To Fiora, humans were a strange breed built on their own self-righteousness. It was a thing that the fae Queen both struggled with and accepted. At the table surrounded by them and their hostility, only her frozen consort and the Guardian lacked the emotion. Still, the icy stare was glued to Lane, her smile serene despite the fire that lit the other woman’s face.<br/><br/><br/>“Is that such a bad thing, to have power?” She asked simply, returning the question with neither contempt to glibness. There was only a sparkle in her blue eyes to belie any sense of mischief. “After all, while we were distracted, well…” She made a motion to the restaurant behind them, at the frozen atmosphere that had just been a bustling Italian restaurant. Ice glistened on the floor and eyes stared straight ahead in their frozen slumber. And yet Fiora reached casually to the center of the table for another bread stick.<br/><br/><br/>“You will, of course, have to follow the accordance of hospitality. You cannot be rude or else break the terms of our contract, you understand. Though I do not understand why I am met with such hostility. I am not the one who has a mess to sort out, am I? The girl you are so worried of was given to me by her mother; I did not take her.”<br/><br/><br/>Regardless of the circumstances, Fiora seemed prepared to seal this particular deal. From her very fingertips the crystals form, jagged sharp and cold. She held out her palm, face up, and sliced her own palm before breaking it off and handling Lane the icicle for her to do the same. Then, she extended her hand to shake Lane’s hand. That was the binding that would seal their contract.<br/><br/><br/>Pace watched the under goings with a look that was gradually turning skeptical. He even leaned forward, sights flitting from the two women, to the struggling arcanist who sat next to the blade. The man’s eyes had turned violet as he frantically tried to sever the spell that kept him locked in place. The Guardian, for one, was curious to see what James Sinclair had to say about the situation, but also wanted to see if he could break his bonds himself. More importantly, the quicksilver stare turned back to Nora, to watch her face during the proceedings.<br/><br/><br/>The Guardian looked like he might say something, when the sound of someone gasping for air stopped whatever words were about to leave his mouth. James didn’t bother to gather everyone’s attention before the words burst from his mouth, “The deal is wrong. Fiora, I need you to--”<br/><br/><br/>Only the fae smiled a jagged, wicked thing and snatched Lane’s hand in her own. If the girl had already used the icicle to cut herself, then the deal was sealed.