one

humans build shelters then dams."
Bast was armed now, having picked up her saber and bow on the way out the door. She wore the weapons as if they were just another form of clothing, to such an extent that they almost escaped notice. In fact they mostly did escape notice because everyone was looking at the elf carrying them.
"Not so in Elfheim?" Rachel asked, trying not to notice the looks of the men in the area. Bast was a walking advertisement in more ways than one and made her feel positively homely. Bast, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice at all.
"No, our homes are in the Wood," Bast said. "And we don't change the area around us more than necessary. I suppose, with humans, this is necessary." She sighed again. "So many humans. I haven't visited the human cities in many years. This is more than I have seen in one place in a long time."
"More than I've seen in a long time, too," Rachel admitted.
"Some of them are not so bad, though," Bast said. "Look at those two over there, one for each of us!"
Rachel looked where she was pointing and laughed. "I don't know who the one on the left is, but the one on the right is Herzer Herrick."
"A friend?" Bast asked, walking towards the two young men. "Introduce me?"
"Bast!"
"Oh, sorry, is he yours?" Bast asked. "I never stop to think about that."
"No, he's not 'mine,' " Rachel said. "It's just .