{-Llewel-}

“You’re all ready?” Hannah asked apathetically. “It took you longer than I would’ve thought. All I need is an escort to Ilataesi and it’s not even the dangerous route.”

“Yeah, but we plan on staying,” Zetai remarked with a shrug. She gestured for everyone to follow her. “Finished up pretty much everything we could do here in Kehnore and Ilataesi’s the next stop.”

“So am I your tour guide?”

Tinath, in the same dull tone, returned, “Depends, got any information that’s worth sharing?”

“Well, I need somewhere to start. What do you want to know?”

Reynneak, at least, accepted the opportunity. “Do you know any more about what we might need to expect from the Rune Reactivation Project?”

“Those guys? I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about running into any of them, or at least not a lot. The only thing I can say is, if there’s a shady guy somewhere at the edge of Ilataesi City, then just keep walking. As long as you use your brain you’re never going to find them and they’re never going to care about you.”

“That’s the same thing Kelfin told us,” Zetai pointed out. “Would you know anything more about anything Nankohm might be doing there?”

“Well, first of all, the chance that I of all people know anything is pretty low. But luckily for you a friend of mine likes keeping track of everything that’s going on and talks to me about it. He hasn’t heard anything new since the last time we were together. I could probably introduce you, if you want, and you’ll probably be the first to know about anything that goes on in Ilataesi.”

“You really think he’d know and tell us as soon as he can?” Zetai paused. “And that he’s not going to end up telling all of Ilataesi that we’re there?”

“Trust me, he knows a lot more than any average person would. As much as he’d be happy to know who you are, he’s also going to keep that to himself—he may be one of the nosiest people anyone in Ilataesi knows, but he’s smart, too. In fact he might even be able to help keep hidden the fact that you’re there.” Hannah glanced at all of them. “Though that alone probably isn't going to do much for you. You’re one recognizable team combo—I could tell who I was talking to the moment you walked up asking about my quest. I’m sure there’d be more than a few in Ilataesi who’ll realize it, too.”

“Do you think the shopkeeper and innkeeper will be able to help?” Reynneak prompted.

She shrugged. “They probably could. They’ve got their own little network, after all. If you’re more interested in keeping track of everyone, then Dahasci’s probaby your guy. If you’re more interested in stuff just within Ilataesi, then Kulric will have the best information for you. I hear that he’s out a lot whenever the shop has the time to close, so he’s undoubtedly heard all kinds of rumors.”

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“It would be better to talk to both of them anyway,” Llewel mumbled. “If Duuzlo learns anything, he’ll be able to tell them and we’ll know a lot quicker than waiting for someone else.”

Hannah seemed surprised only for a moment. “So you do still talk with Duuzlo.” At their somewhat confused expressions, she continued, “That’s been one of the things floating around for a while. We’re never really sure of anything, you know—things are subject to change all over the place if we look into things too much. Rumor had it that the descendants of Emmyth were back and that they had the help from Nafrius priests. The first part is pretty obvious at this point, but since no one I know has the ability to ask that kind of question, I doubted the second.”

“That seems weird,” Zetai remarked. “From the sounds of it, the twins definitely wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without Duuzlo. People really aren’t sure about something that’s that important?”

“Eh, at least in the circles I’m in,” Hannah responded casually. “If you’re on your way out of Kehnore, you know what it’s like there. Most of the people there avoid mentioning anything to do with Nafrius or the priests, and those that do care have more important things to worry about than what’s happening there. In Ilataesi, only the most important information makes it past the mountains. If it’s not some big event or something else that’s being planned in the game, chances are nobody’s going to know about it—and, aside from a few like that friend of mine, no one cares enough to find out.”

“It’s understandable,” Reynneak said casually. “This is probably something they want as few people to know as possible. There’s probably a lot of people who aren’t completely up-to-date on everything that’s going on.”

“Maybe we could use that to our advantage,” Llewel mumbled. “The less people know, the less people that are going to end up talking about it.”

“Eh, I don’t think it’s going to work the way you think it will,” Hannah said. “Sure, the details are a little fuzzy. But I doubt there’s a lot who don’t understand the big picture—that the two of you are back and traveling with players.”

“Can’t you just let me pretend..?” Llewel sighed. “I’d feel a lot better if I could convince myself this wasn’t going to get harder the longer we do it.”

Zetai was quick to point out, “You know you don’t have to worry, right? You’ve got the three of us looking out for you.”

“I wouldn’t sound too confident,” Tinath muttered. “It seems like Mr. Mair’s got the time to spare and money to throw to ‘fix’ this. Mom never made him sound like the kind of guy that just gives up when things don’t go his way the first time. We shouldn’t start underestimating what he’s willing to do until we know for sure what his limits are.”

There was nothing that anyone could say that would bring any form of reassurance, so no one said anything. They eventually changed to more casual topics, just to keep them from being completely silent, and any mention of it was soon forgotten again. Any true conversation didn’t really happen until they were closer to Ilataesi City, which was apparently also when Myr stopped reading what Enreru had given her.

“Hannah, do you know a lot of people in Ilataesi?” she asked, in an innocent tone though Llewel couldn’t help but wonder what she wanted to know for.

“Eh, if I stand in the middle of a crowd, I could probably point out a couple of the faces,” Hannah replied with a moment’s consideration. “I doubt I’d be able to tell you anything specific about a person, though, if that’s what you’re going to ask about.”

“No, it’s nothing really specific. I was wondering if you’ve met with Esaphi.”

“That’s the rune girl who lurks around the mountains, right? Can’t say I’ve spoken to her personally—if I’ve met her it was probably a while ago—but I’ve talked with her parents.”

“That’s great! Did they mention how she was doing? Do you know where she might be staying now?”