<strong>The Wilds of Dra Sirdu - a Hopeful Farewell</strong><br/><br/>“You offer its silk?” Rhiss asked, voice somewhere between thoughtful and wary. “Gathering it would be another risk, and your risk is, unfortunately, also ours. But I will take what you desire to give me. As I said, I see no point in bargaining with you now. If you survive long enough to be of use to myself and my people, then I will extract the proper prices for what I offer. For now simply go as quickly and stealthily as you can from here. Rest wherever you so choose, but be gone after tomorrow’s morning. It would be unpleasant for both of us if I had reason to believe that you had deceived me. I would, no doubt, decide that your presence here was, in fact, against my better judgement.”<br/><br/>The news that the little troupe of foreigners possessed another member who was not present received a surprisingly ambivalent reaction: Rhiss merely shook her head dismissively, sending fascinating rippling patterns down her brilliant neck-feathers. “I will not object to that. Kelcis has that effect on his guests, from time to time. Know, however, that he has well learned the warning signs of an individual taken by the island and has no fear of taking action. Even when it would sometimes be better not to. You may wish to retrieve her at some point.”<br/><br/>Reliyian’s curtsey didn’t go unnoticed. Though the matriarch didn’t comment on the gesture, she inclined her head slightly, mouth quirking into what might have been a smile. The difference in physiology made it somewhat more difficult to analyze the emotion held within. But at very least, she had acknowledged the mage’s politeness. Even on this cursed island, it was apparently hard to go wrong with a little courtesy.<br/><br/>Rhiss likewise made an effort to openly recognize Eshalu’s constant vigilance. She slowed her movements around them, obviously telegraphing each shift of a foot, much less larger actions. Whatever else she might be capable of, she wasn’t looking to upset or startle the elf. At least not until it was too late.<br/><br/>The mention of the ranger’s interaction with the island, however, stopped her dead in her tracks. “You are the one, then?” she asked, tone sharp. After a second, she reigned herself in, simply saying, “Guard your mind well, Eshalu from distant shores. It is a terrible thing to have taken from you.” She paused for a moment, letting her grim warning hang in the air, then said, “If our paths cross again, and you remain whole, I may have an offer for you.”<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Quick Aside</div><div class="spoiler_body">The following only occurs if I haven’t raised any other vital points that need to be addressed.</div></div><br/>After a few seconds of silence, Rhiss straightened up and stretched at her full (and rather alarming) height. She stared down solemnly at the trio before her, saying, “May the night pass you by.” The words held the tone of a practiced phrase of some sort, perhaps a greeting or blessing. An odd development, given how unusual conversations in the common tongue would be for the matriarch, if all possible conversation partners (besides members of her own kind) went mad or otherwise died after a short stay on Dra Sirdu.<br/><br/>“A few members of my guard will remain here. They will watch your sleep, and see that you pass from this place in a timely fashion after the next sunrise.” Without even looking up, the matriarch made a few low, resonant calls. They were clearly of the same tongue that Kelcis, Visha, and all the other saurians had used before, but Rhiss’s immense frame shifted their phonetics in curious ways. Having dispensed with her concerns, she turned and began off into the shade of the forest at a relaxed pace.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">A Few More Notes</div><div class="spoiler_body"> Well, this is well in excess of 24 hours later than I wanted it to be up, but here we are! Anyway, as the title of this spoiler indicates:<br/><br/>Rhiss is gone. If, for some reason, a desire to do so possesses someone, pursuing her will be difficult. As is completely unsurprising, her actual speed is extremely high relative to humanoids. However, she moves slowly until she’s well out of sight. (It would be entirely possible to pick up on this, though.)<br/><br/>I won’t demand another roll for it, because it’s more interesting if she keeps sight of them: Eshalu notices most of the guard stealthily disperse, as Rhiss had indicated.<br/><br/>Visha is nowhere to be found. It apparently decided that it has no place sticking around dangerous foreigners.<br/><br/>The night passes uneventfully. I’ll have stuff for tomorrow (in game) up later today (in real life)!</div></div>