Zel looked at Ahmaht as he put a hand on his shoulder. His face didn't change as he wasn't sure what sort of expression to make. Then Ahmaht had to quickly retract his arm as Larea started squirming around. "Ah, Larea," Zel said, then winced as he heard the thump of her face making contact with the ground. Ahmaht edged closer to her, trying to reassure her that she was safe. She certainly did look like she was feeling rather threatened at the moment.<br/><br/>For a moment, Zel just stood where he was with his arms crossed and watched. Suddenly, he noticed how dilated her eyes were, even with them partially squinted shut.<span style="font-style: italic">sun blindness?</span>he wondered. Zel chose to accept that as a reasonable explanation for why Larea was backing away. The stone man let his arms fall to his side and walked with steady steps over to Larea. He knelt down and took Larea's hand in his, despite her mild struggling. Zelgadis gave the girl a moment to recognize the rough feeling of his skin, then spoke to help abolish any remaining doubts.<br/><br/>"It's alright Larea," he said. "Cethin is gone for now. All of us made it out alright."<span style="font-style: italic">Well... except for Sylph,</span>he thought, but she'd been conscious for that.