[ And she thought the ancients had amazing powers--ones that they held, for the most part, in high esteem and saw their job as one of creation and nurturing, a responsibility to the world above all else. Of course she's met people across her lifetime who have a callous disregard for the world and others on it, but thankfully it isn't something they can undo on a whim.

But it does remind her of something Emet-Selech had said once: ]

"I do not consider you to be truly alive. Ergo, I will not be guilty of murder if I kill you."

[ --Oh, she said that aloud? Himeka shakes her head. ]

--I'm sorry that you had to deal with that. Sometimes battle is unavoidable.

[ It does seem like the right decision. Someone will inevitably be left wanting, someone hurt, but deciding what is the greater good and sticking it o it is the hardest part. ]

For what it's worth, your aura doesn't feel black.

[ She's no where near as keen as Y'shtola or Emet-Selch had been, but there is a solidness to Julia that most don't have.

But then Julia drops that little bomb and Himeka pauses. She looks Julia up and down, the wheels in her head turning as the puzzle pieces fit together. ]

...Like Ember, you mean?