IC: "He wants to help, he's just ticked that he can't in the way he wants, which is to send an actual kid of Hecate with you- probably himself or me, to be honest. I'm Morning, by the way, if you don't know my name. My brother is far more infamous than I am."

She glanced at Val and grinned slightly. "And I'm not Señora Morning, chica, not for a long time yet."

Morning held out a gauntleted hand, palm up. "Let me see the crystal and I can tell you if he put anything nasty in it. Whether you trust me or not is up to you," she looked at Val for an instant. "But it won't hurt me through these."