<br/>"My humble thanks," the seated man tented his hands as if prayer, then as if remembering his observation or Cecily's comments that she was fairly anti-religious, let his hands fall. "As the dragon seems to make a business of extorting from human noblemen and moneylenders, and exhorting them to extort from common folk such as ourselves on its behalf, I rather suspect it has garnered a handsome hoard. Slay it and it is of course yours; and if you bring its hide to our temple in Arabel, we have divine armorsmiths who will give you above-market rates for its hide - and the temple's healing and divination services shall be yours thereafter. If you have not already all the allies you would want to call upon for such an endeavor, I have been suggesting to those I've pleaded with to meet one another at the country estate of the Huntsilvers here: from Eveningstar's only midtown bridge across the Starwater, go to the first intersection east of the bridge, and turn north to follow the road along the river. 'Tis the first and only grand estate along the river north of town; one can't miss it."<br/><br/>The man offered a small handwritten scrap of paper. "Landmarks we believe would lead to the beast's lair: much further along the same road, there is one of several tributaries feeding from the east, where at the tip of the land between three broken boulders rise in a triangle. That is all past Starwater Gorge; the east side of the river is the easier to traverse overland, hence and because of the road, but thusly the more like to host bandits and, I have heard, owlbears. Whereas the west side of the river is steeper across the gorge; thicker underbrush, and more treacherous footing within sight of the river."<br/><br/>"Follow that tributary and none before; when it splits again into two feeding streams, take the west one. The lair overlooks it in the foothills of the Stormhorns. Or so I am given to understand. I can see on your face I have already spoken too much for your tastes; I shall bid you good day."<br/><br/>The man rose, bowed his head, and softly padded across the courtyard orchard.<br/><br/>~~<br/><br/>The blonde cooed when pecked, and her chin tilted up as if left only thirstier for more. She stretched her hands and gripped the tub edges in a firm grip, bracing herself for his scrubbing. Her back arched, slender enough for the individual vertebrae to take definition. She answered him with a cast of her blonde tresses and one green eye back over her shoulder at the elf, "I am Jhessail; yet you may address me as you please."