There's a moment when it looks like Rogeiros is going to argue, and then nods, a little discontently. "Very well." And he leaves.

One, meanwhile, has tucked himself into a ball.

And Figment has snuggled back up and draped a wing over him.

"It's all right, sweetheart, take your time. I mean it that you haven't done anything wrong, though, and that nobody's going to hurt you - I won't let them, all right? You don't need to worry about it, I'll take care of it."

One's head pokes out from his ball, but he doesn't uncurl, and he stays tucked against Figment.

"I know this is scary, but - it's important, okay? It's important that you get to live your own life. That you have a chance to find someplace where you're safe and happy, that you aren't stuck here. That - you matter, you know, just as much as anybody else does, just as much as he does. He's unhappy right now, but it seems like you've probably been unhappy for a long time, and if nothing changed you would have just kept on being unhappy, and it's better for him to be unhappy for a little while than for you to be unhappy forever."

He makes a low, uncertain whining sound, and looks to Figment as though the griffon will have an answer.

She shifts a little closer. "Still scary. But - better." She pets the top of his head with her beak. "Bad, here."

One is quiet for a moment long. "Didn't like me...mimicking." His voice is very quiet, and he flinches when he's finished talking.

"Sometimes people think that if they can pretend that something isn't true, that's the same as it not being true. It really isn't, though."

One doesn't seem to know how to actually respond to that. He settles for a very quiet: "Oh."

"Yeah. The way he was treating you - I don't know much about it, but anything that leaves someone this scared isn't okay. It wouldn't really have been okay even if you were an animal, but it's definitely not okay if you're a person. And - there are rules, about that. He's not allowed to make you stay. You're allowed to leave if you want to. If he wants you to stay and do things for him, he has to make it nice enough that you want to do that, instead of leaving. He doesn't like it, but it's an important rule, it means nobody ends up stuck in a place that's hurting them, and if they do, then other people know they should help them. Deka and I want to help you, like that - I know leaving is scary, I know you're not sure how it'll work, but that's my job, to help people figure out how to go to new places- I'm a cleric of the god of travel, he gives me magic just for that."

"I don't- There's-" He stops, blinking - and a there's a flicker of fire at his muzzle, and he shuffles, reluctantly away from Figment. "Nowhere else to go?"

"There's plenty of places you can try - a lot of the time, people in situations like yours end up going to a church for help - Pelor's will do it - or I could probably come up with a couple dozen people I know to introduce you to and see if you get along well enough to live with them, and more who might know someone else to try. Or you can live on your own, somewhere, if you want to try that - it's harder, if you're not used to it, but you still can."

He tucks in on himself a bit more, obviously rather overwhelmed by all of this - more flames flickering over his fur. "Don't- know. Don't know how to."

Figment hops away from the flames. "Go get Phasm," she comments, and does so.

"It's all right, sweetheart. That's not your fault either. And that's why I think it'd be better for you to start with a church, or someone I know will be good to you - they'll help you figure it out, they won't expect you to know everything."

"I- ah- if you- think- that's best?"

"I think it would be a good idea for you to meet more people and see what it's like in more places, and then you'll know more about what you like and where you want to live. I can help you decide - and Deka and the griffons, too, if you want to travel with them - but we can't do it for you."

"...Never had to. Make choices before."

"Yeah. That's one of the things that was wrong with it, here. It'll get easier when you've had some practice."

"...Oh." He stares a little blankly ahead of himself - although the flames on his back do seem to be calming some? They're certainly not getting worse.

"Yeah."

"I should say - you can stay here, if Rogeiros lets you. I don't think it's a good idea, and I'm not sure he will, but I'm not going to steal you away if you don't want to go. That's not okay either."

One tilts his head slightly, hums. "...Scary."

"I know, sweetheart. I wish there was more I could do about that for you. I can say - it's hard, doing new things, but it's almost always worth it."