To'brel hadn't been sure what to expect in the morning but wasn't overly surprised to be greeted with a warm meal and a fresh change of clothes that fit quite well. What did surprise him was when several chairs were brought in without explanation. One was positioned to face the other three, and it became clear that this would be another meeting. Not knowing how long he'd be sitting and talking, he stretched a little to loosen up his joints. Eventually, three others entered, two of whomTo'brel was quite familiar with by now.

As they were speaking with the guards, asking how the "guest" was doing, the young noble felt relieved to see the easy-going hunter, Lon'thul. He was actually astonished at his relief. This was the male who'd attacked him and his father, then kidnapped To'brel. So why would he feel anything other than anger or fear in his presence?

Of course, as odd and uncomfortable as that line of reasoning might be, it was still preferable to the disquieting feeling that came with the sight of the second guest. He was still glad that Em'brel was alive and well, but her simply being in that state shook him to his very core. Had his father really been trying to kill her all this time? If she returned and bound herself to a male, would they resume her father's role as village leaders? If so, what did that mean for himself and his role in the village? Would his father be executed? Would he be exiled? Or worse?

Both lines of thought left To'brel uncomfortable, so instead, he turned his attention to his third host as they walked into the cell. Of course, that one raised as many questions in his mind as the other two, but at least they weren't as disquieting.

This one was an enigma. He'd been present at the meeting last night but had stayed quiet the entire time. At first, To'brel'd thought it was a child because of its stature, but now he moved with an odd stiff gait that made the noble think of a wizened elder. He used a walking cane and favored one leg, and when he sat down and pulled back his hood, there was a strip of dark leather covering one of his eyes, though it didn't completely hide the sizeable red scar that had obviously cost him that eye. The scar was the only part about him that was appropriately colored; the rest of his skin had an unhealthy pale hue. To'brel wondered if this male was about to topple over dead.

The male smiled and nodded affably in his direction before speaking. When he did so, To'brel was confused when he couldn't understand what was said. It took him a moment to realize the male spoke in an entirely different language.

To'brel was just trying to puzzle out what they expected of him when Em'brel started speaking. It took him another moment to realize she was apparently translating what the male said. The noble blinked a few times as he processed this and turned his attention back to the odd male. "It's a shame we had to get to know each other under such circumstances, but it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jack, and this was originally my outpost before I turned the reins over to my partner, S'haar. You already know Em'brel, who's here to act as my interpreter, and Lon'thul, acting as a bodyguard to both Em'brel and myself right now."

At this, the hunter grinned and winked. "This is what Jack would call 'light duty.' Today's supposed to be a day off, but I figured this was more interesting than sitting around bored. So how're they treating you? You sleep alright?"

To'brel had, in fact, slept far better than he's thought he would, having been kidnaped and all. Though his dreams had been...odd, to say the least, he chalked it up to sheer exhaustion. Still, everyone was staring at him, waiting for a response. He finally cleared his throat. "Umm, yes... As well as could be expected... Considering..."

The hunter seemed as unfazed as ever by the response. "Yeah, I understand. Sleeping in a new bed can be offputting sometimes!"

To'brel just looked at the hunter incredulously before shaking his head in exasperation. "Yes... It's the bed that's offputting about all this. Not the fact that I've been kidnapped, am being held in an outpost that could only have come from some lunatic's fevered dream, or that I was visited by a dragon last night. That's all well and good, but the bed... Yeah, that might take some getting used to!"

For a moment, he'd been so caught up in his incredulity that he had forgotten about his other hosts until the male, Jack, threw back his head and barked out some high-pitched laughter. Then, after a moment, Jack caught his breath and grinned before speaking, with Em'brel still translating. "Well, if you can trade banter like that with our resident master hunter, you must be in surprisingly good spirits! Also, apparently, my sister paid you a visit last night. She can be a bit forward at times. I hope she didn't trouble you too much."

To'brel paused a moment in thought. His sister? Whatever giant being had been outside the noble's window last night and spoken in such emotional tones without even the hint of an accent, apparently was a dragon and was also this male's sister? He remembered her saying something to that effect the night before, but it had been lost in everything else going on at the time.

The young noble had to shake his head a second time. "I'm sorry, did... did you just say’ sister’?"

Jack smiled and nodded. "That I did. Though, to be fair, we're not related by blood. Still, we're closer than many families. Together, we've seen wonders and traveled over distances you couldn't possibly comprehend. Not right now, at least." Jack spread his arms wide to encompass the Outpost. "But now, this is our home, and these are our friends and family. We're here to stay, for the foreseeable future, at least."

Jack settled back into his chair. "I hope she didn't keep you up too late."

To'brel shook his head again, this time to emphasize his response. "No, if anything, she helped take my mind off..." –his gaze darted over to Em'brel again– "troubling thoughts."

Jack leaned back and nodded. "Good, glad to hear it. She can be intimidating at first and mischievous at times, but no one here is more likely to help you out when you're in trouble, big or small."

Lon'thul barked out his own laughter. "Hah! This coming from you? Please, I swear the two of you are practically competing to see who can be more of a... What's the word? Oh yeah, more of a humanitarian!" The hunter shook his own head, laughing again. "Leave it up to a human to name the act of being selfless after their own species..."

Jack whapped his cane across the hunter's legs. Of course, it harmlessly bounced off the bone plate, but it still got the point across. The rebuke was somewhat lightened by the sheepish grin on Jack's face. "Hey now! Back when we came up with that word, we weren't aware of any other intelligent life!"

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The hunter shook his head. "That's no excuse. Here I am, a humble 'primitive' argu'n, yet even I'm aware of other intelligent life! I'll have you know I'm even friends with a human!"

Jack pointed a finger at the hunter and said something unintelligible before Em'brel cleared her throat. "Um, guys? You're getting a little sidetracked..."

Both males turned their attention to Em'brel and then To'brel, respectively. The hunter had his usual trouble-making grin on his face, but Jack at least looked apologetic. "Ah, yeah, sorry about that.

To'brel wasn't all that concerned with the distraction. Instead, he was still focused on something Lon'thul had said. Assuming he understood what they'd been saying, Jack wasn't argu'n. He was something else entirely. As was his sister. This was only getting more confusing as the discussion went on.

Finally, he'd had enough. To'brel didn't know if they were trying to overwhelm him or if this was the norm with these people, but instead of getting lost worrying about that, he decided to get to the heart of the matter. He looked Jack in the eyes. "So, what's this whole discussion about, anyway?"

Jack sat back and looked thoughtful, as though making a decision. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion because he leaned forward, his expression more serious this time. "Well, I'm here to more or less decide what happens with you. Of course, ultimately, it'll be S'haar's call, but in matters such as this, she places considerable weight on the thoughts and opinions of people who have earned her trust. So we agreed that it might be best for someone less...intimidating to speak with you first. To get an idea of what you're feeling and thinking moving forward."

Jack thought a moment more before continuing. "This isn't anyone's ideal scenario, but however or whyever it happened, you're here now. Most people come to learn and work, but you don't have to do either. So I guess the question is, do you want to stay in this room for the foreseeable future? If you'd prefer that course of action, you'll be kept comfortable for your stay. Meals will be brought, and your needs will be seen to. Or would you prefer to go out and see what we can teach you? Of course, to do so, you'll have to swear the blood oath we spoke of earlier."

To'brel looked at the male incredulously. "And what, you're just going to let me decide?"

Jack grinned and shook his head. "Not entirely. I'm here to take a measure of you and make the offer. But your preference is a significant factor here. After all, there's no point in coercing you to take the blood oath. You'd have to do that of your own free will."

To'brel blinked a few times, trying to process what he'd said. So this human was here to judge him. Was the noble's reaction to that news part of the test? And what did he mean he couldn't coerce To'brel into taking a blood oath? It was common to compel defeated or captured enemies into taking a blood oath. That was a large part of why they existed in the first place. Was he unaware of that, or did his words have a different meaning?

On top of that, they wanted to teach him? What would they teach him? Were they going to try and turn him against his father, dangling the wonders of this place like bait? Would they actually teach him anything of use in the process?

To'brel was quiet for several minutes as he considered all of this. While he thought, Em'brel shifted in place uncomfortably. Lon'thul seemed distracted by every sight or sound around him, though To'brel noticed his hand was never far from the wicked-looking knife at his side. Only Jack seemed unfazed by the passing time. Instead, his eyes were focused on To'brel's, forcing the noble to return to the matter at hand. For just a moment, the noble felt as though the small withered man was the top predator in the room. Everything happening right now was happening at his whim and pleasure. He was in complete control, and To'brel was his prey.

The noble shook his head to clear his thoughts before speaking. "Well, I suppose it'll depend on what oath you'd require me to make, but if you're asking me if I'd rather sit in this cell, nice as it is, or be free to walk about and see what I may, I'd chose the latter. Though I should warn you, the lessons I learn from you might not be the ones you'll try and teach me..."

Jack sat back and grinned. "Excellent! And you're right. I don't think either of us knows what lessons will be taught or learned. In a way, this is new ground for all of us. I think I've got what I need for now, but before we leave, is there anything else you need in the short term?"

To'brel found himself caught off guard by the offer and hesitated a moment before answering. "Um, no, I think I'm good for now."

Jack nodded and grinned again. "Alright, we'll probably speak soon. Get some more rest, if you can. I'm sure you'll be quite busy in the days to come!"

As everyone left, To'brel couldn't help but wonder why Jack's final grin had once again been that of a predator who'd cornered his prey, despite his small stature and physical frailty. Just what kind of trouble was the lordling getting himself into?

*  

S'haar was speaking with Ger'ron as the recruits went about their morning practice. "So I'll need to borrow some of your guards to act as bodyguards and chaperones for our new guest. Anyone you recommend?"

The old guard stopped and thought a moment before nodding. "Well, the three most promising guards we've got right now are Jar'maal, Lack'nul, and Orth'kun. Jar'maal's really come into his own since his failure with the assassin. It lit a fire in the kid that's been pushing him since. And I think the two guards you brought with you from the village with the wolgen problem have felt extra competitive, being the only two guards not from our village. I believe all three of them to be both dependable and loyal."

S'haar nodded. "I trust your assessment. They'll do. How are Jack's new contributions to our defense working out for you?"

The old guard grinned and nodded toward some craftsmen getting in their morning practice. "Well, they're no replacement for proper training and discipline, but any raiders thinking this Outpost will be an easy target will be in for an unpleasant surprise. Those 'belly bows' are kind of scary. With minimal training, even the weakest argu'n here can be a serious threat to all but the fastest warriors."

Ger'ron then drew S'haar's attention by pointing to two guards practicing close combat while wearing Jack's new gambeson armor. "The armor, I'm less sure of. Without actually stabbing my guards, it's hard to tell how effective it is. Despite Jack's best efforts, it does restrict our movements slightly, though far less than I'd feared. But, on the other hand, he's been right about everything else so far, so I'm inclined to believe him. At the very least, it reduces the impact of blunt weapons like our practice swords and spears. Still, I'll be a bit nervous about its actual efficacy until I see it in action."

The guard sighed. "The other problem with the armor is that since it's fitted to each guard, I can only train those who already have a set. So the faster we get them put together, the more I'll get to train our guards in fighting while wearing them. I'd prefer it to be sooner rather than later. I don't like the idea of fielding half-trained guards in defense of the Outpost..."

S'haar nodded again. "B'arthon should be bringing some more workers when he comes to pick up the next load. Hopefully, that'll speed up production."

Ger'ron looked curious. "So there's been no change from when he walked in on Angela? I was kind of expecting some sort of fallout from that..."

S'haar sighed and shook her head, her tendrils shaking slightly in irritation. "Yeah, we all were. I kind of feel like there's still something coming over the horizon, but as usual, A'ngles is playing a longer, more subtle game than I was prepared for. For now, we're going about everything as planned. We're just keeping an extra eye out for trouble..."

Ger'ron grinned. "Well, whatever happens, I'm sure you and Jack will be up to the challenge."

S'haar looked up into the distance. "I hope so..."