[b]Cynn Ellime[/b]
The telepathy trick took Cynn much by surprise. It shoudln't have;it would logically follow that it would have happened either at that point in that conversation or at the prompting of the forest elf. Still, the message gave her a start, and she jumped slightly when it came through.

It hadn't been particularly loud, neither had it been done in a distressing...would it still be called a tone? it wasn't really a voice, after all. Then again, Cynn had often thought things to herself, and she could simulate tonal differences and emphasis when she did. Yet, still, it was just a projection of her own voice in her head, put there to better organize her thoughts, and a fairly inaccurate one at that. It was like a painter mixing colors to replicate something they'd seen in nature, whereby he or she would come close, but it always looked a little...ethereal.

Perhaps the surprise had come from the fact that it had [i]worked[/i]. Cynn had noticed that, with Mageblood, there was a largre gap in effectiveness. There were Bloods like Psychomancy and Pyromancy, manipulations of energies, that would work even in their weakest forms. A beginning Psychomancer might be incapable of targetting someone for a transmission, but the transmission would still go through; similarly, a beginning Pyromancer might only be able to produce flames from the tips of their fingers that were more like long-lasting sparks than anything else, but they'd burn all the same. Yet, for Bloods such as Demonomancy or Geomancy, which manipulated matter itself, there was a cut of point. At an emotional peak, Cynn could amass an army of gravel or move a massive stone with ease, but while relaxed, it would take her a little under thirty minutes to lift a rock of sixty pounds, and it would be more likely that she'd either pick it up herself or devise some contraption...

Annabeth was nodding. Why was Annabeth nodding? More importantly, why had she suddenly stopped nodding when it crossed Cynn's mind that she had been nodding? [i]Are you listening in on my thoughts?[/i]

...

[b][i]Yes...[/i][/b]

Suddenly, Cynn knew what had surprised her about the telepathic message. It was the mere intrusion that it implied. Her brain had reacted to the discovery of some unknown trespass that had been meant to be understood then and there the same way it would have reacted had the trespass been discovered after the fact; with shock.

Deciding that it was time to get out of her head for a bit, the wood elf attempted to answer Annabeth's question.

"I was born...in a...into a wealthy family in a very...technologically advanced village. I got a good education, in...lots of things. I liked the gadgets well enough...but I felt...that...the whole business part...selling a part, rather than a product, with which the client could do anything th-they wanted...that was wrong. It stifled progress, placing the responsibility of discovery in the... in the hands of...maniACS." Cynn broke into a coughing fit, causing Annabeth to look at her with worry. She waved a hand in dismission, and, after the coughs had passed and the forest elf had caught her breath, continued.

"These customers...they looked for applications only in the fields that applied to them. War...resource allocation...nothing good. Sure...new beneficial uses would be found through this...but it took too long. This was my first issue with my parents. Then...of course, you had bureaucracy... I was nothing more than something to promote sales for them. They kept me as tied down as they could so I didn't rebel when they tried to pawn me off to the best business partner. A highborn with a Blood meant power.

"We had a...falling out... Long story short, I took my inheritence and left, with angry shouts from both of them, and wandered. I started making books...you know, transcribing scrolls...keeping a few spare blank tomes in case I ran into an aspiring writer... Made a few friends along the way, but...I wound up making dumb mistakes and splitting up with all of them. Then, one day, I heard about this place...decided I'd go. And here I am!"

She finished her hefty monologue with a smile. She'd given this girl a lot of information to take in, but she was convinced that Annabeth could handle it. Suddenly, the elf remembered something she'd forgotten to mention.

"Oh! I still sell books to earn coin, but I also have started selling some...devices of my own invention," she said with a shy grin. "And I have Natura Blood. I'm much more proficient in Geomancy, but I have some ability in the field of Herbamancy." She smiled as wide as she could, noticing that it hurt less to talk now that she was used to it. She extended her hand to Annabeth to shake.

"Oh, and I hate nuts."

[b]Locas Jule[/b]

Locas turned to the woman who was very clearly in charge here. It would seem that this was the one who had healed him. Why she felt the need to make such a thinly veiled and childish threat was beyond him, but he could tell she was like him in terms of thought process; use your position for your benefit as much as you can. Unfortunately, that meant that Locas could exploit that ideology.

"Ma'am," he began, in his usual neutral tone. "I really do appreciate all you've done for me, as you certainly had no obligation to do so, and I understand the importance of rest after injury." Locas looked around the group, the woman looking intrigued and Alaira looking simply confused. "However, I hope you can understand the position I'm in at the moment. I've just awoken, and am not like to return to my slumber soon. Moreover, I'm very prone to boredom, and I've just met this..." he gestured towards the elf girl. "Wonderful lady, who seems interesting and kind enough. Certainly it wouldn't hurt to merely shake her hand?" The human student made a point of reminding Alaira that his hand was still, in fact, extended in her direction before turning back to look into the other woman's eyes.

"If you, and, indeed, Alaira Taenn would permit, I would very much like it if she stayed and kept me company for a while." The woman looked doubtful at this proposition, so Locas quickly revised. "I swear, kindest doctor, that I shan't overexert myself. No walking for me today; at least, no further than where I stand now. Surely, our mutual friend will agree?" Locas looked to the still-confused Alaira, then back to the woman before him. His eyes conveyed the seriousness of his request, despite the overly pompous delivery of his words. He was simultaneously playing to her authority and making a subtle threat of discourse should she not accept his request.

He was making her an offer she couldn't refuse.

"So, what say you, Lady...I don't believe I caught your name, actually. Would you, in all your generosity - the same that you showed when you helped me back to health - allow me this kindness?" He raised his eyebrows, giving the illusion of a questioning look, while his eyes remained as neutral as always.