Tamrissa pulls herself upright as if she has been struck, arms clamped at her sides. She frowns at Gulver's comment about Naraka "burning" her.

"Burn is not the word I would have used," she remarks quietly and continues to walk.

With Fei's sudden outburst, she is visibly shook up, the comments and winks between the angel and Fei only making her bring her shoulders up more tensely. When they all reach the giant doors of the palace, her arm shoots up to the side and her finger points towards the chamber, anger filling her voice once again.

"All of you...wait for us inside. This will only take a moment," she stares at them until they move on.

Her eyes go to Fei, voice now dropping.

"Now you listen to me, Fei Serumen!" she pokes a finger into his chest pointedly. "I never asked for your attention or your protection! I never asked you to bring me back and make me into...your ghoul...when you almost killed me by gulping down all of my blood!"

She glares up at him.

"The only thing I have EVER asked of you is to regain your dignity and rule this Umbra as it should be ruled!"

Her eyes narrow to slits.

"So pardon me for being truthful and frank, but you ARE being typical! You are not thinking, Fei! You are not being careful! Do you think the old Council would have ever been this passive about who entered and exited this Umbra?? That was their only mistake in the end!" she drops her finger from his chest. "And I am trying not to relive that past or the last few months by letting them happen again!"

She shakes her head.

"And you...you have been so impressed by words and so overtaken by feelings that you have forgotten how dangerous these people could be! We could be getting ourself into a war by letting Gulver go free! The angel could be an enemy or she could be leading an enemy to us! How can you possibly know!" she frowns. "If you need attention from someone..."

Her aura spills out and washes over him, warmth flooding his body. The palms of her hands go to the sides of his face and she pulls his face down to hers. Hesitating for a moment, she watches his eyes, then closes hers and presses her lips to his roughly.

"...ask it of someone you know you can trust," she speaks as she breaks the kiss and regains her breath. "Ask it of me if you have to."

She watches him carefully as she says the last.

"I don't want to be your weakness, Fei, and I certainly don't want to be the one who brings you to your knees, but I do want to be the one who advises and protects you. That is all I am trying to do," she releases his face and drags her palms down over his chest. "And you are wrong to say I do not care. I do. It may not be the caring that you want and give to me, but it is there despite that. I will do everything in my power to keep you on the throne and protect you. Everything."

Her fingertips stop at his sides and then pull away as she turns and walks into the chamber ahead...