As Arthek listened intently to Doctor's words, his eyes were drifting over each of his companions as he took in their expressions and body language during this exposition dump. Obviously, he couldn't put
this scene in his next novel - thanks again, Grimi's eldrich benefactor - but he found it was always important to keep a read on your characters, to know what they were doing and thinking even when the reader wasn't privy to that information. It kept things consistent between scenes.
His eyes lingered on Iota in particular as she effortlessly took charge of the questioning, seeming to have gleaned some of this information already at an earlier point. That didn't surprise him so much. What did surprise him was how no one seemed to object to her presence here, not even Grimi who historically was not one to trust so easily.
However, even as the water genasi was asking all the right questions, there was one thing that was bothering the writer about the Doctor's explanation.
"Excuse me," Arthek interjected with a raised hand.
"Not to slow down the narrative or anything, but err, one thing is bothering me." He pointed to the doctor.
"If this stone is indeed what you claim, how did you come to realise its true nature? And if you could figure it out, how come no one else has?" He paused before quickly adding.
"Sorry, just, err, bit of a plot hole that I would like to have, err, filled as soon as possible."
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