Roen answered him with a faint smirk. “Well, at least you will not argue with me on it.â€
Her brief attempt at levity did not last long as her attention returned to the dead Xaela. He seemed youngish, younger than Khadai. She did her best to subdue her own feelings on the matter, for she did not want to add her own fury to Khadai’s loss. But watching him examine the body as he did, she too noticed the broken wrists, the abrasions that bindings left on his legs, and the lack of other wounds upon him. She clenched her teeth, but an indignant exhale still escaped through flared nostrils. How can people be capable of such cruelty…?
Her gaze flickered between the alive and the dead Au Ra. By now, she knew better than to expect an outburst of emotions from Khadai, but still she watched him curiously. His voice seemed slightly muted and he handled the younger Xaela with care, despite the fact that it was “merely a shell.â€
"Do your people not mourn those who have passed on?" An exchange from a year ago flitted through her memory.
“We do. You would not think so if you watched us, though."
Roen took a long breath in, calming her own expression. “There were words carved into the wooden stake, when we found the first body. The wooden stake here also have another set of words written upon it. They almost sound like a religious hymn. The words here…†She gestured to the stake. “I recognize them. I have heard them before.†She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Perhaps if I inquired further into it… those in Ishgard would know more. We would have to be careful though, returning to the city. We have been away awhile, but we left with discretion for a reason.â€
She glanced back down to the body. “What do you think was taken from him?†Her eyes instinctively went to where he had patted his bag. “Was he on the same mission as yours? Do you think he found something as well? And… what you have, is it valuable to anyone else?â€
Her brief attempt at levity did not last long as her attention returned to the dead Xaela. He seemed youngish, younger than Khadai. She did her best to subdue her own feelings on the matter, for she did not want to add her own fury to Khadai’s loss. But watching him examine the body as he did, she too noticed the broken wrists, the abrasions that bindings left on his legs, and the lack of other wounds upon him. She clenched her teeth, but an indignant exhale still escaped through flared nostrils. How can people be capable of such cruelty…?
Her gaze flickered between the alive and the dead Au Ra. By now, she knew better than to expect an outburst of emotions from Khadai, but still she watched him curiously. His voice seemed slightly muted and he handled the younger Xaela with care, despite the fact that it was “merely a shell.â€
"Do your people not mourn those who have passed on?" An exchange from a year ago flitted through her memory.
“We do. You would not think so if you watched us, though."
Roen took a long breath in, calming her own expression. “There were words carved into the wooden stake, when we found the first body. The wooden stake here also have another set of words written upon it. They almost sound like a religious hymn. The words here…†She gestured to the stake. “I recognize them. I have heard them before.†She narrowed her eyes in thought. “Perhaps if I inquired further into it… those in Ishgard would know more. We would have to be careful though, returning to the city. We have been away awhile, but we left with discretion for a reason.â€
She glanced back down to the body. “What do you think was taken from him?†Her eyes instinctively went to where he had patted his bag. “Was he on the same mission as yours? Do you think he found something as well? And… what you have, is it valuable to anyone else?â€
