[color=silver][i]Theatrics[/i]. How foul.

Ardour wished he could've stood further away from Durnan and his unprompted display of lung capacity, but with the crowd gathered so close, there wasn't really any other place for him to stand. Discontent, the tiefling struggled to find a proper pose and expression for the occasion. He was no stranger to being peered at by curious eyes, but never before had he felt quite as exposed as he did now, deliberately placed on a stage. Every murmur was a breach of privacy, every pair of eyes a strung bow ready to let loose a gaze as sharp as an arrow. 

The only fact Ardour could take solace in was that he wasn't the biggest freak present. A tiefling was an unwelcome sight, but a lizardfolk and tortle alike were foreign and [i]strange[/i], certainly worth many more a raised brow than him.

The finger Durnan jabbed at the group's direction seemed far more threatening than it was probably meant to be - as did the question he presented, and went without answer to for an uncomfortably long time. Out of the corner of his eye, Ardour glanced at his companions. He had little hope any of them were capable of producing a satisfactory answer. 

Just as Ardour was about to let slip the first descriptive word that came to mind - one that was unlike to be too flattering - Aurix saved him. Or, rather, her [i]horse [/i]did, disrupting the scene with the calm gait of a horse unaware of its own heroic deed.

Saved by an animal... if Ardour were any more superstitious and believed in ill omens, he would've likely turned tail while he still could.

As it turned out, quite a few members of their little entourage did just that. For reasons not entirely clear to Ardour, half of their group slipped into the crowd, soon replaced by a man they'd only met briefly prior. Was it cold feet that drove Lin and the rest to abandon the task? Or, perhaps...?

A hand on his shoulder tensed Ardour's entire body, his hand nearly moving on instinct to tear at the offending presence. He retained his composure through sheer sense of will, a small, feral glint in his eye the only sign of a fate that had nearly awaited the man that dared touch him so carelessly. 

By the time Ardour spoke, the glint was almost gone. "We're in agreement, my friend," he offered in a civil - if [i]cold [/i]- manner, sliding away from him just in time to catch another string of words directed at him. It was Aurix, impatient and generous enough to pay for his share, as well.

Ardour gave a light bow, his usual smile in place as he gestured towards the abyss. "After you."

As one would expect, the dungeon below was dark, illuminated only by Lauk's crystal. But darkness was a friend most dear to the tiefling, and its embrace a welcome respite from the million-eyed crowd above.[/color]