<div class="floatright">(http://puu.sh/o69Lc.jpg)</div>Nuria idly scratched the back of her neck, just beneath her long braid, as Sydney gave her explanations -- and made another jibe towards the kobolds. As far as the Immolator was concerned, these creatures were no threat and more amusing than dangerous. Sure, one of them could cut your throat as you slept or a number of them could rush you and stab away, but they weren't really a challenge. That the mage held such animosity for them seemed to her more like a lack of confidence manifesting itself. "Hnn. Not really a fan either, they're pretty harmless." Sure, sometimes there were casualties when Nuria fought, especially with the way fire tended to spread everywhere on such occasions, but cold-blooded murder for no good reason didn't suit her. And it was hardly even a worthy sacrifice, even if it had been intended by Sydney for the local gods -- a sacrifice required cost to oneself for it to matter.<br/><br/>A sly grin spread on her face as she went from scratching the scruff of her neck to rubbing her chin in thought. "Tentacles, you say? Those the 'rip you apart' kind or the kind you can play with as long as there aren't too many?"<br/><br/>She crossed her arms in front of her chest -- which she liked to do, since it was a feat only half of their female members could replicate without turning it into a spectacle -- and gave the matter some thought as she examined the kobolds. Whilst she thought they were harmless, leaving their stuff with them seemed like a really dumb idea. They were still thieves and foragers.<br/><br/>"Eh, no sense in it," she noted casually. "If we die down there, we won't need it anymore anyway. But you are due part of your payment, at least. You're good with money, Lorelei, give 'em an advance." She grinned and gave her another pat, this time on the back, before she jumped a step forward to catch up with Phelypsis when she asked whether they were ready.<br/><br/>She grinned and flexed her fingers, in response to which fire briefly burst forth from beneath her fingernails -- a small seedling for those knifes she had used earlier against the bugbear, to burst forth as needed.<br/><br/>"Like I said," she purred and drew a lazy finger along Phelypsis shoulders, leaving a trail of heat in her wake, "right behind you. But we switch if there's tentacles -- either kind -- they can't keep hold of me if I don't want them to." Unless they were immune to fire, of course, but for most things holding onto something that burned with open flame was not exactly a favorite pasttime.<br/>