Tae'loren sat calmly and attentively as Elariel spoke, slowly opening the door to a vast vault of knowledge of her colleagues. In truth, he had absolutely no intention of engaging them in combat; he was gauging how much Elariel trusted him. The hunter remained stoic, offering no expression of approval or disapproval, no inquisitively raised eyebrows, no curious head tilts, no smirks of amusement or glares of frustration, for all of these would cause a disruption to the flow of information, possibly altering the truth that she seemed to be willingly offering to the hunter; after all, a hunter's first prey is their animal companion, which is acquired only through trust.<br/><br/>Once Elariel was finished speaking, Tae'loren was solidly founded on the confirmation that he would most certainly avoid engagement with her colleagues. On their own, it just might be possible to defeat, but even two at once would likely prove the demise of the hunter. His look to her was one of understanding, and of trust. It lasted only a moment, but he knew she understood. Tae'loren chuckled on the inside; he finally knew how his animal companions first felt when he tamed them.<br/><br/>Tae'loren gazed upon Elariel for the longest time, and rather than take her hand, he rose, taking the blindfold from her hand. He then lowered himself to her height, placing them at eye-level. He then began to tie the blindfold himself, exactly as she had before. He moved slowly and meticulously, ensuring that she saw every display of his deft and agile fingers.<br/><br/>Once he was finished he stood before the mage, placing his legs shoulder-width apart, and clasping one forearm behind his back. He hoped the meaning of this stance was not lost on Elariel, for though it was the stance of one in the military, it was also the stance of a servant, which was what he was to become. As Elariel stepped forward to lead the hunter, he whispered softly, “Lead me, sister.” He did not speak to her as relation, but as kin.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>