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She could feel her emotions shaking beneath the surface. Only her words had masked them, and now that he had discovered her small white lie, her thoughts and guilt screamed for released. She knew she could not permit it; nonetheless, she was determined to keep a cool attitude, or at least project the imagery. She was determined to send Haku as many false clues as she possibly could to keep the remains of her tattered family together. While her intentions had been strong, her acting skills were clearly not at the same level. She was not an exceptional liar, but she had always thought that when it mattered, she could lie as well as any other canine. No, while she had a certain proficiency in diplomacy, there was no dignity to this meeting and she was dancing with a devil. She was slowly spinning in circles, digging her heels in deeper to the ground, slowly digging her grave without even realizing it. When she did, she knew it would be too late.
So, she realized one thing: would have to divest herself of her remaining dignity to keep her family safe. While the idea seemed noble, she knew she would have to stoop as low as she could.
No. Stop. That was wrong. She had no family. She had no children – not now, anyways. They were gone, dead, or worse. To sell the lie, she would have to commit to it, and she would have to believe it. Deny everything, make counter-accusations, and attack aggressively.
“No. They abandoned me,” she replied, her steely voice thick with alleged resentment with an overlay of sadness. “You killed the only one with enough love in her heart to return to me. I know what you did. I see your lies, I see what you did! You must be the reason my other children never returned; you came to finish them off and you killed her. Oh, third time’s the charm, you rat bastard. And you came here to ensure they were all dead. You kill my children and demand more? You’ve already ended them, all of them, they’re gone,” she emphasized, glowering at Haku. Her voice was bitter and her eyes jaded.
Suddenly, the memory of her meeting with Kaena came rushing back. How far would she go to protect her children? She would rather die than let this monster have his way with her. She would rather die than hear his purring voice, so smooth and velvety while he touched her. She would rather death; but how far would she go?