Can I trust those people? In my mind that they tried to rob us and went for our secrets means that I can. This is Ragnar?k. Of course they are doing what they think they have to do. I would. Could this be a ploy? Not really, too much could have gone wrong.
I am sending Melo upstairs. Are their ears losing some of their rigidity? A few months ago I would have marveled at meeting members of another sapient species.
Lesyal is using their clan’s sign language to indicate to her cousin to take the initiative. He signals back that she is to use the tactics of female charm. She does not like that techique. She is in the minority that is not enticed by certain human characteristics. He knows that. Nevertheless he signs it. Is he concentrating on reading the wizard? He is exceptionally good at that. Very well, sometimes you got to do what you got to do.
She decides to start with a provocation to trigger clearly readable results, whatever be the risk. ?It seems you ultimately failed.“. His eyebrows shoot towards the ceiling. He answers ?I have survived. Against an Atlantean doing a surprise attack. That is success.“. The blond woman is using a baleful stare at him. He notices. He slipped. Lesyal manages to control her face. Time to deescalate. ?That is indeed surprising. We clearly must reexamine our assumptions. I am sorry for scratching your reputation.“
He nods. ?If you accepted our deal under false assumptions, I must tell you that I did made no claims. However, I am not that easy to offend. Anybody who takes offense over practical issue during Ragnar?k will not survive“. He seems very quiet to her, as if he simply spoke the truth. Or did he appeal to a common cause? ?Thus you understand that we need to secure our future.“ she answers. He retorts ?That need not mean screwing over people. Yes, there will be a famine and people will freeze to death or die in the combat that’ll come. Still a core of survivors will need to work together.“. He makes a pause and then continues ?I understand that you cannot hand out freebies to everybody. Hence I understand that you need to test us. But once you are done, I need a clean decision from you. Or I cannot trust you and you are thereby enemies at worst, or a danger to be avoided at best.“
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Lesyal reads primarily annoyance from the wizard and a spike of stubborn pride from the woman he may need to upgrade from concubine to wife in his estimate. Is there a strain of sincerity beyond it? Perhaps. He needs to see beyond the surface layer and remarks ?You cannot eat mithril.“. A sweilling of sincere exasperation accompanies the response ?You are traders. Don’t tell me that have no connection to dwarves or tropical areas or even other realms whose people will sell food for mithril. In fact every slave you sell lessens the strain on your food supply. I should demand a lower price for them.“
Lesyal cannot help reacting honestly to a surpressed outburst like that. His ears wiggle and he grins, answering ?You wisely asked for a hearth witch and demons eating coal. No net savings in food. But I acknowledge your point. I just had to hear it.“
I like the way he is playing the lovable rogue. I need to take a risk. ?Very well, I am going to spell it out. The power source is kind of an indirect converter of heat into mana. It does not absorb flame, but turns the light an extremely hot object produces into mana. How and why the interior of the power source produces such light without melting I have no idea. Now you may take that and establish cordial relations with us or fall into the trap of your own hubris and think you can get anything beyond that out of me if you give me a reason to dislike you.“ I tell them.
Lesyal is getting sincerity besides the inevitable shades of restraint in telling things. Decision time. His cousin looks like a woman going to great lengths to control her emotions. The need for that he is already feeling. Well, making decisions under such circumstances is an unavoidable part of leadership. ?Very well. I am impressed. I am going to send my cousin up to our delegation to tell them to proceed and give you a token for a future discount.“
