The silence from Alithís Evgenis had grown to become deafening, as of late. At one point, the two groups had been as thick as thieves, and Rhinestone had been glad for that fact. He had been glad to work alongside Bai Shi, especially when it came to issues such as the bandits, or the Glades needing a new source of prey for a while. However, things had eventually begun to slow as of late, until eventually news of the other group had grown to a complete halt. The legate had begun to assume that the worst had happened, sending out smaller patrols to find any traces of the other group, and perhaps supply some aid. However, they had all come up empty handed. The patrols would end up meeting one or two members of Alithís, yes, but they were usually scattered and exhausted, tears welling in their eyes at the mere mention of their old home. Rhine wasn't sure that Palm would ever truly know what had happened, but he had known that he needed to say something. So, he had. He had let everyone know of the other group's disappearance, and then had told them to fully welcome any former members of the other group into the fold. Thankfully, it seemed as though his words had been heeded.

He had heard talk of Laeglin arriving onto the boardwalk very recently, and naturally, he had been intrigued. Not only because he had enjoyed the other's company during their brief talks in the past, but also because the other might be able to shed some light on what had happened. Of course, Rhinestone wouldn't force the other into speaking if he didn't want to, especially since he knew just how painful dealing with loss could be. It was because of this that he decided to just be casual and supportive as he approached where Laeglin and Sorbet were talking, his steps quick and light as he came to a seat nearby. His smile was slightly tired as he directed it towards Laeglin, able to see clearly just how impossibly sad the other's weak smile actually was. His words were no better, speaking of closure with the dead and miraculous healing for his injuries. It all made sense, but it still made the tom's heart ache, and made him want to pull the other close. To keep himself in place, Rhine dug his claws lightly into the ground, voice thick with emotion as he greeted, "...Laeglin. Hello. It has been quite a while since anyone here in the Glades has seen you. Still, it's nice. You look even healthier than last time." Truthfully, the legate was sure that Laeglin would never consider himself healthy, taking into account the state that he had been put into, but he was still better off than a lot of others. He was alive, and that should've counted for a lot, at least in the leader's opinion.