Interesting. Weaver had been adamant about the dangers of the Woods, concerned for both herself and for him, and he wondered if Jiao were deliberately lying to downplay the dangers and get him to let his guard down. Let the Woods do Delah's work for her, so to speak. Or just to do Jiao's work for her, as her bias against Outlanders was plain to see. He raised a brow slowly, sitting back to watch her openly with a sardonic smile.
"That's not even a little bit true," he said dryly. "The barrier had barely fallen when at least one of your number came to our Fiat Lux festival, right in the middle of our celebration. I saw her myself. And from what I overheard she did indeed try to tell people how they were doing things wrong." He snorted softly "And the very first Fae I met properly had, indeed, snuck over the old barrier line into our territory and was hiding in the trees." He bit his tongue against the sharp retort he wanted to give at her unfairnesses, reminding himself to be patient and diplomatic - as much as he could be when she continued to spout untruths and arrogance the equal of any Northhavener.
"I have no doubt that you know what's best for the Greatwood, but I've lived in the land within the barrier longer than you have. What do you know of it, that you feel you can dictate to us? Have you felt the pinch of hunger when there was not enough food to go around in Deepfrost, because the food that grows there is small and withered? Received bruises and bites while defending your children and livestock from vampire gourds? Cut your hands bloody collecting flinthoppers so they wouldn't set your crops alight and leave you starving before Leafchange was even over?" He shook his head, then pressed his cheek to Isuma's fierce headbump, letting her soothe his quietly roiling temper. "And not all the barrierfolk or the Outlanders want to dictate anything. We just want to learn about the world beyond the barrier and eat food that isn't half-dust, and drink water that's sweet and doesn't taste of weariness. The earth there is tired, miss. It was cut off for too long. It needs help... and we have no one else to ask it from but you and your people." He sighed, abandoning his journal for the moment to lift the gryphlet from his shoulder and cuddle her against his chest.
"I am sorry that we insulted you. On behalf of both barrierfolk and outlanders, I am sorry. Is there a way we can try to make amends? One that doesn't result in more of us dying while we wait for old age to mellow Delah's rage against us?"
"That's not even a little bit true," he said dryly. "The barrier had barely fallen when at least one of your number came to our Fiat Lux festival, right in the middle of our celebration. I saw her myself. And from what I overheard she did indeed try to tell people how they were doing things wrong." He snorted softly "And the very first Fae I met properly had, indeed, snuck over the old barrier line into our territory and was hiding in the trees." He bit his tongue against the sharp retort he wanted to give at her unfairnesses, reminding himself to be patient and diplomatic - as much as he could be when she continued to spout untruths and arrogance the equal of any Northhavener.
"I have no doubt that you know what's best for the Greatwood, but I've lived in the land within the barrier longer than you have. What do you know of it, that you feel you can dictate to us? Have you felt the pinch of hunger when there was not enough food to go around in Deepfrost, because the food that grows there is small and withered? Received bruises and bites while defending your children and livestock from vampire gourds? Cut your hands bloody collecting flinthoppers so they wouldn't set your crops alight and leave you starving before Leafchange was even over?" He shook his head, then pressed his cheek to Isuma's fierce headbump, letting her soothe his quietly roiling temper. "And not all the barrierfolk or the Outlanders want to dictate anything. We just want to learn about the world beyond the barrier and eat food that isn't half-dust, and drink water that's sweet and doesn't taste of weariness. The earth there is tired, miss. It was cut off for too long. It needs help... and we have no one else to ask it from but you and your people." He sighed, abandoning his journal for the moment to lift the gryphlet from his shoulder and cuddle her against his chest.
"I am sorry that we insulted you. On behalf of both barrierfolk and outlanders, I am sorry. Is there a way we can try to make amends? One that doesn't result in more of us dying while we wait for old age to mellow Delah's rage against us?"
