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Amira's response to her cousin's response was a quiet one, almost nothing, in fact. But the occasional tilt of her head, and the flick of her eyes, suggested study. Yet study seemed to be all she did, not rising in response, not even upon her own lip. Her lip did not even part in answer to his accusations of vulgarity, presumption, and simply uncouth behaviour. All she did was lift her fingers to the side of her head, and rest her temple upon them, looking slightly upward at the ceiling. A 'really now?' perhaps. "Not much, really, which has its own tale to tell, I would say." She spoke in answer to the question as to what she found in her time among the Marish, signalling with her free hand to the footman to ask for the same drink. "Chief among their concerns is that they already be seen as restored to stature. That can continue on, business as usual, where so many others are still struggling to recover. In this, they are to be commended..." She let her words linger in a way that suggested a lack of completion, until the footman had departed to gather their sustenance.   "They're almost as good at illusions as I am." Amira concluded with something approximating a smile. "After all, surely a family that could arrange such an elaborate debut for their daughter but days ago must in the best of financial states. And it is most certainly a good estate they have found for themselves, though if there are secrets here, I believe they belong to the prior owners, not its current denizens." Amira shifted in her seat, one leg over the other. The hand that had held up her head now rested upon the arm of her seat, as she leaned in slightly. "I would certainly say the women of this family are the greater prize, so, congratulations dear cousin." She told Ampelos, before reclining once again. She relaxed as she quipped, "If there's any shame in that this is not being a matrilineal affair, it will be the library here. There are so many good books from the continent here, fiction or otherwise. I was happily occupied by them, and our hosts were happy to have me occupied. I even have once here..." She said, reaching across onto the table to hold up a work with the title of...   A Holiday in Ignatz   A sequel to the best seller, clearly.

Once Ren was alone in his room, the first thing he did was locate the bathing area and begin to draw himself a bath. As he disrobed, he caught sight of himself in the full length mirror in a corner of the room. It never ceased to amaze him how little his body reflected his actual age. The toned, athletic physique of his youth had remained unchanged, Even his face was more or less the same as it had been; though that was where his age was most obvious. The streaks of white in his hair had become more pronounced as it had grown out during the trip. He took his time in the bath, letting the warmth soak into his body. Once he was done, he would meditate until he was called by the queen.

The mud quickly turned to red grass, the brush remained green. The land was warm, a fairly comfortable temperature. Small red particles began filling the air, lighting up the shadowed areas. Despite being so open, the land has little to no life. It seemed devoid, abandoned. It must not have offered much, catering to no one. Vito kneeled, his hand brushing over the crash. 'Doesn't seem harmful.' 'It most likely offers little in terms of sustainability, life not able to thrive in such environments.' The red particles appeared to be seeds, floating whilst releasing a bioluminescent light. It was faint during the daylight, but when under shadows it was strong enough to be seen from many meters away. Vito sat down, begging to right down notes on the obscure but basic environment.  

Vito watched as the shy girl suddenly ran up and back down the stairs in lighting speed, Kendra's little legs raising each other. With a heavy thud she came back downstairs with a large bag, eagerly ready to go. An older girl named Kendra came forward, giving Vito the papers to sign. Once all was complete, he stood up and gave the girls a pat on the head. "No problem. Thank you for everything, Dhizzandra. They'll be under good care, we'll make sure to come visit in the future. " Vito turned his attention to his now adopted daughters. "Come on ladies, let's go home. Jestaira, you as well." Vito held the door open, they all gave one final wave as the trio of girls followed him out. They began walking down the hill, the jester making the children laugh as they slowly got further away.  

Ankou focused on the jade armband; concentrating on the portal in front of him. The resistance of the Demon Lord was almost a physical presence; like trying to move through a pool of quicksand. Still, slowly but surely, the lich was overcoming the Lords efforts to hinder him. It seemed the creature had grown complacent after centuries of going unchallenged. But Ankou was more powerful than he'd ever been. He was ready for this fight, and he would take his enemies throne for himself. With renewed effort, he willed the portal open; and though the Demon Lord struggled mightily against him, he was able to open it fully. He looked to his companions and shouted for them to follow, closing the rift once they were all through.  Now they found themselves in a long passageway lined with torches constructed from bone. There seemed only one way to go, so he led the way forward.