private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"Hunh?"  Dax casually glanced over his flank, like he was trying to find something else to talk about.

 

"Him?  That's Redd - he's a forepony.  Not a nice one, either.  Still, he does his job and makes his bits... but, he's also a bit of a brownmuzzler, to be kinda honest." 

 

Dax at least had the civility to blush a bit.

 

"He's also a snitch for my Father sometimes, so keep that in mind if he says anything to you."

 

With that, Dax led the unicorn around the bend.  The last thing he saw was the red pony's wild yellow mane... and noticed a horn buried in it.

 

Eventually, they reached the manor house, and Dax grew quiet.  For a moment, Illiad could hear the howl of the wind, tearing through the jagged edges in the cliffsides around them both.  When the gusts blew a certain direction, he could feel them; they were crisp and chilly, but clean.

 

Which brought up the thought: if this is a mine, shouldn't there be smokestacks or some other sort of run off?

 

Upon reaching his guest room door, Dax turned and regarded Illiad with a smile.

 

"Okay.  Look, I'm..."

 

He paused, then simply hugged Illiad.  The stallion was happy to have a friend.  Stepping back, Dax beamed at him.

 

"I'm really glad you're here.  This is gonna be fun - for both of us, I hope."

 

With that, Dax started to walk off - then over his flank, he asked, "How do you like the hot tub?" with a sheepish grin.  He disappeared around the corner before Illiad could ask about it.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Sometimes I forget he's almost an adult. He acts so childish some times.

 

Illiad entered his room, noticing his other robes folded neatly on the bed and his cloak hung nearby. He quickly unfolded the robes and rolled them tightly so they wouldn't crease. He then removed his other set before rolling them in a similar manner. He didn't entirely know what Dax meant by hot tub, as he didn't remember there being one in his room, was he referring to Silver? He supposed he would never know. Illiad proceeded to try the bed, which he found to be far too soft. He then moved the blankets to the large cushion in the corner, which he found to be a bit more firm and much more comfortable to him.

He realized then how quiet it was, the walls blocked the little sound that existed outside the room and thus it was almost silent in the room. In Deltrot he had grown used to the soft blowing of wind that kept his house cool during the day, its absence was a bit unnerving to him.

 

He pulled out his diamond and fashioned it into a sort of fan, it would remain powered by the energy he had collected and it should last long enough. it generated a similar noise to what he was familiar with and within moments he was peacefully asleep.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Slowly, Illiad began to notice the cushion, which was soft and well-made, was beginning to sink - seemingly into the floor.

 

After a closer investigation, he discovered that there were hinges on one side.  Curious, he lifted the cushion... and beneath it, installed into the floor, was a pony-sized tub of cool, crisp water; it was big enough to bathe in!  On the side of the tub was a hoof-sized blue button, with a tube running down from it to somewhere beneath the water.  The cushion itself was seemingly removable from the hatch it was attached to; it wouldn't be difficult to do so, either. 

 

Seems that there was more than first meets the eye all around when it came to the Blackwaters.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Hmm, I certainly didn't expect that. Could this be what Dax meant? I suppose a bath would be a good way to start the day.

 

As the room lacked windows there was no easy way to tell how much time had passed, the diamond wasn't much dimmer so he assumed that it hadn't been long. He removed the cushion from the hatch and placed it next to the newly discovered bathtub. He once again set in to sleep, hoping that there would be no other surprises that night.  

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

[DAY 2]

 

Illiad awoke after a very restful sleep; it turned out that the cushion was more firm than first thought - it slept nicely, and Illiad felt that it might have been even better than the bed!  There was the scent of freshly baked apples that was wafting through the air; breakfast, maybe?

 

After taking care of the typical morning necessities, Illiad opened the door to head into the hallway-

 

*SPLASH!*

 

He was suddenly and completely covered in what appeared to be tomato soup... cold tomato soup, at that.  The bucket that had been tied above his door fell onto his head with a hollow thump.  Somewhere down the hallway, there was the sound of a self-satisfied giggle.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

My reflexes are simply awful these past two days. Well, I was going to take a bath anyway. It's a good thing I haven't gotten dressed yet.

 

Illiad simply stood partially out of the doorway for a moment as he sought out Oglevy's emotional signature. If I can hear him then I can feel him. Once he found him he briefly considered fusing the pot to his head, but decided the pot was more useful as evidence to his transgressions. Instead he once again wished he had a supply of fear with him, but the unease he picked up earlier would have to do. He pushed the unease into Oglevy, and had a small amount of pleasure as his signature quickly went nervous, hopefully contemplating the consequences of his actions. Illiad then returned to his room, closing the door before removing the pot from his head. He removed as much of the soup as he could from his coat, placing it back in the pot, before he entered the cool water he had discovered the previous night. He sat mostly submerged in the water, just his eyes and nose above the surface, as he contemplated how he was going to proceed from here.

The soup will be a pain to remove from the carpets no doubt, thus they will sit as evidence for some time, I don't know how he thinks he can get away with this.

Illiad quickly cleaned himself before stepping out and drying his coat before wrapping it in his robes. He dried his mane and tail in a similar manner, leaving them a bit floofier than the day before, but they began to settle as he moved.

He reentered the hallway, this time making sure that there was no secondary trap, carrying the pot in his magic so it could not be stolen easily. As he looked either way down the hall he realized he had no idea where to proceed from here. So he decided to wait in his room until someone came for him.

 

He left the door open to signify that he was awake. He retrieved the three marks that the gem was holding, he began to experiment with different combinations as he waited patiently.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"Good morning, sir."

 

A butler pony (maybe it was Beck?) poked his head through the doorway, politely averting his eyes from where Illiad was.

 

"The Blackwaters are already at breakfast, but I was told to escort you to them as soon as you awoke.  I trust everything was in order last night?"  He grinned.  "I'll dare say Master Dax nearly talked my brother's ear off about it."

 

He eyeballed the carpet for a moment... then simply said, "Oglevy."  With a sigh, he seemed to make a mental note it, then turned to await Illiad's reply, standing straight and dignified.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"I suspected as much."

 

Illiad had managed to combine the symbols into a complex, yet understandable symbol. It took the key elements of each mark and intertwined them in a sort of braid pattern, with Dax's serving as a sort of background. He returned the design to his robe and merged the leftover with his diamond before approaching the butler with the soup pot in tow.

 

"I don't know how he expects to get away with this. Please, do take me to the others, I want to see what happens when I tell the parents about this morning's events."

 

Seemingly coming to himself he shakes his head and turns to face the butler. "Sorry about that, I got a bit dramatic there. The room was quite comfortable if not a bit too quiet. Other than that I would like a towel or two brought in, I didn't notice any in there this morning and while magic can dry me fine it always leaves my mane a bit unmanageable. But enough of that, time is too short to worry about such trivialities, let's get this day underway."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

The butler lifted an eyebrow at Illiad's words, then actually gave a smile when he saw the pot.  "Very good, sir.  I shall personally see that your requests are fulfilled."

 

With that, the butler (Call, it was Call... right?) led Illiad along through the halls.  The smell of apples hung thick in the air, and only got moreso as they approached their destination.  Eventually, they came into the large, open kitchen.

 

It was, of course, expensive.  There were multiple grills, three iceboxes and, in the middle of it all, a large fire pit.  There was an extravagant table off to one side, which was where the Blackwaters were seated.

 

Luther was seated on a bench that was specifically designed for his frame; it looked quite comfortable.  He had a newspaper laid open in front of him, and was sipping at a cup of dark, aromatic coffee.  He looked up as Illiad entered, and nodded.

 

Vylia was seated at the other end of the table, and at her side was the other butler (was THAT Beck?), pouring thick red syrup over a small stack of pancakes in front of her.  She gave Illiad a smile.  "Oh, good morning Mr. Easle!  Won't you join us?"

 

Dax was sitting straight in his chair, though not primped and polished like he was yesterday.  After a quick glance at his folks, he gave the unicorn a small wave and a smile.  Dax looked (and felt) ready to go, even though his plate of fried apples and toast was yet to be touched.

 

Oglevy was sitting at the table with a stuffed dragon in his lap.  In front of him was a salad, a bowl of sliced apples and a tall glass of what appeared to be apple juice.  He was muttering to the dragon, lost in his own world, until he saw Illiad... and when he saw the pot, he frowned deeply, narrow eyes stabbing at the Trojan.

 

Finishing the pour, the butler next to Vylia set down the pitcher of syrup and promptly traded places with Illiad's escort.  "What would sir prefer for breakfast this morning?  Perhaps something as per a standard breakfast, or perhaps some Trojan fare, which I have looked into since sir's arrival?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad took an available seat. He almost spoke but remembered that he had an accent to uphold around the Blackwaters. He set in to the same accent he used at the tea party, just with less smugness so it would be similar enough to the accent he used with Mr. Blackwater.

 

"My you are quite accommodating aren't you? Well I wouldn't want your preparations to go to waste, I would like something simple, a bowl of dried oats with honey on the side if you please?"(Indeed Trojan meals are usually simple, breakfasts are usually uncooked but later meals can be a bit more involved.)

 

With his meal taken care of he turned back to the table at large, he gained the impression that this was not the sort of family to talk much during a meal so he simply set the pot next to him on the table waiting to be spoken to first. As he waited he retrieved the current seal design from his robes to make a few minor adjustments as he saw fit.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

As soon as told, the butler bowed and headed to the pantry.  It was mere moments before a bowl of top-grade oats was sitting in front of him, a small pitcher of fresh honey laid next to it.  As proper, he waited next to Illiad to be told to pour.

 

When the pot was set onto the table, there were mixed reactions:

 

Dax's eyes widened a bit, then he instantly turned to look at his little brother.  Obviously, he was familiar with the significance.

 

Oglevy's eyes snapped to the pot, then to Illiad; there was revenge in those irises, and it wasn't a pretty sight... and, perhaps, a bit of worry from Illiad's earlier mental push.

 

Vylia, in the midst of her pancakes, gave it a look like she expected it to begin dancing lewdly at any moment.  The butler behind her moved to take it away...

 

Luther, however, stopped him with a raised hoof.  He then gave it a look, then turned to Illiad.  "Why is this here?"  Straight to the point, as always.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

 Here we go.

 

Illiad turned to face Mr. Blackwater, a very slight smile on his face. "I'm glad you noticed, an interesting thing happened to me this morning. As I opened the door to my chambers this morning I found that someone had balanced this precariously above my doorway, and my opening of the door caused to to fall on me. Cold Tomato soup is not an enjoyable substance to have poured over you in the morning as I discovered. So I brought the pot with me as evidence of the occurrence. I hope this does not become a regular event."

 

That said he turned towards the breakfast that had been set before him, he elected to pour the honey himself, grasping the end of the honey wand in his magic to apply it in a thin spiral layer to his oats before mixing it throughout the bowl. As he tried the first spoonful he found that while the oats were not as dry as Trojan oats, their soft texture mixed better with the honey, in all it was a bit better than back home.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

All eyes turned toward Oglevy... except his were now turned to his dragon toy.  The words, however, decided to have a traffic jam...

 

"Tomato SOUP!?"

"I knew it!  Oglevy, you little rat!"

"DON'T call your brother a RAT, young colt!"

"Madam, the syrup!"

"Oh!  OH!  GAAAH!"

"Why does DAX get to have guests, but I DON'T?"

"You don't HAVE any friends!"

"STOP PATTING, YOU DOLT - IT'S STICKING!"

"Yeah, well YOUR friend's a NERD!"

"He is NOT!" 

"Maybe a wet towelette..."

"He is SO!"

"Well, GET SOMETHING!"

"I hate you!"

"I hate you!"

"ENOUGH."

 

The kitchen went dead quiet.

 

Luther set down his coffee and stood up.

 

"Oglevy - your work?"

 

"Father, I don't like it when-"

 

"YOUR WORK?"

 

Oglevy went silent, looked at the floor, and spoke softly.  "Yes, Father."

 

Luther stared holes into the colt's head, his gaze of disapproval searing the little pegasus with guilt.

 

"The empty room.  Two hours."

 

Oglevy's emotions went from angry and chastised to humiliated and chastised.  "No!  Father, I-"

 

One look at the elder Blackwater was all it took.

 

"... yes, sir."

 

"Apologize."

 

Oglevy scowled at Illiad for a moment.  "... I'm sorry..."

 

"Louder."

 

"I'm sorry - okay!?"  (His emotions said that was a lie, through and through.)

 

"Now go."

 

"But... breakfast..?"

 

"GO."

 

Oglevy stared for a moment more, then took to his wings and zipped out of the kitchen... as he went, he tried to knock the pitcher of honey off the table and onto Illiad, but the butler next to him was far too swift; not a drop spilled on the Trojan.

 

Luther sat back down, and calmly picked up his coffee.  Before returning to his paper, he turned to the unicorn.

 

"Apologies."

 

Vylia shoved the butler next to her; he collided with his twin, who steadied his brother and helped him regain his hooves.

 

"... I'll get it in the bath; Mr. Illiad?  Please excuse me - I'm a mess!"  She tossed a warm smile at him.  "Perhaps later, we can enjoy another tea time, hmmm?"  She rose from the table and left, both butlers following right behind her.

 

Dax looked grateful the fracas was over.  He was now stuck between focusing on his breakfast, and focusing on his friend.  He idly picked at his food; apparently, he'd picked his focus.  He gave Illiad one of his sheepish grins, and began eating.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

He's scary when he get's mad, I'll wait to show him my design until I'm sure it is perfected.

 

Illiad was a bit pleased at how things had turned out, Oglevy hadn't tried to claim that Illiad was lying about the incident and his actions would be more suspicious in the future, making repeat attacks harder. Illiad returned his attention to his breakfast as well, he found himself enjoying the differences in texture from what he had grown used too.

 

He called me a nerd? Like it was something to be ashamed of? Clearly he doesn't understand how valuable knowledge is to Trojan culture.

 

Illiad left the pot where it was so the butlers could put it where it belonged later, it wasn't long before he finished his breakfast and was left wondering what he was to do with the leftover dishes. He decided he would wait to see what the other two did when they finished. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther continued drinking his coffee, refilling it himself from the small pot next to him on the table.  He read his paper, the customary frown on his muzzle.

 

Dax stood up and, gathered his plates - and the pot as he passed it - and moved to one of the grand sinks at the sides.  Taking his time, he washed each dish carefully; the pot, he scrubbed, rinsed, and placed upside-down on the countertop.  Once that was done, he looked back toward Illiad, a questioning look on his face.

 

Luther turned a page.

 

"Father?  Will you be needing me for anything today?"

 

Luther glanced up.

 

"Schooling?"

 

"Cleared with Mother; off for the next two weeks."

 

"Chores?"

 

"Done before I came to breakfast."

 

"Errands?"

 

"One delivery to Taps, but nothing else."

 

Luther thought a moment, passed a glance at Illiad, then refocused on his son.

 

"Fine."

 

Dax grinned, and Illiad felt a small wave of love from Luther.

 

"Thanks Father - have a good day.  Mr. Illiad?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

They wash their own dishes? Interesting, not at all what I expected.

 

Illiad gathered his dishes as well, following Dax over to the sink. He watched how Dax washed so he could do the same. He then washed his own dishes after the same manner as Dax. That completed he turned to face Dax directly.

 

"Well, lead the way." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"Okay, c'mon!"  The young stallion almost bounded out of the kitchen.  

 

He led Illiad out of the manor and back to the quarry itself.  The whole way there, he espoused the virtues of the day-to-day routine and how everyone kept things in order.  Through it all, Illiad noticed that many of the workers either outright ignored them, or a general feeling of unease settled in among them... and it wasn't aimed at Illiad, either.

 

"Now, this is the central yard.  I know there's a lot of places we could check out: the iron shop, the boulder, the processing shed, the library... any of those places sound good, or do you wanna see the mines themselves?  I could show you where I got that-..."

 

He noticed what he was about to say out loud, then stopped himself.  After a look around, he continued softly.

 

"... that... thing I got for you.  Yeah.  So, where do you wanna go first?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

I wonder what's going on with the workers, something can't be right with all this unease floating about.

 

Illiad liked all the options presented to him, and thus had no real preference. However, seeing the source of the cloud diamond had been on his mind the longest...

 

"Why don't you show me where you found it first, if my hunch is correct I'll be able to tell if you found all of it or if there is more."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax grinned.  "I kinda figured you'd want to see the mines first - and that's not a problem at all!  We'll have to check in with the Head Forepony, Chuck List, but he shouldn't give us any trouble - he's kind of... gruff, sometimes... but he's a good, honest worker.  You'll see - c'mon!"

 

The two of them made their way over to the gaping hole in the side of the mountain.  As miners passed them, they kept giving them the eye... and, after a moment's observation, Illiad figured out a part of it; they were eyeballing DAX.

 

Reaching the huge cavern, Illiad spotted a gray and rather grumpy-looking pony, but as Dax walked up the pony gave a half-grin.

 

"Aayyy... dere's da fella!  Howyadoin' t'day, Daxie?"

 

"I'm doing GREAT, Chuck!  This is my friend, Illiad Easle; he's visiting for the week."

 

"Dat so?"  Chuck walked a circle around the unicorn, his eye looking him over thoroughly.  Illiad felt no ill will from Chuck, but there was a touch of concern.  After a moment, he stepped back and gave Illiad a half-grin as well.

 

"Youse seem arrite ta me; an' any friend o' Dax's is a friend o' mine."

 

"Chuck, Illiad wants to see the mines - would it be okay?"

 

Chuck rolled his eyes.  "Y'know, if your Faddah finds you down dere, yer gonna get it."

 

"Well, yeah... that's why I don't come down here, right Chuck?"

 

The forepony gave a slight chuckle, shaking his head.

 

"Helmets, you two.  An' keep 'im safe!"

 

Illiad found that Chuck's last words were aimed at Dax, not himself.

 

Gathering two green hardhats, Dax gave one to his friend and put one on himself.  These in place, he turned and motioned to a small side-tunnel.  "C'mon - it's not the lift, but it's more scenic!"

 

Dax started down into the tunnel, the small magical bulb on his hardhat glowing as he reached the darker spots.  Magical hardhat lights?  Perhaps they were Silver's hoofdywork as well?

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

I can keep myself safe thank you, even with the diamond fragmented.

 

Illiad followed Dax carefully through the mines as he did not want to get lost. He doubted that the caves would be any more scenic than the lift as they had likely already been stripped of anything worth looking at by now. But he kept his eyes peeled for any trace of cloud diamond in the walls. He brought out the diamond Dax had given him and shaped it into a sort of compass, but instead of a pointer, little blips would appear where cloud diamond was to be found, there was a large blip in the center where Illiad's diamond was.

 

"So... Is it a long walk down there? Not that I mind if it is to be sure, I would just like to know what to expect."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax kept trotting along.

 

"Well... it might take a minute or two to get there, but it'll be worth it - you'll see!  Anyway, the other reason I took the walkway is to show you what's left behind when all the gems get taken away.  I've seen huge caverns, spirals that seem like they go on forever, gigantic canyons... you name it!  There's a lot more down here than dirt, y'know?"

 

It was a bit of walking before Dax raised a hoof.  "Here... look at this..."  He motioned for Illiad to follow him around a corner, and when he did...

 

Around the corner, there was a severe and sudden drop (Dax pointed it out for him) that was only the border to a massive opening that seemed to stretch for miles straight down - but the beautiful part was that there was a waterfall that cascaded down the far walls, and beneath it's rushing surface were lots of small, glowing crystals that added a soft, blue/green glow to the entire sight.  It was surprising to find such a sight underground, but after only one day at the Blackwater Quarry, Illiad got the feeling that there was much, much more to this place than anypony would ever realize.

 

The compass diamond began to have some sort of issue; it seemed as if some sort of... cloud?... was starting to fade in at the edge of the compass face; it covered more and more of it as they went, and it was beginning to look like it might block out the entire view soon enough.

 

"Not much further."  Dax said.  "I'm pretty good at finding emeralds, so I can kinda use that ability down here to guide me places; wherever I don't feel them at, I just go there.  Better than having to use a map all the time, right?"

 

The young stallion grinned, and looked to Easle.  "We're pretty deep - this is where I like to go when I feel down during the day; nighttime has stars, so I can watch those then, but... well, in here it's cool and quiet.  REALLY quiet."

 

Dax really did seem like a pony who would grow up to be quite an individual.  Heck, every one of the Blackwaters were rather different in their own way - and though it wasn't obvious at first, there was a good deal of love here as well.  Maybe Illiad wasn't getting much actual 'culture', but he certainly was getting an interesting look into the lives of these ponies.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

This is simply unbelievable.

 

Once Illiad was able to pull his eyes from the splendor of the caverns he noticed the changes in the map. 

 

Either there is something interfering with the natural magic or the Blackwaters are sitting on the largest deposit of Cloud Diamond in the world.

 

Judging by the small size of the dots forming the cloud the deposits were microscopic, but the sheer volume of them indicated a collection of approximately the same size as what Dax had already found, and the cloud was still growing.

 

"I suppose your detection of Emeralds works much in the same way as my Empathic abilities. In that I can sense the approximate locations of those around me. I get better accuracy them more time I've spent around them, so long as they are within a certain distance. I can also tell where they've been if their emotions are strong enough."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Still walking, Dax got a thoughtful look on his face.

 

"Was it... difficult, learning how to use your empathy?  I mean, you said there was persecution; would it be too much to ask if I was... y'know, curious about how they- HEY!  There's one!"

 

Dax made his way forward, and pointed into the dirt.  There, amidst the pebbles, was about a coin-sized sliver of Cloud Diamond.

 

"See?  I told you!  We're about where I was when I found it - look!"

 

Dax crouched low, looking at it closely.  He glanced sideways, and scooted over to another.  There were tiny little chunks spread here and there - lots of them, all minute little pieces that were all over the cavern floor.  Dax beamed at Illiad.

 

"When I brought that big chunk up, Father looked it over, then gave it back to me.  If it's as valuable as you say it is, then I can't figure out WHY he'd do that... unless... Illiad, does my Father already know about all this?"

 

Admittedly, the spreading of the little bits might be an indicator of such; it almost seemed as if there was once a larger amount of... something... here.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Something isn't right here.

 

"I doubt your father really knows its true value if he knows this deposit exists at all. Otherwise he'd have the whole..."

Illiad stopped, he started looking about the cavern, he knew the diamond was throughout the area, you could see faint glimmers of it in the walls. "I suppose he must know, he's just leaving it here to keep it safe, letting it sit and accumulate into larger chunks then mine it when needed, so long as it is in the mountain it can't be stolen." Illiad turned towards Dax, "We should probobly ask your father directly before we extract anything, just in case." Illiad stowed the tracker he had built as he simply marveled at the immensity of the deposit.

 

Simply unbelievable.

 

"As to my Empathic abilities, the sensing was simply innate, I was born with it and didn't realize others couldn't feel the ponies around them. As to the actual manipulation... my mother taught me, she is Empathic too, though not quite as strong of one as I am. The rest I learned as I grew, it sort of came to me."

 

Illiad started to get a bit worried. "I am getting a bad feeling about this, it is simply too good to be true, it shouldn't naturally occur in this high of density. This feels like a trap if anything..."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"A trap?  Why would it be a..."

 

Dax began to look around nervously, his eyes widening as the implications of what was said began to sink in.  He looked at Illiad.

 

"Okay... I never thought of that."

 

The young Blackwater was a bundle of nerves for a moment, then he let a thoughtful look fall across his muzzle.

 

"Waaaaaaait a minute - I've been here LOTS of times; doesn't seem any different to me.  Illiad, I think you're getting a little paranoid... but..."

 

He gulped.

 

"... how do I know for sure?"