The hubbub caused by Pilar's appearance takes a while to filter out to the distant balconies of the ballroom, in one of which Carissa Sevar is now ....making friends. Or something. 

"I've seen the type before, if you'll forgive me. Just sort of... obediently walking towards their own doom because they're too terrified to think about whether they could avoid it. It's very pleasing to Asmodeus."

"To Asmodeus that's you as much as me, I think."

He laughs. "Oh, maybe it used to be that way - but not anymore, I don't think. Word's gone out about how much Osirion pays for defectors, especially anyone who was close to the crown. A year ago, you could fairly have said of me that I was carefully not thinking about whether I want to leave. Now, I've gotten a Sending with an offer."

"Why not take it?"

"Well, it wasn't a very impressive offer. I do have my pride."

Is he offering to defect with her.  And if he is, is he doing it as some sort of game, or in sincerity, or carefully not knowing himself. And if it's a game, what's the game? Has he figured out who she is, or does he just figure it'd be fun to spirit off whoever the Queen's sleeping with? 

(Carissa would like to clarify for listening Security that she is, obviously, not contemplating defection, having just sold her soul to Dispater and been offered all her dreams come true. She's just playing, as Abrogail definitely intended.)

"It's too bad how I don't trust you at all."

"It is. But, you know, if I were you, I wouldn't be asking myself - am I going to find someone I trust enough to ask them to save me? I'm going to ask - am I going to find anyone I trust more than this. You might as well go with the best chance you have, even if it isn't a good one."

"What do you get out of this? Hypothetically."

"Money from Osirion. Having pulled off something no one pulled off before. Axis, which I hear is very nice. Not you, if that's what you're asking. I've had my fill of fragile pretty things with nowhere to run."

"All right."

"I need you to say more than that, if you want me to risk my life, which is not nearly over, on this. 'I want to defect to Osirion and will give you Osirion's defection payout for arranging it'."

"I....want to defect to Osirion and will give you Osirion's defection payment for arranging it," she whispers.

He beams at her, and then turns around to give an invisible someone a slap on the back. "Pay out, then, oh ye of little faith."

The slap breaks the invisiblity; it's another man, the same age, similar-enough looking to perhaps be a brother. "Oh, I don't know, I sense there's another twist impending."

"Deal was, I get her to agree to defect. If you wanted to reserve the right to declare she didn't really mean it, you should've been more specific."

The pretty girl is sitting there frozen in horror. "Abrogail's - going to be angry with you -"

"Hmmm? No, I'm on her good side, we provide a valuable service. We've tried half the palace slaves by now. I've been offered the title of anyone important I can swing it with, but it's honestly more fun to pick off helpless little girls. You, on the other hand, the Queen is going to be angry with you. You lasted twenty minutes, that's worse than your typical bloodied miserable kitchen slave. Truly embarrassing."

"I was going to report you!"

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to Security. Pay out," he says to his friend. 

"End of the night, if nothing else happens."

"Wanna make an additional bet on that?"

There's Security visible on the balcony, now, a squat man and a tall woman neither of whom Carissa recognizes, presumably in case anyone pretending to be a defector thinks about becoming one for real. Carissa wonders absently which level of the game they're on, whether Abrogail briefed all the Security about her game or not. 

What would Abrogail's poor innocent beauty do.

...she shrieks in frustrated anguish at them and tries hurling herself off the balcony. 

"That's a double!" says her erstwhile friend delightedly, as the Security haul her back. "I'm on a roll."

"Has my sweetling misbehaved herself?" Abrogail says to the impromptu gathering a few minutes later.

To her slight surprise, she notes that some small part of her is glad Carissa is having fun.  That's been an obvious possibility for some time now, but that it's obvious doesn't change that she's going to have to watch it very carefully.

" - no, your Majesty - I didn't - I wouldn't -"

"Your Majesty. It fell for the Osirian defection line and then tried to jump off the balcony," the handsome man says cheerfully, bowing. "Twenty minutes, a quite disappointing score."

"I'm terribly disappointed in you, my darling.  I know you're tired and I sprung this party on you rather suddenly, but I hadn't thought it so awful that you'd sooner defect to Osirion than stay around for it."