Never in his life had Mesaraih had a stronger desire to rush someone and put a knife to their throat. He had no malicious intentions with Ester, but her attitude had annoyed him enough to make him want to at least scare her a little.<br/><br/>"You're going to regret not telling us sooner if we find out the hard way later on," he said as she walked back towards the house. "But carry on. Don't stop being a shrew at my expense."<br/><br/>He let Ester go wake the others and set off along the bridge. He kept his steps measured and slow, giving the others ample time to catch up.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">Valehna opened one eye at the sound of Ester's voice. She didn't feel as well rested as she had hoped, but any feeling of weariness would be likely to go away once she was up and about. She snuggled against the warm blankets one last time before throwing them off and quickly slipping into her clothes. As soon as she was on her feet and took a few steps, she felt most of her grogginess dissipate.<br/><br/>"You don't look so well," she said, looking at Ester's tired face and noticing her edgy voice. "Did something happen last night?" She gathered all her belongings, including the staff Ester had given her, and walked towards the door. She lingered just outside it, waiting for the others to join her and for Ester's response.</span>