Curled, extensive body. Wide, toothed and treacherous jaws. Large, staring and wild eyes. Long, elegant fins and a swirling whirlpool of a tail. This was Safikma, the daughter of a Thayne.

Philomel slowly breathed in, her eyes dancing with dazzling, enchanted wonder at the darling creature illustrated before her. Softly she trailed a finger down the curve of the monster's neck, softly whispering to herself.

"Darling," she murmured. "How beautiful you are. Why do you do what you do?"

There was an awkward pause as Shinsou and Joshua looked to one another, a look shared between them. On the edge of the table Veridian sat, golden eyes gleaming as he glanced from the book, and Philomel's tenderness towards it, to the men, then back at the book. He saw the motherly instinct rise in the woman who was half beast herself, and knew he needed to distract her before she decided instead to try to save Safikma from being hunted.

Philomel ...

"We ... May be responsible for this."

Suddenly the faun's eyes were not on the book. They glanced up, brow furrowing as her thoughts of a potential other dragon-like creature to hold and embrace flew away on a wind of other lost dreams. Tilting her head slightly and letting her ears lift, little furry-ended tufts that poked through her hair, she focused on the speaker. Shinsou.

"What ... What did you say?"

He looked uncertain. Veridian also peered at him with a golden beholder, and it suddenly struck him that they were not showing concern about Philomel's motherly desires before also, but instead their own matters ...

"Shinsou, what did you say?"

The telgradian smiled slightly, "We ..." He glanced back to Joshua, who waved a hand as if to say 'just say it,' and so Shinsou did. "We ... Killed Draconus," he revealed. "And Safikma was born with the purpose to grow until such a time that he was dead and ..."

Philomel's eyes glanced down to the page, where the writing under the picture wrote, "Safikma was re-purposed and was told to consume and grow until, in the event of Draconus's death, it attained the size required to devour the world."

"Eat ... The world?"

"Indeed," he sighed. "I fear we released this monster."

Philomel looked from one man to the other. She took time and her hand slowly slid from the book. Her ears drooped, her eyes narrowed slightly and she eyed them both carefully before replying.

"Well clearly you didn't know, otherwise we wouldn't be here. It is not your fault, but the responsibility now lies with you. With us all. " She paused and instantly hated herself for the next sentence. But it had to be said. She loved Safikma already and she wanted
to have a chance at least to talk and reason with her ... But the monster would need to be slowed first. Made to listen.

"Fine. How did you get rid of Draconus? It may help us to slow the daughter at least."