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Karya had just sat down when, for some reason, the fox girl whacked her human friend in the face with her tail as he turned to look. 

[color=76c429]"Hm?"[/color] Karya tilted her head. Sure she must look a little out of place, with most others appearing more kempt, but was that really so awful? She was here, and on time, wasn't that enough? All this formality was yet another thing she didn't quite understand. Looking down, she noticed her skirt had gone rather form-fitting... Ah, so that could explain it. She'd heard many cultures were quite modest, with their women wearing long skirts. She shrugged. What was wrong with thighs? Most people had them, unless they were nagas or merfolk.

The awkwardness, thankfully, began to dissipate as the seemingly unfriendly white-haired girl made a joke. Karya chuckled. [color=76c429]"Nice to meet you too!"[/color] she said, eyes flicking around at everyone. [color=76c429]"I'm Karya."[/color]

She grinned up at two other new arrivals, a man with red skin and horns, and a blue-haired woman. At ease to see more non-humans join the table, she gestured to the nearby chairs. [color=76c429]"Sure, feel free to join us!"[/color]

At that moment, the lights dimmed, the vicedean making her speech. Karya listened intently, her expression turning unusually serious near the end. Two words sent a chill through her. Recent changes? Her ribs clenched so hard they ached. Did Xan's disappearance have anything to do with these changes, whatever they were? Even when the speech ended and a delicious looking array of food popped up, she remained silent for a few seconds. That silence was broken when another, rather hungry newcomer joined the group, introducing herself as Anise.

[color=76c429]"Hi!"[/color] Karya brightened up again, at least outwardly. [color=76c429]"I'm Karya. Soooo, what are you specialising in here? I'm a mix of druid and ranger, and it's mostly plant magic I use, although other types may be worth branching into... Ehhh, no pun intended."[/color] With an awkward laugh, she rubbed the back of her neck. 

As the others started to tuck into their food, she filled her own plate. Although Anise used the weird utensils that had been laid out - a blunt knife, and a metal stick with prongs on the end - Karya didn't get why they were necessary, nor did she know how to use them. She picked up a duck leg and started munching away at it. The food here was quite something, she thought as she did the same with a corn cob, alternating between taking bites out of each one. Admittedly, smaller bites than she would have taken if not for the squirming in her stomach. [i]What was going on out there that she didn't know about?[/i]

It helped that for the most part, the atmosphere around the table had livened, Arn beginning to open up as Finn showed him his dwarven-crafted prosthetic arm. More technology Karya was unfamiliar with the exact workings of, although since some wounded nymphs used expertly woodcrafted, rune-inscribed prosthetic limbs, she figured it had to involve magic of some kind. Not that she knew much about dwarves, but it was said they didn't bother with spellcasting... Clearly that assumption was wrong. [color=76c429]"Magic infused, huh?"[/color] she asked Arn and Finn. [color=76c429]"Rune magic? Runecrafting and regular crafting really do go great together."[/color]

She set down her food for a moment and poured herself a large mug of red wine, unaware that goblets were for wine and mugs were for ale. A container was a container. After taking a swig to steady the bout of unease, she lowered her voice. She didn't want to bring down the mood, but she had to ask. [color=76c429]"Also... Just curious. Would anyone happen to know what these recent changes are?"[/color]

Meanwhile, Anise poured forth questions to Selena, some a little too personal. Overhearing the bit about hunting, Karya grimaced - humans at their worst once again. She'd heard stories of some humans burning down forest-dwelling communities out of fear. Understandably, Selena looked less than comfortable. [color=76c429]"Heyyy, how about we skip right to the bit about magic?"[/color] Karya butted in. Forthright as she was, she had [i]some[/i] sense of boundaries. [color=76c429]"I mean that's a subject we're on already."[/color] She glanced back at Finn and Arn, then at Ixius, who had yet to loosen up.

She could only hope her question about recent changes hadn't brought up any more uncomfortable subjects for anyone.