<strong>A Village in the Canopy - Kelcis's Home</strong><br/><br/>Kelcis met Eshalu's explanation not with reptilian inscrutability or malicious guile, but instead with more oblivious confusion. "I ... I do not know what you speak of," he admitted slowly. "You may, maybe, ask the matriarchs when you meet with them? I do not know that our home has ever hosted these, hm, 'Icy Redoubts' of which you speak." After a split second of silence, he said, "I also do not know what a 'redoubt' is. Maybe that is the problem? I know this speech of yours better than most of my, um, kind. But not well enough."<br/><br/>Still uncertain (and perhaps even a little flustered by her perceived accusations) the lizardman vanished into an adjoining room, the door swinging quietly closed behind him. For a bit less than a minute, the troupe was alone again. Fortuitously enough, this granted Aeryn enough time to examine the collection of pillows, cloths, blankets, furs, cushions, and other assorted sitting-and-sleeping material. Though the majority looked of unfamiliar make, or were blatantly simply the treated outsides of unfortunate animals, a few stood out. A dwarven grudge-quilt, complete with fairly authentic-looking bloodstains and a embroidery of completion, laid across a pair of silken pillows of a style had been common and fashionable in the northern reaches of the Dominion perhaps forty or fifty years ago. As least two handkerchiefs with personalized embroidery in older Nulnish scripts also gave themselves up to a dedicated search. Kelcis must have spent considerable time and effort amassing this collection. Or perhaps he, and his fellows, were simply ignorant of what they had scavenged. However, while a few of the foreign finds had suffered damage from the salt water, the majority looked intact. So some care had been taken to separate dross from treasure.<br/><br/>Surprisingly enough, Kelcis wasn't the first to interrupt the group's solitude. Rather, a pair of rather nervous-looking lizardfolk tapped lightly on the door, then pushed it open to deliver a several large, folded leaves filled with a variety of food. The main staple was some sort of ground grain held together with honey (or at least, something similarly sticky and sweet to the taste), with a fair number of fruits and nuts. Meat, however, was notably absent. Unless actively detained, the pair vanished once more as soon as someone had taken their cargo. Or, indeed, as soon as they had set it on the floor and fled. They, unlike the group's host, had no desire to spend any more time than was strictly necessary around the strange creatures he had taken in.<br/><br/>When Kelcis did, eventually, return, he didn't do so alone. True to his word, the Lazerette he led back out from the door he had disappeared through looked no worse for wear for having enjoyed his hospitality. He lingered beside her for a moment longer than strictly necessary, then found his way onto (or, debatably,<em>into</em>) one of the piles of bedding. Despite making an almost humorous display, half-embedded in a variety of cushions and drapes as he was, he looked at the assembled women keenly, trying to decide where to begin.<br/><br/>"You asked," he said finally, directing his intense, yellow-eyed gaze towards Eshalu, "why this is a good day. There are three reasons. The first is that you bested me, and did so rather easily. It is good to have something to aspire to. I look forward to having your blood on my blade. The second is for a ..." He glanced at Lazerette, his eyes lingering for a second before flickering back to the wood elf. "Hm. I suppose I lie. The second is a variety of reasons, all from a single source."<br/><br/>"And the third is again, you. Lazerette mentioned that one among your group could speak to the island. Is this true?" he stared unblinkingly around at them, eager for a response. "My matriarchs would greatly appreciate an individual with such a talent."<br/><br/>Regardless of the group's answer, Reliyian got an aside a few moments later in the conversation. "This all reminds me. I must apologize for the actions of my youths last night. They acted against in a way that they should not have. But there is, I believe, a saying for such things? Boys will be boys?" The apology sounded not ... repentant, per-se, but definitely sincere. The sort one might make for minority inconveniencing an acquaintance of equal standing.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">In the Hall of the Forest Lizard(man)</div><div class="spoiler_body"> Not too much to say here. Though that might just be my forgetfulness. Social rolls are, naturally, quite usable here. I'm not making any for Kelcis because he's not really trying to do anything, and because with his social stats he'd get smacked down like an awful metaphor involving some sort of child. Feel free to roll against him, though!<br/><br/>Also, as Mingnon noted in her side thread: Lazerette was abducted sans boots, vest and gloves. I hope somebody has a good memory for collecting these things!</div></div>