Kiriei couldn't help but stare in... disbelief... at what must have been the earth elder.<span style="color: #00BFFF">"Not to be rude..."</span>she started hesitantly,<span style="color: #00BFFF">"But.. It's kinda hard to clean a house made of dirt."</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #804000">"Daw shoot,"</span>the old dragon continued,<span style="color: #804000">"Ain't nutin' but a bit a' dust. You just wait right dere an' I'll have dis place clean right up in a jiffy."</span>Then he turned his back on them and went back to sweeping.<br/><br/>Kiriei stood there, not sure how to react to this. In the end, she figured it might just be better to get straight to the point. The Night dragon cleared her throat and just continued talking when the earth elder didn't take his attention away from his sweeping.<span style="color: #00BFFF">"Um, excuse me? Elder earth dragon sir? We were just looking for directions. Do you know where the time elder lives, or any of the other elder dragons?"</span><br/><br/>Now the earth elder had started whistling to himself while he cleaned. He looked up after a moment.<span style="color: #804000">"Huh? You say sum'in?"</span>Kiriei was about to repeat her question when he started talking again.<span style="color: #804000">"Sorry. I'm 'fraid I dun't know where no time elder is. Alls I kin tell you is where dat fire elder is."</span><br/><br/>Kiriei felt her spirits lift.<span style="color: #00BFFF">"That would be great! Where?"</span><br/><br/>The earth elder shook his head, making an "mmm" sound.<span style="color: #804000">"She's a feisty one she is. I 'member dis one time-- Oh, you say sum'in dere girly?"</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #00BFFF">"Uh, yeah,"</span>Kiriei said, beginning to feel her patience slip. This elder definitely wasn't all there.<span style="color: #00BFFF">"I asked if you could tell us where the fire elder lives."</span><br/><br/><span style="color: #804000">"Oh yeah! Now I 'members. Yeah, it was on dat one fancy island thing. The one wit da big volcano. 'F I 'member right, dat place 'us just to da west a' here. Is you kids goin' on a tropical vacation er sum'in?"</span>