"Everyone answers to someone. Whether it's a boss, a loved one, or- failing everything else- someone with more firepower."

Still, it wasn't like he was wrong about the apprentices, and she acknowledged his point with a nod. This place, the circumstances she found herself in, it reminded her of when she'd first arrived in Halcyon, equally confused and yanked into doing things for people. The only thing that had given her any sense of stability, that had allowed her to get her bearings and start pushing back, was surrounding herself with capable people. Even if she couldn't quite trust this fellow yet, it was always better to have friends and allies than it was to have none at all. So she looked him over, slowly and methodically, before suggesting-

"It might be easier to face if we weren't facing it alone."