[i]'They play us like fools,'[/i] Kehah thought, scowling as she saw the dining arrangements. [i]'Mounting tension between the sides by forcing us into such close proximity.'[/i]

Despite her thoughts, many of the merchants- such as Tagar and his group- quickly took their seats with little regard to safety or vantage points. She found her lips forming a thin line at the realization that they hadn't taken her warning on their hike up to the castle seriously.

She chose one of the seats closest to the head of the table, where the royals were most likely to sit; The closer in proximity she was to the ruling party, the less chance there was of a surprise attack from any Onyxian. Despite this knowledge, she watched others eat before grabbing the food she now knew to be safe for herself. She quickly slid some bread and fruits into her hip bag with the rest of her rations.

The mistake in her seating choice made itself evident when the Lady Grimm came out and announced herself, sitting at the head seat a mere few feet from Kehah herself. The Dark Elves next to the woman already had the silver-eyed mercenary breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Elves had warned her about this, of course; Their life-saving treatment of her used energies unavailable to humans. The Elves were light and their healing energy pure, meaning any exposure to the corrupted energies of Dark Elves and other creatures could leave her with ill effects. She never thought it would be a problem; never thought she'd be within arm's reach of not one, but [i]two[/i] of the corrupted beings.

She eyed them in her peripheral vision and set the apple down, appetite lost in their presence. She did, however, have the strength of mind to remember to tilt her head to the Lady Grimm in a shallow form of a bow, acknowledging the woman's presence and status with the proper amount of respect from someone who wasn't actually her subject.