You have to hand it to Oban nobles, they certainly don’t pull any strings when it comes to their entertainment. If you had tried to coax her into a nobleman’s party only a few years ago, Shalvesta would have fiercely declined, and pulled herself as far from the festivities as humanly possible. Now, however, with a few years experience under her belt, she realized that it was very unlikely that anyone would spare a glance towards one of the hired muscle for the jamboree, and even if they did it was unlikely that anyone would look at her and remember the young, scared little thing she used to be.

That being said, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that although her job was to guard and prevent an explosion of chaos at this noble’s party, without her own robe of nobility to hide behind she was as likely to be dragged into her ‘better’s’ whims as anyone else.

It was a cool night, as it usually was in the deserts of Oba. Dozens of richly dressed guests reclined and spoke in a constant buzz, exhaling puffs of incense from long, ivory pipes, dark skin warm and molten under the glow of lamplight. Settled under the glorious stars in an outside garden, they sat amongst foreign flowers and imported, glowing crystals, enjoying delicacies from far away. One benefit of opening trade between Oba and the north was the plethora of foreign, strange fruits and nuts to eat, rare meats and and foreign recipes - but seven years of trade meant that such things were no longer rare enough for the more refined palate.

The discovery, and the finds from Yael were still a relative mystery. A large creature had been, somehow, descaled and roasted - although from what Shalvesta could tell, the nobles didn’t quite like the meat, but fawned over the delicately prepared organs. The keldari had been skinned and grilled in a fruity sauce, which the guests were devouring with gusto - when a servant appeared at her elbow, tugging her off. “The tinturral has escaped.” The young man whispered, looking around shiftily. Shal’s eyebrows shot high, and a smirk fell on her lips before she could stop herself. “Really - how does one lose track of such a large beast?”

The servant shot her a look, but quickly ducked his eyes, rubbing his hands together nervously. “It’s worth a fortune. Just… just LOOK for it, will you?” Once the message was delivered, the matori couldn’t get away fast enough. Shal watched him go, her lips pursed, then huffed a soft sigh and did as she was told, waving off the look the guard she’d been stationed with gave her.

It would have helped immensely if she knew what she was looking for, or even the behavior of the beast - but all she knew was that the Tinturral was similar to a bushi in that it has a shell on its back, but instead waddled about on small legs. It was broad in width and length, but short in height, but Shal doubted it could have ambled away so slowly. Making a face, she continued her search. A handful of other guards had been grabbed, and they were making their way around the garden. With that handled, she could focus on either the periphery of the garden, which turned into sand as it neared the edge of the property, or the soft sand and gravel that lined the bottom of the man-made oasis. Was it an amphibian, like a bushi? It was possible, but then again if it was aquatic wouldn’t it have been spotted before, off the coast of the mainland? Or would it not have been able to make it that far? Confusing.

Shaking her head, Shal instead decided to scope the edge of the property, walking along the interior of the wall that fenced in the garden, the uniformed boots of the guard uniform she had been given sinking into the soft, refined sand. Only the best for the nobles’ manmade garden, she thought with a sneer. Continuing to skim the wall, Shal took another step - only for her foot to land on something very solid. Hissing, she quickly hopped forward, off of the strange formation - then spun around to stare as something emerged from the sand: the tinturral. With its mouth open, as if threatening to bite, it quickly shuffled forward. Its shell had been meticulously cleaned of any shrubbery that may have once grown on it. Moving quickly out of range of its mouth, Shal made a face and eyed the creature, wondering how to move it. It was large - she could grab it by the edges of the shell, but could she even lift it? Doubtful.

Even if it escaped into the wilds, it would likely die or be scooped up by someone else. With a glance back, however, Shalvesta knew it would be made into dinner if she returned it. It really mattered very little - she didn’t have any qualms about eating the creature, but she had to admit that releasing such an ‘expensive’ thing would be just the sort of kick to nobility that she had come to enjoy. Biting her lip to contain herself, Shal gently ducked to grasp the edges of the shell, huffing out a laugh as the tinturral wriggled and made a shrill growl in response. “You might roast out there, or someone will find and tame you - who knows?” She hushed, grinning crookedly to herself. Although unable to lift it, she could rotate it until it crawled towards one of the servants’ gates at the edge of the wall - and, once it had made it there, she opened it and held it open as the slow creature ambled past. Then, she gingerly closed the gate, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Be free!” She whispered, hushed and laughing, before schooling her features and continuing her route around the wall, sneaking glances towards the crowd beyond. In the dark of the edge of the wall, no one had seen her - and she was glad to leave it that way.