Veda frowned. "You have an Oracle, and you still managed to run into a planet?"
The Elves looked a bit sheepish. "The Oracle is unwell, and spends most of her time in the long slumber of the Elves. She hasn’t awakened in most of a century."
"Can I go wake her up?" Cara asked.
"Please don’t."
One of the Elves that came in with serving trays placed a hand on Cara’s shoulders, subtly keeping the badger in place before she could vanish.
"You know that doesn’t actually stop me, right?" Cara asked, enjoying the fact that nobody could lie to her.
"Of course it does. I have [Nature Bonding] so you can’t run from my grip."
The badger laughed as they both vanished, then reappeared in the same spot.
"Dammit."
Karl nodded in agreement. "That’s the usual response when someone tries to catch a badger."
"How did you even manage to domesticate one enough to convince her to bond with you as a Beast Master? [If not friend, why friend shaped] doesn’t work on them because they’ll happily let you pet them as they rob you, then leave."
Veda laughed at the mock innocent expression on Cara’s face.
The badger couldn’t deny it because the truth magic was too strong for her to make an excuse here. But silence wasn’t going to be taken as a denial, either.
"Well, I think that we found our storyteller. Please, Elders, do keep in mind that there is a limited amount of time before others start to arrive, and they will inevitably begin to loot your space."
The Elders frowned, then nodded. "Fine, you can discuss things with that servant girl. She knows the basics of the story."
Cara began unloading the snacks and tea onto the table, then cheered when she found a jug of Elven wine hidden underneath.
"Alright, now we’re ready to start with story time. Tell us the story, either as you heard it or in a more dramatic version. Both are fine."
Cara forced the girl into a chair and poured her a cup of tea, while adding snacks to everyone’s plates.
"Do you always go with what Cara suggests?" Veda asked.
"Not always. But she’s rarely wrong about what will be entertaining, or what foods go with each other. There is no reason to stop her right now. So, just enjoy your tea, and whatever it is that she’s put on your plate.
The Elves wouldn’t try to poison us."
"You’re sure of that?" The blue dragon’s Seeker asked.
"Of course. They know what I am, so they know that I’m basically immune to poison unless it kills me instantly, and if it kills me instantly, they’re only in more trouble because I will not be happy."

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