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Éliane had been delighted to hear Galahad back up her words with his own threats, if somewhat more polite and veiled than her own. With all the bravado of a jingoistic Skaelan, she admirably faced down the combined stone-faced stares of her own companions and the outraged faces of the grovemasters.

Almost immediately after the grovemasters spoke, she thought that it would come to conflict after all. It was clear to her that two of them still had their heads in Drana Asnaeu’s cursed sand, but somehow, and with a small degree of disappointment, the third actually seemed to possess the single braincell shared among them and actually seemed to listen to both her party’s words—and her and Galahad’s combined threats. 

Still, half an hour later, Éliane couldn’t help but to remain annoyed after the grovemasters returned their ‘decision.’ No outright cooperation, but completing a trial for worthiness? What sort of barbaric foreign ritual was that? Even worse, their judgment would rob them of a companion and their only healer to boot. Unfortunately, this was entirely within their sovereign right, as unworthy Éliane thought it was, and even she doubted that Skael would go to war with these concessions, as barebone as they were. 

[b]“I’m glad you were able to see [i]some[/i] reason,”[/b] Éliane finally replied, using her diplomatic voice. Her disdain showed through anyway before she last a look of sympathy towards Neve. “[b]However, Galahad is right. Without her, this decision is tantamount to sabotage, at best, without a healer on this journey…”
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