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Well, she took that better than Ceolfric had expected. Or maybe his nonchalance had reassured her that there was nothing to fear. For her, there probably wasn't; she'd be the last one in the line of fire, and he doubted a creature would find reason to chase a wagon full of magic grass over a cohort of tasty mercenaries. Maybe they could feed the elven woman to it and run, she certainly looked in no shape to be doing this job. The late arrival was negligible in Ceolfric's eyes, but the disheveled state Eila arrived in was simply pitiful. She'd be winded three strokes into a swordfight at this rate.

Speaking of Agitha's monster, he'd have a problem if they stumbled upon the thing unaware and those idiots all got themselves bitten carelessly. He doubted he could get Cerric to stall while he whisked them all away to gather in a conspiratorial circle for a briefing either, to say nothing of how that would impact their evaluation. Loudly blurting it out would've been his plan of choice, if not for the fact that they'd probably be demerited for spooking the client, even if she did take the news better than Ceolfric had expected. Which, lest he throw himself to the fickle whims of fate, left him one recourse; playing his hand early. 

Then again, depending on how much these people knew about Aetherborn, they might understand the cards he had to play better than he did himself.

Ceolfric stepped away from the rear of the wagon and moved back contemplatively, as if evaluating where to take up position. And at first, he did, though it was a quick decision - other than perhaps Storyborn, he was likely the only one that would possibly spot a problem before they chanced upon it through anything but sheer luck, so he'd be most effectively relegated to the forward guard. Afterward, Ceolfric's act served only to give him a good vantage of the rest of the group. The Buckman girl already knew enough, so he needn't waste the effort on her, and Cerric was far too much of a wild card to bring into his confidence. If his intel was lacking, that was his own fault; Ceolfric's evaluation didn't hinge on the blue-skinned man's preparedness, only the group's.

[color=AA4A44]"I'll take the front, if there are no objections,"[/color] Ceolfric called as he leisurely made his way past the cart. His hand raised at his side idly and his fingers curled inward, touching middle finger to thumb as he sought his targets. Four presences, close proximity, burning brightly but not as vibrantly as Cerric. Aether pooled on his tongue, as sweet as honey even as it crept up to burn his nostrils like incense. The bandit's lips parted, forcing the aether out aloft a sharp hiss of air as a muffled snap from his gloved hand sparked it into action.

[color=AA4A44][i]'Before we get moving, you should all be forewarned,'[/i][/color] Ceolfric's voice hissed into the ears of each of his follow Bounty House hopefuls, a whisper on the wind somewhere between an assassin looming over them just before their throat was slit and a lover embracing them from behind, [color=AA4A44][i]'The story about animals attacking the caravan routes is a cover-up for some type of monster - big, lots of teeth, and its bites hold some kind of magic or toxin that turns you into a walking corpse. The account I heard had it appear in the midst of a rainstorm, which we're about to march right into. So try to stay alert.'[/i][/color]

[color=AA4A44][i]'Oh, and don't look around cluelessly or try to respond. I'll spare you the ignominy of gleaning your thoughts; we can follow up when Buckman's out of earshot.'[/i][/color] 

His message completed, Ceolfric offered only a sly gaze backward, as if to confirm that he was indeed the source of their sudden auditory hallucination and they hadn't been assaulted by a passing fae.

[hr][@Obscene Symphony][@McMolly][@Hero][@Trainerblue192]