[center][I][B][COLOR=Firebrick][h1]Karilis[/h1][hr][/COLOR][/B][/I][/CENTER]

Karilis looked around the hall, her violent eyes narrowed beneath the concealing shadow of her hood. What did the leader of Guixiang want with her? Even if she was a [s][i]pathetic[/i][/s] runaway from House Mnemon, Karilis knew her mother well enough to know that she was not of much value whatsoever. She had been written off as forgotten the moment she had failed to Exalt, and she doubted that had changed much since she had left the Isle. Mnemon had little use for a daighter who not only failed to ascend, but one who also abandoned her duty.

[color=Firebrick][i]But a daughter who'd come back from the dead, however. . . [/i][/color]

Karilis gaze shifted, as it had been every few moments since they'd been in this accursed hall, to the twin tailed woman standing a short ways away, looking every bit like the sister she had thought lost to the cycle for 8 years. Yet there she was, alive and well and filling Karilis heart with equal amounts of joy, heart-ache, and betrayal. She didn't know if she wanted to hug or smack her resurrected sibling, but at the moment, she couldn't do much of either, even if she desperately wanted to. Instead, she forced herself to look away, taking in the rest of the group around them. Most notable where the two *children*, one seeming to be as lost as confused as a child normally would be and the other seeming much too calm and collected for someone of his age. There was not a hint of anticipation or nervousness in the boy's stance from what she could tell, and that suggested either a great deal of maturity or arrogance to the self-exiled Dynast.

Following that, the next strangest sight had to be the green-haired man who was most certainly not a Dragonblood, or if  he was, certainly not from the realm. Covered in filth and dressed in near rags, Karilis couldn't fathom why such a creature had been brought to the head of this city along with the rest of them. Following the simian looking fellow, however, was a much more troublesome individual.

[Color=Firebrick][i]Ledaal Ling Bao[/i][/color]

A Dynast that she bore a passing familiarity with, having never personally interacted with the aging patrician aside from a few sparse glances during an event or two. He was an old man who had long missed his chance to Exalt, a common story among the Dynastic houses, but one that had always struck her as sad in her youth. But as she watched him address the green-haired peasant, the sudden noise that followed his declaration caused her to flinch, her hand dropping to her blade's hilt, tensing first out of instinct, then out of disbelief as she half-stared, half-glared at the aging man. [Color=Firebrick][i]Impossible [s]for you[/s]. . . there's no way [s]for a failure[/s]. . .[/i][/color]

Karilis took a breath, barely holding back that mass of emotions that were storming within her. There would be a time and place for them, but this was neither. It was too much new information to deal with at once, so she shoved into the back of her mind for the moment, focusing only on the mysterious host and what she had asked of them. Not trusting herself to speak, she instead pointed to Gwyn in response to her perceived question and left it at that. It had been more the botanist's idea to come to this city than it had been her own, so it was as good a reason as any as to her being there. After that, she would simple just watch the rest of the proceedings, trying her best to keep tabs on possible escape routes, the only sign of her internal distress would be the whitening of her knuckles as she griped the hilt of her blade like it was her lifeline. She often drew comfort from the blade, a gift from her mother that showed at least some measure in belief. It reminded her of better times. Simpler times.