Ssarak Dyreackthanose

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As Meirin was questioning one of the guards, Ssarak was going through their minds, sifting through the various thoughts, emotions, and obscenities going through them for information he felt may be important. There was only one mind he could not seem to read, which was the one of the particularly pale guard. He was not sure why, but what he could hear in the thoughts of the others did provide some insight into their current attitude. Overall, not one of them was in anything resembling a good mood. All of them were hungry, exceedingly bored, and hated the job they were performing. They felt as weary and weakened as they looked. 

Ssarak focused particular attention on the guard Meirin was speaking to, especially once her questioning became more direct, and his thoughts were even more frustrated than his words. He thought not only about how much he hated his job, but how jealous he was of Meirin and the rest of the caravan guards. Even with the traveling they had been doing, they looked, and almost certainly were, more well-off than these bridge guards. He also had other, more crude thoughts directed at Alaira and Meirin, but other than making Ssarak angry, they were not as relevant. As soon as Ssarak heard Meirin's thoughts, he responded with his own findings. [i]"It does not seem like any of them want to be here either. They are hungry, and by the looks of things, probably underpaid. They are bored, and in particular, the one you spoke to is envious of us. However, I have not actually heard any thoughts suggesting they intend to attack us, not yet."[/i]

Almost as soon as Ssarak sent his message, Alaira, once again, acted out rashly. He had placed so much focus on the guards that he was not able to stop the person who was proving to be the greatest threat to their safety. He shook his head and gave an audible sigh. He seemed disappointed, though it was more in himself than anything for expecting anything different. At least this time, she did not catch anything on fire, so the horses were fine. Alaira was being a fool, but he could not discount the possibility that she was a [i]lucky[/i] fool. The guards were suspisious, and may still be a danger, especially now that they had a very legitimate reason to attack. 

"Alaira, control yourself!" Ssarak shouted as he drew his weapon and looked at her, his posture hinting at anger just as well as his voice. On the outside, it would seem like an angered reaction, but in reality, it was a calculated move. If the guards had not intended to be hostile, then it would demonstrate that he and the other caravan guards did not agree with Alaira, and did not necessarily want to harm, or even rob them. Second, it allowed him to bring his weapon in hand without increasing the hostility towards the guards.It seemed like he was focused on Alaira, but each of the guards were still within his sight in some capacity, and he was both watching for sudden movements, and listening for thoughts that would suggest they were attacking. Overall, it meant he was now alert and ready for an attack, but still had some possibility of defusing the situation.

At the same time, Ssarak sent a telepathic message to Meirin, Darius, and the Caravan master. [i]"I do not intend to attack Alaira. I used the opportunity to draw my weapon safely, but I cannot communicate this to Alaira, so be ready. Let us try to get her to back down, but watch the guards closely. She has given them good reason to attack, if they were not already."[/i]