[center][h2][color=888888][b]Maltar[/b][/color][/h2][/center]
[center][color=888888]Spirit of the Beast[/color][/center]
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	The Elvian hunter had returned a nod to the burly man and had barely established his footing by the bookshelf, when the redhead woman turned to welcome him and provided her name. Maltar's discomfort for being around people was slightly enhanced by her comely emerald stare. He required a moment to reciprocate before acknowledging her introduction with another nod, but he didn’t have time to reply with his own name before her attention turned. Faline's following comment to the man in the loveseats demonstrated what her mind was focused on. As it turned out, she too was of an opinion like Maltar’s. Both of them preferred to work alone. 

It was then that Maltar’s attention was drawn toward the door by a strong energy approaching from the other side. The energy he felt was dragonian. No sooner had he felt the energy did the door swing open with the entry of Dorian and... a little girl.

Maltar tilted his head and assessed the girl quickly. The white-haired girl didn’t appear older than a teenager, but there was something about her visage that told him he was being deceived in that aspect. 

While the girl removed her cloak and hung it on a peg, and the man in the loveseats then introduced himself as Torsten, the beast stirred within Maltar.  

Maybe it was the rosy cheeks of Torsten’s jovial persuasion, or the awkwardness of Torsten’s shut-eyed consternation in not knowing which way to turn, or the presence of the dragonian girl and her Déjà vu wise crack that almost went over his head, or maybe it was Faline's relatable comment about preferring to work alone that had Maltar accept the situation. He would need to conform to the company of these people, at least for now. He suddenly found himself walking across the room as Torsten requested their names. 

[color=a9a9a9]“My name is Maltar,”[/color] he spoke plainly for all to hear as he arrived at an empty seat, only to be stopped by a sense of courtesy. The seat was the last available of the three seats in front of the fire. Maltar held out his hand to offer the seat to the dragonian girl, then went and sat himself in one of the chairs by the wall beside the fire instead. He unhooked the Burden Flask from his belt and swallowed back a mouthful of its contents. Returning the flask to his belt, Maltar rested forward with elbows on his knees. 

Once Dorian had returned to his post again and the four members of the group had formerly been introduced, Maltar pensively assessed the other three people in the room. Torsten's comment of starting off well on a good footing, and Faline's prior comment on their host having ideas for them to be working together, resounded with the shared assumption that they had all been brought together to continue their search. Maybe.... 'Strangers' with a shared objective being herded together by uncertain forces indicated there was more to this situation than a search for missing people. At least, that is how Maltar saw it.

[color=a9a9a9]"Do correct me if I'm wrong."[/color] Maltar started speaking with eyes on Torsten, though as he spoke his stare addressed all three of them. [color=a9a9a9]"I assume we are all here as a result of searching for people missing."[/color] Maltar's eyes fell on the bag by Faline's feet for a moment as he paused. [color=a9a9a9]"But the current situation reeks of a different agenda for those who brought us here."[/color] Maltar knew that inevitably Dorian may shed light on their situation, but he didn't necessarily trust Dorian, and prodding for information that the others had picked up along the course of their journey's might prove helpful in providing alternative insights.