Lyra nodded when Theo Temlin introduced himself by name, but she was too wrapped up in her own troubles to notice his nervousness on the tinge of pink that graced his features. "Thank you, I'll be taking it to his room." A voice dulled by both fear and hopelessness. Lyra prepared to carry out her duty when Theo managed to pull her attention with his sincere sympathies. She stared at him for a bit, confused at why someone from the Geslack household would care about a Bremmington. It appeared that Theo cared not about alliances and instead followed his own moral compass. She offered him the smallest of smiles but paled when he said he<i>knew.<br/>
</i><br/>Had he heard everything? How many people had heard? It transported her back to the bedroom, her body pinned beneath Engel's weight as his rigid sword cleaved her in two. Shame washed over Lyra, tinting her cheeks an awful pink. It was hard to make sense of what Theo was saying when she was still reeling from the information, but she managed and pieced together the awkward conversation that had entered her head in fragmented bits and pieces. You have a friend here. The sentiment nearly melted her heart. Up until that moment, she'd felt completely and utterly alone in her suffering. Knowing that someone sympathized, even if he couldn't change much, sparked a glimmer of hope.<br/><br/>"Theo... thank you." She reached for his hand then, brushed her fingers faintly across his in solidarity. "It means the world."<br/><br/>In the back of her head, common sense told her not to rebel and that Engel would punish her even more harshly if he found out about this. She knew that Theo wouldn't escape the Geslack's rage either, but hearing that someone was on her side brought back some of the Bremmington ice. She was no longer a dead girl walking. "Can you," she made sure no one was listening. "Is there anything you can do to help me escape? I know I'm asking much, you don't have to help."<br/><br/>Lyra's eyes flitted to the plate of food Theo mentioned earlier. "Is there anything we can put in his food?" Now that she had her magic, all she really needed was the perfect timing and an ally. If she could put Engel in a precarious situation, she might actually have a chance at pulling this off.