Reet was the first to admit that the subtleties of social dynamics were often lost on her, but even she could sense the tension as they rode away from The Jewelled City. She was used to riding in silence, they had ridden hundreds and hundreds of miles across Tartaria and there was a limit to the conversations that could be had on the bleak grasslands after a while.
"Oh look, is that a dead weasel?"
"No, it"s a small log."
"Blimey, how did that get there? The nearest tree must be twenty miles away!"
"Maybe the weasel was carrying it?"
"What weasel?"
"Someone said there was a weasel."
"Weasels can"t climb trees, what are you on about?"
"There is NO WEASEL."
"For the love of the Gods would you all shut up."
—was about as interesting as it got most days and given that silence was oft
