Elariel saw her colleagues tense as soon as the Night Elves approached them. For their part, Tae'loren and Ae'oleth retained their composure. Ae'oleth even seemed to gain pride in his stature, something that had been increasing since the moment that Tae'loren had joined him. After what Elariel assumed was an introduction Ae'oleth stepped forward to speak. The shoulders of her colleagues tensed and they exchanged terse looks.<br/><br/>"I wish we had audio on these orbs," Elariel muttered under her breath, anxious to know what was happening.<br/><br/>"We would have if we had more time." Roe'nor's grumble came as the group in the woods stood, all staring at each other. Elariel was about to make a comment of her own but Roe'nor's body stiffened. The direction of his eyes became distant and she waited, wondering what it was that he was perceiving. After a few moments his gaze returned to Elariel and his expression was one of dissatisfaction.<br/><br/>"The Night Elves have requested that we join them on their foray. However, their condition for aiding us is that they assume complete leadership." Roe'nor's revelation was punctuated by a pointed glare.<br/><br/>"Well how else would you have it? They are the ones who have been into the temple, they know it well. They are aware of the dangers in the temple, without their guidance we could well end up dead."<br/><br/>"We could end up dead because of their guidance," Roe'nor snapped. "Why do you fail to see the dangers?"<br/><br/>Elariel rolled her eyes.<br/><br/>"I see the dangers, fear not Roe'nor. I merely am choosing to trust the Night Elves in the hope that we can find a solution to help our race sooner. With their guidance we might make short work of our study. What other chance have we had to get this close to our goal?"<br/><br/>Elariel got to her feet and brushed some lines out of her robes. She leaned over and retrieved the spelled cotton balls and pushed them into her pocket, effectively dismissing the surveillance spell.<br/><br/>"If you won't go I will," she said. She closed her eyes and begun the teleportation spell, fixing her mind on the location she had just seen Tae'loren at. A few moments before she felt the teleportation magic swarm around her, Roe'nor's hands gripped onto her hips so that they could arrive together.<br/><br/>Elariel noticed that their spell had worked when she took her first breath. The forest air assailed her senses and the breeze played with her hair and tickled her skin in a most refreshing manner. She felt the pressure of Roe'nor's hands on her hips and she was pleased that the spell had worked. It didn't matter how many times she had successfully cast a teleportation spell, it was always a relief when her (and her passenger) arrived safe and whole.<br/><br/>Elariel's eyes fluttered open and readjusted to the muted forest light, and she saw that they were standing beside Tae'loren and Ae'oleth. Elariel took a step away from Roe'nor, and walked so that she was before Ae'oleth. Her boots crunched on the forest floor as she came to a halt and she smiled at him before lowering her head in a respectful nod.<br/><br/>"Pleasant morning to you, my name is Elariel Lightbraider, thank you for agreeing to lead myself and my colleagues on our mission," Elariel spoke with confident respect in her voice as she held out her arm. She knew that a traditional greeting of unfamiliar Night Elves was to grasp each other by the forearm, so she wished to offer him this custom.<br/><br/>It took all of Elariel's control to avoid letting her eyes move to Tae'loren's face or body. She had no desire to betray their tryst to his or her colleagues, and she  had no doubt that desire would alight in her eyes if they focused on him. Instead she satisfied herself with the view afforded by her peripheral vision, the rise and fall of his chest, his strong arms by his side as he stood stoic.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>