Into the New World ( Open! )

The Drowess moved around the counter of the front desk till the least amount of distance between her and what could only be this ledger was between it, and her. Looking briefly to the approaching human woman, she noted the odd movement of the feminine form but lacking movement in the gown. “She carries herself well at least... for a human.” she mused to herself before actually speaking. “That is something only you can determine, human. “can” you help me? I would think no.” she spoke in an overly polite voice, one she kept for a play thing or when she was in a mischievous mood. Either way she kept her verbal demeanor to help mask the slowed movement of her natural physical grace. Is injury was well beyond a simple annoyance by now. A light flick of her wrist and exertion of her will was the typical for her to cast her spell, an entrapping force to lift the old tome from its resting place to the counter before her was her intention, the curiosity to flip through the ledger's pages more of a concern to her then the patience she would likely have to have to get to it like anyone else. Why should she have to wait? She was Drow... if anything they should wait for her.

___Hmm, something was odd about this book. It was old if only by the feeling that ran up the Drowess's spine. Though her own spell was harmless it was a means to get the Ledger within reach, the responding tingle along her spine could only be some sort of enchantment or ward. Silently she cursed herself for being impatient to not check for such things first. Then again when she looked around the lobby area, her reasoning became resoundingly clear for her haste. Elven in design in so many ways, with a few minor influences of the human's culture dotted the area. Not a single spider, rune, or anything that resembled something of her own Drow culture. Usually it wasn't so bad being a fox in the hen house so to speak, but then again this flock of chickens were more dangerous for the isolated Matron.
___Matron.... what a crock. She had become the Matron of her own house centuries ago after the disappearance of her own mother, and then the leader of the Drow in the known area of the Underdark with the emergence of the human's rather surprising growth in power. Lolth would have been pleased with the chaos that reeked havoc during those years, except for the fact that it lead to the extermination of her Drow children instead of the human's own subjugation. The empire of the Drow that ruled so deep underground had been devastated to the point that the old grudges between the followers of the various Drow deities were set aside. Instead those that followed the Lolthian path had merely taken the role of the leadership, where the others simply took an appropriate station within the culture. Even the foolish followers of the dead Masked Lady fell in line under the Lolthian's rule if for no other reason then mutual survival.
___“It is my business if I am going to find out what I need of this place and how in all the Abyss I am going to get out of here...” she snapped back to the apparent human, her own thoughts having come back out of long past memories with a bat of her eye lashes. Looking up from the book to the pleasingly less pale surfacer as she moved to take the book from the Drowess's immediate possession, her sapphire eyes made no hint to the warning she communicated within them. Lolth knew she typically would have loved the chance for a good fight, and by how this one carried herself she knew it would have been a fun one. Lacking her pistol, her visibly appearing mundane whip, and distant connection to the chaos of her Goddess that gave her spell work wasn't really a good way to start a fight though. She still had the touch of the Arcane power in her blood that she was born with. You have to appreciate the little things... pfft, fuck that. This plain out sucks. “Sedai, mentioned something about a ledger, and unless this is naut it I need to find out what I came here for. Help me... don't help me... I care little either way, rivvil*.” her tone was even though lacking the friendly tone most might expect... but then again she was Drow and didn't threaten the young woman. That in itself was nearly friendly.

___Mallia, or “Ilhar” as she had introduced herself to Sedai earlier was rather intrigued. This Sedai woman, as pointedly annoying as she was, seemed to be proving herself more then just a typical surfacer in many ways. At least in this way when speaking to the apparent desk clerk she didn't have to deal with the dis-respectful red head at the moment. Mallia's sapphire eyes narrowed purposefully when she noticed the visible reaction when she intentionally let Sedai's name slip from her lips, she couldn't help but smile at the sudden change in the young woman's tone.
___The amusement on her face quickly faded though, the knotted feeling in her stomach had grown to one she couldn't ignore. Reaching automatically to her back pocket to retrieve the small package, she was relieved her cigarettes hadn't been taken. Placing a single cigarette between her dark toned lips, followed by a snap of her fingers to produce the tiny flame that seemed to settle barely above her crossed thumb and pointer fingers, she used the candle like flame to light the cigarette. The spell itself was simple even by a child's standards to do, but then again the most simple of spells were typically the most useful. Taking a slow draw on the cigarette, she was pleased the specially made vice did not have the pungent smell of tobacco the foolish humans seemed to enjoy. Idiots... at least choose something that had some sort of benefit to it for an addiction. This particular smell that her exhauled breath produced was unique to the concoction she had made so her delicate senses could put up with the pollution that had overtaken the surface's air years before. It wasn't something she particularly enjoyed doing, but smoking had a strange allure to it when she had to deal with some of the other younger races of the surface. Whatever floats their boat...
___“I need to find out quite a few things, and I am naut particularly pleased with my lack of answers. Sedai at least gave me one... and since your offering I'll take the rest from you.” her choice of words were particular, a statement that left little choice as it wasn't a request. She was careful though, she was in a place she knew exactly nothing about and she lacked the majority of her gifts of Lolth. Her tone of voice matched the even, almost respectful manner of the young woman who refused to relent her hold on the book, though the slightest haughty edge was always present. “Where am I? The last thing I remember recognizing was the rooftop of a human structure, close to a fire escape. This...” she waved her hand lightly to indicate their mutual surrounding, “... is unfamiliar to me. Tell me of this place and how in the Abyss I got here.”

___eaning a bit casually on the counter top of the desk, the Drowess's stance relaxed slightly. It could have been the effects of the cigarette between her pointer and middle finger, or the natural state in which she interpreted her level of comfort in this moment of superiority she felt over this woman that spoke to her. Her lips curled just slightly of a hint of amusement to the situation at hand, the narrowed glance she occasionally gave between drags on the cigarette was only bait. Bait to see how this woman would react under her scrutinizing gaze. Sometimes it was such good fun to see how a person reacted under self perceived pressure.

___The smell that came from the cigarette was far from the normal tobacco, tar and nicotine you may expect. Even the clinging characteristic of normal cigarettes wasn't an issue, the Drowess's clothing didn't have this slightly sweet smell to it at least. The medicinal properties of the cigarette was what gave the smoke that trailed from her dark lips, the oddly black color to every time she exhaled. Nearing the end of her cigarette, the Drowess reached to the burning tip extinguishing it with two pinched fingers. Even the sudden heat to her sensitive skin was quickly aleviated by the touch of her silent spell. Still, it was irritating how much extra effort she had to put into healing burn marks to her fingers. This was getting old.

___“Nau, I would naut prefer a window... perhaps something in the basement if you have it? Something dark, well kept, and suitably warm would suit me.” she began, her haughty expression only accentuated by the slightest raising of her right everybrow as she looked over these “guidelines” the woman had pointed out to her. “What can you tell me of this Nexus? I assume its a portal of some kind...” the Drowess fell silent after her question so she could read and listen all at once. She needed answers... so far this one seemed to have many of them, and she was in a giving mood.

___'Lolth help me, have I grown that soft?' came the thought to the Drowess, barely mirrored in her eyes behind the soft sizzling of her cigarette's smoke. Centuries before the slightest cynical remark, or disrespectful tone would have earned a swift blow of her snake headed whip or torturous touch of whatever spell came to her twisted mind. Now... she just didn't care as much. They had their remarks and their cynicism but for the most part she knew most respected her enough to not stand in her way. For that she was silently thankful. It made keeping the balance of the House's of her kin easier, instead of the constant warring among each other for social position. Since the sudden strengthening of the humans capabilities... their “science”, the world of Drow she once knew had forever changed. Instead of the dominance of any particular spiritual belief over the other along with the dominance of her race, it had all come down to survival. Eilistraeen, and Lolthian Drow walked side by side in her House now, with a begrudging glare shared between the two. Survival against being systematically exterminated was more pressing of mind. Oh well... at least the Eilistraeen's made good scouts whenever she had a mission on the surface.

___Still, this apparent human's demeanor wasn't her favorite by any means... but she was human, what did she expect? “Do what you need to do... I'll be outside getting some air that isn't perfumed.” she replied in her own barely masked cynical tone. Tapping the tip of one nail of her right pointer finger to her thumb she waited for the tip to barely begin smoking. The uniqueness of her signature with the tip of her nail had it's own magic... one to make things at least difficult to scrying on her if they tried to use the signature, to even the more experienced Seers. Fluid and looping were the Drow runes that formed her nickname that the Drow under her called her... 'Ilhar', or 'Mother' to those that could read it.

___Once completed she turned without a word from the front counter... this human's usefulness had been used up for now. An hour outside in the night air would be calming... no scented perfume, flowers, or incense that seemed a common place thing for surface elven places... just air. Moving to step through the front door to the Inn, she intended to find some place she could be less likely to be disturbed... perched on the edge of the roof to stare at the stars perhaps “...good plan Alice, maybe you can find some constellations you wouldn't recognize...” she murmured to herself with a slightly amused expression.