That wasn't there before

Theron jolted at the sound of a voice, instinctively retracting from the crystal to instead swivel his head to the stranger. Despite the woman's worried tone, he was already anticipating scornful discipline. For all he knew, he was about to desecrate some religious artifact with his saliva or something.

Yet, as she used herself as a barrier between him and the pulsing cluster, he could find no anger within her. Only concern and, more surprisingly, submission. Did she not know his rank? If so, he certainly wasn't going to correct her. He was desperate to cling onto someone who didn't make him feel like prey the moment they walked into the area.

"Why not? They're not poisonous, are they?" he asked, before quickly recognizing what he had just said. "I was just going to give them a sniff, I've never seen anything like them," he added quickly, hoping the vanquish the idea that he was going to taste them... If she had that idea at all. He didn't want her first impression of him to be a childish dolt who put random crystals in his mouth.

"Speech"