"...I was keeping her talking. I'm - confused too." Oh fucking hell it feels like a lie, and she's terrible at actual lying. It feels like nails dragging through her chest. 

"You knew her name," Angerona points out, quietly, almost hesitantly. (She did confirm with Teacher that Cytherea was the woman's name.)

"...You wouldn't believe me if I said I'd found a historical record including her name as the Seventh's Lyctor, and then promptly lost it, would you." She could actually honestly claim to have found the Second's Lyctor's name, as totally useless as that is. 

"...Sorry, no." She drags a hand down her face. "Given Teacher refused to contact the Emperor already, and he was very sure Cytherea is no longer a threat - " 

She glances at the others, exhausted more than just physically. "Can we just declare this to be family drama way above our paygrade, at least unless and until one of us becomes a Lyctor and finally gets Teacher to call the fucking Emperor?"

She closes her eyes, relieved even just at the thought, but - 

(It still feels dishonest. (Does she even trust this group, or does she just like them as people? Fighting a Lyctor together has a way of blurring things in her head, apparently.))

...Yeah, Ninth are at the top of the 'likely coworker' list, and she does know how to be gracious and diplomatic. 

"Might take a while," she points out. "There were several crucial flaws in whatever process Cytherea used - if that's what these trials are leading us towards, we'll need to rework it dramatically first." (She leaves the words hanging - up to the others if they take the subject change, or if they use that as justification to refocus on Gideon's 'family drama' - up to the Ninth, mostly, the Fifth is too diplomatic to push and Angerona will probably gag Palamedes if she tries to be indelicate.)

Blegh. Politicking. This is why everyone other than Gideon should be either subordinates or bones.

"You mean the way they expect us to kill and eat our cavaliers?"

Expect them to WHAT

"I was afraid that was the conclusion to draw."

"Not exactly surprising it's something fucked up - but Third's right about more than just the morality. We're not Lyctors - we really, really should not have been able to beat her, not going by the stories, or by the entire concept of them being God's Hands. But it's been a myriad since their ascension - necromancy has advanced dramatically in the meantime. They're the rough draft."

Also she wouldn't exactly mind but Ellyn will be upset if she says that so she won't. They can do way better than their predecessors anyways.

"That's almost blasphemous," Abigail points out mildly.

"We killed a Lyctor. I think we're past blasphemy."

"And we've all had a little time to come down from that adrenaline high," she agrees. "I'm not condemning, you understand. Eyes open, that's all."

"I doubt the Emperor will object to us improving on the process." Honestly it might be a moot point with the Body waking up and all.

"We can but hope."

"I don't think any of us are willing to do it Cytherea's way, even still."

"Absolutely not."

"Same."

She nods.

"Heresy it is, then. You love to see it."

"Truth over solace in lies."

"Does mean we've got our work cut out for us from here. Unless anyone would rather give up?"

Hmph. As if.

Never. 

Gideon's actually got some ideas for improvement! 

...Though actually, speaking of the dead Lyctor thing, what should they... Do... About the Second and Eighth not already knowing what happened.