No one's listening. Your voice falters, then cracks, and you clamp a hand over your mouth to cover the way your breath is hitching.

Riccin isn't even looking at Hinnom. As far as they're concerned, ze's already dead, and that's what makes you realise ze wasn't joking.

Hinnom's feral. Ferals are culled. Ze's going to get culled, and it's all your fault: ze told you, and oh.

Oh, Empress, what are you going to do?