"A paeon to your skills, dear lady! A gift of trust in your abilities," he assured her, with a grin far too wide to be entirely innocent. "Besides, I sank my teeth into the slimy bastards last year. They're delicious cooked but not nearly so good raw." Ah, so the truth came out, but Hotaru struck with panache and control, slicing deep into the final worm as it struggled in the bard's earthen vise. Her magic found its way along its nervous system to what passed for its brain, familiarity with the process resulting in precision and a swift death for Worm Number Three as it did the Mambo Number Five in its final, thrashing moments.
"And besides, you're an inspiration to watch," he flattered gallantly as he let the earth fall and bowed to her teasingly over the carcass of her final kill. "Pure poetry in motion. Soon all the Hollowed Grounds will know the ballad of Hotaru Wormbane and her trusty sidekick." He winked and rose, looking ruefully at the carcasses that littered the little clearing where once a large puddle had peacefully stood. "Now we just need to get these back to the Settlement and off to the butcher for preserving for the party! Care to join me?" He winked at her as he considered the three worms, figuring he could drag two in his human form if he had to, but the third would either have to remain behind for scavengers, or else he'd have to shift his form to something big enough to handle the excess meat.
"And besides, you're an inspiration to watch," he flattered gallantly as he let the earth fall and bowed to her teasingly over the carcass of her final kill. "Pure poetry in motion. Soon all the Hollowed Grounds will know the ballad of Hotaru Wormbane and her trusty sidekick." He winked and rose, looking ruefully at the carcasses that littered the little clearing where once a large puddle had peacefully stood. "Now we just need to get these back to the Settlement and off to the butcher for preserving for the party! Care to join me?" He winked at her as he considered the three worms, figuring he could drag two in his human form if he had to, but the third would either have to remain behind for scavengers, or else he'd have to shift his form to something big enough to handle the excess meat.
