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. 

Mhalir is unsurprisingly startled! He instinctively takes over, dropping into a balanced stance and drawing Carissa's Dracon beam - which no one in Urtho's Tower even noticed, apparently, he supposes it wouldn't show up as magic and they're not used to nonmagical weapons being any more dangerous than swords, e.g. not dangerous at all to a powerful mage, but still, they didn't even search her - 

- they're already well-shielded with all her protective magic items. He casts Invisibility, seems good for option value, and dodges sideways, silently. 

This does not make Ma'ar calm down at ALL! 

Carissa tries to say "hey, it's okay, it's me" but when Mhalir anxiously seizes control he does it very thoroughly. It's you! she reminds him instead.

<Oh. Right.> 

He isn't sure what to say to be reassuring, so instead he forces himself to relinquish control, even though this takes a substantial effort of will. 

Ma'ar isn't trying to attack, at least. He's just backed against the far wall, shielding himself incredibly thoroughly, his eyes darting around the room. 

"It's me! Carissa! Sorry to startle you!"

"...Right." Ma'ar takes a few deep breaths and then peels himself off the wall and sits down heavily on the bed again. His hands are shaking a bit; being incredibly angry and then getting a huge surge of adrenaline on top of that is not the best combination. "Are you all right - did he harm you -" 

Most spells aren't dismissible without using another spell or having crafted them that way in the first place but second-circle invisibility is a very fragile spell and wears off if you, for example, kick the wall, which she does. Then she holsters the Dracon beam and sits down next to him on the bed. "No. He, uh, showed up to ask what I wanted, after a little while, after I'd gotten Mhalir back, and then he read my mind with my permission about whether I was lying, and then he said I could go. It was...fine, though I find him very confusing and it's scary." Hug?

Hug. Ma'ar is still trembling faintly, though he's mostly wrestled it under control now. "I think he does not realize that it is actually very scary to be so powerful and also - claim it is monstrous to ever use that power to hurt people, but in fact be willing to do it for dire circumstances such as one's former student making political reforms in another country." His voice is tight. 

"If you are powerful people ought to know how they'll offend you so they can avoid it, unless you are specifically trying to just have them all trying to never come to your attention."

Ma’ar doesn’t seem to know what to make of this. He leans into the the hug, but he’s fidgety. His fists clench and unclench, his breathing ragged.

”I, just - I know it will not help but I am so angry.”