Cemi wasn’t sure of what to expect when the other group came into view, she had nothing to go on outside of two very vague reports that didn’t even confirm if the approaching group represented the Lapidary family or was actual members of it, though she doubted the later it was not outside the realm of possibilities given the Lapidary families close ties with the government of Crown. After all, if she were to have to pick who to send to broker a treaty she would pick a well-known family like them as the weight of their name alone would make things go much smoother. 

There was also the simple fact traveling across the entire world right now would require quite a bit of power so choosing people hailed as dragon slayers would not be out of the question. 

With that even all her information on the family only told her about them, their abilities and powers, nothing about who they were as people; she knew of the heads of the family, Taaffeite and Alastair Lapidary given their long list of achievements, but she doubted they would have been sent themselves given the state of the world. 

The eldest daughter, Alexandrite Lapidary, is the most likely person to be sent. She didn’t know much about the eldest daughter though she did have quite a bit to speculate on. She was the youngest person to gain the “arch-mage” title, and currently works as a scholar at the Empire of Crowns royal academy as well as working directly for the Queen. That was enough to tell Cemi the woman was clearly very intelligent, and diligent as none of her achievements were easily won. 

Ok so if there is a member of their family here it is likely her, so maybe a more scholarly approach. She bit her lip as she made a mental list of attractions to show the woman, maybe the elven library if she could get clearance from the council, that may help with negotiations… 

Or maybe the middle child, what was his name? Jasper? She doubted it was him given he had apparently vanished a few years back, but it is possible he was just hidden from the public eyes. He was after all a guard for the Queen herself last Cemi had heard of him.

She doubted it was the youngest daughter, Amethyst given her age and standing in the nation, though humans are strange; they are known to strike out and travel relatively young.

 In terms of family members, the youngest daughter was the one Cemi actually had the most information on, after all one doesn’t start an organization like the All-faiths church and not draw a lot of attention to oneself. And since “The mother of the grove” was so well received by the “all-faiths” Cemi had little trouble getting information on her over the years given how many pilgrimages had gone to see her since she started her church. Though getting the information from the priest that had been… spotty at best. 

Cemi herself couldn’t help but doubt the reports of the child having multiple blessings, then again, since she hadn’t been struck down for blasphemy, she must have some form of divine favor. In all reality Amethyst was both well known and not at the same time, too much information could be just as bad as none at all since it made it harder to tell what is actually true. All she could be sure of was the girl had some strong ties to the divine given her “church”, as well as the family’s standing in the Empire since Cemi doubted it was pure coincidence Amethyst started the “all-faiths” around the same time Crown reformed the stance on religion within their borders. 

There’s also the rumored 4th child though they would have to be but a baby at this point, wouldn’t they? The information on this alleged fourth child of the Lapidary’s had been… inconclusive at best downright outrageous at worst. But she couldn’t deny the possibility, given all she knew about the human family was hearsay and spotty reports from across a war torn Ecrein… and nearly a year old at this point. She sighed, the simple fact that most reports from the Empire of Crown mentioned the Lapidary family in one way or another was enough to make her weary of them. 

Every report could be summed up to three simple bullet points; the nation's military preparations, the movements of the Queen and the court which always has mention of the Lapidary family, and their commerce which again ties back to that family. “Just how can one family be so integrated in a nation like that and not be the rulers?” She muttered to herself; it just made no sense. 

She had information on other noble families from the Empire of Crown, and just as much information on the human nations to their south, Gala and Ocelina, but all of that seemed to fail in comparison to this single family. Even in Ecrein, the beast nation, no single family holds that much power without being part of a larger organization…

As she mauled over the information in her mind as the other group came to a halt a few dozen yards away from them, finally breaking her from her trance-like thought as she got a good look at the approaching group.

“That… is not what I was expecting.” Her words were nearly a whisper as she looked over the women surrounded by nearly a dozen elven soldiers. 

She dismissed the elven woman wearing simple travel clothes immediately. Though the woman was part of the initial report Cemi figured she was just a hired adventurer to act as a translator for the girls as they traveled, though she did notice the woman was… strange. Her long ears and light blond hair stood out even when surrounded by other elves; something about her seemed… off, but Cemi didn’t have time to dwell on that. 

Moving on to the next… woman? The girl in question was clad completely in black armored robes, though she didn’t carry a weapon of any kind that Cemi could see. Even with the ridiculously large hat the girl wore it was clear she was… small. No taller than an elven child and standing next to the elven woman with her face shrouded by the rim of her hat Cemi had a hard time placing the girl.

Next to her was another woman, clearly human, standing just a little taller than the one in black armor though it was hard to tell with her leaning heavily on a cane. She must be a servant of some kind. Was Cemi’s only thought as she looked at the woman with long dark black hair that was pulled back in a tight bun, giving her a much more mature look as her light green eyes scanned them over. She was wearing basic light robes as well, though Cemi’s eyes lingered on the girl's cane. It was a single polished piece of light wood, though the top looked… splintered. As if it had been broken to fit the woman; Cemi was positive she had seen something like it before but couldn’t put her finger on it. Passing it off as not important, she moved on. 

Cemi turned her eyes back to the woman in black, she must be the Lapidary girl, or their representative. It was the only thing that made sense, though she had no way of actually telling without identifying the woman and she was surely not going to do that. Humans were very… particular about their privacy, among other things which is why Cemi herself did not move to introduce herself.

It was simple really, but in this situation Cemi thought it best to let the other group move first. By letting them initiate the engagement, she was hoping it would give them a small feeling of control; after all, if they think it is their idea then they are much more likely to be relaxed when the negotiations actually start.

If they were in a town however, things would be completely different, Cemi would approach them in an open public place and introduce herself over some light conversation; maybe even offer to show them around town before insisting they rest from their long travels. After a day or two she would send them a formal invitation to a more private meeting. But on an open road her options were… limited to say the least. Her number one priority was to make sure the human delegate was comfortable and still willing to talk...

There they stood… no one talking as the two groups just kept looking at one another. Neither making the first move as Cemi had anticipated… humans are normally more… impatient. She thought, glancing at the elven guards who stood at perfect attention around them. 

She spotted Rilitar whose eyes were glued on his father, a clear sheen of sweat forming on the young man’s brow as he stood completely still. Maybe they are waiting for orders? She thought, glancing back at her own escorts who were likewise unmoving.

She looked at Alagos who was just standing with his hand resting on his sword, apparently waiting for her to do something as he cocked an eyebrow at her. 

Damn it. She sighed looking back at the group, she had wanted to wait for them to make the first move. Isn’t it customary for them to introduce themselves first… or do I have that backwards. Beast-kin always have introductions by rank… dwarves don’t do introductions until a drink is served… gnomes don’t do formal introductions at all… humans are… What are their customs again…

Cemi chewed her lip as she wrestled with herself, she was positive she was right. Humans always have the visitors introduced first… don’t they… then she heard it, so faint she likely never would have heard it normally; but though the silence it rang out like a bell… a soft sigh.

“Well, this is aggressively uncomfortable.” Cemi’s head whipped around as she searched for whomever had spoken, the elven voice was… strange. It was quiet, soft, clearly female but it came from all around her as if it was spoken directly into her mind yet everyone had reacted the same… except for the three women before them. 

Before Cemi could react, Alagos had stepped in front of her, his hand now gripping his sword. The motion was insulting. Cemi could accept Alagos was much more powerful than her, but she was far from helpless. Yes, he was a soldier, but she was an accomplished mage herself; sure it had been years since she had been in an actual fight but she didn’t need to be protected like some child.

“What are you doing?” Cemi protested grabbing the man’s arm only for him to ignore her as he continued to glare at a spot beside the elven woman.

“Show yourself.” Alagos hissed, Cemi could feel his arm tense as he gripped his sword. Whoever, or whatever had spoken clearly spooked the man causing her to step back, scanning around for the unseen threat.

“Show myself? That’s a bit forward of you, I don’t even know your name yet.” Again the voice didn’t give any hint as to where whomever was speaking was though Alagos shifted as if tracking something. “I’m not really hiding, just sort of waiting.” As if materializing out of the air another woman appeared, striding confidently between the two groups with her hands held out to her sides as if trying to placate them as she continued. “It’s just you guys are all standing around eyeing each other like the guy who brought donuts to the weight watchers meeting.” 

The girl stopped to laugh at her own joke as Cemi’s stomach dropped. Where the hell did she even come from? 

If something had felt off about the elven woman, this new girl was down right wrong, her entire demeanor was far too relaxed as she stood before Alagos with an inhuman smile on her face, her dagger like teeth glimmering in the sun as she laughed. 

Compared to the elven soldier the girl was tiny, barely coming up to his stomach with long white hair that shook slightly as her childlike giggles filled the air, slowly devolving into outright laughter. Her tiny hands clutching her ragged shirt as she bent forward; as if what she had said was the funniest thing in the world. The large metal bands on her arms shimmering as they shifted colors before settling on a soft white glow; when the ominous giggling finally stopped, she straightened herself. Rising to her full height she met Alagos eyes only for her bright red eyes to flash a deep inky black that made Cemi’s stomach churn as the girl's inhuman grin grew even wider. A flash of movement caught Cemi’s eyes, causing her to look down at the girl's dirty bare feet only to stop when she saw the enormous mass wiggling behind her, a large tail dragging on the ground as it wagged ever so slightly.

Cemi cocked her head as her brain desperately tried to place whenever this creature was in her mind only to glance back at the others in their group. The woman with the cane had slumped forward, her free hand covering her face. The girl in black shook her head slightly, her large hat swaying finally giving Cemi a good look at her face; the girl had large purple eyes and was wearing a small smirk as she watched the scene unfold before her.

The most surprising however was the elven woman, who didn’t move. The same emotionless expression on her face as she watched. But Cemi noticed her ears drooped, ever so slightly the woman’s long ears fell as she took several deep breaths.

Then the girl in black spoke, “Hecatolite, please don’t provoke them.” 

Hecatolite… Cemi tried to look back at the giggling girl only to find it hard to actually focus on her. She could see the girl, standing in front of Alagos with her hands on her hips. But it was like her eyes refused to focus on her. Is it some kind of concealment skill? She thought as the strange girl spoke again, her voice causing her body to snap into focus. It was jarring to say the least, the sudden shift but Cemi felt something strange in her mind as she focused on the woman again, like she recognized her. Hecatolite… She glanced back at the woman in black, they have the same face? 

It was subtle, and Cemi had to look past the few differences, like the color of their eyes and the slight tan of the other girl’s skin. But it was unmistakable, they were clearly identical. Her eyes snapped back to the smiling girl, this time finding she was able to focus on her immediately, their eyes meeting briefly under Alagos arm. Cemi had an odd tingling in her mind as she gazed into the girl's eyes, as if something deep in her mind shifted into place and she could now see the girl fully and that realization made Cemi’s knees tremble. As if noticing something she shouldn’t have, she tried to look away but couldn’t. 

“Well, are you guys going to do something or just keep eyeing each other like a couple of flustered teens?” Hecatolite replied and Cemi realized the girl had switched fluidly from elven to Solresol. With a sigh she shook her head, her smile fading slightly as she looked back at her group, finally releasing Cemi’s trance-like focus on her; she quickly looked away as Hecatolite continued. “Fine, I’ll take care of this.” 

She cleared her throat, turning back to Alagos, “Hey big guy, you speak Solersol?” she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Alagos returned her gaze with a glare.

“Guess not,” Hecatolite leaned around Alagos to look at Cemi only to be stopped as the man shifted again to block her view. “Wow, protective much?” She snickered, “Don’t worry I’m not going to try and steal your girlfriend, though if I were you, I’d take her shopping. She’s got to be burning up in that winter jacket you know.”  She laughed again as she actually poked Alagos in the stomach, who to his credit only drew his sword a little before she pulled her hand back. “If you’re going to be all gallant and defend her, the least you can do is buy her some nice clothes. Anyway, what about you, know the human tongue? Yes you, the cute one with earth magic.”

Cemi’s entire body tensed as the girl spoke, Did…. Did she identify me? When? No, if she had, she would know my name. But then how does she know I’m an earth mage? As the only one in the excursion with earth magic it was clear who she was talking to… but… it doesn’t matter now. “Yes, I can speak Solresol.” 

“Perfect!” Hecatolite clapped her hands, the sharp sound causing Cemi to jump as the girl spun on her heels. “The hot pocket can talk human, so I nominated her to do the introductions! Eryl can you translate for the people who aren’t… did… I forget the word for that? Eryl, what’s it called when someone can speak more than one language?”

“Bilingual.” The elven woman replied with a sigh, “And yes, I can translate if that is ok with everyone else?”

“Great! Now, I think that’s enough of a head start. So, I will be going now,” Hecatolite turned to Alagos, “So I think these guys are going to do a lot of really boring talking stuff and your brother just ran off into the woods, want to go hunting with me?”

“My brother… Astari?”

“Yep, elder grabby hands… well hand now. We were bringing him to the big tree, but he kept running off. Which is super rude if you ask me, I only ate one of his arms and he keeps calling me things like monster and demon! That’s super rude, my wife is a demon you know and that's really racist! Saffron is great and she would never eat anyone… I don’t think she would at least… I mean she’s really good with her mouth.” Hecatolite’s entire body seemed to relax as the bands on her arms flashed a deep pink before she blinked several times. “What was I doing again… oh yea, Grabby hand! You in? I promised Amethyst, I wouldn’t kill him, something about bringing him to be judged and all; so we have to be careful, but not super careful, Fish eggs can heal so if we have to rough him up a little it should be fine.”  

Hesitantly Alagos looked to his son who gave him a small but decisive nod and he tentatively relaxed. “Well then… lead the way.”

With a wide smile Hecatolite tapped the man on the arm, “I have a feeling I’m going to like you. You remind me of dad.” She glanced back at her group, “Me and Mr. Tornado here are going to get the prisoner, who somehow completely under his own power, has escaped. You guys can do the boring talking stuff, right?”

And like that the chairman of defense was led into the great forest by the strange creature to “recapture” the fugitive Astari, and for once Cemi found herself at a complete loss of words. She hadn’t known what to expect, but that was surely not it.