"Wouldn't it work?" Elaine asked, frowning. "I mean, that's sort of a lot of people. And I'm getting sick of avoiding Starling, but I want to hit him when he's around."

"The Ganconner is good for his word. But so's the Puck." Instead, she took her tea and moved to the hearthstone, her elbows propped on her knees. "I . . . this is the second time I've told someone this in the past little while but while I can't stop you from doing it, I don't think it's very prudent." She grimaced. "We're running out of other options."

Elaine raised an eyebrow. "What, someone else wanted to give your grandpapa a blow job?" Elaine asked. "Does this happen a lot?"

"It propositioned Marcello," she said flatly. "But it was being a lady then."

"Oh," Elaine replied. "Look, I don't mind doing it if it gets your little sister back," she said, and turned back to her tea. "I'm just putting that out there. In case we have to resort to that sort of thing. I just don't like sitting around not being able to help."

"Elaine, I just . . . it's actually a good idea, and I know the Ganconner's word is good and that it wouldn't harm you, it's . . . I can't, I can't give a nod to something like that." She squeezed both hands around her cup. "That's too much like what the demon did to me," she blurted out finally. "I don't want to be a party to having it done to someone else."

Elaine grimaced and put down the tea cup. "No, it's not," she replied. "The demon threatened to take something from you. I'm volunteering to give something. But I won't talk about it anymore if it upsets you. Just...believe me, it's not the same thing."

She tapped her temple with her fingers. "Up here, I know it's not the same. But it still makes my stomach clench. It doesn't go away." She took another sip of tea, which seemed to calm her. "If you want to ask it, I won't say you nay. It won't touch me, of course--it still considers me blood-kin, no matter how distant we actually are, and it seems to understand that that's wrong. One of the few things it consistently does understand, for that matter."

Elaine was quiet for a moment. "Do you want to talk about the demon or not?" she asked quietly. "I mean, if you want to talk about that, I'll listen. If not, we don't have to."

She gave Elaine a pained, pleading look. "No. I didn't mean to mention it now, I just didn't want you to think I was being petty and prudish about why I wouldn't agree with you. I understand it's not the same circumstances, I do."