Nathe laughed softly. He grew quiet, though, seeming to think over his next words. His smile relaxed as he regarded Mel. "I do hope I'm being a good representative of my people. I was worried my joking or flirting might come off badly. Drow are always taught to not mince words. Say what we want without consequence." He explained in a soft voice, truly worried over offending the elf in their time together.

"You have given me no reason to feel offended, I assure you." she promised, a comforting smile spreading over her features. "Only it's simply a little different, I'm not used to one being quite so direct without, as you say, 'mincing your words'." Mel grimaced slightly as she repeated the phrase, as if she had trouble forming the words. It was certainly one she had not heard before herself, so using it seemed a bit strange to her.

Nathe shrugged in response, keeping his smile on his lips. "We aren't as proper as you elves, but I don't mind our way of speaking," he explained. "What's the point in not being direct? It causes misdirection and confusion."

Mel considered this point for a moment and slowly nodded in agreement. "True...I suppose you are right there." the forest elf shrugged. "But again, I'm sure you find some of our word choices strange too, so we're even in that respect."

Nathe nodded at her remark. "Sounds very formal and restrained, to me," he stated. "Nothing wrong with it. I'm just not used to it, really." He smiled a bit. "I guess it's lucky I had practice before coming up here. One of our elders was a big proponent for reaching out to the forest elves." The memory brought a smile to his face, one of the few find memories of his cavern dwelling family.

"So the rumours are true, then." a smile of her own crossed the forest elf's face. When she was younger and still in training, there had been rumours spread among some of the younger soldiers that there were some Drow who still had interest in learning their ways, but they had been quickly dispelled and rebuked by the older elves. "I heard of them a while ago, but the older elves told us it was false information, they said we should not talk about it any longer."

The young drow laughed at that. "I'm surprised those rumors reached this far. I don't know about a group of drow...but there was one. He was my teacher," Nathe explained with a fond smile on his face. "Taught me what he could of the way we lived when we were one race. Before the fall of Lord Inioch and Lady Elwyn. His memory is long and he was one of the brash fools who thought Elwyn was weak willed. Always used to tell me how old age had changed his perspective." He let out a small chuckle. "He told me that one of his last wishes were to see his tree dwelling brethren again. I took it upon myself to see that wish carried out through me instead." He offered a shrug as he finished his story. "That's a more detailed explanation of why I'm here, if it interests your superiors. I know they want you to find out about the drow from me."

"You heard that, did you? Hm." Mel nodded again, knowing there was no use in trying to lie to him as he was clearly keener of hearing, and better in common sense, than that. Looking around them as if to judge who would be in earshot, if anyone, when she was satisfied that none would overhear the next question she leaned slightly closer to whisper. "I know it probably is not my place to ask, but how did you become injured? The others may believe our little story, but I cannot help but wonder on it myself."

Nathe tapped his pointed ear lightly as she seemed surprised that he had known. "I may live underground, but we have the same natural advantages that you all have," he replied. At her question, though, his smile faltered, unsure how to answer the question. There was too much riding on this whole thing to talk about the conflicts he faced on his way here...but she also seemed trustworthy in all of this. After all, wouldn't she be in trouble if she were found out to have lied to her leader?

After a moment, he let out a sigh. "If I tell you, it does not leave this room. Please," he said softly. "I am open about a lot of things concerning my people, but this...this, I don't want to get back to your leader. Not when I'm trying to establish a relationship with your people." He paused a moment to wait for her response, steeling himself to believe her regardless of her answer.

Noting the change in his demeanour all of a sudden, she felt a weight of dread settle in her chest as it could only mean one thing. Whatever it had been was not good, and it had somehow involved his kin. Biting her lip, she reluctantly agreed not to speak word of it to anyone else. She had already lied to them once, keeping another secret seemed hardly difficult to her, especially if it would be so damaging to how her leader would react to their new guest.

Nathe nodded, staying silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. After a few moments, he began. "I...my brethren never gave me permission for this quest I set out on," he admitted quietly, almost too quietly for even her to hear with her heightened hearing. "No one believes in an alliance with the elves, let alone reforming into one society. I don't know of any others that wish for peace with your people. Only the late elder and myself." He paused a moment, seeming to recall something that was still fresh, even painful. "I...voiced my opinions when he passed a week ago. I admitted to my research and revealed to them all I had learned of our shared pasts. They...did not really care for that. I was imprisoned. Our leader was to speak with me and have me executed. I managed to escape by swiping a key from one of my guards, but...well, I couldn't avoid all of the guards in my escape."

His hand instinctively trailed back to his wound, holding it lightly. "This was my reward for seeking peace. Kind of ironic, huh?" He smiled, despite the topic they were currently discussing. "They lost me in the woods. Well...really, I lost my way entirely in the woods. We don't know how to navigate forests. In the caverns, we have methods for tracking, but...above ground is a lot harder for us." He frowned a bit. "The only real consolation here is that they probably assume you've killed me at this point. Why would you trust a drow?"

"I do not know if I would call it trust." she admitted evasively. "More so that I just could not watch you die there like that." the forest elf's shoulders rose and fell in another half-hearted shrug. "It would not be the first time, nor will it be the last, that I have done something foolish."

"No, of course not," Nathe agreed with a small smile. "I did not mean to assume you trust me. I'm speaking from my brothers' point of view. They assume you've killed me, as they would you if the positions were reversed." He shrugged slightly before bowing his head. "I don't ask you to trust them or anything. I want you to simply give me a chance to change your mind on this. Let me show you that we aren't all monsters and, maybe, I'll have something to show them as a result. You have no reason to trust me or my people, just as we have no reason to trust you yet either. I'm just the stupid upstart that decided to throw caution to the wind and put all of my faith in at least one of you being as kind-hearted and understanding as the elder who taught me."

"Well perhaps it was not such a far-fetched hope." the she-elf pointed out with a faint smile of her own. "There certainly is nothing preventing me from trusting you eventually." she reasoned, choosing her words carefully. Leaning back against the wall, a curious twinkle entered her eyes. "You have brothers? What's that like?" Mel had no siblings of her own, though she had always been curious as to what it would have been like to have had an older or younger sibling in the family.

Nathe looked at her in confusion for a few moments before understanding entered his eyes and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. You must not use the same terminology," he replied. "I call my people brothers and sisters. I have no one that I consider a blood related sibling. That I know of, anyway. Drow relationships aren't always the most faithful of things." He paused as he thought on that before shaking his head. "Besides, most relationships like that are seen as weak." He shrugged, looking over at her. "Sorry for the confusion."

"Oh, I see." Mel nodded slowly as she took in the information, he was right, she wasn't familiar with addressing non-blood relatives in such a way. "Well, I guess that's another thing that makes us different, then."

Nathe nodded. "A small part, perhaps, but yes," he agreed with a small smile. "I refer similarly to your people. My lost brethren...or my brethren of the forests. The elder I learned from would often speak in such a way. That's just my way of speaking, though. My people, as a whole, do not particularly care for that sentiment." He scratched the back of his head, unsure how this was going. He seemed to only have bad things to say about how the drow viewed the forest elves. It wasn't a lie, though, and he had stuck to the fact that he would no lie to Mel. If he could not trust them to try, why should they ever trust him?

"No, I don't imagine they would." Mel agreed softly. "At least you were brave enough to stand by it, though. If any of my kin thought the same way of your people I doubt they would admit it so openly." any such talk was always quieted quickly by those of higher rank. It seemed foolish to her, the Elves had enough of an enemy in the humans already, they didn't need to be fighting amongst themselves.

"Brave or foolish," Nathe pointed out with a small smile. "After all, this is my reward." He patted the wound at his side, thankful for the numbing effect of the medicine now as he sat there. "At least your people don't grow violent with those beliefs. I just have to prove to them that we're not all bad. Nothing will get solved without an example of peace. I just don't want to let this sit until it grows into actual conflict." He leaned back again into his seat, stifling a yawn as he explained. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're willing to give me the benefit of the doubt without any proof give of my sincerity."

"Well, I don't know if would say I trust you yet." Mel protested indignantly, resting her feet up on an unused stool. "Just perhaps that I am not as close-minded as the rest of my kin. Or that I am foolishly curious, it was bound to backfire on me sooner or later." she grimaced slightly at the thought of the scolding she was no doubt in for in the near future. "Father will have plenty to say on it when he finds out, I am sure."