Good, you shouldn't take any animals from here!

(The nodding along stops at this. Lots of the audience is suddenly surprised and upset.)

He continues unaware. Yes! Not respecting the autonomy of your pets is bad too! Some Draak even keep pets as little more than servants and tools and that's horrible!

...Someone growls at him. Who are you to forbid them hunting in the Mootland? This someone asks. Who are you to deny the truth that Draak are the greatest children of Sun and Earth, above the lesser-minded animals of the world?

I am Root-Grinder, Gnawer of Slate and Shale, one who sees the Correct Way of all things-

Shut up. It's not your place to say these things. You have overstepped.

You dare insult me? I am trying to protect the animals, as any good Draak should! I would enforce the correct way of existence!

You are wrong-headed and stupid. You began with a reasonable point of view but blindly carried it to absurdity and gave commands you had no right to. Shut up and go away or I will burn you very badly.

The loudmouth looks at the other one. He looks at the array of Draak staring at him in anticipation. His crest feathers dip and then flare up again. I challenge you, one who has not given their name! I think I am greater than you and you should not be telling me these things. You say I am foolish and wrong but give no argument as to why, you insist things are true without any clear reasoning and are doing the very thing you accuse me of!

...Very well. A challenge from one as weak as you is of no concern to me. We will fight.

The one called Skyclaw, earlier identified as a militia leader, hurries over to where the two angry Draak have started circling and posing at each other.

Fight over there. If you hurt the Amentans I will kill you both and eat your souls.

...The two belligerents glare at each other. Skyclaw sighs. You, go that way. You, go the other way. Circle around and fight at least one hundred body-lengths from here. I am a Claw of the Draak and my song carries the weight of the Elders. Turn around NOW.

They hiss at each other and slowly turn away. Skyclaw sighs again.

"I'd really like a consensus Draak perspective on what just happened there," remarks a blue.

"I want to know specifically about the soul-eating part," says a green.

"...I kind of want to know why you use body-lengths for measurement when you're all different sizes," murmurs another green.

Skyclaw answers these questions and everyone else defers.

Stormcloud thinks Shale is an idiot and called him out on it, so they're challenging each other. That's normal enough. There aren't any explicit stakes on the challenge, which is slightly unusual.

I can take what remains of a Draak's magic after they die and grow more powerful for a time. What is eating except taking something into yourself and making it a part of you? It's disrespectful, but I do not respect anyone who endangers bystanders in their fights.

Body-lengths are intuitive especially with context, which is more important than precision for most things.

"You just eat the magic and not the body," says a green hopefully, "right?"

Oh. Oh dear. They have some kind of thing about dead bodies.

You know what isn't Lying? Awkward silence isn't Lying. Nervously glancing at the Elder watching placidly from a distance isn't Lying.

The Amentans are sure awfully concerned about all this awkward silence.

Sigh. I will not Lie.

A Draak falling at another's hands is a rare thing. But if a Draak dies, they are no longer anything more than meat and magic. Meat is for eating, and I have eaten dead Draak before. It is not a thing of concern for us.

"It's a thing of concern for us," says a green shrilly. A yellow they brought along actually faints and one of the blues catches him.

Skyclaw is going to be in trouble over this somehow, isn't she?

The last time was over a decade ago, if that helps. Did nobody think to mention this before?

"It hasn't come up!" exclaims Shrill Green. "How many of you are actual literal cannibals - have they been walking around on Amenta -"

"You can go in the shuttle and wait if you can't calm down, this is a diplomatic mission not a Doetaran control group," hisses a blue. The green shudders and helps the other blue drag the yellow into their shuttle.

Skyclaw looks uncomfortable.

Skyclaw notices the other Draak acting agitated, and the low mutter of confused anger slowly building.

All of you DISPERSE! Leave the immediate area! Someone go find Clear Ice and bring her here. She's screwed up by not anticipating this!

All the Draak disperse.

The Amentans mostly go in their shuttles. Two blues and one green stay outside, fidgety.

Skyclaw lies down on the ground and closes her eyes. And sighs again.

I don't want to deal with this. I'd be grey if I had to pick one of your colors. And I do not think the Architect is not going to budge from her spot until this is all over.

The Amentans don't have a reply to that. They look at each other uncomfortably.

The crowd of dispersing Draak mostly hang out in the surrounding area. Skyclaw growls at a couple that start to approach again until they go away.

There's a lot of silence.

Eventually, the Draak's diplomat lands again. A good distance away.

...I hear that we have alarmed you.

"We're. Disconcerted. To discover that some Draak... eat... dead people's bodies."

"We need a list of which ones who've been on Amenta may be included in that group so we can make sure the pollution is contained and controlled."

I don't have that information. I expect if you ask most Draak would tell you if they have eaten kin-flesh, and when. I have never done this. Is there a way Draak who have done this can become clean?

"Maybe."

"There obviously isn't -"

"You're not a theologian. Maybe."

If there isn't, contact between our species will likely have to be very minimal going forward.

"That will be a great loss," murmurs one of the blues.

It's of no more note than having eaten fish so I really cannot guess who has or has not done this.

...Shining Truth will end its maintenance cycle within half a day if there are no unforeseen problems.

"That's good to know."

I am assuming you will want to return to Amenta as soon as possible.

"I think that would be best."

"We didn't bring the equipment we'd need to operate long term in a polluted environment."

Tail-flick.

She considers and discards several more things to say.

...I will arrange for an early return.

She turns and goes.

Skyclaw comments, You might want me to stay. Some of those people were angry. Some of them might be stupid enough to think they can get away with dropping a rock on your ships or something. I won't touch the ships.