[center][h2][b][color=20B2AA] Jandar Varan [/color][/b][/h2][h3][color=20B2AA]Root's Teeth, Dhemlan Terreille[/color][/h3][/center]
Immediately upon entering, Jandar noticed the shady group, broken-nosed slick-and-black-haired male (their leader, apparently) included, while they were too preoccupied with their nefarious plans to pay attention to him. The moment he heard them mention [i]fun[/i] and [i]challenge[/i] and [i]profit[/i] with that sickening, leery, cruel, mocking undertone to their words, the moment he realized they were following the Opal witch, was the same moment his mind began racing, his heart-beat quickening to an almost erratic thump-thump-thump, the sensation akin to a beast roaring against his chest, a beast doing its best to tackle and claw its way out-out-OUT.
 
[color=20B2AA][i]They- Hell’s fire consume them, the bastards were going to- to[/i] rape [i]the girl.[/i][/color] Even if they refrained from committing [i]that[/i] particular act, they [i]would[/i] hurt and [i]injure[/i] her in other ways. Would the Opal witch – the witch who had helped him, who had been worried about a weaker-jeweled witch, who had given him a snack for Teo and advice to boot, whom he didn’t even know the name of! – turn into yet another Witchblood, her blood spilled as carelessly as had been done countless times here, a mere fertilizer for the- The horrifying, thoughtless massacre, the perversion of anything good and proper in the world…Jandar sucked in a sharp breath, clearing his mind.

The scent of a Queen entering distracted him for but a moment, long enough to note that she was attempting to stay unnoticed (and the burning questions of [color=20B2AA][i]who, why, what were[/i][/color] roughly shoved to a corner of his mind – this was not an issue he could afford to spend time on right now), long enough that he surveyed the room’s occupants and judged whoever the owner of the pouch was, they weren’t openly panicking yet, long enough to consider paying a visit to Cook and immediately dismiss the notion, long enough to reassuringly grip the hunter knife sheathed at his back, long enough to notice the Queen was being pestered by the innkeeper (but she had a companion, he needn’t redirect his worry to [i]her[/i] when the Opal witch was [i]all alone[/i], facing danger [i]on her own[/i]). 

It couldn’t have been longer than a dozen seconds – [color=20B2AA][i]not more than half-a-minute, certainly?[/i][/color] – since the witch-hunting males had closed the door after themselves. (But what if those seconds had determined whether he could save the witch? His traitorous mind took its own direction with his fears, whispering the likes of [color=20B2AA][i]What if you can’t save her? What if you[/i] do,[i] and they simply hunt down another? What if you enrage them, and they do[/i] much [i]worse? What if you compromise your own position? Would it not be safer to ignore this? Can you afford to ignore this? Will taking action truly lead to a better result? And if your involvement worsens the situation? If the group notices, what then? Will you try to protect the witch by being the only one- the only[/i] ‘gentle’ [i]one, you utter fool? Will you simply attack them, take on a group, risk your life and your mission for some no-name witch? Risk being taken prisoner so soon for the sheer idiocy you are about to attempt?[/i][/color] Each thought charged him so full of emotion he felt he might burst, yet he ignored the rising anxiety, ignored the nerves, shoved it all down and under, down and under, until he thrummed full of purpose, yet hadn’t taken a single step forward, and he was just wasting time now, [color=20B2AA][i]You’re wasting time![/i][/color])

No, it hadn’t taken long at all for Jandar to reach a decision. ([color=20B2AA][i]But, oh, you had wasted a few precious seconds, haven’t you? Wasted time for senseless self-doubting- No, no, no, keep your goal in mind, work on the method as you go, [b]now just go![/b][/i][/color]) He was moving after the group already, drawing on his Blood Opal jewel as he cast an aural shield at the door to obscure the sound of it opening for him and closing behind him. As soon as he was out of the main room and the door closed behind him, he drew upon his Craft to cast a sight shield on himself, followed by a hasty aural shield as well. He pursued the group swiftly, but tookcare to step softly and kept a bit of a distance from the group in case his Craft failed him or the power he had used drew any of the males’ attention to their surroundings.

However, the moment he determined where the Opal witch had gone, he was resolved to try to get to her first. (But unnoticed, he should not be noticed, he should hide himself and the witch, could he hide them both, [color=20B2AA][i]How could I possibly- How to get to her first when they’re in front of you?[/i][/color]) However, if the witch was already being accosted…well. He’d have to waste a few precious seconds in any case just to determine whether the group was speaking ([color=20B2AA][i]or doing terrible, unforgivable, unspeakable things[/i][/color]) to the witch, and how she was faring – could he hope the Opal witch would help herself, somehow? He rather doubted she could take on a whole group by herself. 

And if the Mother-forsaken shit-sacks were [i]engaged[/i] with the witch in some manner already, Jandar would have to take a direct approach (not an idea he was fond of, but surely, [i]surely[/i] he could make something work? [color=20B2AA][i]Redirect their attention? Distract them? [/i]Join [i]them, and incapacitate them when they are- when they are-[/i][/color]), and do his best to chase them off. [color=20B2AA][i]May the Darkness be merciful, let me be in time.[/i][/color] (He was furious, so furious he could kill them all, kill them and desecrate their corpses, not only could he do it – easily, he knew – it would be so [i]easy[/i] when they didn’t even see him, didn’t even hear him, it would be easy, and he would take joy in it, he would laugh as they screamed, he would laugh as the light left their undeserving eyes, [i]he would laugh.[/i]) [color=20B2AA][i]Let this be simple.[/i][/color]