The woman that met them at the door had an air of severity about her, almost reminding Rhysati of the Dhani females back at the nest who would brook no nonsense from their male counterparts. She wondered briefly if this woman had played a large part in shaping Demyan's rather deferential disposition. Realizing that this Symenestran female was likely the one calling the shots in the household, Rhysati forced the sweetest smile she could manage on her lips as her escort introduced her. Rhysati noted how the woman eyed her and she suppressed a smirk. I could crush you with my thumb, geezer. The exchange that followed between the two had her furrowing her brows for an instant, however. There seemed to be a lot that had been said from what Demyan had said, but they were obscured by the normality of his words. Rhysati's own instincts told her that something significant had passed between mother and son then, but without knowledge of the place and the people's culture, the Dhani could only surmise what it was. Frown vanished as soon as she was invited inside. A narrow staircase descended into the bowels of the sac-like structure, and the two Symenestra did not even use it, just jumping into the hole and landing lightly on the floor below. Rhysati took note of the show of athleticism and agility. Not only were these pasty-faced meatbags excellent climbers, they had the nimbleness of spider monkeys as well, it seemed. Rhysati followed them, noting the spartan setting of their home. Still, the place looked more spacious on the inside than she first realized. Demyan's mother, in an attempt to be hospitable (perhaps due to Rhysati's status as her son's guest), offered her some sort of gruel that served as food. "Bruka...Yes, of course, that sounds lovely," Rhysati replied with that same false smile on her face. Inside however, she was clearly revolted. What kind of crap do they eat around here? That sounded like something a bird digested and regurgitated for its young. Disgusting... "I am Delilah, mistress," she continued as way of introducing herself, all lies and forced politeness and humility in her voice. Her alien accent helped cover the subterfuge, though her many years of practice lying to her own people helped immeasurably as well. "I am actually surprised Demyan has quickly invited me to your home, to be honest. As the gate guard, I imagine he's met plenty of women coming into your city, probably prettier and more interesting than me." As she finished, she turned to Demyan, flashing him that smile he found so irresistable. The poor fool did not know that Rhysati already had him wrapped around her fingers. She would enjoy this game so much. |