Dal'tek nodded at Kali's words, an explanation why Kali and the other elf, Y'vaste, looked so drastically different. It was strange to him, of course, to think of being cursed - or someone being afflicted like that. For his part, Dal'tek likely would have taken some time on his own to finally realize that Y'vaste was, indeed, an elf. It only made him even more curious about the strange Y'vaste, though - why was she cursed? How? By whom or what? Could it be removed with magic or some other means? But these were questions for a different time. Being that these travelers were new here, and were their guests, asking her such personal questions would be considered by many to be rude. Instead, he remained quiet and mulled over the information Kali had given him.<br/><br/>Soon, the small group was eating. Dal'tek, as was the polite way to handle such things, waited until all the guests present at the dinner table began to eat before he, himself, dug into the fare on his plate. He dug in with gusto, the walk to the lake and back having been a vigorous one, not to mention that he was in a terrific mood! Interesting outsiders come calling - and Kali returned all in one day! If he was lucky, perhaps Kali might even bond with him again that evening, though he knew she might be tired from her journeys, so he would not push the matter or even bring it up. At least not yet. All said and done, though, these things combined to shake away the monotony of recent weeks, and Dal'tek was incredibly grateful for that.<br/><br/>He watched quietly as the outsiders began to eat... or, at least attempted to. The shaman could see some of the faces some of them made in response to some of the food they sampled. Part of him wanted to laugh playfully with them, for he found the faces they made rather comical, even though nothing he fed them would cause any sort of harm to them (as far as he knew, at least). But the other part of him felt badly that he could not provide them something more enjoyable to their tastes. He assumed that they, like most outsiders, were meat-eaters, and that was something that his people simply found foreign and unthinkable.<br/><br/>When the warped elf asked about the warrior, Dal'tek finally did speak again. "I believe he chose to go bathing, and is being tended to by several of my kind who will guide him and take care of him. We as a people are curious creatures, and I am sure he has his hands full with those wanting to know more about him, as likely the others - the fox-man and the ramen - have also discovered," he said politely. "I assume they, too, will seek sustenance at some point, and will be led here whenever they wish to eat. You are of course welcome to remain here until they arrive, or wander as you desire. All I would ask is that you be careful - a fall from this height for normal outsiders is usually fatal," he warned.<br/><br/>Soon, Kali was telling her tale as Dal'tek finished his meal. He glanced quietly to the plates of the outsiders, noting which items they -did- eat, and which items they left behind on their plates. He would see to it that more of the things they liked were provided next time, and less of the things they had not taken a liking to. He couldn't help but glance at Verita and Dawn both fairly often, his keen eyes noting the similarities, as well as the differences between the two. It was as if some strange, exotic creature had wandered into their village, but instead of one such creature, there were two. Y'vaste also garnered much attention from the aviari shaman, as he also studied her, comparing what he knew of Kali's body to that of what he could see of Y'vaste's frame. He noted the similarities and differences, curiosity written across his gaze just as it was when he studied the human women, as well. Just how different were their personalities from one another? he wondered as he glanced between the human women, and then between the elf women again. Already he could -hear- a difference between Kali and Y'vaste - the 'cursed' elf's words were lilted and paced differently, often rhyming in an almost sing-song way. Dal'tek did not know if Y'vaste did that on purpose for fun, for challenge, or if she spoke like that as part of her curse. He decided he would ask Kali about it later.<br/><br/>When the tale was done, Dal'tek listened quietly to some of the reactions, nodding vigorously at Kali, his throat issuing a rapid soft, chirping clicking noise. It was a sign of appreciation, Kali would know, his way of showing appreciation for her tale. Once those gathered became quiet again, Dal'tek spoke once more.<br/><br/>"If you wish to bathe as your other companions have chosen to do, you may of course be led to the pools that would allow you to do so. Or if you wish to get some rest, places have already been made to accomodate you all. We offer hammocks as well as feather-stuffed beds, whichever is your preference, though we do not have many of those 'beds', as most of my kind do not sleep on such a thing," he offered. "But we do have enough to provide each of you with one, if that is your wish. You are all welcome to remain here for as long as you wish, as long as you are peaceful and of course as long as you can tolerate the stares and eyes of my curious kin," he said with a smile.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>