(Dialogue: Al’assa tries to flirt, with limited success. Her mockery is still ever-present, and her voice is pained and croaky. She’s hurt, but deep down, she’s imparting upon Arthur Prowse the worldly wisdom of what he needs to do to grow as a character.)

“I almost died, you idiot. Least you could do is pretend you aren’t just another heartless Imperial, every once in a while. Who knows, maybe you’ll care about something other than your mighty Emperor. Something worth keeping.”

(Dialogue: Appalled and disgusted, Al’assa chastises Prowse for being ignorant to the lesson she taught him. Very soon, she’ll blow her top.)

“Have you learned nothing, Prowse? I told you, back in the tomb, that you’d be a better man if you stopped licking your dead Emperor’s boots. That you might walk away from Moraband with something more than a weapon or a gift for your superiors to abuse. But you haven’t listened to a single word I’ve said, have you?!”

(Dialogue: Recalling her scar’s origins, Al’assa traces it back to the accident long ago. The one that deep down, she blames herself for. She’s internalised her guilt into an amalgamation of abandonment issues, anxiety and a depraved, wrathful anger. She tries her utmost to suppress it. She fails.)

“Yes, that’s how I got it! I never wanted to talk about it. I hate it. I hate that I choose to keep it. But I must. It’s always reminded me of my father, of-” 

(Pause.) 

“-It’s all my fault.”