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Fake it ‘till you make it.

Those words had been repeated to and passed on by Esther throughout her old life. While that life had ended, she found the advice was just as useful then as it was now. Life really was a confidence game and you got what you wanted by believing in yourself. Good things don’t come to people who underestimate themselves and evaluate themselves on their present limits.  

Esther could use herself as an example. On the outside she looked like a fae. Her large insect wings and pointed ears hinted at such. Who knew how many centuries of knowledge was packed between her ears? Her harp was not merely a magical catalyst, but a tool for spellcasting that she had made herself. While hardly revolutionary, it did demonstrate her understanding of runes and how they operated on a fundamental level. She could also play her instrument rather well, which might have been enough to charm someone who was looking for Esther’s particular set of skills. Why wouldn’t you hire a woodland artificer to investigate a mystical anomaly in a rainforest?

But Esther wasn’t a fae. Certainly not one that had lived centuries. Everything she knew about runes or otherwise she had been told by a fae artificer. The harp had even been built in the artificer’s workshop with his supervision. Her harp playing could impress individuals or small gatherings, but captivating large audiences was not a skill she presently held. But here she was, faking it, with presumably more talented individuals than she. Perhaps they were  faking it too.

Though some of them looked a little too intimidating to be faking it. She could swear Severin Vaust’s very presence was putting her on edge. He clearly wasn’t normal, something that even a novice like Esther could pick up. Yet the skeleton didn’t seem as intimidating as the doctor did. But maybe that was because Fei Liu reminded her of a character on the Nintendo that the kids were talking about. 

She attempted to calm her nerves by playing on her harp. It was something to focus her fingers on anyway. Since she was in the presence of a few Nintendo characters (That guy with the horns almost looked like Zelda) maybe she’d play a song from that game where he defended the weak with his word. That always made the kids happy.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like much of anyone was too happy. Though the Zelda look-alike seemed especially dower. He wasted no time tearing down the "pawn" that was going to be working with them. This would not do.

[color=74c3a2]"Oh, I don’t think it represents Iberis poorly at all. They’re clearly a busy sort, and managing their manpower as best they can. Besides, Fei Liu sounds like he’s here purely for our benefit."[/color] She looked directly at Vetreus. [color=74c3a2]"...And has better manners than some of the other people at this table."[/color] She didn’t miss a single pluck of her harp while she spoke. Her lips and hands moved independently of one another. 

[color=74c3a2]"They call me Esther. No titles, but you can add one if you feel like it."[/color] She still wasn’t sure if her old name was a great elf name, but it wasn’t like she could start calling herself Zelda. [color=74c3a2]"I hope you’ll stand between the rest of us and danger too, young man."[/color] She told the skeleton, unsure how old he was, but feeling it was younger than what she was supposed to be. [color=74c3a2]"I’ll be sure to do my part and keep you safe as well."[/color]

That seemed to do for introductions. Now to address the task at hand. Esther looked at the fancy box the woman set down on the table. [color=74c3a2]"Now dear, I don’t think you mentioned what was in that box. I have a feeling it’s some sort of apparatus to collect data, but I’d like to confirm. Speaking of collecting, what’s with the walls?"[/color] She looked to the walls, or more specifically, the runes on them. [color=74c3a2]"That seems like some strong warding to discuss a simple data retrieval job."[/color]

It might not have been apparent to the others, but as an artificer, she could tell exactly what the runes were supposed to do. Her harp had several runes etched into it to enhance the sound, and spotting ones that were designed to deaden it were easy to spot. That, and she had accidentally carved the wrong rune on her prototype harp prior and it couldn't play music.