Last spark from the ashes

Blaze watches him grapple with it, feeling her own internals twist in profound sympathy. She can feel that burning frustration. Steve didn't start his new life scrambling through the mud to escape Devil snipers, but when it comes to this, Blaze thinks she got the easier deal. Her past may occasionally crawl out of its grave to drag at her heels, but at least nobody else can see it.

She nods slowly. It's mostly as she assumed, by herself, and she can't help the reassuring sense of vindication she feels. Has to remind herself that that doesn't excuse her choices.

"That's why neither of us would have said a word without your say-so. We knew some of his friends. There's, uh. Maybe someone else we should have talked to back when we brought him here. But once you were Risen, your past is your business. No-one's entitled to anything you don't want to share."

On that, at least, she will remain adamant. Blaze struggles internally for another moment - there is more to this, she could say that they could have sent private messages, urged certain people to secrecy - but it's not fair to put that on him to adjudge. Especially not after the choice has been made for him. Absolving her - or not - isn't his burden.

"This shouldn't be your problem to handle," she assures him instead. "What's done is done. Any issues they've got now are between me and them. I just wanted to... set it straight, I suppose. That you get first and final say when it comes to how we handle this."