A few hours after having entered the tower, Ling realizes that her split party never established an exit strategy, nor a means of communication. For a wizard, this is an embarrassing oversight.
Getting her things together, Ling attempts to sneak through the dark halls, but is quickly grabbed by a shadow and dragged into a new location.
Ling now stands in a decently decorated throne room. Crystal sconces and chandelier shine faint light. A lovely carpet stretches from the large door behind her to the cushioned throne ahead. Barely visible to Ling, sits the Shadow Queen; an usually pale busty elf-like being in a black slit dress with opera gloves. Her long curly hair is intricately woven.
"G'day," says Ling, "Mind giving a light?"
"Why are you in my house?" ask the Shadow Queen as the darkness in the room thickens, "Explain yourself."
"Ya got it," says Ling, leaning her body slightly, "I'm a scholar and I came to propose a business venture to ya."
"And you came alone?"
"...No," says Ling, "Had a friend, a priestess of Vanessa."
"Just one?" The Shadow Queen rocks back and forth, "Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying."
Claws take form amongst the darkness and lunge at Ling. She skitters away. She rolls and hops about away from the constant barrage. Ling pulls rock from her bag and charms it to shine brightly. The shadows recede and the Shadow Queen growls.
J: We know her name's Melandria; stop calling her the Shadow Queen.
"You think that parlor trick will save you," she yells as the shadow limbs long steel polearms and bows and arrows. The solid weapons are unimpeded by Ling's light and force her to continue dodging.
As she dodges, Ling gets a better look at the elf-esque being. Her ears are small and round. If her hair wasn't black, Ling would assume she was albino.
"Who does your hair?" asks Ling, skittering up the wall desperately avoiding arrows... or at least, looking desperate. "Is it dyed?"
L: Obviously, I cast a wind shield as soon as I had seen the bows.
"What? Yes, but- No one, I d-" Melandria stops herself, "Stop talking to me, you, weird lizard."
"Gecko, actually," says Ling jumping into Melandria's face, "So what are you?"
The woman on the throne pauses, as do her weapons. The gecko's eyes are fixated on something just under her eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Got to be blunt, mate," Ling shakes her head, "You look sick."
"It's a skin condition," says Melandria, "I'm al-"
"Albino, I figured," says Ling, "But that's not it. Ya're malnourished, starving even." She grabs Melandria's hand. "What have ya been eating?"
Melandria pulls her hand away and conjures a piece of bread. "I have plenty of food. I'm strong enough to feed myself."
Ling pulls a potato out from her pouch. "Eat this."
Melandria balks at the tuber.
"I'm a doctor," says Ling before Melandria can speak, "If ya've only been eating mana manna, ya're going to rot away inside out."
Melandria warms the potato and rips it open. With a conjured fork, she begins eating.
"First saw this back at wiz school during the Great War," says Ling, "Spellies eating their own mana's no healthier than eating their own skin. And that's true even for one's that know healthy eating." Ling watches Melandria shovel food into her mouth. "Which most don't."
"Name's Melandria and I'm human," she says in between bites of food, "Since you asked."
"From the surface, eh?" Ling smiles. "My mum's from there."