"Hff. I'd've kept my mouth shut, but he wouldn't be the first important little critter to almost go sliding down SOMEbody's throat," Chrrou huffs, nevertheless satisfied by what he's heard, insofar as satisfaction can be said to characterize any aspect of his feelings toward the pair. Just as soon, he's back to chirping as well.<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">...Strangers to the Pact, more like. It's all but lost all meaning in this town. They aren't trouble, though... yet. If your might is needed, I won't hesitate to restore you, Nocke.</span>" Not seeming to recognize the irony of the dire proclamation issuing from such a harmless beak, Chrrou privately speculates on the repercussions of Nocke's tearing apart a structure that doesn't seem to reside within the<span style="font-style: italic">physical</span>bounds of the inn; without loss of generality, he can at least conclude the likely result to be ... unpleasant. "<span style="font-style: italic">...Try not to let the wood trouble you, friend. Wanton burning is a hateful thing, but if you were warmed only by your feathers in this winter for long, you'd grow to learn soft bodies like yours and ours need much more than their own heat to keep the deathly cold away. A dead tree has no use for its spent body, but it can sustain ours'.</span>"<br/><br/>"...Oh. And that reminds<span style="font-style: italic">me</span>," Chrrou chuckles, looking almost sheepishly back at the sled Rihyan so nobly continued to transport. "...All these bellies and we still haven't finished... ...disposing of the Heodo that fought us," the mouse sniffs, making something of a face. "...I don't know if either of you'll want any, but you're welcome. Even after washing them I wouldn't want to be eating all of them myself..." The lattermost statement perhaps sounds more ludicrous than it might be proven in practice.<br/><br/>Chrrou's careful not to interfere with Mindy's speech, though, the new explanation leaving him uncomfortably thoughtful. Enough of an emergency to justify his delaying his preparations? Well...