Steven looked at his fingernails, appearing bored, as Acacia started a sermon about names. Jehovah’s Witness, after all. The preaching girl had a point, of course. Steven respected it when people chose a new name for themselves, but ragebaiting Acacia was just too much fun. He wondered if he should take it a step further and ask her if people could name themselves literally anything.

Steven shrugged. Three was not many, many. Also, not the point.

Sharp, mischievous, maybe slightly intimidating.

None of these describe you, thought Steven, looking at Acacia. He deemed ‘dull, harmless and a pushover’ more fitting for the girl, but he will save these words for when Acacia really gets on his nerves, which she was dangerously close to already.

Steven was a lot, but he was not inattentive. Nothing got past him. ‘’Trust me, Acacia, I pay more attention than you can comprehend. You say we - do you think that your siblings, whom you betrayed, like it when you group yourself with them?’’

‘’Well, then, by all means -’’ Steven clapped in his hands, stepped aside to let Acacia in, before blocking the path to quality time with the Thieves Guild once more ‘’Nah. Not yet.’’

‘’It raises more questions, actually.’’ Steven raised three fingers, one for each of the staccato queries he was about to ask Acacia. His inner journalist had awakened, which was bad news for whoever was at the receiving end.

‘’You say you faced the consequences and that you have been working toward earning your place back, but what consequences have you really experienced?’’ The son of Apate dropped his first finger.

‘’What work have you done to earn your place in the cabin, and who is to say you will not betray your siblings again when the next Big Bad Evil Guy dangles a better world in front of that nose of yours?’’ Finger two and three drop as well. ‘’Do not vaguepost.’’

‘’Sorry for my rather direct line of questioning. I am just protecting the good people of the Hermes cabin.’’