Dawn's bright gaze worked through the room as the heavy door slowly shut behind her. Somehow, the tavern fit the town perfectly. Where New Vale was a village of enthusiastic pioneers forging a new life in a brighter world, Mist's Hollow drew its personality from and partly in spite of the ancient forest all around it. The town had a respectful quiet to it like the muted mists that wreathed the hills, but still felt lively against the backdrop of the mysterious wood beyond.<br/><br/>She was grateful for the roaring flames dancing in the hearth. She was already starting to warm up after her dreary hike through the hills. She didn't mind the rain, but somehow the chill of the fog got to her. The rain knew what it wanted. She could go out expecting to be drenched, and she wouldn't be disappointed, even in a cold winter rain. The fog just… lingered, dampened, chilled, never wet<i>or</i>dry. That, and she liked to be able to<i>see</i>.<br/><br/>That, and it reminded her of a nightmare she'd had once about a cave, and a demon, and the deepest darkness she'd ever known.<br/><br/>Dawn glanced at the biggest tapestry with a hand on her hips, her lips forming a half smile. They never got it entirely right, but she was happy to let the truth fade into legend if it meant she could just be herself. The more things were exaggerated, the fewer people realised who she really was. She liked watching from the outside. It wasn't like she'd saved the world for them, anyway.<br/><br/>She made her way over to the bar, her steps in sync with with the merry music humming through the air. If anyone knew about the traveller who'd seen Muse, it would be one of the bartenders. Maybe he'd even told them enough for her to go on.<br/><br/>Dawn tried not to show her disappointment when the barwoman handed her off to her strangely-dressed and strangely-named assistant, Gort. She tilted her head for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. Gort was a ramen. She was more open to them than most people she knew. She'd met quite a few in her travels, and had known two of them pretty well - Razor and Foran. Still, she wasn't sure what people said about them was all wrong. Razor had been violent and Foran had been… unstable almost to the point of insanity, like older elves were.<br/><br/>But what she said was, "Hot cocoa." She looked around the room again as the music changed and smiled to herself at the sudden change in tone. She put a few coins on the counter in front of the ramen. "And…" she started after a moment, "I'm looking for a man who might have seen the first elf. He would've been around here not too long ago, if he's not still here." That didn't sound any less stupid out loud than it had in her head. "It's very important."<br/><br/>It was more than just very important. It was the most important thing she could think of.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>