"So, first of all, I'm not human."

"That doesn't surprise me as much as it should," says Tarro.

"I'm a--you don't have a word for it," she says, "but my skin is grey and my hair is silver and my ears are pointy. Otherwise I mostly look like this; it's only a visual illusion and changing anything about my bone structure would have introduced tactile discrepancies. If you felt my ears you could tell that they don't end where they currently look like they do but I am not actually okay with you touching me right now."

"Understandably so," says Tarro.

"The other thing is...so, I was sent to this plane by some of my plane's magic, and I landed, well, on the Howling Mountain."

...they both go very still.

"And the wicked sorcerer who lives there was so offended by the idea of my curse that he promptly decided to not rape and torture me."

—Tarro cracks up. Maran gives him a mildly horrified look. He shakes his head and giggles helplessly.

"I'm just going to get this out of the way while Tarro is having his inexplicable fit - is Serik Tanaikon watching me right now," says Maran.

"I assume so. Serik?"

He materializes.

"I remember you," he says to Maran.

"I'm flattered, I think," says Maran.

"Is your friend going to be all right—"

"Forgotten his name already?"

"I've got a pretty good head for names. Maran Valire and Tarro Andevar," says Serik. He turns to Elodea and explains, "I didn't want to interrupt - and it took me a few minutes to place them - but I've met these two before, ten or fifteen years ago in Oroshe. I was there to pick someone up and I almost went for Tarro. Maran was entirely ready to die trying to save him. My attention ended up caught by someone else before anything could come of it."

Tarro finally recovers. "So nice to see you again," he says brightly to Serik. "I still have nightmares."

"I'll bet," says Serik.

"Does it make things better or worse that I was a lot nicer to you than I'd've been if I hadn't met him? Because objectively he's a way worse person than you, so if I was going to like and be nice to him it would be hypocritical to hurt you just for being rapists."

"I am immensely grateful to you, then," says Tarro to Serik, calm and collected and a little wry, with only a hint of tension.

"Oh, I would've liked you," says Serik with a wry smile. "I'm glad I didn't take you home."

"You know, it's not often that a girl gets raped and her attackers are the ones who end up traumatized."

"You're just special that way," says Serik.

Tarro glances between them and then seems to decide that whatever conclusions he may be coming to are none of his business.

"Well, I do think you're contributing to the situation, a bit," she tells Serik. She gives Tarro a quizzical look.

"—yes?" says Tarro. "Sorry, I'm - reading into things. It's a habit."

"I'm not offended, I'm curious about your conclusions."

...he looks warily at Serik.

"Whatever it is, I guarantee you I won't be offended," says Serik.

"I think you're in love with her," says Tarro.

"That's true," says Serik.

Maran smiles slightly.

"I told you I keep meeting adorable rapists here."

Serik giggles.

"The Lord of the Howling Mountain can giggle," says Tarro, grinning and shaking his head. "I give up. Nothing will ever make sense again."

"You're so dramatic," Maran tells him fondly.

"...Hey, will it terrify those three even more if I ask Serik to go break them out of the rock?"

"Yes," says Tarro.

"Ooh," says Serik.

"Serik, would you please terrify three impolite goons by breaking them out of the rock I put them in?"

"I would be delighted."

He vanishes.

Tarro shakes his head again, smiling. "Tonight is just the night of unexpected things, isn't it."

"Sure seems that way."