The demotions and torture's what I remember. This 'as been better; no thanks to the Emperor, though. We just got lucky.

[Cain has probably never seen Iris really angry. Irritated, shouty, yes; she has a low threshold for that and vents them loudly and freely.

This is a different animal entirely. It shows only in the cold stillness that has nothing to do with present physical weakness, in her flint-hard, unsmiling eyes.

And then it flicks off like a lightswitch and she's smiling joyfully at him again.]

'Ow solid are we talking?