It was supposed to be a quiet morning, or at least that was what Declan had been expecting. There was scheduled to be a new addition to the reserve, but those usually went without issue, except when they didn't. But that was uncommon enough an occurrence. Usually whoever was being brought in was happy enough to have a new home away from the ever-growing threat of humanity encroaching on the remaining wild spaces of the world that they seldom put up a fuss. Well, at least the sentient ones were. Some of the less self-aware residents still fought tooth and nail at everything, even when it was clear that what was going on was in their best interests. But even the higher order species could be aggressive at times, when they were being handled inappropriately or felt threatened. Especially if they were of a predatory niche.<br/><br/>The new arrival was to be a Näcken. It had been a few decades since one had resided on the reserve, but Declan and his ancestors before him had all been superb record keepers. As soon as the half elf had caught wind of it, he had turned to the old tomes, where information on all of the reserve's inhabitants were recorded. Any entries on individuals belonging to the Näcken species were carefully examined for common traits, just so that he could get a better idea of what to expect from this new resident. They were an aquatic species, and so Declan had gone out of his way to survey the reserve for an adequate body of water for his new friend to live in, and eventually settled on a pleasant little lake that was far off from the majority of other settlements. Most of them were recorded as being fairly docile, or at least capable of being reasoned with, so long as they were given ample space and resources, such as food, considering their relatively predatory nature. Oh, and so long as their possessions were not disturbed. Which usually was not an issue, until one of them started hoarding weapons. There happened to be a very detailed account of the confiscation of said weapons, and it did not go well. He decided to make a note to himself not to disturb their new resident's belongings unless it was absolutely necessary.<br/><br/>Just as he was adding yet another entry to his list of probably characteristics, a commotion arose downstairs. Declan was in his study at the time, and glanced out his window, which looked out toward the front of the house. There was the cart, out in front, and what appeared to possibly be their new guest, bound with rope and being practically dragged inside. The half elf closed his eyes and sighed deeply to keep himself contained. Well, there went his chance at a first impression. Best to get down there and start damage control while he still could, though he doubted it would make a lick of difference.<br/><br/>Declan glanced over his list once more, then stood from his favorite chair and padded out down the hallway. He was still barefoot, and dressed simply in loose trousers and a comfortable blue tunic. His wavy black hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, to keep it out of his face, for the most part. All in all he was not exactly at his most intimidating, but that didn't stop him from wresting control of the situation. His eyes betrayed his emotions, a stormy sea of silver and cerulean, and the tension in his high brow said it all: The master of this house was<i>not</i>pleased. His figure exuded authority as he trod down the stairs and into the main hall, which was quite spacious, and allowed the creature's shrieks to echo throughout the room.<br/><br/>"Stop breaking my house!" He shouted, willing silence into the hall as he reached the bottom of the staircase. "This is a place of peace and respite, and I will not have you terrorizing our residents and destroying this sanctuary! That goes for all of you." The half elf scowled, seeing the ropes binding their new resident, and the wounds that had come as a result of the rough handling he had received. He turned to address the balding man, his voice dripping with vitriol. "Radley, what is the meaning of this? Since when do we bind our guests as savage animals and drag them into the house without care?"