"Ah." She nodded at last, sitting back in her chair. "I think... it would have been a shock even if you walked in not ignoring such things. Culture shock, if nothing else. Outside, people generally think humans run everything, that we have no natural predators. Then you come to Cirque and the curtain lifts." People still died all the time outside Cirque - car accidents, homicide, cancers, but those were quantifiable losses people were raised to accept. Fewer far were raised to accept exsanguination and cannibalism. Or the casual way people joked about them on the local network.
"I'm sorry your sister wasn't more understanding. It sounds like you're used to her providing that for you." Max was the closest Nadine had to a sibling, and he would never have been so dismissive. "Elia is who she is. Mona, just like everyone else. Cirque is..." She trailed off, struggling. "Grey. And living in a space so grey is very difficult at times. Particularly if you weren't mentally braced for it."
Nadine took the time to have a sip of her water, and pretend to look the menu over. "One thing at a time, I figure. It's how I survive. And, you know. Learning to defend yourself, learning about every species at Cirque and how they might be a friend or threat." She smiled over the menu at Mona in what she hoped was a comforting expression. "I can help with those things - or at least point you in the right direction."