GrueMaster

Tak'we made sure Rhaine was fully up before climbing over the edge himself. *WEEE!* he whistled in alarm and ducked as a large stray rock flew where his head once was. He had just regained his hearing when he heard Tannin and Hexol screaming something about... lightning? He suddenly realized what they meant as he saw Amendale call for Arland to move moments later and sparks rising in the pointy-ear's hands. "Oh, spirits!" he exclaimed, diving out of the way and hoping this would work... Dri finally managed to get herself to move from cover and do something helpful, lending Amendale aid with the others that were wounded. She heard Hexol yelling for Amendale to cast lightning on the weapon that Tannin had stuck in the dragon, and so she ducked just as lightning shot past her head, hands over her eyes to shield against the flash.

Tak'we hacked and coughed as his lungs burned from the gas spewed forth from Ivanthyriatryx. He had managed to avoid most of the effects by jumping out of the way, but hadn't evaded all of it. As he tried to clear his eyes, he felt the ground shake and suddenly fall away, the thri-kreen tumbling and screeching with it. Clicking angrily, Tak'we reached out to the nearby rock face and just barely caught a handhold, slamming painfully into the weathered stone. *NRAK'TCK!* As he pulled himself closer to the cliff, he saw something fall past him, then recognition and fear stabbed at him as he saw it was Rhaine! "Rhaine!" he screeched, and jumped down after her, keeping his arms tucked and legs straight to speed up his own fall and eventually passing by his falling clutchmate. With seconds to spare, the crags below approaching at a disturbingly fast rate, the thri-kreen twisted his body and jammed his gythka into the cliff face, the crescent blades catching and bringing him to a stop. Swinging around and looking looking up, Tak'we spotted Rhaine and braced himself to catch her. This will not feel good... For a moment he had to check himself; the adamantine his clutchmate wore giving him pause, but he banished his superstitions and reached out with his main arms... ...and just barely caught her and keeping himself from falling as well when the weight and motion transferred to him. Hissing from the extreme pressure now being placed on his arms, the thri-kreen slowly but surely pulled Rhaine closer to him, careful to avoid both the sword in her hands and crushing her wings. His staff bent to a unbelievable degree, and Tak'we just managed to get a grip on the rock wall in front of him as it snapped and fell. "Mother Moon preserve us," he muttered, and moved his clutchmate to a more secure grip in his lower arms while he climbed with his upper ones. "Don't worry, Tak'we hass Winged Pointy-ear..." he said, trying to comfort Rhaine. He couldn't tell if she responded or not, though, having been deafened by Ivanthyriatryx's roar earlier. Heart pounding, Tak'we began climbing and jumping up the cliffs, all the while hoping the giant flying lizard wouldn't come and try to finish them off... Dri was having a difficult time as well. She had still been inside the mouth of the cave when the dragon breathed, so she had no where to go to avoid it, and could only duck down hide her face in her scarf and cloak as the gas flowed towards her. She began screaming and choking silently when the acidic cloud washed over them, her clothing, skin, and lungs burning. Tymora, make it stop! Her scarf kept her lungs from being severely affected, though, and so she stumbled and took cover by some boulders nearby. Oh, what can I even do here?! she thought, trying to come up with any way at all to help...

Dri released a relieved sigh as the magical trap was deactivated. *Whew!* she starting saying to Tannin as the party went through the door. *Glad that's done with. Magical traps are the wor-* She left her sentence unfinished however when she saw the adamantine golem and froze. Oh... my... gods... While she stood wide-eyed at the construct, Tak'we was praying for protection from Mother Moon, his superstitions about adamantine leaving him in a grim mood. By the spirits, what is this sun-cursed monstrosity? Unsure as he was as to how to deal with such a foe, and Dri still staring in terrified awe, the two were thankful when Rhaine managed to solve its riddle and relaxed when the phylactery was destroyed and the golem along with it. Tak'we followed after Argyros and clicked in consternation at the sight of the hatched eggs. "Egg-thievess have already taken them." TCKTCK!* "Giant flying lizard will not be happy hearing thiss." Dri, though she was scared by the thought of having to see the dragon again, who'll probably be angry with them, was glad that the eggs were hatched and the young dragons gone; she had not been looking forward to having to kill them. As the the party left the cave, they saw that the green dragon was waiting outside for them. Uh-oh... Dri felt that sense of terror rising up again in her chest, but she swallowed her heart and prepared herself to dodge out of the way if things went sour. Tak'we looked at the dragon grimly, not wanting to have to kill a female that had hatchlings, but he focused himself and readied to leap at the giant flying lizard in case she attacked, popping his joints in preparation.

Having stormed off like he did, Tak'we hadn't heard the others' plans for the eggs, mind still simmering slightly over how they had been discussing what they should do. When he reached the entrance to the lair, the thri-kreen had been ready to pour his frustration out on the door down until Xallistine opened it. Softskin symbols... he thought as he sent a hateful glare at the symbols surrounding the door before stepping inside. One of these days I'm going to have to learn how to read those. "Winged pointy-ear!" he cried out when she had nearly been skewered by the hidden spears, breathing a sigh of relief when she and Conall were okay. He stayed where he was, though, from fear of setting off another trap, and instead chittered in nervous frustration while waiting helplessly as the others risked disarming the traps. Dri swallowed her heart where it had been stuck in her throat and followed after the others to the lair. She didn't like the idea of killing unborn dragons, but she didn't know enough about them either to make her own judgement, so she stayed silent on the way. The girl nearly jumped out of her skin when the first trap was set off. By Tymora, that was close! When Tannin asked for some help, she tapped him on the shoulder to let him know she was near him and called her thieve's tools to her hands, lighting a torch and starting on the traps closest to her and following Tannin's steps as she went, eyes and hands focused. Together they quickly disarmed the trapped hallway, Dri even managing to pass Tannin and making it to the end where another door stood, similar to the one at the entrance. She nearly went closer to look for traps, but stopped when she saw something odd; The hall behind them had a very small layer of dust that had collected on the floor, but there was a spot in front of the door that was spotless. *Tannin?* she asked, tapping the man on his shoulder to get his attention. * I think there's something here, but I can't see it. Can you do anything about it?*

Dri tried to keep her calm, but kept glancing fearfully upward for anything, scared a dragon would swoop down upon them and eat them. Please don't see us, please don't see us... When the green dragon landed in front of them with a earth-rumbling crash, the girl gave a silent scream and tripped backwards in terror, stumbling and hiding behind the nearest source of protection, which happened to be Weyland. Trembling, she peaked past Weyland's legs at Ivanthyriatryx, and immediately wished she hadn't, practically hysterical now at the sight of the gargantuan creature before them. Oh Tymora, we're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die! When the dragon came and left without killing them (and several breathes passed by after), Dri shakily got off the ground, releasing the bone-crushing grasp she didn't realize she had on Weyland's leg. Sorry, she mouthed meekly and stood there pale-faced while dimly aware of what everyone was doing. Picking up Lonesome, who radiated a feeling of concern and fear. It's okay, Lonesome, she thought comfortingly, though whether she was trying comfort Lonesome or herself was very debatable. Tak'we was silent as they went down the cliffs, keeping his eyes sky-ward. He hissed when the wind blew his cloak open, and was cursing when he saw the giant flying lizard flying towards them soon after, making him hate the pinkness of his chitin even more. *K'CHI'TCK!* "Ssstupid color..." The thri'kreen swayed softly when the giant flying lizard landed and roared its challenge. Tak'we fell into a crouched position, legs poised for a leap, but remained there when Argyros stepped forward and began to speak. He stayed ready to jump a Ivanthyriatryx at first, but the thri'kreen soon dropped his aggressive stance at the mention of her eggs being stolen. "Eggss sstolen?! By the sspiritss!" he chattered in outrage and barely keeping from breaking his gythka in half out of sheer anger; egg-stealing was by far one of the worst transgressions among his people, and Ivanthyriatryx had lost her entire clutch of eggs to thieves. After she left, Tak'we listened to his clutchmates discuss what to do with a shocked expression on his face. How could they just question this!? "Why are we jusst sstanding here!?" *TCKTCK!* he clicked with a shocked expression on his face. "Giant flying lizard's eggss have been stolen, and clutchmatess sstand here like hatchlingss and assk what to do?! We should go now and ssave them!" Without waiting for a reply of any kind, the angry thri'kreen began marching to the north. Meanwhile, Dri just stared after Tak'we in horror. Glancing at the Grey brothers, she managed to mouth out, her fear plain on her face: *Are we really going to do this?*

Dri wiped her tears, trying to stop giggling at Arland without much success. *Stop making me laugh!* she mouthed, giving Weyland a playful punch on the shoulder, and wearing a wry grin on her face. *You're never going to let him forget this, are you, Weyland?* She saw how Tak'we was taking it, though and finally managed to stop laughing. Poor guy... She shook her head in pity and went about packing her things, occasionally shaking lightly from restrained laughter as she replayed the image of a green Arland. Tak'we gave a suspicious stare at Arland and Weyland, who were obviously trying not to laugh. "Don't patronize me..." he muttered in thri'kreen in response to Arland, throwing on his cloak and grabbing his pack, all the while giving disgruntled clicks and ignoring everyone. As the party went down the cliffs, Tak'we navigated the path expertly, his thri'kreen agility well-suited to the rough terrain. He was still feeling rather anti-social when he heard the roar. *Sssss* "Giant flying lizard..." he hissed and readied his gythka, scanning the surroundings for any sign of the creature. He took his eyes away to look at Nawen when she suggested scouting ahead. "Tak'we cannot hide now, but could help dark pointy-ears get to higher ground if she wantss." *Tcktcktcktck...* he clicked thoughtfully while looking for a spot on the cliffs that would give the dark pointy-ear a bettter view without exposing her too much, whistling softly when he found a small overhang above them with some room to follow the rest of his clutch as well. *Wee.* "Would that sspot work, Nawen?" Dri had a relatively easy time walking down the cliffs, the path not terribly different from her time evading the Shadow Thieves in town. She marveled at the beautiful sight before them. *Has there ever been such a v- * the rogue cut herself off mid-sentence after nearly jumping out of her skin when she heard the terrible roar. *By Tymora! Was that a dragon!?* As the party began discussing tactics, she unconsciously huddled closer to the Grey brothers, pale-faced and watching the skies. Tymora preserve us... she prayed silently, barely keeping herself from panicking. To help calm herself to a small extent, Dri called out her rapier from the extra-dimensional compartment in her gloves. Lonesome, you know anything about green dragons? she asked the sentient weapon worryingly. She felt a slight hint of surprise and concern from the magical rapier, before it took on a light sheen with a near-silent, vibrating hum, followed by a sense of regret and helplessness from it; it had done all it could to help, but there wasn't much it could do. I feel the same way, she thought, grimly thanking Lonesome and stood even closer to the Greys, hoping the dragon wouldn't attack them.

Tak'we felt the light cast by Rhaine wash over him, the brightness forcing him to cover his eyes. After it faded, Tak'we waited a few moments for his sight to come back... and the pink color was still there! The thri'kreen let out a depressed chitter and slumped visibly, his pride marred at his appearance. It was a somewhat strange experience for him, worrying about his physical appearance like this. The scars and missing antenae, though he hated how he had received them, didn't bother him. In fact he felt proud of them, seeing them as proof of his determination to survive. It was simply the strange color; true, thri'kreen did have a wide collection of colors... But pink!? Mother Moon, did I do something wrong? The silence he felt merely confirmed what he feared to be true; it seemed not even the spirits were going to help him with this. At Tannin's suggestion gave a helpless shrug. *Tcktck* "No, that isss okay, Tannin," he said rather disappointedly. "Thiss one knowss how to cook thri'kreen food, but ssoftsskinsss have sstrange tasstess, sso I tried to cook ssoftskin food. You should cook; you are good at it anyway." Trying to salvage his pride, Tak'we grabbed and hid himself beneath his cloak and went about packing his things, eager to get away and take his mind off of this particular... event...

Dri just stood there with her mouth open between bites of her rations as the magical breakfast quickly turned into a magical catastrophe, starting with the belching pink insect-thing and ending with the Greys being sent flying through the air and decking Rhaine and Amendale. Being closer to Weyland and Rhaine, she went to their sides immediately, concerned particularly for Weyland. *Weyland, are you okay?* she asked as she stopped by his side, breathing a sigh of relief when he got up on his own. *Thank Tymora you didn't explode.* Seeing that he was alright, the rogue went to Rhaine and helped her up as well. *Um, are you alright, ma'am?* she mouthed. She was going to say more, but then she heard Weyland say something about being green and so she looked at Arland, and sure enough, the man, and even his clothes, had turned completely green. Dri stood frozen with her mouth open... then started shaking with silent laughter. *Hahahah! Arland's... ha... green! Haheheh... I've heard of being green with envy, but... oh, hahahah... I don't think he's envious of Tak'we! Hahahahaheheh...* Tak'we couldn't help but stare in equal parts amazement and horror as he saw the various magical effects going on, not moving until after seeing his clutchmates get knocked down by Arland's burp and his flight following it. He didn't move though, shocked as he was by everything. Not until Weyland pointed out Arland's new color as well and request for help did the thri'kreen manage to do anything. "Amendale!" he spoke in a slightly panicked voice as he rushed over to help the pointy-ear up. "What happened? Did Tak'we not cook the food well?" He looked at his pink hands, then shook his head. "Never mind, can you fix thisss?" At his clutchmate's statement of being unable to do anything, Tak'we, like Arland, went and spoke to Rhaine. "Rhaine, can you fix thiss one, too? Pleasse?! Thisss one doesss not like thiss color!"

"Oh," Tak'we spoke when Amendale explained about the bird. He was tempted at first to try catching it (it was a decently-sized one, after all) but he banished the thought. "Ssorry," Tak'we apologized to Amendale, slightly wondering why the pointy-ear was so worried; nothing seemed wrong with the food with other ingredients he used, although the strange colors that arose from the fire when he added that last bit seemed a little odd. But, as his other clutchmates ate it with no problem, the thri'kreen simply shrugged and removed the pan of food and spices (and spell components) with a pleased whistle when it was done and took a double helping for himself. "It'ss done! Thiss one hopess clutchmatess like it." After Dri woke up, she went over in her state of grogginess and nearly took some food, but one look at the colors rising up from it brought her to her senses and the girl quickly declined politely, instead going for some trail rations she had. Though it had a slight spicy and strange tang to it, Tak'we found it quite enjoyable and quickly ate his share, then went about with his normal morning chores. After a while, though, some strange things began to happen... Tak'we was packing his things when he began to feel a little hot. "Thiss ssilly cloak iss alwayss sso sstuffy!" he spoke irritably as he took the cloak off, but still felt hotter than usual, even more so now in fact, and he felt a slight pressure building in his stomach. When his chitin began to change to a pink tone, he became worried. "Amendale?" Tak'we spoke, "I'm feeling a little sstran- " Suddenly, the thri'kreen clutched at his chest and... *BUUUUURRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAACK!" Tak'we belched incredibly loud, the sound actually managing to echo for a few seconds... and a small burst of flame shot out into the air, nearly torching the owl on Amendale's shoulder. Making a slight sniffling sound, Tak'we wiped at his mandibles. "Sssorry..." he chittered, but gave a slight cry of dismay when he looked at himself; he was still PINK! *TCK!* "Uh, Amendale? I think ssomething iss wrong..."

Sorry for not really posting lately, y'all. The past few days have been rather eventful for me. But, I do have a good bit of news... I DON'T HAVE TO GO HOME FOR BREAK!! :D In other words, I shan't be missing 3-1/2 weeks of posting. Yay! P.S.: Felt bad for not saying it earlier, but hope stuff gets better for ya, Nethgros

Yays! *glomps* :D

Tak'we looked at Tannin with what could be called an annoyed look as he prepared to drop another slab of meat into the pan with assorted greens and fruits. I don't see why he seems worried. He thought to himself. Sure, it smelled somewhat...unusual, but he hadn't really burned anything, and it tasted okay to him, so the thri'kreen failed to understand the softskin's caution. "I haven't burned it, Tannin, which seemss to be what you ssoftsskinss care about," he said as he waved one hand in a dismissive manner. *Tck!* "Also, I have sseen you and other clutchmates drink those strong waters sso ssimply, so you can't complain about thisss," he said. "Besidess, how hard can it be? Only problem iss softskinss have ssuch ssmall toolss." *NRAK-TCK!* The thri'kreen cursed as he dropped the meat he was holding when he waved at Tannin onto the ground. While till stirring the food, Tak'we bent down and picked up the meat with a free hand, shook off some of the random dirt and debris, and simply tossed it into the pan. Just then Weyland and Amendale came along and tried some, and Tak'we seemed to perk up when the former praised how good it was. "See, Tannin?" the thri'kreen said with a semi-smug expression on his face (or what passes for one on a thri'kreen's face). "Thiss one cannot be that bad." Taking some of the spices he'd snatched from Amendale's supplies, namely the satchel that the pointy-ear seemed to wear even during battles, especially magical ones, he threw a handful of some grainy substance over the food and whistled a thri'kreen tune as he continued cooking merrily, little knowing that he'd just used Amendale's spell component pouch...

The thri'kreen watched in amazement as Xallistine competed, truly thrilled by the tentacled one's performance. After the magic contest, Tak'we went back to his tent practicing with the wooden staff he'd bought for the challenge tomorrow. Dri had a shocked look on her face as she saw what looked like a large insect creature take the remaining (and rather large) amount of bacon, being unable to say anything to Weyland beyond a meek apology. Later that day Dri told the judges she was resigning her position, and took her payment for the work she had done. Late that night, she sneaked into Aurora's tent and left the gold she'd earned by the bard's bedroll with an anonymous note apologizing for the theft earlier and that the gold went to a good cause. Feeling tired, she once again slept in the Greys' tent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tak'we gave a jubilant whistle, having fought in something that didn't end up killing someone and won. There was some discontent with having such an... exotic... fighter in the tournament, but he was allowed to stay, much to his surprised happiness. He enjoyed fighting Weyland for fun, although the thri'kreen still managed to send the poor man flying into the stands, defeating him. The only downside to the tournament in Tak'we's eyes was after he'd defeated the large tusked softskin, who insulted him after the fight. The warrior was ready to tear the man apart, but thankfully, the other softskins intervened, and so Tak'we enjoyed his first combat in an arena where he didn't have to kill anyone. When Conall revealed his prize, Tak'we began to remark at the sudden transformation, but jumped back in mild terror when the sword began talking, thinking it was possessed by a spirit cursed by Mighty Sun, who often bound evil spirits within metal. *WEEE!* "It speakss! Mother Moon preserve uss!" After realizing it wasn't really going to harm his clutch, but still partly wanting Conall to throw the cursed thing away, Tak'we calmed down but kept his distance from the sword, clutching his holy symbol and chattering softly about "bound spirits." Dri thanked the brothers for allowing her to stay with them and protecting her as she left them, having important matters to attend to on her own. While the others began to leave, Dri said goodbye to her friends and neighbors, deciding it would be for the best if she left town. With a large backpack of traveling supplies (and her calligraphy kit), Dri left, quickly catching up with the Greys and saying she'd be joining them if they didn't mind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After three days of traveling through the wilderness, Tak'we felt much better, glad to be gone from the softskin stone village and enjoying the landscape. He'd still cast mistrusting looks at Ariel, but was not bothered overmuch by it, feeling too good being back in the wilderness again to let it depress him. While Tak'we was waiting for his clutchmates to awaken, he overheard Amendale speaking of training and the pointy-ear's worries about what may happen in battle. *Tck...* Poor Amendale, so worried... I know! *Wee!* Deciding to try to help relieve some of his clutchmate's cares, Tak'we crept into the Greys' crowded tent into Amendale's gear and nabbed all of the pointy-ear's cooking tools quietly, then started preparing breakfast for his clutch, cooking food to the best of his knowledge... which may not, unfortunately, be one of the thri'kreen's best skills... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kalin was alone back in his cell, hanging limply from his chains, the pain from the countless incisions and tears having numbed his senses and even his thoughts. Saris had conducted multiple "extractions" the day before, each one more painful than the last, until finally his body simply couldn't handle any more and so she placed him back in his cell, to recover for the next "session." The soulknife just hung there, not even having the will to live anymore, when suddenly a voice spoke in his mind... Kalin... Kalin snapped his head up, wondering if it was his mind going or another trick of Saris'. He began to fall back into his oblivious state when he heard that familiar voice again. Kalin... His mind recoiled in shock as he recalled the voice. Rhaine!? Listening closely, almost desperately, the tortured man focused on the Chosen's voice. If you can hear me, know that we are coming for you...hold on, Kalin...hold on... Feeling a surge of hope for the first time in what seemed like decades, Kalin smiled to himself. They are coming... thank Lathander! Not quite sure how it was possible or if the link went both ways, the soulknife tried to project a message back to Rhaine, his agony and relief very tangible. I'll try... Feeling a little of his old humor coming back (or maybe he was just delirious), he added with a joking thought: Please don't stop to enjoy the view, though, okay? Just then, the dungeon door opened and Saris walked in, causing Kalin to quickly banish the grin from his face. "Time for another session, grandson," she smiled evilly. And though he wore a grimace on his face in anticipation for the pain to come, Kalin was smiling inwardly, a single phrase repeating itself and hidden deep within his thoughts: We are coming...hold on...

Dri was grateful that the Greys escorted her back to their camp and allowed her to stay with them. She gave their leader a polite wave when Weyland stopped to explain the situation, but didn't really "speak," drained as she was, both emotionally and physically, by the trouble earlier. When they got to the Greys' tent, Dri nearly collapsed into the bedroll after stripping down to her underclothes. She had some difficulty going to sleep at first, but found some peace knowing she'd be protected throughout the night and soon went into a deep sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dri woke up sleepy-eyed to the smell of food cooking, her first thoughts focused on the delicious scent permeating the air. Mmmm.... food... Though her hair was a tangled mess and still in her underclothes, the young woman left the tent without regard to her appearance and followed the smell of bacon in a very zombie-like manner. Unfortunately, this meant she shuffled straight towards Weyland and took a few pieces of bacon and immediately began to eat them. *Mmmm... that's so good!* After a moment of savoring the flavor, it finally occurred to Dri that it was morning and that she was awake... and she had just taken the food clean off of one of her rescuer's plate. *Oh! I'm so sor-* she began to apologize and hand over the remaining bacon, but, as she shifted to do so, she tripped on her own feet and tumbled in front of Weyland, dropping the food in the process, as her motor skills functioned as well as her cognitive skills did in the morning. Oh... my... gods... With a mortified expression on her face (and a deep blush, too, as she realized she wasn't dressed for being out and about as well), the embarrassed girl stumbled back into the tent, got dressed and, after calming herself down for a bit, finally came back out. *I am so sorry, Weyland!* she apologized, a slight blush still coloring her cheeks. *I didn't mean to steal your food. I'm always like that in the morning. I can get you some more if you like.* Tak'we had spent the night drumming on his gyth'ka, recollecting the hunting and trapping techniques of his forefathers in preparation for the ambush tomorrow. When the morning sun rose and the smell of bacon began to fill the air, the thri'kreen got up in his disguise and walked over to Amendale. "Good morning," he said to the pointy-ear as he took two large handfuls of the remaining bacon (which seemed less than what his clutchmate usually made and left him suspecting Weyland had beaten him to it, as Arland was too slow to get up that early in the morning) and two bowls of porridge before returning to his tent. As he ate his meal, Tak'we noticed the dark pointy-ear he'd met the day before limping towards the camp. Worried about his new companion, the thri'kreen was instantly on his feet and by Xundus' side, supporting him. "Is dark pointy-ear okay?" he asked, and when he saw the blood-soaked bandages, Tak'we began calling for Rhaine and Amendale for help. "Rhaine? Amendale? Xundus needss help!"

Dri politely refused the brandy Aurora handed her, already at her limit with the strong drink Arland had brought her. *No thank you. I'm not much of a drinker. Thank you for the offer, though.* She heard someone approach and turned to see a man bow to Aurora. Dri smiled at his words to the woman, finding his sarcasm entertaining, but something nagged at her memory. He seems strangely familiar... she thought, that foreign judge coming to mind, and decided to make a small gambit. *Hi, I'm Audri,* she mouthed. *Nice to meet you. By the way,* she tilted her head in curiosity. *Were you there for the archery contest? That foreign judge was weird. Really turned the whole thing upside down. Made me rewrite the records more times than I care for. * As soon as she finished, she yawned deeply, suddenly realizing how tired she was. *I'm sorry, I'm really tired right now. Probably should get some sleep.* She looked at Weyland and Arland. *I can wait for you to finish your drinks, I don't mind. I'm in no hurry to rush off on my own right now.* She gave a helpless grin, followed by another yawn. *One of you might have to carry me there in case I fall asleep, though.* Tak'we wished Nawen good night as she left, then looked at Amendale. "Tak'we will be ready early. Sstop by my tent when you are ressted and we will find a sspot to wait and watch."

"Yess, that iss a good point," Tak'we agreed with Amendale. "Letss do that, but I will ssee what I can do to help you hide." At that moment, Nawen walked in and the thri'kreen turned towards her. "Nawen! We are planning a trap for Ssana, but we do not want Weyland to know. Clutchmate may sspoil the trick if he were to know." *TCK!* "We were wondering if you would help with thiss, maybe take Weyland out on a hunting trip for fresh meat, while we wait for Ssana to show." He paused for a moment, trying to think of other reasons to get Weyland away from the town. *Sssss* "Maybe it can be ssaid that it will take hiss mind from thingss?" He gave a shrug. "Thisss one doess not know softskinsss very well, but ssome do sseem to put much value in hunting for ssport. Do you have any ideasss, Nawen?" Dri gave a big smile at Weyland as he sent his brother flying across the room with a resounding WHAP! and pretty much gave her permission to do the same if Arland ever acted up. *Don't worry. I've dealt with boys like him before. And thank you very much for your kindness. I greatly appreciate it.* She heard a bubbly voice she dimly remembered and turned to see the woman she'd robbed a few nights ago. Resisting the urge to slink into her chair out of embarrassment, Dri instead tried to keep her composure and greet her. *H-hello. I am Audri. Are you friends with Weyland and Arland?*

If it's not too annoying to read, I'll be putting anything Dri "says" in *'s and italics, to somewhat show her mute state (and save time on what's she's trying to communicate)..

Tak'we waved good-bye to Xundus and went to his tent, where he sat waiting for Amendale. When he arrived, the thri'kreen listened intently. "Yess, that sounds alright. I would like to fight this" *NRAK-TCK!* He drummed his claws on his chitin for a bit before continuing. "Thiss one planss to stay near Weyland for thiss. I will hide and watch for Ssana, and sstrike when I see her. But how will we get him out there?" He clicked to himself before an idea came to him. "Maybe have him and Nawen go out for a hunting trip? The fresh food would make for a good excuse." Dri sat between the two brothers, feeling a little better now, but still trembling slightly. She mouthed a thanks for the drink and took a sip, which sent her into a mild coughing fit at the harshness of the drink. *Sorry,* she apologized softly before setting it down while listening to Weyland and Arland and their questions. She remained motionless for a while before answering, deciding to trust them since they just saved her. *My name is Audri,* she mouthed. *Thank you both so much for saving me.* She looked at Arland. *I honestly don't know if there are more, but I don't think so.* The young woman gave a sigh. *I, uh, have been something of a pain for the thieves' guild here for the past few years, ever since...* she paused at this, trying to keep tears from forming, but failing. *Ever since they killed my father. They call themselves the Shadow Thieves. I'm usually pretty good at covering my tracks, but... I guess I wasn't careful enough this time.* She looked at the elder brother, who seemed to be the one in charge, with a pleading expression. *I know we just met, but would you mind if I stayed with you two tonight? I would feel a lot safer for it.*

Doh! :wallbash: I'm sorry, I should have mentioned it, but Flip and I fast-forwarded a bit to night time (although I think that's pretty obvious, heheh). Not affecting anything else, I just thought to mention it here. Anyway, have fun. :D

Before Dri could entirely register what was happening, both of the thugs had been killed. When she finally realized who had saved her, she burst into tears and gave both men a tight hug, first the younger and then the elder, mouthing "thank you" over and over again. It was then she noticed that she'd lost her scarf during the trouble and immediately tried to hide the thick scar across her throat, but she was so terrified and relieved she gave up the attempt, and could only give a choked sob when the one with the shield asked her what had happened and clutched him tighter still, trembling badly and tears running down her face. She looked up and tried to form more words, but couldn't without breaking down into silent crying again and so simply stood there clutching at the older man's arm. She glancing fearfully at the darkened streets and then glanced at the lit tavern and at the two men, still too hysterical to mouth or sign words but trying to convey she wanted to be somewhere safe, well-lit, and warm.

Tak'we nodded softly, still keeping his voice low. "Of courssse. I will be closse by, but having Nawen would be great." He shifted where he stood, feeling a little guilty about planning such a thing. "Thiss one doess not like clutchmatess being in danger, but in the wildss this creature could become more deadly. Looking over towards the stranger the others were speaking to, Tak'we finished speaking with Amendale. "Clutch should sspeak more on thiss later, when we can better plan it in ssecret." The thri'kreen gave another nod to his clutchmate and shuffled over to Nawen's side, wanting to speak with her and curious about the stranger among his clutch. "Nawen," he whispered as the others spoke, "when you have time, thiss one and Amendale would like to sspeak of ssomething with you." At Tannin's mention of drow and the stranger's words, Tak'we turned his attention towards the newcomer, his curiosity piqued. "You are a good dark pointy-ear?" he spoke in his raspy old softskin voice and bowed slightly. "This old one iss named Tak'we. Nice to meet you." Dri winced as the woman and man jousting knocked each other from their respective saddles. I'll never understand the point behind such things, she thought, then gave an ironic smile as she recognized the next two men jousting as the ones who'd chased her a few nights ago. Now this should be interesting. She laughed as the apparently elder of the two easily beat the other, although the hit in the end made her wince inside. Shaking her head and hoping the young man would be alright, Dri left the practice areas. She had work to do tonight... ---------------------- Dri dived into an alley near the tavern in town and gave a sigh of relief as the man she'd pick-pocketed earlier ran past. It was now dark out, and the streets were nearly abandoned at this time of night. Confident no one else was around, she changed from her male guise back into her normal female form and began to walk away when a pair of strong hands suddenly seized her from behind, one hand clamped over her mouth. Kicking and trying to scratch at her assailant, she bit down on the hand over her mouth, eliciting a curse from a man's voice and loosening that grip. Just as she wiggled out of his arms and began to run, a fist from another man came in hard on her midriff, knocking the breath from her and sending her to her knees before another blow hit her in the back of her head and sent her sprawling to the ground, dazed and trying to draw air into her lungs. "Hells, she bit my hand!" she heard one voice in her dazed state. "Well, you shouldn't have kept your hand there, then," said another, rolled her over to where she could now dimly perceive two figures in her sight, one burly man and another smaller, skinnier one who was knelt right next to her. "Can we just slit her throat and leave?" the burly man asked. "In a minute, I'm curious," said the skinny figure. "Well, hurry up before anyone notices!" Ignoring his partner, the skinnier one leaned in closer. "Now, I know we're supposed to simply kill you, since you've been a pain in our business , but we've been watching you for a while and that's a terribly neat trick you have there," he said, a tone in his voice that put a chill down Dri's spine. "and I want to see if everything changes. " "Besides, it's not like you'll cry out or anything. We both know you can't speak, "Ghost." But as he began to reach for her, Dri flung a handful of dirt she had hidden in his eyes and jumped up to her feet and darted away as he staggered backwards. When the burly man lunged for her, she dodged out of the way and emptied a bag of marbles at his feet, causing that one to slip and fall. She began to run, but she was still trying to recover from the punch to her stomach, and she hadn't made it far before the skinny man began chasing after her, having cleared the dirt from his eyes sooner than she hoped and began closing the distance on her. Feeling panic rising, Dri began looking desperately for anyone nearby who might help, but everything was quiet, and no one was around...

Tak'we gave a keening sound again as Rhaine and Azuris knocked each other to the ground and laid motionless, and was about to rush over to help when they finally started to move. Foolish softskins... he thought as he gave a sigh of relief, and paid idle attention to the Greys as they took their turn at practice, focusing more on the conversation over Sana, whom he gave a hiss at the mention of; he remembered how Weyland once was her slave. "Thiss one iss not pleassed," the thri'kreen spoke as they brought up how Sana had sneaked by. He had been awake all night, but had not noticed a thing, and that bothered him deeply, for he prided himself on his hunting skills. This foul creature is cunning... He could only agree when Weyland, Arland, and Amendale came over and began to speak about what to do about Sana. "She will die if she goess near clutchmatess!" Tak'we spat out with a hiss and a small glob of poison, his anger plain to see. Wait until I get my claws on her! He thought angrily, but trying to keep calm. If only she came out and fought... At this last thought, an idea came to the thri'kreen's mind. He was reluctant to do it, as it would risk his clutchmates getting hurt, but if it meant getting Sana and ultimately protecting Weyland, then he would do it. Going to Amendale's side, he spoke in a quiet tone so that only the pointy-ear would hear. "Thiss one hass an idea to trap Sana, but it would involve using... bait." At this, Tak'we gave a quick glance at Weyland, then looked back at Amendale, hoping his intentions were shown correctly.

Tak'we gave something that sounded like a concerned wheezing of sorts as he watched Rhaine and Azuris practice. He'd heard the previous sound of crashing and now that he could see how it was made, it worried him. He was already anxious over how winged pointy-ear's bird was killed, feeling sadness for Rhaine and Theron and anger towards whoever did this. "But now clutchmates look like they are trying to kill each other." He voiced his concern, his confusion over this strange behavior obvious in his tone. "Shouldn't we try to sstop them? This iss bothering this one."

*WEEE! TCK!* "Nawen!" Tak'we shrieked as he jumped up with joy, temporarily forgetting he was supposed to be disguised as an old softskin. Oblivious to the bewildered looks he was attracting, the thri'kreen quickly left the crowd and shuffled over to Nawen. When he got there, he let out another whistle-click of delight and engulfed her in a massive hug as he brushed past Conall. *SCREE!* "Dark pointy-ear won!" *WEE-TCK!* He released her and looked at the two strangers standing there, finally realizing what a spectacle he was making. "Oh, uh... *TCK!* ..."Greetingss, " he spoke from under his hood. "Forgive this old one for getting so excited. This one hass never sseen such skill!" Thank the gods that's over! Dri thought as she recorded the final results of the archery contest. Ever since that strange new judge had arrived, she'd been constantly (much to her annoyance) scratching out her writing every time that man changed the rules or somehow managed to disqualify contestants left and right, before disappearing at the very end. Crazy gent, making me waste good ink... The scribe was packing her things when she looked up and her thoughts trailed off, staring at the sight of a robed figure giving the archery winner (what her name, Nawen?) what must have had been a bone-crushing hug. Okay, then. don't see that every day. She then heard resounding crash as something struck metal very hard, followed by a very loud and large amount of cursing. Curious, she looked around and saw two figures on horseback, apparently doing some practice jousting before the main event. Hmm... she thought, this looks interesting. She wandered over and leaned against a fence post, curious as to how the jousting would turn out.

Hi, y'all. Got 2 things to put here. 1) I meant to ask this, but forgot earlier. I wanted to know if anyone felt particularly bothered by the torture scenes between Saris and Kalin I've been writing lately, because if so, I can put them into spoilers with a warning note (I know it's fictional, but it can still disturb some people). I don't want anyone to be disturbed, so I wanted to ask. 2) I made a very minor edit to Saris' character sheet I have posted. It's pretty much insignificant, just wanted to let y'all know (if anyone can find it, there are free cookies. :dance: ) That's all I've got for the moment.