"You did what?" Azhul asked confused after Michael and the two Hay-yen returned from the river with an unexpected story in tow.

"So they ambushed you, you scared them and then you taught them how to... farm fish?" Runhar said with a confused oink leaving his snout.

"The rough of it, yeah... pretty much. Only worked because they think I am a Daeman, I still don't know how closely do I resemble one, but tangential curiosities aside. I have thought that we can't handle more hostages as we are right now, nor can we have them roam about freely unknown of their whereabouts. So, knowing their religious history, I gave them something familiar to cling. Hopefully it'll let us keep an eye on them while we put ourselves back together." Michael spoke as he was seated, small hissed winces leaving him as Oinna was healing his minor wounds.

"Hmm... good. Tis prudent to keep a possible enemy close, for we don't know if they may turn ally in the future. You have brought a change from the standard so everything is most uncertain and likely to change. You said they need a healer for the wounded and assistance with settling down?" Urla asked after speaking stoicly as usual. "Runhar and Oinna should suffice in assistance if there's only a dozen of them."

"Tactically speaking it is indeed better to know their position and if their misunderstanding keeps them docile it might be best to keep up the ruse. Speaking of, how did you know what to do to mimic a Daeman if you don't even know what they are?" Runhar asked as he looked at Michael with a curious small snort leaving him.

"I am curious also, how did you manage to trick them? You never did behave like a Daeman." Azhul said as she snorted with an inquisitive sparkle in her eye.

"Well... there is a similar word back home... demon. I thought of it being too similar to be a coincidence and since they expected someone cunning, strong and generally horrible, I just... acted accordingly... I just... pretended to be an arrogant, lecherous bastard of a person with a lack of empathy. Heh..." Michael said with a slight knot in his throat.

"Must have been quite the performance." Oinna said as she had just finished patching Michael up. As she put her salves and druidic focus away she'd try to ponder what Michael would be like if he were to be that way. "Hm... I'm sure glad you aren't as such. I much prefer the you we know." The plump Tuskir woman added as she got up and dusted her knees.

When Michael spoke Vodra and Nushii visibly snickered as they could understand him, something that didn't go unnoticed by Azhul. She let out a huff and she walked up besides Michael and nonchalantly grasped and held onto his amulet that allowed him to speak with the Hay-yen. "You two seem to know something. Nushii aaand... Vodra? Right? Care to weigh in?"

Vodra looked surprised at Azhul as she then gave a shoulder shrug. "Hm~... don't know if we're allowed to. Can't speak for our `Master` now, can we, Nushii?" The Hay-yen woman remarked with a dry snicker leaving her throat.

"Pfft-... N-no, of course not. We're just some bed chamber 'snuggle pups.' We can't speak for him." Nushii added as she tried her best and failed at not crumpling over off of her stool laughing.

Azhul looked wide eyed at the two Hay-yen and she then gazed down at Michael, with a silent embarrasment. The young man looked up at her with an awkward smile on his expression, something that confused the Tuskir woman a decent bit.

"You feeling that proud of yourself?" Azhul asked with a huffed exhale as she squinted her eyes.

"No. Quite the opposite. I am dying of embarrasment and I wish I was dead... really, really dead." He grumbled as he looked on over at Nushii who was on her back trying to calm herself down.

"What did they say?" asked Runhar as he looked confused at the whole thing, only understanding Azhul and Michael's bits of the conversation.

The large Tuskir woman stood silent a moment as she then huffed and let go of Michael's amulet. "Oh, he did a good job pretending to be a Daeman. So good in fact I wanna see it. Den Mother, do you think you could make some more of those Hay-yen amulets?" Azhul questioned as he gaze looked upon Urla.

"Hm... I can make some, but that'll take until the morrow. Still, I think enough work had been done today. You should rest and I will do my part. Might be best to make more than one if ye are to work with the Hay-yen and assist them, tis best to be able to understand them." Urla added with a tired huff.

"Oh wait... you can make more? Does it mean you can make some Tuskir ones? I think it would help Nushii and Vodra to integrate a bit better." Michael said as he looked at Urla while he slightly shakily stood up.

Stolen story; please report.

"Oh. Those we have more of. Two of them I can provide right now." Urla said nonchalantly.

"Wait... really? Why didn't you say you had more?" Michael said a bit confused, as this would have made things easier.

Urla looked at him with her usual blank expression riddled by wrinkles provided by the passage of time. "Well, you never asked." She said as dead pan as possible.

Michael seemed to open his mouth as if he wanted to retort with something, but he just simply sighed holding the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, that's fair. Pfttt... heh." He chuckled shaking his head. "Then, I'd like two of those, please."

Urla nodded in acknowledgement as she then went off to her hut, followed in tow by Runhar and Oinna. Runhar then soon after returned with two amulets that got handed off to Nushii and Vodra. After a brief moment of just sheer headaches that the two had to experience upon putting on the amulets, they whined and grumbled.

"These better work..." Vodra said with a huff of clear upset.

"They do." Azhul added as she seemed to eye both Vodra and Nushii. "So. Now that we can understand one another. Mind telling me what happened back at the river? We are most curious." She continued as she looked back at Runhar who nodded along as he seem quite curious himself.

"Hold on now! WHY? Ahem... Why does it matter what happened? We did what we had to do. That's it. It was just a really good act. It got the job done, boom, back home in one piece." Michael said as he got in front of Azhul, the power house of a hogwoman just looking over him at the two Hay-yen.

"Brother, it couldn't have been that bad. Why must ye feel the need to hide?" Runhar added with a snort and eye roll. As he'd look back at Michael he'd flinched surprised by the pained expression on his face.

"Runhar. Please... I still want to keep my decency and what I had to do was all, but decent. I beg of you. If you have even a morsel of sympathy for me, you will not listen." Michael said in a most serious tone as his eyes nearly looked like they were tearing up. "The sheer amount of cringe I felt afterwards was unbearable... I wanted to die so bad... I wanted to bury myself right there on the spot." He continued with a sniffle.

"Cringe?" Runhar asked with a confused oink.

"It means emotional pain, physically felt emotional pain that just wrecks you with an overwhelming embarrasment." The young human added as Azhul then grasped his shirt's collar and dragged him to the side.

"OH! Then it must be really good! Do tell, Vodra, Nushii. I'm listenin', keenly even." Azhul said with a menacingly giggled oinking.

Nushii who's been getting used to understanding the Tuskir around her tilted her head as her usually empty gaze, seemed to focus as a chuckle left her maws. "Well, what happened was..."

"RUNHAR I BEG OF YOU BROTHER! PLEASE. AT LEAST YOU!" Michael said in a shout as if he was asking Runhar to go save his own life. "AS A MAN, I BEG OF YOU! DO. NOT. LISTEN. Leave me with at least one shred of dignity... if you heard... I don't think I could look you in the eyes anymore..." Michael said most dramatically as he winced with an intense pain as if he just took an arrow to the knee.

The guard captain sighed as his ears flopped. "By the Brood Mother, fine..." Runhar then covered his ears as he began walking off. "I'm gonna go do one last patrol..." He grumbled as he stepped away.

Nushii went on to detail what had happened that day at the river, not leaving out a single detail. Although most of the story was normal, each time she'd explain what Michael said in conversation with the Hay-yen attackers, the human would bury his face deeper and deeper into his hands. "Gooood... why God. This is worse than second hand cringe from watching socially awkward anime moments... oooh-..." He mumbled and whined to himself.

Azhul was silent through the whole conversation, just listening, but her mind was rolling all over as she listened. 'By the Hunt Father, h-he is... he can really act akin to a Daeman if he wanted to. God I feel like keeling over myself from hearing this story. It is embarrasing beyond all belief. Calm down... just laugh it off.' The large Tuskir woman said as she let out a few half hearted snorted chuckles. "Y-ya called the Hay-yen, snuggle pups, what'd ya have called a Tuskir woman, huh? Got any more of those in ya?" She'd say elbowing Michael.

"I don't even wanna think about. I don't wanna hear those two words together anymore... I just wanna disappear right now." The young man said as he crumpled down on the dirt on his ass, sighing dead inside.

"Aw~... come on Michael. Ye gotta cook somethin' up for us tusky ladies too. Otherwise we'll feel left out. The two o'em got Snuggle Pups. What'd ya give me fer example, huh?" Azhul continued, thinking in her mind that this would be a fun way to tease the young man while also easing away from the story told before.

Michael, not thinking clearly and just wanting for this to be over, sighed as he looked at Azhul, his eyes looking over her a moment before his gaze found itself staring back at the ground. He'd mumble something under his breath so faint, it wouldn't even qualify as a whisper.

"Hmm? What did ya sey? Yer gonna have tha speak up." Azhul said with a fake bravado as she leaned in.

"B-buff... oinker..." Michael whispered in an exhausted tone, as if these were his last words.

Azhul just stood there, bent over and leaning towards Michael, her whole body not moving even an inch, until she stood up with a stiffness as if she was an unoiled machine. "O-oh. Hah... Ye... funny that. Haha... R-right. Well... I'mma head to sleep. F-fun story, ya'll. Sleep well." The large Tuskir woman would say as she'd make her exit way quicker than expected.

Vodra and Nushii stood there as they watched the whole thing, their sharper ears allowing them to hear that whispered set of words. They'd snicker to one another as they would then go to help Michael up and guide him towards their shack. He looked like a shell of a man.

"Eh, come on. We got a full day tomorrow. We'll help you out and find out from our kin about the shaman when we head back to them. Alright?" Vodra said with an eased exhale.

"This was funny. They're nice." Nushii said as she looked over at Vodra, who confirmed her affirmation with a silent nod.

The trio then went off to their small cottage for rest was needed for the day that was to come tomorrow, especially for Michael who'd have to put his Daeman act up once more.