Distrustfully, he watched as the crowd parted around her, clearing a path to her destination. She was young, younger than those who milled about her despite her command over them. Young and he did not know a thing about her.
Or about this place they landed in. A faint smell of mildew and ink lingered in the air and the sound of rustling papers and soft whispers reached his ear. It was still well-lit, despite the lack of windows. The room could be underground for all he knew--Laute's senses were useless in this room. A quick observation informed him that there were no exits from this room, oddly enough. Perhaps the only way in and out was through this circle he stood but he knew not of how to activate it.
Unable to detect if there was any danger here, he gritted his teeth before finally making a move.
He would have to follow the woman, then. Just as the others who arrived with him did. Making sure Aditi was beside him as he moved, he kept alert as they walked behind her. As it was, he didn't like the chances he had in this room--there were too many for him to take out should an attack occur. And if an attack were to happen from an outside source, there was no room to maneuver between people and the papers.
Facing forward once more, he watched as a door sprang from the brick wall, as though drawn there by an invisible hand. It opened without a word, silently swinging on his hinges, and he watched as the others stepped through eagerly. They trusted her too easily, he thought as he watched them enter the room.
Not that he was much better. Driven by curiosity, he cautiously approached the door.
A single hand glided over the wooden surface, his hand on the knob. A real door, then. Alvadas had a way of surprising him and this was just the latest trick played on him. The others seemed safe enough inside and as they sat down, he crossed the threshold. Aditi wasn't far behind him as they entered the rabbit hole.
The door closed behind him and he stared at it for a moment, before ignoring it. Laute had long since learned the buildings had personalities of their own and the door wouldn't open until it was inclined to. Instead, he focused on the room itself and its inhabitants.
It was surprisingly dark in the room, though that didn't seem to bother anyone. A trick of the light, then, most likely. His feet sank into the plush carpet as he walked to the table. The walls were draped with cloth and unless there was another door under all that purple, there was only one entrance.
One exit.
The seat closest to the door was taken and he moved to the other side of the table. At the very least he could keep an eye on the door, then. Motioning to his slave to sit, he remained standing, not quite comfortable with sitting around a small table.
It seemed he had no choice in the matter. In a blink he found himself sitting, the chair tall enough for him to easily stretch his legs. Despite his efforts, he was unable to rise, and with a hiss he resigned himself to his fate.
Tea rose in the delicate cups and small mounds of biscuits appeared near his hands. Waiting until the woman ate, he then nodded to Aditi's questioning gaze, allowing her to sip the tea set before her.
The woman's words were long to the point. In essence, the city was being attacked by illusions. Solid illusions, but illusions all the same.
But that didn't tell him much. Who caused these illusions? How? Why? Did the woman in green work alone, or with a group? A curious beast, questions formed in his mind one after another at her words. If this was all she knew, then it was next to nothing.
As the door opened, he sipped the tea himself. It was still warm, pleasantly slipping down his throat, brushing his taste buds with a hint of jasmine. The biscuit was better, crumbling easily as he bit into the pastry. Listening to the exchange in front of him, he continued sampling the wares in front of him.
With the chaos above being what it was, his next meal might be harder to find.
At the sound of a dragged chair he looked up, taking note of the new man who entered the room with nary a sound. An arrogant man, overly confident in his power, he sat down with a thin smile. As he spoke, Laute felt his words slip in his ears like poison. A dangerous man to cross, then.
At the man's words, he gave a derisive snort and finally spoke. "It doesn't seem like you're capable of much up there." The woman had left by the time they were brought here--there was no saving done in the least. If this was a staged scene, it was poorly done.
Paying the man no more mind after that, he waited as the woman--Alluvia, if the man was to be trusted--returned to her position. It seemed the time for serious conversation had started and Laute was bored of waiting.
"What do you want from us?" he asked Alluvia.