Watch that man rattle his bones

"Don't let them take what is yours."

The Brown Hag's words echoed in Astrid's head, and for a few seconds she lost herself in bittersweet memories. Funny, how crossing the path of corrupted or unhinged witches was becoming a habit. Funny, how both times they could have been poison but chose to be honey. Once again, one could not judge a monster by the look of its cover - or maybe it was another sign of her own corruption, a glimpse of her own fate. Takes one to know one and all that.

Astrid opened her eyes when she heard the camelid's voice. Morgause had disappeared, and Nigel stood next to her. It took her a moment to replay his words in her mind so she could focus on what he'd said and she stared at him.

"Thank you Nigel," she inclined her head with a small smile. "Are you alright ?"

She surveyed the room and, when her gaze caught her sword still against the small shrine, she called it back in its place. She winced mentally as the blade grated against her own crystals and broke the lull in the house - she personally didn't mind but it wasn't the best introduction when meeting a stranger.

"Sorry if I scared you outside. I promise I'm not as bad as I look," she snorted, marked a slight pause as she realized that sounded ridiculous. "I mean, if a promise from a stranger with a sword is worth anything."

She shrugged, her face a bit apologetic as she gave him some room to breathe. Fuck, she'd really forgotten how to be fucking civil, damn her.