Donovan listened as Dean began to share his thoughts, then he went pensive a bit as Dean stopped talking mid-sentence. Dean's explanation startled Donovan as well... The Elf had simply disappeared? Out here, in the middle of the water? Where the fuck would she go? Unless it was a transportation spell... Donovan had the same idea Dean did, the Elf might have been summoned... or perhaps she was traveling back to her master to 'report in'. It mattered little now that she was gone, of course - too late to do anything about it. And the boat, of course, was not sitting still. By the time the Elf was done doing whatever it was she was doing, the light and the shadow would be somewhere else, hopefully far out of reach.<br/><br/>Dean's words that the general had taken up walking around below deck gave him a bit of a worry, as well. "She's probably searching for her blade," Donovan said, glancing over at the door that led below decks as if expecting Methuseld to come walking through any second. Of course, she didn't. Donovan turned his eyes back to Dean. "It's what I would be doing, if I were in her shoes."<br/><br/>Donovan nodded at Dean's words, though, the idea to summon a shadow to mask their trip was a solid idea. It always struck Donovan how sometimes Dean would have the stupidest ideas that would make him cringe, but at other times, Dean would whip up some bit of genius that Donovan knew was beyond even himself. Dean had always said that bit of unpredictability was well-liked by the ladies. Donovan had never bothered checking to see if that was true.<br/><br/>But there was something odd in Dean's demeanor just then. It could have been the elf's sudden disappearance. It could have been any number of things. They were safe, for now, and Donovan believed that the words was behind them. Maybe Dean was just 'nervous' about the upcoming effort to split him from Donovan. They had the stones now. Now all they needed was a few other minor components, and a safe place to enact a ritual that would take some time to complete. They had to be careful, exact, and focused. One small misstep could spell doom for one or both of them.<br/><br/>"I'll go make sure the general isn't getting herself into trouble," Donovan said, "I have her blade - but she ain't gonna find it without my help," he said, grinning mischievously. "And I have to admit, I dunno if I am keen on letting her have it. She's pretty damned wicked with it. I don't feel like losing any of my important parts," he said, then turned and headed for the door that led below decks, intent on searching for an unarmed - and apparently unarmored Methuseld.<br/><br/>"In case I didn't mention it, the... fox-woman... is in the captain's bed, sleepin'. I don't think she much likes the water," he said, and then he disappeared through the door and down the steps into the ship's hold to begin his search for the general.<br/>