Sharply, sharper than she means to: "I haven't made any alliances with demons, Carolina. These are— observations. Information. I-I couldn't stop him or anyone who decides to take his deals if I tried."

Even Valdis considering making a deal with him that would, in theory, buy them time sets her teeth on edge, nerves assuaged only by Valdis's honestly about the whole affair. Cerrit having made a deal with Aster long before she even arrived in town was enough to shatter her faith in him entirely, once he was finally able to admit he'd done it.

She cannot stop people making deals with the devil. Sometimes, it may even be genuinely useful. But she doesn't like it.

Another heavy breath. She leans against the wall again and watches Carolina pull open another door, a bitter laugh at the back of her throat. Of course this place isn't any easier to navigate than the damn gala was.

"But the demons— they know everything. A-And I mean everything. We still haven't found a blindspot."