As Elara dropped onto her mattress with a muffled grunt, pulling up one of her long legs to start unlacing her boots and tug them free of first her left then her right foot, she chuckled at Cyne's curiosity in regards to what the council would be discussing. "Of course you will be a topic, Cyne. I made the bargain for you as my first act upon taking Ava's place when she fell... without the Council's say-so." She lifted her eyebrows as she looked over her shoulder at him, her icy hues taking in his posture and interest. "So I think there will be several who will huff and puff and bluster about what I've done but in the end recognize that I've done the correct action... and then there will be... others." She added as almost an afterthought, her boots hitting the floor with simultaneous dull thuds.<br/><br/>The maid returned with a tray and settled it on the table they had breakfasted at that morning, taking a dark bottle from it and immediately crossing the room to offer it to Elara. "Mistress... you might need this sooner than you think. You're looking a bit... peaky." Elara took the bottle with a murmured thank-you to the maid, touching the young one's cheek before sending her on her way. She hesitated before pulling the cork out with a low pop and taking a long drink from the bottle, a deep crimson liquid staining her lower lip when she pulled it away, before she licked it clean. He might as well see the truth for himself; they did have to have blood to function correctly, he knew that.<br/><br/>After she corked the bottle, Elara's skin seemed to deepen in color, the pale flesh tinging a little pink under the tan. Her fingers left the bottle on the end table by the bed as she rose, her movements more fluid than they had been. "And after I make clear to the Council that your presence here is required by the peace treaty and that we need to remove the fighters from being so clustered together in this city and put them on duty around the portal and the more... restless cities in our realm." She didn't intend to mention that they might consider destroy the portal, not yet.