"Venari," the elf had called,
"I come with an offer."
No response... at first.
Eridanus's ambient noise filled his ears for a while, barely disturbed by his voice ringing out: spinners warbling; powdery moth wings beating neatly through the air; water tumbling over stones. That
while stretched just long enough for it to be appropriate for Attikias to turn and try a different time—
wait, what's that noise?
Something shifted in the brush, and a
huge shadow darted along the wall. Hundreds of scuttling footsteps resounded, growing more and more distant, then coming
closer.
... and, suddenly! There she was, staring down at Attikias from her perch on the wall. The eye on her forehead twitched shut, and she fidgeted with her mandibles before chiming with a brief
"you called me?" There wasn't a trace of annoyance in her voice, though the insectoid arm woven through a basket's handle implied that she had definitely been
busy. It was full of flowers and various shiny objects.
Which—
"excuse me!" Venari chirped cheerfully before dropping her full length onto Eridanus's floor. She coiled up briefly, and then sauntered into the brightness of her den. Decoration could wait a moment—she plopped the basket down and turned back towards Attikias.
Her frontmost limbs tapped against one another, like one would tent their fingers at a particularly boring Zoom meeting.
"What kind of offer?"