Lhurriel heard the steps before they reached her, and listened in a half-comatose state to some of his earlier words before deciding that it would be most prudent to actually hear what he had to say. She sat up in one fluid motion, and looking up at Kaeden with eyes narrowed in speculation. She wondered what he wasn't telling her - obviously, the two returned soldiers had told him something that just might explain the frown on his face.<br/><br/><em>Oh well... he'll tell me if it's important.</em>. She stood up, stretching idly, and smothered a yawn as she blinked rapidly. Everything in the countryside always smelled so fresh and pure, compared to the city. Everything in so-called civilization had the taint of smoke or some other unsavory smells about... even the palace, though made of large blocks of stone that seemed to stretch to the sky, didn't have the natural smell of growing things and wind.<br/><br/>"I'll come with you," she said with a nod of thanks. She followed him back to the small circle that he and the others had made, and seated herself next to Rowhik, bowing her head briefly and saying a short prayer to the phoenix deity that she was pledged to before accepting the piece of meet the soldier handed to her. She bit off a chunk, and chewed thoughtfully, glancing at the two new arrivals as she did so.<br/><br/>Lhurriel all but zoned out as she chewed and swallowed methodically, using her magic to search the area around her for sources to replenish her magic. After a bit, she finally located a large lake nearby, and began gathering the energy into herself, purifying each strand and absorbing it into the rest of her supply of magic. She had to close her eyes and concentrate, because of the farther distance; however, she continued to eat, forehead furrowed slightly as her mind focused on the job at hand.<br/><br/>When she finished, Lhurriel finally unwound her body and stretched, popping the last bit of meat into her mouth and chewing it quickly. After swallowing, she looked at the rest of the men, an inviting smile brightening her face.<br/><br/>"Would any of you like a tour of the crystal manufacting shop at Cor- I mean, Lord Atadel's estate? After dinner, I'm due to help him out with some of more delicate aspects of cutting and purifying the crystals, but he wouldn't mind if I showed you around the main area before I did so." It wasn't as if there were any secrets in the main workshop... all the newer, classified improvements were in Corsair's private workshop, hidden from the eyes of all but himself and the kingdom's most powerful and mischievous mage.