text: I flew politely under Ythac, waving a smallish box of lacquered aromatic woods in my wingclaw. He wrote, "Must you be so formal?"
  
  "It's an apology disguised as tribute."
  
  "Oh!" he scribbled, and dived and snatched it from me. "Heavy!" The four of us circled as he opened it. "Oh, thank you!" He tossed one to Llredh, and put his own on: matching spike-rings of palladium and silver with vrexium roses, Ythac's brightened with turquoise and emerald, Llredh's with tiger's-eye and ruby. "I have inspected your tribute and found it adequate! I shall not drive you off with claws and teeth and hellish breath. This time. Indeed, you shall come to my cavern and dwell for a time therein, to ogle the glories and luxuries of Perstra, and know that your own meagre realm holds nothing to compare with them." "There! Formal enough for you, Jyothky?"