<strong>Eshalu with Aeryn at the Chapterhouse</strong><br/><br/>Eshalu took a moment to examine the inside of Aeryn's clan-lodge. There seemed to be an abundance of redundant furniture - of things for which she could see no practical use, symbols she could not read and, in certain areas, an abundance of the flat sheets of animal hide or beaten wood on which humans drew their speech. She observed Aeryn and found the human's visible relief to be a good sign. Outside, Aeryn had been on alert, her eyes darting, her expression suggesting constant thought. But within the lodge, Aeryn felt at home. Well, not<em>that</em>at home, since the human woman remained fully clothed and the warder at the entrance with whom she had exchanged a kiss - and that was a greeting Eshalu could finally understand - had not offered them water or blood. Clearly purification was unimportant to her hosts. Or the spirits of this place did not require it.<br/><br/>Eshalu was quick to register the smells that surrounded her, carefully building a mental image of the place to imprint in her memory. If she would ever be in these lands again, she would remember this as a place of refuge.<br/><br/>"What is 'sin'?" Eshalu inquired of Aeryn, and realised she sounded like one of the impatient new Initiates of her own Lodge, always asking questions, "Once you mentioned some think of it as an offense to a great spirit who lives in the sky, or a great spirit who lives in one of those stacks of beaten animal hide. If that is so, I can understand. An affront to a spirit is a grave thing."<br/><br/>She knew there would be time for questions later. After over three moons of travel, she thought sharing some food and perhaps some fresh cold, water to clear the dust from her leather armour and the sweat from her skin would not be too much of an indulgence. It was time to<em>feel</em>like a guest. So Eshalu finally lowered the hood of her cloak, and released the pommel of her shortsword. She was now free to take Aeryn's hand  without constantly having to be on guard - though she would much rather have done so without the ornate leather gauntlet she still wore. That would have to wait. The Way dictated that unless she was at rest, she always had to be ready to defend herself outside her clan's territory.