What little relief Valys felt that Pallaton's next words weren't 'get out' was overwhelmingly buried under the sudden sensation of a boulder dropping in the pit of his stomach. Pallaton's son was missing? Pallaton's son was missing and the man had still had felt the need to wish Valys a good morning and ask after his hangover. For a moment Valys was stunned into silence, openly staring as he watched the human man move about.
It was listless, dazed. Not unlike those moments when they'd just known someone was about to succumb. Speaking nonsense, if they were speaking at all. Staring into nothing but looking for all the world like they were seeing everything. The boulder in Valys' belly did a little roll, taking what little beef was in there with it, and like that Valys lost his appetite.
But then Pallaton spoke again, and this time it was about Valys and his own people, and for a moment the elf didn't quite understand what Pallaton meant. It was only after a double heartbeat that the meaning sank in, and Valys felt every last inch of his skin run hot with anger, mouth pressed into a thin line in the barest display of self control. Good deeds go a long way in Adela. Like a bargaining chip. Like anyone wishing to earn some favor, some power, some social structure point could just do so by being in the right place at the right, disastrous time.
What kind of people were these human beings? Here was a man fearing the worst, a man that had to contemplate the very real possibility that these bandits had done the unthinkable, and more painfully still, that the only reason it had happened was under his own orders. That it was somehow his own fault his son was missing. That his soldiers were missing. And Pallaton thought he'd have to bargain for assistance.
Pointedly ignoring the breakfast still on the pillar, Valys reached out to grab Pallaton's upper arm. He gave it a soft squeeze, shortly followed by a much firmer one as he turned Pallaton back around to face him again. Valys didn't lessen his grip any, wanting to make sure when he spoke it was with every last scrap of truthfulness he had in him.
"Back home, there's a point in the year when the sea birds settle in to nest and raise their chicks. There's scores of them. The biggest field of white feathers and soggy shit you've ever seen. All of those birds, all of them on the lookout for enemies. And plenty more still in the air that could see for miles more." Valys took a breath through his nose, finally releasing Pallaton's arm, both of his own folded tight across his chest. The midday sun was doing nothing for the heat, and even out of the corner of his eye Valys could see the little tendrils of warped air rising from bare skin.
Not that he was in much a mindset to, quite literally, cool off.
"But foxes manage to get in anyway. They'll raid entire nests, carry off chicks four at a time, and not always dead. So even with all those other birds, even with a view from above, even with the chicks squawking... sometimes the fox still gets away. They're opportunists— they make their entire living off the fact that no one can plan for everything. Pallaton,"
Valys took a breath, letting it out in a hot gust as he looked to the right, before turning back to face the human man. He was no longer simmering, at the very least, but it was an effort to get there.
"I will help you, because you asked for help, and for nothing else." Valys pulled back to retrieve his plate of beef, stuffing the last strip of it into his mouth without really tasting it anymore. But he'd need the protein— all daunting tasks required the strength to do it, and whether he was hungry or not didn't make a lick of difference.
"I need time for preparations. I don't know where Ana and the rest of them went, but they're not stupid enough to argue a summons back. Once I'm set up, I'll meet you in your office."
He stalked away then, as quickly as his long legs would take him without outright running. Which, comparatively speaking, was still a very solid pace, stopping only to hand off the used dish to the nearest servant past the kitchens. Whatever pinched look he got for his rudeness, Valys didn't see, taking steps two at a time to get back to the borrowed apartments he and the rest of his kin had settled into.
There hadn't been much reason to go around armed since they'd made it to Ketra, and especially not once they were within the castle. It had been a point of trust, Ana had said, to walk around as vulnerable as possible. Rhosiris hadn't liked it one bit, but Valys hadn't much cared, and so with only minimal grumbling on the part of the other Phaeton had they all set their armor aside in the borrowed wardrobes provided in each of the rooms, their arms similarly stowed.
A few key pieces were missing from the collection, a few longknives that signaled Rhosiris, at least, had gone out into the city. But all of Valys' own equipment was still there. He stripped out of his jacket and shirt, pulling on a jerkin in its stead before following with the rest of the hardened and runed leather he'd worn all the way south. All the pieces in place, he replaced his jacket over his shoulders, strapped down as it ended up being by sword sheaths and pauldrons both.
Much more time was necessary to stuff supplies in a bag, though not so much Valys couldn't travel fast and hard. It was such that by the time he started making his way towards Pallaton's office, Ana and the rest of them were moving down the opposite end of the hallway. The Procyon looked about to speak, to which Valys only barked a clipped "Nope!", grabbed the smaller elf by the arm and directed him back down the hall in the direction of the Regent's quarters.
Rhosiris did a similar about-face, seen as the rest of their party was safely within the castle walls, and not for the first time Valys appreciated the other elf's penchant for recognizing this wasn't the time for idle chit-chat, and so the three of them made their way back to the room they'd first begged for mercy in. Valys could tell the lack of awareness as to what was going on was grating on him, and so he released the poor wordsmith to sit down while Valys fiddled with a bracer to make some last minute adjustments.
"Has something happened?" Ana said, finally, looking for all the world like he might actually be two steps from grinding his fangs into dust.
