There was a brief awkward pause after Red’s response. Kre hadn’t expected so much openness from her and was still sort of processing her words when Kitalia let go of his hurt hand.
“There,” she said sternly. “That baby cut of yours has stopped bleeding. You can stop crying about it now.” She moved away and sat back in her chair, leaving Kre with the bloodied cloth still in his hand. Even given his obtuseness regarding women, he could tell that she was clearly upset that he wasn’t taking her cues and shutting up, but he was already committed to his course.
“So, why are you an outcast?” he asked, figuring he might as well push ahead while Red was being open and honest.
“Me? An outcast from society? Perish the thought. I chose this life. This life is fulfilling to me and I can make a difference here.
“My turn,” she grinned, almost like a cat that finally caught its prey. “You admit guilt for the murders you are charged with, but why did you commit them?”
Kre sighed. He hated reliving this experience.
“The first one… well,” he started reluctantly. “That first one was self-defense. He was robbing my friend and then he threatened to kill me in front of him. I don’t know who he was, other than that he was a thief and probably deserved what he got but killing someone is still murder and I admit my part in taking his life.”
“No one bothered to find out who he was then?” Red asked.
“They sent his body to Fort Cowl, I assume to try and identify him if possible, but more likely than not to simply bury him in the communal cemetery there.”
“And the second murder? Did he have an accomplice then?”
This time it was Kre’s turn to initiate the awkward silence. After several seconds, where he relived that moment in his mind a dozen times over, he shook his head and closed his eyes. “No. That one… that second one. That was the murder of an innocent man. A good man. Pure and simple.” He swayed in his spot for a moment or two and then his eyes popped open and he looked around frantically. Not seeing what he wanted immediately, he darted to the front door, pulled it open, stepped into the hall, and began to forcibly expel all the food he had just recently consumed.
Kitalia wrinkled her nose and turned to Red, trying to ignore the noise from outside the door. “I can present you with the documents from the trial, if you would prefer to read about it,” Kitalia offered. “Making Kre relive this experience is… perhaps unhealthy for him.”
Kre came back in, wiping his mouth with the bloodied silk cloth. “I’m… uh… I’m sorry about that. If you have a bucket and some rags, I’ll get that cleaned up.”
Red waved her hand dismissively, “Sadly, it’s not the first time someone has been sick in this place. It’ll be taken care of. It’s part of the services offered here.”
Kre frowned. “About that… I don’t… I don’t really have money to pay for the room and board.”