<div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Ugh, almost a week without any updates from my end. My apartment suffered an air conditioning failure at precisely the worst time of year a few days ago, and I've been occupied temporarily moving my stuff. I've logged on to read what's going on, but too exhausted to actually write up an update. I'm moved now, though, so I should be able to update again tomorrow. Sorry to be the one who's always slowing down the game.</div></div></div><br/><br/>"Ah," the leopardess says, nodding slowly, as Vendra described the layout of the tomb. It sounded extremely simple, which was good, for it would give the enemy few opportunities to outflank and surround them with superior numbers. "Well then! I must say that it is a relief to hear that this tomb is laid out so simply... Some more recent Dwarven mausoleums are terribly elaborate, you know." Xali's voice betrayed none of the distaste that had lurked a moment ago. Of course, she was already thinking; thinking of Alexei, and Vendra, and that necromancer...<br/><br/>When she mentioned the lack of the necessary equipment to battle the undead, Xali nodded knowingly, seemingly with sympathy. In truth, there was nothing sympathetic in her knowing look; the human obviously wanted possession of a weapon once again. Sure, she had only requested the holy symbol, but she no doubt wanted more. Xali leaned forward, running her finger idly around the rim of her wineglass, and purred in a husky voice. "Ohh, do not fret, my dear woman. It would be terribly unfair of us to ask you to actually fight our battles for us. We will all guard you closely. No doubt, one of us can find a spare holy symbol if it would make you feel safer, but we may not need such things if we are quiet and strike quickly."<br/><br/>As the human engaged in a shameless display of what could only be called public foreplay with the kitsune while discussing her homeland, Xali felt profoundly conflicted. This woman represented everything that she had left behind, everything that she had longed for so... Xali had her silks and jewelry, but it had been years since she'd been able to anchor her memories of Vanadiond to a living, breathing person. It was not until now that the mage realized how much that absence had changed her.<br/><br/>She'd become accustomed to living entirely among anthros, and now, she was coming to remember everything she DIDN'T like about her adopted homeland. No matter what she knew, or how hard she studied, there were always those who looked down on her, loved to show her up and humiliate her. Especially the priesthood. They hadn't liked the Archmage (for obvious reasons), and she'd been sent to 'dispose' of more than one over the years. When she was alone among the anthros, she was something special, a solitary representative of something exotic and desirable. Xali took a rather large swallow of wine, denying the delicate consumption merited by such a fine vintage. "Excellent wine... There is simply no substitute for the night before a perilous journey."<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>"I've never been in a crypt," she continues, "but I've read plenty of stories. All these old burial grounds are full of traps and secret passages that nobody knows about. Whatever this necromancer's after, I'll bet it's in some sort of hidden chamber that's not on the main map."</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Subconsciously, Xali responded well to even the most subtle praise and signs of deference on the part of others. Without quite understanding why, she suddenly felt considerably less wary of Brady, as her (over)reaction to Vendra's innocent explanation realigned the 'battlefield' of her companions' affections. Whereas before she had been annoyed that this cute, charming little trickster had connected with Kahimori in such a simple, honest way, rather than the emotional games which Xali habitually engaged in.<br/><br/>But now, mere hours later, Xali realized she'd gotten this lovely little green lass all wrong. There was nobody 'keeping score' here; what did it matter if she got to know Kahimori better before Xali did? More to the point, what was Kahimori? Xali had gone through dozens of men before him (and in many cases, they had gone through<span style="font-style: italic">her</span>), and she'd go through many more before she died. The kitsune was a creature of the moment, and there were so many other attractive furs to choose from that being possessive was entirely foolish. Sura came to mind, as did the imposing Helix. Her eyes flickered over to Alexei as she lifted a final morsel of chocolate dessert to her mouth. "Mmmm..." she murmured thoughtfully as she ran her tongue over the sweet flavor. It was delicious, but not the tastiest thing she'd had that day.<br/><br/>"Yes, very astute of you, Brady. One of the advantages to slipping in quietly will be that we can search for hidden dimensions to the crypt rather than dashing through with a horde of ghouls at our heels. Even if the necromancer him or herself is only interested in collecting bodies and hasn't found any of the crypt's secrets, we might have better luck. Anything else we find in that crypt will serve to 'support the war effort', eh?" Xali gives Brady a sly wink.<br/><br/>With Alexei continually refilling her glass, listening to her words with attention and concern, Xali allowed herself a bit more to drink than, perhaps, was wise in view of the scrolls she needed to pore over before sleep. He could clearly see that the human's insolence had made her tense, and the more wine she sipped, the more she relaxed.<br/><br/>In the interest of showing her new attitudes, Xali reacted to Brady's not-so-subtle suggestion with good humor, laughing good-spiritedly (her growing intoxication didn't hurt). "If you each take a... you might finish tonight. Are you sure you're talking about his back? HA!" She laughed a little too loud and slapped the table, her large spotted tail waving back and forth a little unsteadily. It seemed that Xali didn't hold her drink quite as well as the others. In any case, she was glad to see that Kahimori was as interested in their new friend as in his willful new 'pet'.<br/><br/>"Mmmm... ahh... Nothing like fine wine and better company to build up one's spirits. Ah, but since it'll be some days before we again have access to such luxury, I want to be sure and clean myself ~thoroughly~. You all have the right idea, though. Having help is important. Our foxy host and his cheerful helper have already been so generous to us, maybe we could follow our self-reliant friends' lead and help each other get nice and clean?"<br/><br/>Xali's tail snaked its way across the floor and wrapped gently around Alexei's ankle as she batted her eyelashes at him and pressed her breasts together with her upper arms by leaning forward. Of course, she wasn't JUST interested in the wolf's obvious appeals. She had more reason that ever to get to know him better and ensure she knew just where he stood. With that, she stood up and made her way to the bath chambers, not glancing over her shoulder to see if he was following, swaying her tail and her hips back and forth as she walked.