She lifted her chin, voice eerily calm, perfectly polite as she cut into the steak. "It's them or no one. I made an inadvertent choice when I came here. Allied myself with the Sa Diablos and locked myself into a world where they'll accept me to my face and talk about me behind my back. Or I can retire into seclusion and go mad with boredom."

She shrugged. "I prefer not to be bored. Everything has a price. I'm willing to pay it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."