It had been a pleasant afternoon. MacKensie Trydant made for a wonderful hiking partner. She was pleasant as always, uplifting his spirits with her conversation and personality. Even if she seemed a little less confident than usual, it didn't detract from his feelings for her. If she needed a mental lift, he would be there like he was when he gave her a physical one at the top of the mountain. All of this made for quite the contrast with the man Adam now faced.


[b]"What?"  As soon as Adam started talking, he was interrupted.  "Not interested."


And the door slammed shut.[/b]


The red-eyed man stood there, stunned. Glee said he was grumpy, but he didn't expect this level of the "get off my lawn" mentality. As he was trying to process everything and decide how to proceed, his thoughts were interrupted. 


[b]"Alright!"[/b]


The fisherman decided to say nothing as the old elf went on, up until he mangled his name. Upon trying to correct him, the younger man was interrupted.


[b]"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS!"[/b]


Adam was about to respond in a similar tone, but he remembered something his father told him about another person who was less than pleasant to deal with.


[i]"Now, your uncle isn't an…ideal person, that's true. And you don't have to like him. Please be cordial though. Not for him, but for me."[/i]


This person certainly wasn't related to Adam, but Glee held a high regard for him. And more importantly, this shapeshifting magic could help the team and potentially save innocent lives. For that, it was worth tolerating a little crankiness.


[b]"Adahl... rank of your party - speak."  After that. "Ascended? Specialization?"


He gestured to the soil.  "Show me your skills.  Replicate a small tree native to this moutain.  You walked past enough of them right?  Well, chop-chop!"[/b]


The younger Druid answered the questions briefly and evenly, then nodded when asked to grow a tree. Without moving from the spot he was at, he used his magic and grew a perfect tree, precisely as he did to ascend the mountain in the first place.


"One thing though," Adam said after he was finished, maintaining the tone he had used since the beginning, "she isn't pointless." He could tolerate grouchy nonsense, but he wouldn't tolerate an insult to his friend. "Can we begin the lesson please?"