Vigil remained silent as ever as he followed the rest of the group into the palace, and kept close to the Wooden One and the Zephyrite he had just fought beside. While they were just as much strangers as anyone else here, seeing them come to his and each other's aid during that fight with no hesitation had earned them his respect and gratitude, and as such, allowed him to feel more comfortable in this unfamiliar situation. That being said, he did take his eyes of them for a moment when he noticed the two familiar urchins he had seen outside the palace being escorted by the guards, along with someone he didn't recognize - a member of the Kin of Du'Eld. Vigil tilted his head slightly as he watched the trio, wondering if the latter was the children's guardian as he seemed protective of them. When he noticed the Behemoth boy looking over at him, Vigil's usually guarded expression softened slightly and he gave a nod in his direction.
He ate the meal that had been prepared for them quite heartily, with a vigour that implied he hadn't had a good meal in quite some time, but like his companions, refused the wine after taking a brief sniff of it. He didn't partake in alcohol very often anyway, as he knew what such intoxicants could do to a warrior's mind and reaction time. If the Tralaya had attacked so suddenly before, who's to say that similar swarms might descend upon the palace in the near future? He needed to be on alert to make sure he and his companions weren't taken off guard again.
After being fed and cleaned, they were finally escorted to the audience chambers to see this Princess. Vigil listened to her address the room with the same stoic expression as before. However, there was a moment, when Mildred mentioned 'noble Behemoths' answering her summons, where Vigil cast his eyes downward for a moment, as if embarrassed or ashamed. It took a few moments before he raised his head again and continued to listen, though anyone looking in his direction may noticed his eyes seemed a little unfocused, as if part of his mind was somewhere else during all of this.
He did seem to snap back to full attention when Mildred opened the floor to the others, particularly when she mentioned giving rooms to the two children. He didn't have much time to think about that, however, as Amaryllis stepped forward and began speaking. There was a break in his stoicism as he listened to her explain the plight of her people, revealing concern. For Amaryllis' people, yes, but also for his own. It had been a while since he had been in the Badlands, and he wondered if similar horrors had befalling his tribe. His tail swished anxiously from side to side as Amaryllis finished her speech.
Then the Kinsman of Du'Eld spoke up, and unlike Amaryllis, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that he had not come here of his own will, nor did he seem to have any respect for the royalty he was addressing. He also revealed that, contrary to what Vigil had first thought, these children were not his wards, and he'd merely stumbled across them, likely during the chaos that had happened earlier. Vigil watched him for a moment, considering the man's words and expression. He was blunt, yes, but he recognized his anger came from a place of compassion, not a desire to hurt or cause anarchy.
There was a pause after the man had spoken, and Vigil glanced over at the Zephyrite to see if she was going to say anything. After a moment, when he saw she was planning to stay silent - something he himself would have done under normal circumstances - he decided to speak up.
"Vigil, of the Tough Shell tribe," he introduced himself, revealing his voice for the first time since setting foot in the palace walls. His voice was very deep, gruff, and as he continued, he spoke slowly, with longer sentences punctuated with pauses in odd places that indicated that speaking took a lot of effort for him.
"And I agree with... this man here..." He nodded over at the Kinsman.
"If these children are involved, err, everyone here should know why and, err, what you intend to say to them. Or anything else you might know that we do not." He glanced around at the whole room.
"If you want our help, you ought to be, err, open with us." He fell quiet and took a small step back to show he had said his piece.
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