"Tristana, you're insane. Nothing you do makes any sense!"
"I'm a priestess of Lolth! I'm a daughter of Nightwind! I own all of this, and I'll do whatever I please!"
With a deafening slam of the door, Tristana stormed away without looking back.
The thick funguswood door shut heavily behind her, making the magical sconces on the walls tremble.
Their conversation had ended with both of them angry.
When Renato demanded answers about the shortage of the Mind Flayer's "food," the female Drow readily admitted that she was responsible.
Far from showing any shame over her childish behavior, Tristana righteously accused Renato instead, claiming that his disobedience had forced matters to this point.
The sheer entitlement on her face made Renato want to laugh in anger.
Even so, he had initially chosen to reason with her. Suppressing his irritation, Renato patiently tried to persuade the priestess by explaining what she stood to gain and lose.
He laid out Klauthsura's value as an alchemist and their natural alignment as allies, even beginning to analyze how the balance of power might shift in the future...
Renato believed that, provided Tristana still possessed a sound mind, she would understand the importance of winning over a Mind Flayer who was both a psionicist and an alchemist.
It was easy to foresee that, once her influence grew beyond a certain point, Matron Mother Quelyn would rebalance the power between the sisters and stop granting her special favor and affection.
When that happened, Tristana would need valuable political allies if she wanted to contend with the eldest Nightwind daughter, who held real power.
And Klauthsura, with powerful psionics and a wealth of talents, was undoubtedly the best choice.
Yet for some reason, the calmer Renato remained and the more restrained his tone became, the more his