The hand proves itself to be harder to squeeze than expected, but by all rights Dal-Mirdone's should have shown some sign of noticing the danger. Instead he just says. "Perhaps, I should've said instead. What should we do about your and about your world. I did not mean any offense by implying something else."

His eyes don't flinch or look away.

Ari smiles again, politely but thinly. "Excellent. I didn't want any miscommunication."

Dal-Mirdone keeps the eye contact. Even when the red-robed young man approaches.

"Excuse me, Dal-Mirdone," he says bowing slightly. "And greater sorcerers," he hastily adds.

"Yes?" Dawn and Louis taking advantage of the distraction.

"There is someone from the Merchant Enclave that wants to join. He is called Temple Grayward."

"Send him in, Dal-Giulikian," Dal-Mirdone says without breaking eye contact.

Ari turns to the door, as though the breaking of eye contact were totally irrelevant.

Dal-Mirdone removes his hand from Ari's shoulder and looks away as well.

Dal-Giulikian is... giving Ari the sort of look that's trying very hard not to communicate anything.

Temple walks up to them promptly. His posture is... almost too relaxed, but not in the way of someone that's confident, but in the way of someone who has no idea in what situation he got himself into.

"Hi!" Temple says brightly. "I came here to investigate allegations of a new world and new magic!"

"Hello! They're true! My homeworld is full of ravening demons who want nothing more than to devour you, your livestock, and your children, but we can also generate electricity very efficiently!"

Temple looks worried when he hears demons being described, but that worried is completely wiped off his face when Ari mentions electricity. "Ooh, through magic? How?"

Well, Ari can admire that kind of dogged ability to ignore anything not related to a special interest. "It's very easy, actually. I don't know how much you need, but an experienced Vizjerei can create the equivalent of a natural lightning strike once every three seconds or so without resting. Plus we have non-sympathetic magical healing, which I'm told is significant."

The three people in charge were about to say something to Temple when Ari's latest statement make them all turn and blink. Temple is grinning.

"Ooh, how does it work? How efficient it is?"

"It won't regrow limbs, but in general, it'll keep you alive no matter what shape you're in. Understand, there's different grades of potion - some amateur's concoction will just barely keep you at the brink of death, but a proper witch's brew, you can quaff it with half your torso missing and hop back in the fight inside of a minute." He pauses for effect. "And I have."

Now that provokes reactions from pretty much everyone in the room. "Oooh, even if the things cost lifeforce to make or have bad shelf life that has a lot of potential. Now, when you said half of your-"

"Excuse me," Louis interjected, "Temple Grayward, right?" Temple nods, obviously dissatisfied with the men's tone. "Why did the Merchant Enclave sent someone like you, exactly?"

"Oh, they didn't. Someone accused my family of causing the monster attack and we got some of the details and we figured that I could at least defend our honor and if there were any juicy details to share the merchants would retroactively back me up."

Ari nods. "I'll back you up too, for what it's worth. If anything can be described as 'causing' the monster attack, it's Elsewhere. Or maybe Sanctuary, depending on the direction of blame."

"Thank you," Temple says delightfully surprised.

Dawn steps in front of Louis. "At this point your family is at no danger and I am sorry you were accused at all. But the point of this meeting, is that - to the best of our understanding - there is a new hostile class of beings that might pop anywhere in Elsewhere and we need to come up with a response to that."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. If I can get a portal back to Sanctuary, I can at least get you a load of magic weapons, but your people will need to learn to fight if you're going to use them effectively. It's also possible I could hire you a division of the Iron Wolves in the meantime - they're mercenaries, and very effective ones, but they're not cheap. ...Though it's possible I could bribe them with some of those weapons I was talking about. There's synergy for you."

Dawn briefly closes her eyes and inclines her head. "Thank you, that's the sort of advice we are seeking." She steps in front of Temple, notices what she just did and then just gets Louis and Dal-Mirdone to make room for him and her both. "I am sorry if we just descend and cornered you. And I guess we should've asked you sooner. What position, if any, would you like to take in how Sanctuary and Elsewhere interact?"

"I'm no one particularly important, unless you listen to my uncle. But I know how things work back home, and I'd quite like to help the effort. And Uncle Deckard will want to join in, and it seems sometimes like he knows everything there is to know. So I suppose we could be consultants, of a sort."

"Consultants of any sort are important," Dawn affirms.

"It can be paid consultants even," Louis says with an odd smirk.

"Oh! That would be nice."

Dawn chuckles, Louis follows her a second behind and Dal-Mirdone not at all.

"Easily arranged. Okay, I guess it's time to sit down and sketch an outline of the incoming days."

Annabeth, distractedly offers her the couches.

"We have a few magical tests to run." Louis says to Ari. "Nothing intrusive, we just need to come back with our superiors being able to say that we checked."

"Of course."

Dal-Mirdone seats himself in a high-end armchair that's a tad too small for him. He does not even look used to sitting at armchairs.

"And formalize some responsibilities. The High Library is, of course, responsible for the safety of Elsewhere. The Daliath Church is always interested in helping other worlds and willing to extend their reach to Sanctuary as well."

Annabeth had seated herself at the armchair opposite to Dal-Mirdone, but excuses herself to get appetizers (or flee the scrutiny). Temple aptly takes her place.

"Aaaand don't forget the Enclave. Ready to sell interdimensional wares at affordable prices."

Ari nods. "I'm willing to slay any demons you need killed, of course, as long as I can get there. It's possible Uncle Deckard knows how to set up waypoints between your cities to make that easier, or at least knows where to look for that knowledge."

He turns to Temple. "What kind of wares?"

"What are waypoints?" Asks Dawn.

"Mostly Earth stuff, technology that includes everything from medicine to weapons," Temple says brightly, "it's the only world without native magic and the only world that doesn't know about magic. So it got really good at non-magic stuff."

"If you've been to both ends of a waypoint, you can travel between them instantly," Ari explains. "The art of their creation has supposedly been lost, but if anyone would know how to make them, it's Uncle Deckard."

"Weapons we have," he continues to Temple. "We mostly need consumer goods, but I'm assured there's plenty of that."