringed at the sound upstairs. "Questa? Can you get through there without getting hurt and find Wulfsen or Xavier? It sounds like Papa and Mama need help."

"I could cut them up for yer." Questa offered, pulling her shiv.

"You don't know how tempting that offer is. I already told them they were the perfect marks for pick-pocketers and no one deserved it more."

"Do yer want their noses or their ears?" Questa asked, testing the edge of her shiv. Sharp as a razor.

"Ears. The nose just sounds nasty."

"Will do! Right!" Cheerfully, Questa headed up the stairs to do some slicing.

Sileas sighed. She had only been joking. Well, halfway. She hoped Questa did what she should, and get Wulfsen or Xavier.

"What are you going to do with those ears?" Yehudit asked curiously.

"I'm hoping she'll do the sensible thing and find Wulfsen or Xavier. Just once, I would like it if someone did what I asked. At the very least she could find your mother. Your mother always did enjoy a good brawl." Now that she was out of the fray, Sileas began to look a little on the edge herself over the things they had said.

Yehudit started to laugh, but stopped when she realized Sileas really hoped Questa was getting Wulfsen or Xavier. "They're making enough commotion, maybe Mama will hear it and come."

"Maybe. I'd go back up but Ila needs me. And I seemed to make everything worse," Sileas said sadly.