<Good.> 

Ma'ar drops the connection, and then stands up and paces. Resists the urge to throw a fireball at the wall just from sheer frustration, it would be incredibly stupid but he's SO ANGRY right now and he doesn't even understand why. 

"I told him. He will send the shuttle." Urtho isn't looking at Carissa. He sounds kind of shaken. 

"Thank you. I would appreciate it if you'd let Mhalir go back with them, he needs a pool regularly."

"We heard." He fidgets for a moment, then gets up and paces. "- You are not a prisoner here," he adds, abruptly. "If you want to leave with Mhalir, you may." 

"Would you prefer that I stay?"

Urtho blinks, seeming surprised by the question. "I would prefer if you were willing to return, to explain more about your world's magic and technology. Now is - probably not a good time, anyway, my generals are going to be interrupting me constantly until the situation is more settled." 

"All right. Then we'll leave now and - plan to return when it'll be helpful." She is so relieved, she doesn't want to leave Mhalir again, but she cannot really follow Urtho's decision processes at all.

"Lady Cinnabar, could you escort her out to wherever the shuttle is arriving?" 

"Uh, yes, of course." Lady Cinnabar also seems pretty baffled about Urtho's decision process, but she beckons for Carissa to follow her down the hall. 

She will follow her down the hall.

They reach a magical elevator that answers to a spoken command, and start descending, past a dizzying view from various windows.

<I do not think I understand Urtho very well at all> Mhalir complains to her. <I hope that Ma'ar has a better read on him.> 

I don't understand either! Someone with a more familiar attitude would objectively be more dangerous I guess but I'd - feel safer -

<It feels very unpredictable. I - am uneasy about it. But today could have gone much worse, so I am grateful for that much.> 

Lady Cinnabar leads them out into a courtyard; there are gardens, and little lizard creatures working as gardeners, and it feels pleasant and peaceful. The sun is setting. 

- Shortly after that, a different Healer comes out, escorting Mhalir's temporary host who was injured along with him; she's walking slowly but otherwise looks all right. 

A few minutes later the shuttle arrives. It uncloaks a few hundred feet in the air and descends very slowly and visibly, presumably in an attempt not to startle anyone. 

Mhalir's second-in-command steps out, accompanied by two of the mage-recruits. They're all tense, and avoiding sudden movements. 

"This is, uh, a radio," Mhalir's second-in-command says to Lady Cinnabar, for lack of anyone more official-looking to talk to. "Here, this is how you use it..." He shows her. 

She pays close attention, and picks it up quickly enough. 

He turns back to Carissa. "Carissa - you have Mhalir -?" 

Were you and your host the only ones taken alive? she asks Mhalir.

"Yeah, I have him."

<I think so - and nearly not, I think, she was very badly hurt and the Healers thought it was a close thing that she survived.> He shudders mentally, though manages not to do it with Carissa's body as well. It's terrifying, how close he came to dying, here, in a world where it's unclear he could ever be retrieved even by Aroden or Golarion's gods. 

The Yeerk staff exchange a couple more nervous pleasantries with Lady Cinnabar, thanking her for treating Mhalir and his host's injuries, and then lead them onto the shuttle. 

No one tries to impede this. 

Carissa will let Mhalir catch up with his people.

Mhalir does this, mostly on automatic; it's hard to concentrate, in a way that has nothing to do with his earlier injury. He was so scared, and it's almost worse now that the peak danger seems to be past. For some reason all he wants is to curl up in a dark quiet room with Carissa and not have anyone talk to him for a while. 

The shuttle reaches the ship in orbit. 

We should find Ma'ar - he's probably very freaked out, he was when I left...

Mhalir's staff haven't seen him out on the deck again, he must still be wherever it was that he went with her? 

Ma'ar is in fact still in Carissa's room. He's pacing back and forth, arms crossed, looking absolutely furious. 

- He jumps when she opens the door, flinging his hands up and shielding himself reflexively.