Cedric stood up first.
He walked around the table to Evelina and stopped in front of her. He stood so close that the conversation could stay between them, far enough that she didn't feel cornered.
"Are you really going to stab Noel?" he said.
Evelina looked up at him.
"Yes," she said. "I'm going to stab him."
She answered, as if she were asked a simple arithmetic question.
"And yourself."
"Yes."
"Eve." Cedric kept his voice even. "Noel is a person. He's not something you own. He makes his own choices and if those choices don't include you, that's his right. You can't force him or kill him just because he said no."
Evelina's expression shifted.
"Stabbing someone is a crime," Cedric said. "Even with everything we've covered for you before — the bottle, the rest of it — I won't stand by for this. Not when it's related, Noel. Again."
Evelina looked at him for a long moment.
Then she turned away.
