Welcome to Gaia! ::

Flavours slotted themselves neatly into Viltre's mental organization, nicely rounding out the grocery list he'd already compiled. A green eye tipped a wink her way from atop the cheeky beanpole. "Think one of those is poisonous, but you're the better cook between us. I'm sure my last meal will be delicious." Of course there had been that ancient chieftain who'd got obsessed with becoming immune to toxins, and had died as he lived: not dying from poison. What was his name again? Mother loved mentioning him. Mithrad... Mith... Date something, irrelevant.

The voice maintained its warmth, even as the topic bled away its cheer. "We find one, we get data for the other. Even just where they went might help. Wouldn't worry too much about her safety; these were professionals, not halfwit thugs. They wouldn't harm such valuable stock." Children had a lot of potential for investment; opportunities like that were worth their weight in metals. The grimmer examples of that investment, though... best not to let Variel dwell on them. Her pity would be distracting for all involved. "If she's anything like her sister, our 'Xi might currently be escaping, from buyer or snatcher. And that's the sort of thing to cause ripples of talk, rumours. Outlandish ones, maybe, but those aren't too hard to whittle down."

And she already knew her toxins! If this kept up, he'd have a Friend whose company he could simultaneously enjoy and with whom talk shop! That, more than today's profits, put an extra bounce in Viltre's step. There were deals to make and friendships to solidify, both of them valuable opportunities. Future winnings so often proved more interesting than the current crop for motivation. "I'll see about picking up a measure of that catalyst, see if we can't keep a smidge on-hand."

A tuneless series of notes whistled out from between pursed lips. "I've a secret for you, as a bonus for your good work today: I haven't planned any of this out. It's all down to gambling at dice and cheating the table every chance we get. I'm an excellent cheat, but skill isn't what's going to net us success. ...Not mine, anyhow." No, their real victory lay in the friends they made along the way. Elaxi would, by her uncle's reckoning of the odds, make her way home one way or another, and likely before too long. As concerned with her immediate health as he was, his concern with his niece's long-term well being stood slimmer by contrast. But with the network, they could prevent further issues in this vein.