so you can throw me to the wolves

Cypress peeked warily over her shoulder as Thoth entered the room she was investigating, trying - and failing - to hide her relief when she saw it was him and not some lurking spector ready to leap out and scare her witless. Another quick glance towards Qarinah, stretched out in a corner of the room with her heavy head on her paws, and she returned to shuffling half-heartedly through the desk. At least she wasn't alone now. The house was beautiful, finer than anything she'd seen before, but there was something unsettling about it all the same. Perhaps it was just because it was so empty and quiet. At her house she was lucky to get five minutes of silence, and even in the dead of night she could feel the presence of her family. She chewed her bottom lip and slid the final drawer back into place, her focus more on Thoth standing next to her.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she agreed, straightening up with a soft sigh. She brightened when he picked up the dog statute and, after studying it, handed it over to her. She hurried after him as he moved on, reluctant to be alone again.

"Do you think... would it be okay... if I kept this?" she asked a bit shyly, almost bumping into him as he paused and opened the fourth door. Movement at the far end of the hall made her draw nearer to Thoth, hand on the back of his shirt. Danny rolled his eyes at her. "Did you find anything?"

"Nope," he said with a shrug. He took the room opposite to the one Thoth and Cypress entered, raising a brow at Cy as he did - he didn't expect to find anything in his room, but he thought he'd be nice and give them some space. Cypress, at least, would appreciate it. She shot him a grateful grin, following a few steps behind as Thoth moved deeper into the room.

"Wow!" Cypress whispered, her eyes widening. This room was notably different from the others; unlike the impersonal guest rooms, this one seemed much more lived in. Glancing to reassure herself Thoth was still nearby - and ignoring as Qarinah moved to investigate the far corner of the room - she drifted to the left, studying the pictures and paintings on the wall with interest. Some of the people, and places, in them looked rather familiar. She'd only come to Shaman during the flood, so things had certainly changed, but she was fairly certain she'd seen at least a few of the locations. Thoth's words clicked it into place for her, and she moved closer to study the picture he was looking at.

She smiled at Mallos' face, not recognizing - as Thoth did - that it wasn't actually the god himself smiling up at her. She cocked her head to the side as she studied the second person. Her eyes widened. Was it just her, or did the woman have the same eyes as Poppy?

"Is that-?" she began curiously, a bit thoughtlessly. Thoth replaced the picture and moved away; glancing in his direction, she plucked it up from the desk again, devouring her first glimpse of Thoth's mother. It had to be Aura, from Thoth's reaction. She was pretty, in an... intimidating sort of way, unlike the ever-approachable Poppy. She smiled at the gesture the woman was making, recognizing the energy in her stance, and searched her features for signs of her son. Setting it back down more gently than Thoth had, she bent to study the other pictures with interest.

Thoth spoke again and Cy wandered over to him, peeking over his shoulder as he rifled through papers.
"What're they about? The papers?" she asked curiously.

"Wouldn't finding a collector be a bit... risky?" Danny asked from the doorway, his hands in his pockets and a worried frown on his face. "I suppose Cy and I could make the trade, though."

Cypress;