Noctisardor Bypass the voodoo engine

I know Viz is dropping @Vex for now. Sorry to skip you, @Astraeus, but I was hoping to wrap this with another round or two avec @Mahler?

The stranger didn't know of Arbiter's whereabouts. Haunt only caught his accent now, as he informed them that their mother hadn't even been present for the takeover. Her ears swept backward and she exchanged a weighty glance with her brother. They pricked again when he let them know nobody had been hurt. She supposed she should be relieved by this news, but...

"Why?" she wanted to know, despite herself. She felt Vex nudge her, perhaps to discourage her from pressing the issue. But Haunt couldn't leave without some answers. "Why did you take the bypass from them?" Though the question was pointed, it was not spoken with any particular aggression, simply pure bewilderment.