Seifr's proffered grin was on par with that of the severed head's, and Aloth returned it with an apologetic smile. "I had hoped that you might be able to tell me," he admitted on a sigh, hands worrying themselves politely on the table in front of him.<br/><br/>The way that the queen didn't try to hide the disbelief in her voice was only slightly irksome, and Siravii spoke immediately to his own defense. "I think you'll find that I'm quite capable." He paused at that and looked to the desh, who waved a hand for Siravii to continue. The prisoner wasn't oblivious to the whisper of a knowing smirk that tried to pull at the corner of the desh's lips; an inside joke between the two of them as if to say, 'capable indeed.' Nevertheless, the rest of his expression remained impassable while he silently beckoned a continuation.<br/><br/>Siravii looked back across the table.<br/><br/>"I was your side of the Whitewood, Your Grace," he said, not necessarily without muted accusation. The Whitewood separated Vandalia from its sister country, and it was simultaneously owned and not owned by both countries. It was a holy site that was shared by light and dark elves alike, but its vastness usually meant that the two races never met; even if they were in the same forest, they were still separated by days of walking to reach the other side. Siravii, however, had almost made it. "After I took my leave of the dungeons, I knew there would be no safe place for me in Vandalia. There was no safe place for me here, either, but I had planned to hug your side of the forest and head North. And then<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>thing," he paused, pointed at the head, "goes and gets me across the back. I didn't even hear it come up behind me."<br/><br/>Soma leaned forward in his seat, stretching to turn the head to face him. He opened the mouth again, wincing slightly when the dead weight caused the top of the head fell back abruptly to reveal those many, many teeth. Siravii continued. "Wretched, twisted thing with long talons, about as tall as I am. I turned and then it... screamed?" It was almost a question, almost an answer. "It was a horrible noise. I killed that one, but Your Grace, I heard more of those screams follow me every night until I was back out of the Whitewood."<br/><br/>Aloth held up a hand for Siravii to stop, and he obeyed. “You've not see anything like this in your woods?” He didn't wait for an answer; the well-contained frightened confusion was enough to answer his own question. “You're welcome to take a look at Siravii's scars for yourself, but I can assure you myself that they are very, unfortunately real. I'm sure you can understand that this… whatever it is, poses a very real, mutual threat.”