Following Rahul's words, Teveli was the last of the group to enter the stone structure on the edge of the undersea-walker area. He curiously examined the crystal-decorated stone pillar in the middle of the room, then looked around the room with his hands behind his back, searching for the soldier's figure.
"You look as if something is wrong, what is it?" Teveli slowly tilted his head to the side, whereupon the soldier immediately stood up and spoke while standing motionless.
"Forgive me, sir, we did not know that you were coming to visit. The other two leaders did not even indicate your arrival, if we did we would have prepared for you." The soldier said, whereupon the young Teike began to chuckle.
"It was not intentional. But that was not what I meant by the question. What happened?" The question came in a serious tone, and the undersea-walker soldier lowered his head with a worried look.
"The boy who came in last." The soldier began, his voice almost trembling.
"Rahul. Yes. What's wrong with him?" Teveli asked, trying to keep his cool.
He didn't like it when his men played idiots. It was not at all befitting of their kind, and Teveli never tolerated it, not for long. He didn't care how the other two's men behaved or what they did to score points in their game, but his men did have to adhere to a certain standard of behavior. And this soldier, with his constant mumbling, was starting to slip beyond the limits that Teveli could still tolerate.
"He came in and I did the test with him." The soldier explained further, whereupon the Teike boy nodded, signaling the undersea-walker that he could continue speaking, then he himself walked over to the pillar and placed his hand on it. The other man in the room was looking at the column, blinking, only to swallow a big one and immediately scribble the appropriate emotion on his papers almost out of habit.
"As with all of us. Don't worry about that, I'm just in a bit of a grumpy mood. Nothing serious." Teveli shrugged as he let go of the column.
"Returning to you companion, boss. That boy..." The soldier started again, but immediately grimaced, as if he didn't know how to really formulate his thoughts.
"You know, this grumpy mood of mine can quickly turn into anger if you don't finally tell me what the heck you try to say." The younger one remarked, which made the soldier literally start to tremble.
"Sir, the boy has no feelings." The undersea-walker announced, but instead of an answer he only got a blinking Teveli.
"What do you mean he has no feelings?" The Teike boy finally asked quietly after a minute of silence.
"Just like I said, sir. The pillar didn't flash at all, it didn't even show faint colors. Nothing. It was as if it was simply standing there. Yet the boy clearly had his hands on it." The soldier explained, which made Teveli's gaze darken and he slowly leaned his head forward so he could hold his chin in one hand, then grab the elbow of the hand holding his chin with his free hand.
"There has to be a logical explanation for it." Tev said quietly, his gaze darting back and forth across the floor of the room, as if he were reading from some invisible book.
"The boy said he thought it was because he had no feelings for our territory." The soldier spoke carefully.
"Judging by your tone of voice, you don't believe him." The hegin boy glanced up at the undersea-walker, whereupon the other slowly shook his head.
"I've never seen anything like this before. Crystals always show what people are feeling, even those who say they don't feel anything. Crystals project our innermost feelings, but they didn't show anything with that boy." He explained in an increasingly worried and worried voice. "I clearly saw emotions on his face and movements, but the crystals didn't show anything." The undersea-walker shook with confusion.
"Interesting." Teveli whispered to himself, then suddenly raised his head and glanced towards the door. "Oh..." He sighed, then spoke in a serious voice. "Do I remember correctly, that the light of the crystal is as strong as the feelings are?" The hegin boy asked.
"I..." The soldier mumbled, then blinked widely. "Yes, sir." The undersea-walker finally admitted, and Teveli slowly smiled.
"So this is what you're from the boss, Rahul." He shook his head. "I told you not to assume the worst. He may have feelings, but they're so weak that the crystals can't feel them. I bet if you had pricked his finger, the crystals would have sensed his pain." He looked at the soldier again.
"You might be right, sir." The soldier lowered his head, and Tev started giggling again.
"Oh, never mind." He waved. "I hope you can send a message to the city so we can get proper care." He said seriously, which is why the undersea-walker pulled himself together.
"Of course, sir, you can count on me, sir." He even saluted Teveli.
"Oh, before I'll forget. I don't want my friends to know anything about us and me. You know what your business is." He looked the soldier straight in the eye.
"Yes, sir." The undersea-walker nodded. "Everything will be handled according to protocol. Should I tell our foreign minister to be the cover story, sir?" He asked in a slightly more cautious tone, and Tev slowly nodded his head to the side.
"Why not? I think he knows Llyr well." When the name leaves the hegin's lips, the soldier grimaces and even shiveres. This makes the Teike boy blink at him, but finally he just shrugs and continues. "I'm counting on you to make sure everything is perfect by the time we reach the city." He added.
"Do you want to use the currents for the trip?" The soldier asked, causing Teveli to sigh.
"Send the message to the city first. Then ask outside about our further journey. I am not the leader of our small group." Tev shrugged as he headed towards the door of the building. "Oh and one more thing." He stopped before opening the door and looked back at the undersea-walker soldier. "Make sure that their people find out that we are here as late as possible. I don't want to spoil our game." Tev chuckled, then his face returned to a nonchalant expression as he left the building, not bothering to wait for the soldier's answer.
"What took you so long, Tev?" Suk asked as he stepped next to his friend and nudged him in the side.
"It didn't take a minute. It took longer for him to finish the paperwork he was up to his neck in when I came in." The boy rolled his eyes.
"Those papers will be sent to the capital. You're new arrivals. They do that to everyone." Llyr noted cautiously, now actively trying to act as if he wasn't terrified.