[Taako's smart; he's always been smart. She's seen him play the fool plenty of times and people fall for it, just laugh at the dumb flip wizard who happens to have great luck with his spells until they let their guard down and he can punish them for falling for it. He's got all of the pieces, he's holding it right in his hands but the block won't let him see it. So close but still out of reach.

She huffs a sigh and keeps piping.]

Yeah, that must be real frustrating for you.

[It's fucking agonizing is what it is. She wants to grab him and shake him and tussle his hair and go off-ship for a wizard's duel and she wants so much, so much. She wants to hug him and tell him how much she's missed him, how worried she's been as she watched him struggle and fight all this time, how she tried to protect him whenever she was able.

She wants to let herself cry for the fucking miserable decade of their lives that they lost, how he'd never have been alone if she had been with him and alive when Lucretia did this to him, how her choice to vanish alone ruined so much.

She can't. Instead she dips a finger into the filling and licks it, letting the flavour and nostalgia and that good, good fucking food give her strength, and she tries a reply that is less asshole and a bit more sincere.]

There's a few things I can give you, though I don't know if they'll be any help to you. I can tell you that the people in the red robes aren't evil, that we made the relics with the hope that it'd be a good thing. That what happened was supposed to be better than the alternative. I can tell you that the one you met before has been watching you to find out what the Bureau is doing, and to undo the damage done to your memories, not to stop or hurt you. And... I can tell you that you, Merle, Magnus, even Lucretia... all look pretty good in red.

[She's skirting close to the line, she knows. But it's all she's got.]