Kel's focus was mostly on his art, the poster taking shape with a few smudges here and there, but otherwise with a clear, clean hand. He didn't see her expression or her frustration with his close-mouthed wariness and discomfort at bringing up that night, but he glanced up with startled eyes as she revealed a far closer connection to the man than he would have guessed.
"Your uncle... is the Arbiter?" he asked, swallowing hard as a feeling like lead settled into his stomach. He hadn't known the tattooed man held the position when he'd showed up to help clean the boxing ring, but later the rumors of the new government's agents had filtered down even to him. "The Arbiter is protecting that mo-- that man?" He hadn't been about to call Nate a 'man' but with Melita's connections now made clear the hunter visibly wilted as any hope of finding protection from the local authorities burned away like mist in the morning.
His hands paused and he bowed his head over the poster for a moment, but his jaw firmed and he gripped the charcoal with a steadier hand, working even harder to bring out Nate's more monstrous personality traits alongside his physical ones. If this was the only catharsis he would have, he'd take it in both hands.
Talk of Jiao had a calming effect on him, at least, and Fangorn's curious existence distracted Kel from his angry sketching to startle the flicker of a smile from him, eyes brightening at the fangs that gave the gourd his name. "Yeah, I guess it is. What... what does he eat?"
"Your uncle... is the Arbiter?" he asked, swallowing hard as a feeling like lead settled into his stomach. He hadn't known the tattooed man held the position when he'd showed up to help clean the boxing ring, but later the rumors of the new government's agents had filtered down even to him. "The Arbiter is protecting that mo-- that man?" He hadn't been about to call Nate a 'man' but with Melita's connections now made clear the hunter visibly wilted as any hope of finding protection from the local authorities burned away like mist in the morning.
His hands paused and he bowed his head over the poster for a moment, but his jaw firmed and he gripped the charcoal with a steadier hand, working even harder to bring out Nate's more monstrous personality traits alongside his physical ones. If this was the only catharsis he would have, he'd take it in both hands.
Talk of Jiao had a calming effect on him, at least, and Fangorn's curious existence distracted Kel from his angry sketching to startle the flicker of a smile from him, eyes brightening at the fangs that gave the gourd his name. "Yeah, I guess it is. What... what does he eat?"
