[D2, Ausar Estate, LA] Burning for You

[Lord Bellious]

"Speak to Lord Rath. He can offer his own perspective on those matters." Moyr shuffled her legs, altering the knee on top. "I suppose the arrangement is still beneficial to you if you choose to maintain it."

[Raela Ausar]

"Interesting... I may seek him out. I would like more detail," she agreed as she poured the provided wine for both of them, just as the food was brought out. "It is... for now. Her goals feed into mine in a way that's useful now. It will eventually put us in conflict, I suspect, though."

[Lord Bellious]

"Has she encouraged you to bid for the seat?" Moyr paused. "Have you wondered why she relinquished pursuing her own? After Tanathon's demise, she had an opening, and both necessary clout and raw power. And there had been a vote on the Council that had cleared her from responsibility for her record until that moment."

[Raela Ausar]

"She hasn't. She's neutral on my bid," she replied.

[Lord Bellious]

The curt answer made Moyr lean in and she raised the wine glass in a quiet toast. "I think she has a good reason to stay away from the Council for the time being."

[Raela Ausar]

"She does... I have a fairly good idea about what it is..." She took a bite of her food, thinking as she chewed and swallowed, expression pensive. Finally, she said, "If someone were to take caution about the Council seats under the circumstances, I wouldn't think that person was making a bad decision."

[Lord Bellious]

"Exactly. And I realise what you're talking about, even if some details are still sketchy." She sighed. "And yet here we are, walking into a trap."

[Raela Ausar]

"There's a need for closer observation, but there's always a certain amount of foolhardiness that comes with a willingness to do it," she replied. "And this kind of observation make unstable fluorine chemistry experiments look like a relaxing walk on the beach."

[Lord Bellious]

"Indeed. Though one could say that knowing there's a trap is the first step in evading it." Moyr got interested in the lunch fare, and put the glass down to reach for cutlery.

[Ilar'Shala]

While the ladies were enjoying the sumptuous meal laid out, Ilar flitted around the table, filling up glasses and clearing away discarded plates as necessary.

[Raela Ausar]

"A gram of prevention is worth a kilogram of cure," she replied with a nod. "Handling something potentially unstable has to do with respecting its instability and knowing how to handle it... It may not prevent it from exploding, but it controls the damage it can do."

[Lord Bellious]

"Or just sees the fuse before it's too late." Moyr remarked, taking a sip. "Either way, it seems that we both strive for the Council membership out of unusual reasons."