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While he spoke, Tayui kept her gaze steady and firm. She knew if she looked away, she would break apart. All she wanted to do want sit down and hold herself in her Optime form. She wanted to pretend it was Noir holding her or hugging her or just being near her. She wanted to wipe the tears away and beat her fists against her thighs and howl for three days straight so that all could hear the pain she felt for her daughter. Now that she knew who did this, she wanted nothing more than vengeance. She wanted to see Haku suffer and she wanted to bring that suffering upon him with her own hand. She wanted to see blood -- for the first time -- on her white coat, where it would stand as a stark testament to all the love she held in her heart. All of that love would never be for Haku.
When he questioned her, she knew she would have to lie. She could not answer too quickly or he would know it was false. She gave herself a moment, and then replied firmly: "no. Not now, anyway. They're gone, somewhere. They might as well be dead," she added, letting her voice crack at the end. She could afford to show this emotion: her last child who had returned for her, dead. While all her other children had left on their adventures or had been whisked away by some force, her darling daughter Noir had returned. She had been the one Tayui could count on to brighten her day and remind her of the innocence of youth. She had been the one who had so befriended Honoré and made such an impression on him that he had moved packs to be with them. She had been her daughter and now her murderer was here, demanding answers. Tayui should be the one questioning him, but she knew she would never survive.