Mesaraih stretched his arms out behind him, giving a small yawn. "As much as I don't want to stick around this place for too long, we might have a better chance if we take things one step at a time," he said.<br/><br/>Valehna looked up, swallowing a mouthful of starchy potato. "I hate this place," she said. "I kind of want to give magic a try first..."<br/><br/>She was swallowing the last of her food when Ester handed Mesaraih back the contraption. She immediately noticed the bandage on her hand, and for a moment wondered whether the dwarves had given them more trouble than they'd let on. When she actually thought about it, however, a wound in the hand seemed rather unlikely. She quickly looked over to Mesaraih, who had averted his eyes when he noticed Ester's hand out in the open. It didn't take much to put two and two together for her. Everyone she had ever seen use blood magic always went for the hand.<br/><br/>Valehna was immediately unsure of what to think. It didn't seem likely that the dwarves had given them so much trouble that Ester would have to resort to such desperate measures. She had gotten along just fine in the fights before now. But more importantly, is that why there was tension between her and Mesaraih? Was she making threats behind everyone's back?<br/><br/>Valehna looked at Ester's face, trying to meet her eyes. "What happened to your hand?" she asked quietly.