Redsand Canyon i am one among the dunes

phone post! forgive any mistakes

they had not gone far when a commotion grew behind them. 

renard lifted their nose from the soil, head turning in time to glimpse the unfortunately familiar figure swooping in like a bolt of lightning, dripping venom and insincerity from every word as she nibbled along donovan's --

-- oh. so they *were* right. concern over their leader's incredibly unstable choice of...mate? partner? aside -- the observation was, for now, not renard's to give -- they had been impressed by the speed at which donovan had plucked people from the wilds, gathered them around him. 

it was still a kind of charisma, yes. but did the saints have so many people pledged to their cause, combing over sun-scorched canyons and ravines with barely a pause for breath, because they were tripping over themselves to fuck him?

renard laughed. they couldn't stop themselves. oh, they'd gotten into something here, alright.

the remaining unfamiliar face -- a black and grey man with a furrow between his brows -- moved aimlessly away from the growing melee as auriel snapped back (oh, this *was* going to get interesting), and derg abandoned his place by renard's side in what was clearly an attempt to save the day.

renard thought it was more likely she'd take out her fury on him as well -- she seemed, if anything, more unstable than last time, which was of course an admirable achievement. 

they were not nearly as benevolent as derg; they did not care enough about anyone involved to poke their nose in. content to obey his order, they lingered over the dry riverbed with the air of a movie spectator shoving in a fistful of popcorn, eyes shifting only to greet the frowning man who approached with a pleasant nod.