Scene 1a: Tula and Selene's house

As Elestren approaches the house that she entered earlier, Selene steps out, closing the door behind her. A small knife twirls in he slender fingers.

"We already spent your money, and ate what we bought. Not to mention there's two of us and only one of you this time. What do you want?"

Elestren puts up a placating gesture. "I'm not here for the money. I just want to talk." she brings out the food parcel and tosses it over. "How can I get you to trust me?"

Selene catches the food deftly and smells it before gently "I'm never going to trust you. I'm never going to trust anyone but Tula again. This..." her eyes move to the food then back to Elestren, "...buys you some time."

She picks up the food and moves inside the dark house, indicating for youto follow. "And maybe some answers."

Elestren ducks into the house after Selene. She clucks her tongue when she lays eyes on the almost-cold fireplace. "I forgot to bring firewood." she explains apologetically. She spies Tula in one of the two chairs she saw earlier. Elestren smiles warmly to the girls and gestures for them to eat while they talk. She sits cross-legged on the floor by the hearth and begins playing her mandolin soothingly.

"Like I said, I want you to keep the money. But I would very much like to have my pouch back. My sister made it for me, you see? She stiched the fox pattern on it herself when she and I were about your age." Elestren looks intentlyat Tula and Selene. "We had to fend for ourselves too, you know. Our mother died when we were young, and our father...well, he wasn't very nice."

"That's really why I came here. I just wanted to have some girls to talk to for a while. I'm so sick and tired of men who think they know it all, trying to 'protect' me and all that. I can look after myself, thank you very much!" Elestren sighs, quite sincerely frustrated.


After a short interlude, silent save for her soft strumming on the mandolin,
"Listen, I've noticed something strange about this town. I don't know what it is. I bet the magister and all those men won't tell me anything, thinking I can't handle it. Do you two know anything about what's going on?"

The girls exchange a glance full of uncertainty. Tula speaks first. "You would have us invite the danger upon ourselves? Speaking of it draws it's ire."

"Its ire? Is this the danger the Magister mentioned? The thing that lives in the Dark Wood? You need not speak - just nod if I'm right. Has anyone seen this beast or whatever it is? Maybe it's just bandits."

With scorn Selene says, "Bandits would be something that could be dealt with. We saw it. It took our parents."

Elestren stops her strumming and looks at the two girls. "I'm sorry. I had no idea." Elestren stands. "I swear to you, my friends and I will destroy this thing or die trying. It will help if you tell me what you know of it."