Aeryn perks up at the mention of "eons".  So, the hill fort was built on an existing structure?  Not unheard of.  But eons, that made hre wonder how the Pixies experienced time.  And the language, hm, not sentences then, but long complex words with differing tonalities for each syllable.  A very old language, she decides.  Very very old.<br/><br/>"They will be more than enough, sir.  Thank you."  Aeryn replies with utter sincerity.  She suspects that the food presented her would make a  good meal for the entire settlement.  "And thank you,.. "she pauses briefly, the other male was of lower rank than Nurahi, obviously, the female wearing nearly nothing.... a serf or slave?<em>  Careful how you address her then,</em>the Healer warned herself.  "...my dear."  She finished cautiously.<br/><br/>"Bleeding sand, I've never heard anything reliable about that before.  And only very rarely in tall tales."  Aeryn frowns in thought.  "Xen, relax."  A pale hand rests on the barbarian's thigh. "If they meant us any harm, we'd know it by now."  Aeryn eats bit daintily, making the small portions of food and wine last.<br/><br/>She sits crosslegged, thinking about what she had heard, then "I'ts possible that the Red Man is not humanoid at all.  We may have seen a disguise, a changed form to throw us off the track."  A brief tapping of fingernails against her journal, then "Nurahi, at your convenience, see if you can trace him, get a line on his whereabouts.  In the meantime, I'm a healer, a surgeon and a veterinarian.  Do you have any illness or injuries to your people or livestock that need tending to?"