Mesaraih felt the tension between the group rise to an almost palpable degree. Tal was clearly only being well-intentioned, but the distrust in Valehna's eyes was clear. He quickly walked between Ester and Tal, putting his hands on either side of him and moving them back and forth in a "calm down" gesture.<br/><br/>"Whoa, whoa," he said, still hoping that the situation could be diffused. "Can we all just calm down and respect Ester's privacy? She knows that Valehna can help, but she also knows how to take care of herself. All of this insistence is only going to make us all more angry than we need to be."<br/><br/>There was a moment of silence after his words. Valehna had her eyes narrowed, looking between him and Ester. "I can respect another's privacy," she began, speaking slowly. "But maybe my insistence is about more than merely helping."<br/><br/>She paused, looking to Ester and Mesaraih to see if they would react. Mesaraih put on a confused face.<br/><br/>"Uh... alright? Any particular reason you're being so cryptic?" he asked.<br/><br/>"I could ask you two the same," she said. She drew a deep breath, then let it out. Her eyes moved towards Ester. "You're a blood mage, aren't you?" she asked, deciding to put her suspicion out in the open.