as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Algol couldn't have more graciously dangled a thread before her, and grab it she did. Can you blame me? She thought, assuming he could read her mind. How curious, this magic must be why her spell didn't work. Was it a shield enchantment? Perhaps it was from that cloak of his. Clever.
It was good that Thothaga was the master of poker faces, other wise, hearing his voice calling her out in her own head would have caused a look of embarrassment.

Yet, it was unexplainably thrilling.

"Yes, yes." Replied, nodding satisfied with what he told her. "Very good." Wow, she didn't realize how horribly self-absorbed Nemean was. Here, Thothaga thought it was because the Divine failed a test or betrayed her. Wow. What a bitch.

The Betrayer.. She wondered why Aquarian called her that. Honestly, the title wasn't too far-fetched.

Th spider decided to change the subject. "Now, these trials, the ones the Masked Merchant is trying to run, what are they for? She decided to clarify. "He said something about forging the strong, but why? And that new cave you mentioned, is it that Place of Trials he wants to open?"

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

Here, the Collector paused, and seemed to think, deeply. When he spoke, it was in the same crooning, silken tone.

"Well, well... This is information that should cost dearly, my eight-legged friend. I cannot even think of any information I still require, which begs the question... What knowledge do you think you hold that might be worth this answer?"

@Thothaga

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

"Well.." The spider stood there stroking her fangs. Stumbled upon forbidden knowledge, did I? This was a tough one. Perhaps she could supply him with her venom, or.. make him something from silk? No, no.., he was after information. Then, she caught a firefly in her mind's web. "Hmm... would you like to know what the future holds for you, Algol?" There was no mischievous sparkle in her eye, no cheekiness, or flippant tone. Just personal, bare honesty, like one trusted friend promising to keep the secret to another.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

The name gave him pause, for the briefest of moments.

"Ahh, bearer of the arcane gifts, are we..?" he asked, after a beat. "Or were you given that false name some other way? Regardless; how do you intend to tell my future? These things are never certain... but I am curious about your methods. It could be fun," he added, his voice implying that it wasn't actually at all important, or that he was curious about the information itself. It seemed a game to him, more than anything; though again, it was hardly clear whether his tone could ever be trusted.

@Thothaga

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

For once, Thothaga wished she had arms like him so she could cross them and look smug. She ignored his first question. "Oh, I do hope you still go by that name, it's rather nice." The Maiden complimented, tracing circles in the dust with a claw. If she could, she would have blushed. "But if it's too... intimate, then I'm sorry for mentioning it." It would take more than his lone claim to convince her that Algol wasn't actually his name.

"The way I divine the future, it's magick in origin; a spell." The spider witch stretched her foreleg towards him. "Give me your hand and I can show you." Then she paused, twitching her pedipalps as she remember his little "shield". "Oh, I hope your.. magic won't interfere." Thothaga said, basically admitting to her discovery earlier.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

"Tsk, tsk. Now, my dear, I am never anything but polite; and isn't it rude to ignore a question?" was all the Collector said. He did not extend his hand, instead leaving pinprick eyes focused firmly on the spider.

@Thothaga

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Thothaga paused, and withdrew her leg, coyly placing a pedipalp over her fangs, like a hand over a mouth, and giggled. Her deep subvocals echoed clearly, trailing behind it. The spider never giggled with her voice, this was another mimic.

Sharp-witted, good conversationist, that's was why she loved him.

"But," She spread her pedipalps, almost innocently. "You haven't answered my question yet." Her dark eyes gleamed. "Unless, you consider this payment."

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

The Collector smiled, a glint of teeth beneath the hood.

He spread his arms wide, as if inviting conversation--and then vanished in a flash, without a single word.

The Collector will no longer respond to Thothaga's summons.

@Thothaga

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

And just like that, the fun was over.

He vanished, without a rhyme or reason.

The Maiden stood stunned. "What?" She paused for moment, confused. "Can I not bargain? ...Collector, are you alright?" Thothaga flicked her abdomen worriedly as it dawned on her. "Oh, No-no-no-no-no-no…!" She rushed to where he once was, desperately feeling around the air and the stone floor for a sign, anything-- magickal or mundane-- that might give a hint to how, or where he disappeared too.

Thothaga crawled past, towards the wall, padding the stone. "Alright, alright! You win, I'll tell you!" She spun around scanning the area for a sign, feeling a pit in her stomach. "Just, please, come back out!" Panicking, the spider quickly crawled around the boulder that he appeared behind last time, shuffling her fangs anxiously. What happened to him? Was it something she said? He wouldn't just leave abruptly like that would he?

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

Thothaga would sense a departing magic, heading in the direction of the Bone Fortresses. Though it did not waver back or respond, it could be sensed in the distance, and perhaps followed, were she able to keep track of it with further, successful attempts to Detect Magic.

@Thothaga