To GTFO

Grabbing Demetra roughly by her flesh and blood arm, you push her out of the tent as you shout, "Get the fuck out!"

Once she's stumbled out, protesting about the fragility of her equipment, you zip the entrance shut again, taking deep breaths to steady yourself.

"That's it. That does it. I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill that-"

"Nightwing!" You interrupt the dragoness. "Stop. Please. We both need to calm down."

"No, we need to teach that elf her place! What's so wrong with killing someone that has clearly disrespected you?"

"Nightwing!!" You exclaim in exasperation, your frustration reaching a boiling point. "First off, **** is wrong. A little human ethics 101. Don't **** people. Second, she's just offered to be our ride to your brother, so we need to be sure we stay on her good side."

Almost immediately after you've finished talking, you realize your mistake, as Nightwing stands and glares down at you.

"Listen well, ****. Firstly, never raise your voice to me, again. I will not tolerate such disrespect.

"Second, this is something you should have informed me of, before attempting to lay with me. {if@ Nightwing thinks you're a pervert ==true}Though I can't say I'm particularly surprised that your perverted, primitive mind did not think much farther ahead than sex.{endif}"

You nod nervously. "S-sorry, it's just..." You shrug, hoping flattery will get you at least somewhere. "You're so amazingly beautiful... there's no way I could have possibly said no to you."

"You didn't have to say no to inform me of something!" Despite her irritation, you can see her blushing in response to your flattery.

"You're right! You're right - I'm sorry."

"As you should be!" Nightwing sighs as she begins to get dressed. You follow suit - you're both clearly disappointed, but there's no doubt that the mood has been ruined.

Once everything is packed up, the two of you leave the tent. You fully expect Demetra to be waiting for you, but to your surprise, all of the elf's equipment has been cleared away, as well as her tent. Roberta is standing by the smothered remains of last night's fire.

"What's up? Where's Demetra?" You ask, as you revert the tent to its compact form.

"I told her to finish packing and wait at the cart for us," the young woman explains. "I wanted to apologize on her behalf."

"She can apologize by doing as she said she would," Nightwing replies, coldly. "Where is this cart? The sooner we arrive at our destination, the better."

"I'll take you to it, but I'd like to discuss something with you first."

Nightwing rolls her eyes with a huff of frustration. You feel the same way, but you're able to hide it better.

"What's up?" You urge Roberta to elaborate.

"I would appreciate it if you would cut her some slack - she has a hard time with even basic social cues."

Nightwing scoffs. "That much is obvious, but why should we be lenient?"

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but you, too, are unaware of most social cues, correct?"

Nightwing shifts uncomfortably. "I...I suppose."

While you can see where Roberta is going with this, you're insulted on Nightwing's behalf. "Struggling with social cues is one thing, Roberta. What Demetra did is a step beyond that."

Roberta frowns. "She walked in on you changing, and wanted to know more about your biology. She got over-excited, is all. A step beyond, maybe, but it's not too ****."

You cringe inwardly. "We...we weren't changing."

"Then what were you - " Roberta's face turns a brilliant shade of red. "Oh."

Roberta stares at you for a moment, before pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Follow me, please."

She abruptly turns on her heel and stomps into the forest. You and Nightwing exchange a confused glance, before obliging and following her through the sense network of foliage.

After a few minutes of walking, you finally arrive at a covered cart, hitched to a particularly muscular horse.

"What kind of horse is that?" You can hardly hide the disgust in your voice - it barely even resembles a horse. It almost looks like someone cut open a horse, and stuffed a massive bull inside.

"It's a particular breed meant for carrying heavy loads over long distances," Roberta explains. "It can do the work of two horses, and then some. Made specially for Elves carrying research equipment around, like Demetra."

Nightwing grips your arm as she stares at the horse. You're about to ask what's wrong, when Roberta changes the subject.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind waiting out here for a moment, I have a... personal matter to discuss with Demetra first."

Without waiting for a response, Roberta climbs into the cart, firmly shutting the cloth opening behind her. As soon as you're sure that she can't see you, or hear you whisper, you grasp Nightwing's hand in your own.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Th-that horse..." Nightwing seems to shiver as she stares at it. "It's... unnatural."

"What d'you mean?"

"It has been altered at a fundamental level. That is not the form nature had chosen for it, at all, and yet it has not been modified by magic. It's almost as though... they altered life's instructions."

You don't have time to wonder what that means, as Roberta exits the cart, Demetra in tow.

"Demetra has something she'd like to say to you."