The girl and the Old Man Were unaware of the cluster of assassins that watched from the plateau of red rock above. Fiher was content to sense the reactions in his new allies as the child practiced with the General. Their "training" looked more like playing, but it was still impressive. When it was the girl's turn to catch the old Man, she conjured wind to push him towards her. The very rocks he stood on, reached up, reforming around his feet so he couldn't move. When it was the girl's turn to be caught, the trees would shield her, growing into a protective barrier that the soldier couldn't break through. He tried to hack off a branch. The Xenai heard the child's insulted voice yelling, "Don't hurt my friend!"

"If you force your friends to protect you, they are likely going to get hurt!" The old man retorted.

Immediately, the barrier retracted from the girl, and grew toward the man. The branches tripped him until he dropped the weapon. Roots burst from the ground, caging the rifle and its attached blade in them, pulling it down into the ground. "Dammit, child! Those weapons aren't cheap!"

The girl moved to a perch on a rock nearby, smiling as she watched the General grasping at the roots and dirt where the rifle had disappeared. Fiher could feel the glee radiating off the girl. From the man, the Intuition only picked up... concern? *Interesting*. Fiher could not sense the object of concern. Despite the man's frantic digging, the concern seemed to be elsewhere.

He turned his focus to the Xenai next to him. A few were amused at the girl's antics. When Fiher looked over at them, he could see the ascending spirals of mirth forming in their smoke. The other two projected amusement, but Fiher could sense the more consuming emotion-- admiration. A swell of pride washed over Fiher, seeing these four Xenai and their reactions to her. It confirmed his indiscretion as the discretion it was. If only there was a way to show even more the potential she carries.

The leader of the assassin group was a different story. Fiher's pride turned into a stone of worry and plummeted into his stomach. The leader was an easy read. He was filled with greed. He wanted her power for himself. Beneath the overpowering greed was a fire of determination. Yes, he would not let her die. But, he also would not care how she lived. If the girl's life was no life at all, it didn't matter to him, as long as he increased his power. Is this what Merende really wants, too?