<em>Storytelling</em><br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/6D60Uq7.jpg)</div><br/>Kieri certainly didn't miss the blush. But that was good. She knew that Alwyn would have spent most of her life in a human society. Her having no reaction here would have made Kieri worried that the mage was trying to hide herself, which would have made her experiment a failed one. But no, there was obvious embarrassment, but she was fighting through it. There was curiousity, but not to the point of rudeness. And there was... interest of a different sort, perhaps? Kieri leaned back a bit, a subtle invitation for the human woman to look as much as she pleased. Whether to satisfy her curiousity or her other interests.<br/><br/>More importantly even than what was there, however, was what wasn't. Elwyn hadn't recoiled, she hadn't sneered of done any of those things people unconsciously do when speaking to someone they think are lesser. Her speech was confident, direct, and directed straight at Kieri,  speaking to her as an equal. And Kieri knew the difference, knew well what it was to be spoken down to. And not just in the inevitably literal sense. All of those combined, the attitudes, the intonation, the way she didn't mention, or seemed to even care, that Kieri had just grabbed at they common food with her bare hand, these were the things that Kara care for, more than words. But the words were of interest, too. She spoke of her most recent speech. That meant she was paying attention.<br/><br/>Kieri nodded. "Good. We need people who support our goals. And not just in the slums. We've got a good thing good there now. A good piece of it is doing better than it has in good a while. Maybe even better than it was under the King. But it's starting to get to where that can run itself and I can go look at other places. Slums are bad, but they're not the only places that are bad for non-humans. You want to just support us? Fine. There's plenty of things someone with smarts and magic like you have can do. But I bet you didn't invite me here to show me more food than I can eat and tell me you'll work for me."