She's got the devil's eyes
Had Heartfire not already been quite certain she could place faith in the red stallion before her, she would not be here. She rarely does anything without a great deal of certainty that it is the correct course of action. So Aten’s response to her brutal admission comes as no surprise. She had revealed that information because she had known Aten would not react kindly to it.
Lepis might feel certain of her hold on Taiga, but Heartfire understands very well just how tenuous it is. The comtesse would have done well to understand the same. Of course, it is to Heartfire’s benefit (and ultimately Taiga’s) that she had not.
Still, one could never be too certain. It was a fault Lepis suffered from. One Heartfire is quite determined not to also fall victim to. To that end, Aten’s affirmation is reassuring, and one she is glad enough to hear. She could never claim to be the most forthcoming of women, despite her disinclination towards lying. But here, she felt sharing more far outweighs the benefits of sharing less.
“I’m glad to hear it Aten,” she replies, her voice settling easily back into it’s normal, unaffected cadence. “I have no desire to bring war to Nerine or Taiga, and will do what I can to prevent it.” She pauses then, her gaze remaining firmly on Aten, bald honesty in the startling clarity of the blue hue. “However, Lepis is… not the most amenable sort. And I cannot say what she will choose to do or what tensions she’ll choose to pluck.”
and they'll cut you like a weapon