<strong>Emrick Stone: Genuinely interested... and oblivious</strong><br/><br/>"Not just a topographer," Emrick said automatically, but the man was already moving on.  He clamped his mouth shut.<br/><br/>When it was offered, the young man took the map eagerly, holding it by its corners and perusing the etched designs of the surrounding landscapes.  The man wasn't fooling: this was<em>really</em>good.  Notable landmarks were marked in small, but very eligible, words, rivers and hills accurately stretched across the map.  There were a number of darker areas, parts of the parchment that had been colored in, circled, or dirtied.  They weren't random.<br/><br/>"This is very good...  I'll have to make a charcoal sketch."  Emrick looked up at the man.  "What exactly are you, er, hunting out here?  The mist beasts?  I'll warn you: they're pretty tough to kill with magic.  A sword is your best bet."<br/><br/><em>But of course he'd already know that, being a hunter, you idiot.</em>Emrick winced inwardly.  Too much time spent by himself in the forest, not enough talking to actual people.<br/><br/>He took no notice of the armored woman, his gaze turned back to the map.