Foriegn Affairs|Obsidian, Mount Humontis

[Deleted]

Layla had take some time to gather to entourage and made her way to the Village of the newly moved in Faerie that were living there.

She was dressed warm for the winter, but never in anything fancy like one might expect from the leader. It just didn't suit her. She also asked that her contingent dress as casually as possible to avoid ruffling any feathers. They were just there to ask questions.

As she approached the limits of the village she expected to see guards.

[Kender Bard]

And, as expected, there were a few sentries. These were full fledged faeries, not the feylings that Layla had been used to working. Only when they'd reached the borders of the village did they reveal themselves. One was tall and humanoid, resembling a woman wrapped and covered in spider webs. They did little to hide anything. Her 'hair' was made of the same stuff. Her partner was a little less graceful in appearance; he was squat and fat and looked vaguely like a pumpkin had been given a lizard's head, legs, and tail. He only came up to the other faerie's waist.

"Hold," he told them in a nasally voice. "You've come to Atarain, the faerie territory. What business have you?"

[Deleted]

" I'm MiLady Layla Willow, I request audience with the Queen on official business." She said in her professional tone, but still polite. Then she held the Seal of Humontis as proof of her authority.

[Kender Bard]

"Wait here," the little lizard faerie told her and scuttled off deep into the forests. The spiderweb faerie just stood with her arms crossed, looking bored and unimpressed by it all.

A while longer, more than was strictly necessary, Atarai arrived. On one side was Darcy, the young feyling girl. On another side was a taller, more mature feyling woman, her eyes closed her head bowed slightly. Her fingers were laced together. There was no evidence of guard behind her, but as the spiderweb faerie all but disappeared in front of their eyes, there didn't need to be any evidence of them to know that they were likely watching over their queen.

[Skittlebug]

Darcy walks beside Atarai with a friendly grin, looking over the Earth leader and sizing her up compared to her own Queen. The young girl is dressed much finer than most of the feylings Layla has seen, with a couple of intricately woven pieces. Her yellow sprite stands on one of her shoulders, doing her best not to fidget with excitement.

[Deleted]

Layla nodded her head to the Queen in polite greeting. "Good day to you Queen Atarai" She smiled. "I hope the lands have been treating you well."

[Kender Bard]

"Very well," Atarai answered with a slight bow of her own head. "It is a good land. The trees here are more amiable to the needs we ask of them. The feylings are more comfortable than they were before and your people have kept a respectable distance."

[Deleted]

Layla smiled honestly pleased to hear the news. " That's wonderful. I'm pleased to hear it. As much as I would like this to be a social call unfortunately I am here on business. Shall we talk here or somewhere more private?" She asked

[Kender Bard]

"I'm afraid that I have no elaborate chambers to which to take you," Atarai answered. "But if you would prefer the semblance of privacy, we can go in deeper into our sanctuary." She gestured to the path they had taken to meet with Layla. "What is it that you seek me out? To discuss matters of trade, perhaps?"

[Deleted]

Layla began to walk figuring that Atarai would follow.

"If only it were that simple. " She smiled. " Actually I received some distressing news and I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me." Her tone was honest, and simple as ever. Layla wasn't one to play games, or assume things, but tried to play as direct as possible without offending.

[Kender Bard]

"I will endeavor to," Atarai answered, falling in step to the side and a pace behind Layla. The feyling with her hands clasped turned and followed behind Atarai wordlessly.

[Deleted]

Taking a deep breath Layla began. " I receive a distress notice from my allies in the Beastlands requesting my military assistance to fight off an invading force. The force he says are the Faerie in that area. " She said after pausing a moment she continued. " I don't make assumptions, therefore I'm not making the assumptions that you or yours having anything to do with this, and I am not assuming that you don't. But I can not in good conscious make a decision either way until I know as much about what I'm looking at as I can. " She said keeping her pace as casual as her posture.

[Kender Bard]

"That's an interesting statement and it's good of you to not jump to conclusions," Atarai told Layla. "That puts you a cut above many humans. I like to think it's one of the reasons we've gotten along peaceably."

[Deleted]

Layla nodded. " This puts me in a distressing position, and I would like to know more. For example, were you even aware of this?" She asked her tone as honest and sincere in her questions, and as always she expected an honest answer since she was being so honest in turn.

[Kender Bard]

"I was," Atarai agreed. "I met with the Packleader before coming here to Atarain. He was very angry with me right from the start and leveled some rather sharp accusations at me. An altogether very disagreeable man. He told me to get out of his lands, shouting and demanding. At the time, Atarain was not completely ready for our people and I was not prepared to move. And besides that, the Beastlands is our ancestral home. We've always been very careful to not interfere with the Beasts if we could help it. He was unsatisfied with the answer, threatened war with me."

She tilted her head slightly and regarded Layla soberly. "We're not so great in numbers and power that we cannot treat threats as promises. I have to protect my people. It's why so many faeries and feylings have come to Atarain. I didn't want to see them overrun by a mad Beast army." She lay a hand lightly over her heart. "My consort remains behind with some of our more battle capable brethren, trying to protect themselves and any straggling fey. I worry deeply for his life."