Grey escaped the meeting the moment Elowen and Mauve started arguing about population distribution, then caught Amara before she could disappear with everyone else.
He was genuinely curious about her, not only due to what he had seen during the recap, but also due to the fact that she was the only Earth candidate Amunet had approached who had agreed to come without turning the whole thing into some complicated mess. Grey led her toward one of the quieter Palace balconies, leaned against the railing, and looked at her directly.
"So why'd you actually come?"
Amara didn't seem offended by how bluntly he asked it, and after taking a moment to consider her answer, she rested her forearms against the railing beside him.
"I have no desire to become a martyr. I want to go home, and from what I have seen so far, joining a group of powerful people sounds like the smartest way to make that happen."
Grey nodded slowly.
