It was the most awkward lunch Lori had ever attended, and that included the time her mothers and she had attended a family reunion in another demesne and everyone kept asking who her father was.

Rian had had one of the stone cooking pots brought out. It was still a third full, reminding Lori she hadn't had any seconds yet, and a fire had been lit under it. Wooden bowls of stew were being passed around to the strangers, and many were eating like… well, like they'd had nothing to eat recently but thinly-cut travel rations that had been soaked in water for an hour to get rid of Iridescence. It almost made Lori nostalgic for the days when they're started eating proper hot food again.

Rian was moving between the strangers, chatting like they were old friends, offering spoons and asking if they wanted water. The few that were trying to eat while still holding their spears and shields looked extremely awkward and kept clumsily dropping them, as you couldn't really hold a bowl, a spoon and a weapon at the same time–

Lori paused, examined that thought, and had a moment to wonder if Rian had thought of that.

Aaand now benches were being brought out and the strangers were being invited to take a load off their feet. Many of the men were reluctant, but a few sat with relief as Rian continued mingling. He was never too aggressively physically, and he made sure to stay on the side they didn't have a spear or a belt knife or machete hanging from their belt, but he was certainly putting on the charm. He even managed to pratfall twice into the dirt that was being churned into mud by all the slightly dripping strangers. The second time a whole bunch of the strangers helped him up to his feet as he laughed.

Some of her people were getting in on it, having brought the water and benches at Rian's orders. Lori stepped back, considering their options. These weren't all of them, she was sure of it. For one thing, they were all adults and mostly men. No children, or at least none younger than twenty or so. She couldn't detect any other people-shaped voids along the riverbanks, so where they waiting outside the demesne's borders, in the Iridescence? Dangerous, if so. There were beasts out there. So probably not just women and children left behind then…

Lori kept her head down, and her staff out of view. Her hat was in her hands, and she was making sure she was standing behind some taller, wider men than her, who all seemed very nervous when she had hissed at them to stay where they were. Why were they nervous? They were big, muscly men with spears, and it wasn't like they had to hide from any wizards hidden among the strangers like she did. She tried to keep still so movement wouldn't blur the head to toe covering of darkwisps she'd wrapped around herself to protect against any sudden attacks if they had a Mentalist among them.

Her eyes were half-lidded as she tried to concentrate on her sense of wisps and watch the strangers at the same time. Rian was talking to who seemed to be their leader, a fit if slightly paunchy man who seemed like someone who'd once worked for a living but had since had to do a lot of paperwork. He was doing slightly better than his fellows at eating while he kept his spear propped on the crook of one elbow while he talked to Rian, who was holding two wooden cups of water, apparently holding on to the man's drink while he drank from the other one. To show it wasn't poisoned?

"I guess it's been a while since you guys got to eat," Rian was saying over the sounds of more benches being brought out and someone going around giving everyone water. Lori didn't even have to do anything with wisps, he was just talking that clearly. "Did you lose a lot of your supplies because of the dragon a few days ago? It hit us pretty hard too, but thankfully the food was safe."

"It did hit us hard, yes," the man, who'd probably introduced himself but Lori had missed it, said. He was already on his second bowl. He was trying to seem casual and relaxed, but it was too forced, his shoulders too deliberately loose. His legs however, especially his knees, were stiff, betraying his tension.

"I'm surprised you managed to survive, out of the open," Rian said. "We had a dungeon and everything, and it sounded like the end of the world. Things kept trying to get in through the air vents. Your wizard must have been good, to keep you alive out there."

"Yes, they… they were. We wouldn't have made it without them." The man looked away from Rian and stared into his bowl, looking tired. He had a thick accent and drew out some syllables strangely, sounding like he was from the far north and west of the old continent, like one of her professors in school, old whateverhisnamewas. Sanclaus Demesne, or maybe Sokossia Demesne, near the Laru mountains. Instead of pressing him, Rian just sat there companionably, one knee going up and down as his foot bounced.

"Sorry we don't have anything else," Rian said after a while. "We still haven't figured out if any of the plants here are good spices, so all the food's kind of bland. I don't suppose you guys have figured out anything that can help?"

"Well…" the man said, "I don't know how much of a help it would be, but our Deadspeaker has…" He paused, then pursed his lips and closed his eyes. He let out a breath. "Had… been compiling a list of plants that he identified as edible and poisonous. Perhaps that will help you add new taste to your food?"

"Actually that would be a big help, thanks!" Rian said. "Can I talk to him? We don't have much to trade, but for a list like that I'm sure we can put your people up and help feed you for a night or two, let you rest up a little before you continue."

"He's… not with us anymore," the man said.

"Oh," Rian said, and his face became a perfect mask of sorrow and empathy, as if the other's pain was something he could feel like it was his own. It was stuff like this that made Lori want to keep an eye on the man. It was too colorfully suspicious! "I'm sorry for your loss. Look, if you people need to stay even longer than a day or two, I'm sure we can arrange something." There was beat, probably for the sake of comedic timing. "Um, no offense, but he didn't happen to die from something he ate, did he?"

The man let out a coughing laugh, looking surprised that he'd had it in him. The men with him looked up in surprise at the unexpected sound.

"Water?" Rian offered. "That sounded like a nasty cough. If you have the time, we have a couple of doctors. I'm sure they can figure that out."

"No need, no need," the man said. "I know exactly what that was. Though as it happens, there is something you could do for us."

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any booze," Rian said. "Someone confiscated our only still to use as a fertilizer barrel."

"N-no, that wasn't what I was going to ask, but I am sorry for your loss." The man took a deep breath. "Are you someone in charge?"

"I'm technically Lord Rian, if that helps," Rian said.

"Very well, Lord Rian," the man said. "My people and I would like to petition to join your demesne."

There was no dramatic reactions, no gasps of astonishment. Rian just nodded, as if he expected this. "You realize it's not up to me, right?" he said. "I mean, I'm not the Binder. This is probably a Binder-level decision."

"Don't they trust you to decide these things?"

"They trust me to bring it to their attention," Rian said. Huh, did she? "Are you sure about this? Wouldn't you rather found your own demesne with– ah."

"Yes," the man said. "If it helps, we did. It's downriver, a couple of days travel. But he died. And so did his wife. So we had to find somewhere else to go, or die. We were lucky someone found one of your spears floating down the river."

"How did you know it was one of our spears?" Rian said as Lori straightened suddenly, eyes widening in realization.

"It had a rope around it. None of us would have put a rope around our spears, and we had plenty, so we didn't need to figure out how to make any from the local plants."

"Yes, I can see that…" Rian mused. "One of the children probably lost it. They use it to catch seels."

"Where was the demesne?" Lori demanded.

The man did not jump, jerk or comically drop his bowl of stew. Instead he stood very, very still, and turned around to look toward her. Rian did the same.

"Why do you look like a shadow come to life to kill me in my sleep?" Rian said.

Lori blinked and looked down, realizing her body was still covered by darkwisps. "Reasons," she said simply.

"Ah. You're, uh, not going to kill anyone in their sleep, are you?"

"If I needed to, that would be the best time," Lori said. "They’re less likely to feel it. Very merciful. Where was the demesne?"

"Grem, Dungeon Binder Loliyuri," Rian said, for some inane reason making introductions. "Binder Lori, this is Grem, formerly a captain in the Lomabuyar Demesne militia and acting director of the Golden Sweetwood Company."

Lori gave him a look that conveyed her complete and utter apathy and inquired why he was was bothering her with this nonsense.

"He's in charge of these people," he said smoothly. "And he just asked if they could join Lorian. I'm sure he'd like some kind of answer before they needed to sleep for the night?"

What was he implying? Lori knew he must have been implying something but… no matter. Lori focused on Grem, who stood smoothly in what she recognized from her mother as 'at attention', Rian helpfully taking his bowl and, when he made no protest, his spear. She supposed the faster she dealt with this, the better.

"Are there any wizards among your men?" she demanded. Ugh, he was tall. A whole head taller than her, maybe more.

"No, Great Binder," he said. Lori rolled with the title. "None of my men here are wizards. This I swear."

"And among the women and children you left outside?" Lori said.

The man stilled slightly, but took a deep breath. "Among the women, there are none as well. As to their children…some are still young, Great Binder. There is no way to say how they will grow."

Lori gave him an intent, displeased look. It took her a while to realize he couldn't make out her expression because of the darkwisps. "Open your shirt and step forward," she said imperiously.

The man didn’t waste time looking confused. Instead, he unhooked the wooden buttons from the loops on the front of his shirt. Lori stepped forward and theatrically rested the tips of her fingers just above his heart, not actually touching his skin. She circulated the lightningwisps in her body as she did so, and she knew he felt it when all his hairs stood on end.

"Are you, or any of those with you, a murderer?" she demanded. "Answer truthfully or I will know."

The man looked like he was trying not to breathe. "Some of us have killed, Great Binder. We were militia."

"But have you, in your heart, murdered?" she said.

"No, Great Binder," he said. "I am not a murderer, and I know these men and these women. They would not be murderers."

"Are you, or any of those with you, a thief?" she said.

"I have stolen in my youth, Great Binder, and I suspect others have as well," Grem said. "The winters were long and hard."

"Are you, or any of those with you, a rapist?"

"No, Great Binder. I am not a rapist. None with me are rapists that I know of."

"Are you, or any of those with you, a molester of children?"

"No, Great Binder! I am not, and none with me are as well! If they were, I would have killed them myself!"

"Do you, or any of those with you, play music in the hours of night?"

Grem blinked. Out of the corner of her eye, Lori saw Rian looking intently at the bowl of stew, biting his lip. "Music, Great Binder?"

"Answer the question!"

"Many of us play music, Great Binder! Some can play all night! It is traditional, during long northern winters!"

Colors. These people might be trouble…

Lori pressed on. "Do you, or any of those with you, urinate in public?"

––––––––––––––––––

Some of the answers were less than satisfactory. Apparently, Lomabuyar Demesne was very lax about public vulgarity. Still, Lori reluctantly allowed them to join her demesne on a probationary basis.

It wasn't at all because she was called Great Binder. That was just a rote, formalized title. He probably didn't mean it at all.

For some strange reason, when she announced their probationary status, there was a cheer, both from her people and from… well, her new probationary people, she supposed.

Ugh, she supposed this meant her Dungeon would have to be a dining hall a little longer, at least she could build a new shelter for more people. maybe they had tents.

"Grem," she said as everyone cheered, and he faced her, a big smile on her face.

"Yes, Great Binder?" he said.

"You said you left your demesne because your Binder died," she said. "I need you to take me there as soon as possible."

There was a core out there. An unclaimed core, and unclaimed demesne. If she could claim that core…

She just barely managed to hold the laugh in.