On their way back to Star’s cell they stayed mostly quiet since they were passing other inmates in the hall, many of them glaring at her coldly. The glares made her feel a tinge of guilt for a moment before she reminded herself of the crimes that they all had to answer for, just like her.
Don’t think about what you did to them, think about what they did to others by belonging here. it’s not your fault that you had to send them here.
She thought to herself, it was true but she really wasn't any better than them anyways, but very few knew her crime. or at least she thought that maybe they all knew and hated her more for that. The thought bounced around in her mind as they continued to walk, and she hadn’t noticed Windbreaker stop or even heard him calling her when she stumbled further down the corridor, blinded by her thoughts.
“Huh? oh, I’m sorry, I was just thinking about those other inmates,”
she said, as she walked back to her cell and walked in with her eyes still glued to the stone floor beneath her hooves.
“What do you think they were thinking? I know all criminals tend to look pissed if they're stuck down here but a lot of them were staring at you. did you happen to know any of them?”
by the time Windbreaker had closed her cell door she was already lying down in the centre of her cell, facing the bars so he could see her face. But it must have surprised him to see a tear rolling down her cheek as she seemed to sit there expressionless, and after it had just begun to run down the curve of her cheek she wiped it away absentmindedly.
“I just feel sorry for them, I mean yeah they committed crimes but so have I, yet they hate me all the same. Am I even all that deserving of the mercy I’ve been given since the moment I arrived?”
she looked up at him, expecting an answer to come to her as quickly as the question had left her lips. But instead, she saw Windbreaker’s brows furrow in thought as he stared at her, searching her bright blue eyes for a sign of doubt. But her face was unreadable as if she had put on a mask within the time she was crying and now.
“I um..but..you're not like them, what you did was to make places like the gryphon Kingdom safer for new locals. And you have honour, something those other inmates could only dream of and you actually accepted the fact that you're here. and nothing will change that for you as far as I’m concerned,”
the words didn’t surprise her too much, she expected him to defend her honour, bet his facial expressions were a different story. He had paused a few times that he was speaking as if he were trying to think of things to say on the fly, and his face seemed flushed with embarrassment when he was done.
This gryphon confuses me, I should watch him more closely so nothing unexpected comes out of this.
She thought to herself, before standing up and faking a smile as she walked up to the bars.
“Thank you, you truly are worth your title and you are truly a kind soul,’
She bowed to him and his face had gotten more flushed as he looked around frantically, until Star had lifted her head to look at him.
“Well, I think it’s time for me to rest, but I will be sure to write about you in my next letter. Goodnight sir Windbreaker,”
She said with a teasing smile as she crawled under the blankets on her cot and got settled as she began to drift off.