<span style="font-weight: bold">"Skill and fate guaranteed you the kill, but not luck, you say? What is the difference between luck and fate, then, I wonder? Was it not your luck that the monster was fated to be slain?" Pete walked closer to the wurm, keeping a safe distance should it react, and making sure he did not turn his back to either it or the drakewoman. "I do not believe much in fate myself, really. I believe this thing was slain by your sword as guided by your skill and by nothing else, perhaps except for the timely assistance of the merman. Drakefolk are not renowned for much else than their prowess in combat, and I find it to be a reputation well deserved. You are no doubt an honorable warrior, and yet you only dishonor yourself by not taking credit for your kills."<br/><br/>He stepped away from the wurm and came closer to the campfire, and resumed to look her in the eyes with a dreamy, condescending look on his face. "What a grand and intoxicating innocence." </span><br/><br/>â€œYou may call me Kala and he is Koralheim. As for your notion of luck, well luck is for fools. Everyone has a destiny and everyone has their time to play it out. Simple as thatâ€ she says fairly much ignoring his other comments as she watched Ko go to the metal beast and retrieve the stone. Kala was finding it peculiar that he continued to look up at the sky though, it was clear and as far as she could tell they were not due to have any rain.<br/><br/>The human made a comment about not understanding Ko's sign language, Kala was more then happy to obliged in a translation. Kala smirks, "Just excused himself. Never took the time to learn sign? What grand and intoxicating ignorance.â€ It was at that moment that Ko came forward wishing to speak with her.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">â€œWe have a contract of sorts, then. Would you object to me speaking into your mind? It is a matter of convenience, though I would surely instruct you in proper signing as part of our deal.â€ </span><br/><br/>There was an, agitation, to his body language that had Kala a bit concerned. Something appeared to be troubling, making her wonder if perhaps that human was right? Could she had made him ill with the salve she rubbed onto his wound? There was little time to dwell on that at the moment and she nodded in agreement for him to be allowed to speak to her mind. While she was not wholly sure what speaking to her mind entailed, at this point she trusted him and therefore did not have any reservations.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">A rush of icy hot presence flooded the base of her skull with the merman's entrance into her mind. "Fantastically more convenient, honestly. Do you have any reservations over this human? I'm not sure he is trustworthy."</span><br/><br/>Kala hissed a bit at the unfamiliar presence in her mind, hot and cold at the same time was definitely not something that was natural. "It is....unsettling but yes more convenient..."  she thought to him as her hands signed to him. "I agree. This human is...." she paused in her signing as she struggled to get use to the sensation of him in her mind. "I don't like him" she signed the last part with<br/>force and emotion.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Well, I don't tend to like traveling humans either, but we've got to get moving. I can transport us near instantly, but the sensation is... bizarre." Koralheim explained. "We are not safe here."</span><br/><br/>Hissing again she nodded, "We can travel without him. Leave him here...." her hands moving in their jerky motions. "What are you worried about? You keep looking to the sky..."<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"It would perhaps be rude to leave him, but if he is a danger it would certainly be prudent to leave him behind." The fishman explained, still shaking slightly as he looked skyward. "We are being hunted here. Those clouds are not moving normally. I've seen this before."</span><br/><br/>"He seems full of himself and capable..." glancing to Pete then back to Ko, "Besides he was rude to us first" she hissed in a mixture of the sensation with the foreign presence in her head and at the thought of Pete being rude.<br/><br/>"What is hunting us?" she asked as an afterthought.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Koralheim's laugh was light in the back of her mind, marked by light pulses of his presence. "He certainly carries himself with an ego, yes. Have you ever encountered an angel of the wastes before? Dreadfully beautiful creatures, they are." Koralheim explained, wincing a bit as he shifted in his place. "They come and carry scrappers and such away, and their prey never returns. Well, usually."</span><br/><br/>Kala smiled at his laugh, though his mention of some dreadful beast that carried people away had her concerned. "No, I can not say that I have even heard of them. But, that is even more reason to leave him behind. They can busy itself with him and we can teleport. You are injured and should not strain yourself bringing along someone whom we may wish dead later"<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">"Talk to him. I doubt someone with his manners understands merfolk sign. If you are set on leaving him, we shall." Koralheim proposed. There was logic in her explanation; even if he was able to transport to anchors with relative ease, it was a stress to bring more than his usual, solitary self along for the ride. If the human could prove useful, though, it might be worth the effort.</span><br/><br/>Sighing Kala nodded, "Because you are my employer I shall talk to him. But you must promise me that if danger should come before we have decided on bringing him along. We leave him. Deal?"<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold">Koralheim signed a quick gesture of accord with Kala. "Trust me Miss Kala, I'm quite skilled at running away. I wouldn't have gotten away from the angels last time if I wasn't."</span><br/><br/>Grumbling a bit she looked to Pete once more, â€œIt would seem we are in some form of danger and will be leaving here in a hurry. While I am fine with sharing a fire with you it is an entire other story to travel with you. There is a matter of trust that needs to be taken into consideration....I am sure you understand. So what are your intentions aside from being rude to the first pair of people you meet in the wastes?â€