Stephanie took a deep breath and nodded. "No. It never did. And I should have known better than to think that it could ever have." Though she was suspecting that had been groomed into her too. It was hard to know, what was her own folly and what had been manipulated into her.

She couldn't explain how exactly she'd managed to be that way, she certainly hadn't been raised to be anything other than resentful, ambitious and power-hungry. And yet, she did want other things. She enjoyed her privilege and wouldn't have dreamed of giving up dreams of wealtha nd power entirely, yes, but she also wanted to have a positive impact in the world, not just for her own glorification, but because it was the right thing to do.

"He does, yes." Stephanie replied. "I'm certain he is, just as much as I am. And it hurts, almost physically, not having him here, not being home with him."

It was all that, and more. Her love for her him, the love they shared, was the best thing she'd ever had. The one thing that was completely, totally non-negotiable.

"But I need to get myself right before I can go back. Because a lot is going to need to happen when I do." She offered up a tiny, sad little smile. "Also, we have a kitten together and he's probably missing me too. I ... don't think I ever really told you about Sancho?"