Spirits of the Earth

"You've always had more balls than brains."

The blue-eyed man lowered his cup of alcohol and raised a brow at the night-skinned goblin who sat, hunched over- with legs dangling from the table beside him. The goblin wasn't a fan of chairs. They made him feel shorter than he was, and when he was around Winston McKeane- he'd rather not feel any smaller.

"Because we'll be meeting a woman?"

"Because you'll be meeting a woman," the goblin repeated, slower, and with much emphasis on each word. His beady eyes shined darkly, the dancing flames from the hearth casting deep shadows into the unique recesses and bold shapes of his face.

The human companion of his shook his head and knocked back more of his drink.

"Coin is coin, you know that,...right? Lenny?" the man asked, belching as he went to wipe off the alcohol from his lips onto the back of his leather wrist guard. Then he paused to belch again. "And if the purse happens to belong to a woman...well.." He could only shrug at that.

The goblin sneered, eyes still glittering as he muttered something under his breath.

But the blonde haired man only retorted to the muttered goblin-tongued curse with one of his own. Lenny grimaced. He never did like the fact Winston knew so many tongues- especially not some of his own.

"You make the language sound like rotting fish." Lenny sneered, eyeing the other man as Winston waved down a tavern maid to order another drink.

"Well, I can't make the sound of rotting fish sound like anything but rotting fish, now can I, Lenny?" Winston went on mildly, holding onto his cup as the serving woman poured. He got a nice eyeful down the front of her shirt as she did so. Then he nodded, grinning at her as he slipped her a coin as she blushed, then sauntered off to the next table.

Lenny was grinning now, that smile nearly cutting across the entire wide width of his face, exposing rows of little sharp, jagged teeth. The very sight of that smile made Winston pause with the cup of beer to his lips.

"What?"

The goblin snickered.

"You going to be able to keep it in your pants this time, McKeane?" the goblin looked from his companion to the barmaid.

Winston snorted.

"This is a job, Lenny."

"Exactly.." the goblin continued to eye his companion, before finally turning away as the serving woman disappeared into the back. He shook his head when it was obvious Winston's eyes had been following her. "You.." he went on, placing a curled hand onto his shoulder. "Are too predictable my friend."

"And you.." Winston went on, plucking Lenny's goblin fingers from his shoulder. "Shouldn't be sitting on the table when she brings us our stew."

Lenny sneered then muttered more in his tongue- he always did that when he had something colorful and nasty to say- he also always did it while turning away, so Winston couldn't catch all of it.

But somehow.. Winston always caught all of it.  The man was just looking at him now, and Lenny narrowed his eyes before swearing more in goblin tongue before he hopped down from the table. He didn't take a seat, however, and made his way over to the hearth, where a warm fire crackled and kept this side of the tavern warm- despite the chill of the desert night.

Winston had followed to where Lenny had moved to, his own eyes going to the flame as he stared off in thought.

Lenny grabbed the fire poker and prodded at it. Winston was about to say something, about the fact the goblin shouldn't just touch any old thing in the Smiling Crocus, the owner - after all, was a rather mean looking Rah-Souk, if the scar on his snout could attest to any of that. In fact..
He turned to look for the owner, wondering where the crocodile man had gone off to.

The Smiling Crocus was.. an interesting establishment. It wasn't in the best part of town- but it certainly wasn't the worst. But you wouldn't find rich folk dining here. No.. the merchant princes and their lot tending to remain in the heart of the city- or in their fancy delta establishments.

The city itself was a colorful town, although many were desert dwellers that lived here- the people here were far more diverse than the stiff-molded people of Connlaoth to the far north. He himself was a Connlaothian, although with how deeply tanned and ruddy he's skin had become from just being in the desert.. one might compare him closer to Adelan than Connlaothian- if it weren't for that blonde hair of his-
And his exceptionally blue eyes.

"So why are we here so early, McKeane?"

Lenny's gripe had his attention return to the goblin and he raised a brow at the other.

"I'm always early for my appointments."

"But are we not to meet her for another 3 hours? Curious.. that.." the goblin went on, thumbing his lip in thought. He turned to regard Winston. "It can't just be because she's a woman..."

The man said nothing, tapping the table a few times before he realized he was doing it and stopped.  That's when Lenny's eyes and ears perked up, then a snake like grin split across his face.

"Oh.. she's not just a woman.. is she?" Lenny began, moving to close the distance between them, grabbing the back of a nearby chair. But before he could pull it out to take a seat, Winston's hand snapped out to grab a hold if it, and Lenny started, beady eyes looking over at Winston. But the man didn't look at him. He was staring at his cup- no.. distantly past it.. eyes unfocused, in thought.

"What did you say her name was?" Lenny said, clearing his throat and jerking the chair out, despite Winston's hand still remaining. But the chair didn't fully budge, and Lenny turned to regard Winston again.

"I didn't say her name."

And then, if it was possible, Lenny's grin grew even wider, the teeth nearly cutting his face in half. He knew.. he knew much from nothing. If his companion did not wish to divulge much until they actually met her...
That meant she was someone of some status...

And that meant there would be quite a lot of money.
And Lenny really.. really liked his money.

The hulking crocodilian returned from the back room with a fresh keg over his shoulder, which he placed behind the bar. He rose back to full height and gave the bar a wipe with his bar rag as the next set of patrons walked up. With a thundering but friendly voice, he asked, "And what can I get for you folks?"

The gnoll who had taken a seat stared in awe at the crocodilian for a long moment before mouthing 'so awesome' to his lady companion. Thrax had no idea what the barkeep was, but it was awesome.

"Right. How about whatever you just brought out?" the bard answered.

Stygian gave an acknowledging grunt and poured him a mug of Essyrni ale. "And you, miss?"

( @DragonSong )

The lady companion in question rolled her eyes and mouthed back, You're ridiculous, but she was smiling.

"I'll try the pomegranate juice," she replied brightly to the bartender. She'd never had a pomegranate before, and was curious.

She looked around the bar, swiveling in her seat as her ruby eyes cut across the room. "More northerners here than I would have thought." The quiet comment was intended for Thrax, but then again, she didn't know if crocodile-people had particularly sensitive hearing.

"An excellent choice," Stygian responded, giving no indication he heard her quiet remark. He did faintly hear her, but he wasn't one to butt in on what was meant to be private.

Thrax smirked as he followed her gaze. "Never thought I'd see a Connloathian hanging out with a goblin in an Essyrni tavern, but why are we whispering?"

The happy, whimsical sounds of an old song lilted into the Smiling Crocus, heralded by a short, smiling man—wearing a hat almost as tall as he was—walking in, playing his violin. Once he got inside, he stopped playing, happily skipping up to the bar, and bowing low, sweeping off his hat in a grand fashion.
"Ah, sorry, sorry," he said to the barkeep.
"I don't know what the rules are here about playing instruments in the tavern; but could I perhaps have a shot of your strongest spirits? I am quite parched. Beautiful selection of alcohol you have here, by the way." He grinned and took a seat on a barstool, happily whistling a tune. 

The big reptile looked down at the short man with an appreciative twinkle in his friendly eyes. "You have a good eye, my friend," Stygian said amicably as he deftly poured him a shot.

"You may play what you wish, provided none of my patrons start leaving."

The gnoll sitting at the bar turned his head to regard the halfling. "So, a fellow bard, eh?" He grinned and extended a big hand. "Thraxion Swordbreaker. Good to meet ya."

Rowan grinned.
"Aye, It's always good to meet a fellow bard. Rowan at your service!"
He shook Thraxion's hand, then downed the shot the barkeeper had poured him.
"Wow that's amazing. Could I mayhaps have another one?" Rowan contemplated something.
"Perhaps five more?"
Rowan played a few experimental notes on his violin.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
His eyes twinkled, and he launched into a song, playing a slow, melodic intro on his violin.
He stopped playing and started singing, his light, crystal clear voice carrying over the room.

"In a small forest, deep and green,
Where secrets and wonders lied unseen.
A humble bard, with heart so pure,
Embarked on a quest (of this I'm sure"
His eyes twinkled as he sang.
"Thraxion, friend! Jump in if you'd like!"

"He wandered through the mossy glades,
Melodies ran through the dappled shades.
A quest for music, a treasure untold,
In this enchanted forest, there's a story to be told."

Rowan picked up his violin and picked up the tempo, merging the slow style into a fiddling one.

"Deeper into the woods, he strode,
With each step, the enchantment flowed,
There, beneath an ancient, twisted oak,
Lay the violin that the forest spoke.
He picked up the violin, touched by time,
Its strings alive with a magic chime,
The bard's heart soared as he began to play,
And the forest itself danced on that day."

Rowan was practically dancing now.
"He wandered through the mossy glades,
With melodies in the dappled shades,
A quest for music, a treasure untold,
In this enchanted forest, a story to be told!"

He stopped playing and swept down into a massive bow, the hat somehow staying on his head.
"And that, friends, is a shortened introduction of me."
Rowan smiled.

Winston found himself studying the bar keep, and owner of the place, with a critical eye. It was strange to see Rah-souk in anything but armor. But here was one, with strange, black as night scales, and running his own rather successful business. And it seemed this night he was to get many patrons.

At least they weren't the usual types that stumbled in here. He was still curious about it. Normally the more rowdy adventurer types came in, those with a little.. darker dealings that wanted a nice place to sit but not be too close to law-keepers. For that, The Smiling Crocus was perfect.

This actually made Winston frown.

And then a bard began to sing- and that made the goblin grimace, plugging up his ears. He hunched over, as if that might help shield him from the terrible song. Winston only watched Lenny, an eye brow raised.

When the song ended, Lenny grumbled to himself and slowly removed his fingers from his ears.

"Ugh, non-goblings sing terribly."

Now both of Winston's brows raised. The man couldn't help but smile and this made him relax back into his chair as he looked over at the group beside the bar.

"Lenny.. Lenny... you have to remember you're not with your kin..."

Lenny cursed in his tongue, not bothering to hide the words, but no one else could really hear them- least of all understand him. His kind weren't exactly plentiful in the world. It was a shame what his people had become...
Then again, it wasn't like the goblins ruled over large plots of lands like the humans did. Humans.. always wanting to own something. He raised a clawed finger, and idly scratched at his lip.

"Think anyone would mind if I sunk a knife into the halfings head?" Lenny grumbled, more to make himself feel better than something he'd actually act upon. Lenny was always more fluff than stuff. Then again, he wouldn't put it past the goblin to be plotting to stab the man in the back.

Hana listened to the bard's music with a smile, bobbing her head.

She reached over and placed a hand on Thrax's arm to lean in and murmur, "I am begging you—don't ever introduce yourself in verse."

The other bard's style wasn't exactly Thrax's cup of tea, but he listened companionably. Though, when given the offer of joining in, he had to bite his tongue not to say something rude like 'I'd rather drink acid'.

Afterwards, when Hana murmured to him, he whispered back with a smirking, "Yeah, no. I'm not nearly that full of myself."

Louder, he said to Rowan with a gently teasing smirk, "So, I take it you found a magic violin in the woods."

He turned in his seat and unslung Stormsong. "My magic lute is also an axe." He grinned. Of course he was going to compare cool, magic instruments.

Because his was obviously bigger.

Winston pressed his lips together as he studied the room. Odd.. was he the only human here? The black scaled crocodile owner was there.. and a gnoll and.. was that a kitsune or the likes beside him? Then of course Lenny... one could never count Lenny anywhere close to a human. And the hafling? He was.. he guessed.. half human.  It took more muttering and their stew being served to tear Winston's eyes away. But he was thankful for the food. He was hungry, and he'd rather be at his A game when this woman arrived.

She was offering to pay handsomely for his services. And who was he to deny the whims of a woman?

Rowan grinned.
"Yours is quite impressive! My violin can heal injuries if I play certain songs. I'm less on the offensive side of things and more on the "keep people alive" side."
Rowan sat back on the barstool and looked closer at Thraxion's instrument.
"That is most definitely bigger than mine. Wow, the craftsmanship on this lute is breathtaking!"

Hana, sipping at her juice, choked quietly when the halfling declared Thrax's instrument was "most definitely" bigger. She shot the gnoll a look that screamed, Don't you dare.

Her eyes flicked around the room before landing on Rowan again with a small smile. "It's certainly something," she chuckled quietly. "You should hear him actually play."

It took every bit of the gnoll's willpower not to laugh like a crazy person or continue the game. After giving Hana a quick look of "buzzkill," he cleared his throat.

"Is that a request? I'm going to assume that was a request."

With a grin, he started playing. The electric sounds of his instrument filled the tavern with a lively tune that was as catchy as it was noisy. Then, to poor Lenny's horror, he started to sing. His rough but smooth voice delivered a familiar, somewhat raunchy tavern standard in a way all his own. And his energy was infectious.

And then the man-sized wolf sang. At first, even Winston wanted to plug his ears- this music strange in its intensity. But then something tickled his veins- a thrill- a sensation of the storm he could not deny feeling rise within his veins.

He stared over at the gnoll, transfixed- and not realizing his blue eyes glowed subtly at the very vibrations of the monster's instrument.

And then Lenny was groaning.

"First the half pint human gargling, now this?"
He began to mutter again in goblin, smashing both hands over his large ears to shield himself depending the offending sounds.

But Winston... he felt something alive in each strum, and couldn't help but continue to stare.

Rowan couldn't help but tap his foot along to the infectious melody. Not quite his style, but he could appreciate a talented musician. He grinned, turning his violin over and using it as a drum of sorts, silently playing along.
When Thraxion finished, Rowan clapped.
"Well played, my friend!"

This humble narrator feels obliged to refute the scurrilous accusation that Thrax is a mere man-sized wolf. He is, in fact, larger than a man, and a hyena. Thank you. That is all.

---

Thrax half-bowed, careful with the edged weapon in his lap. "Thank you, thank you."

Straightening up, he grinned. "You're not too shabby yourself."

For a violinist.

"A far cry from most of the talentless hacks I cross paths with."

Ooc: I love the narrator commentary. I apologize for my character's short sightedness . Hes not as worldly as he thinks! He probably thinks he's a werewolf and will look at you funny when you'd explain the difference. Although I think Lenny knows what Thrax is :D

-‐------------

Lenny muttered, thankful it was over, muttering about which gods he ought to praise for the sounds to stop. 

"Careful, Lenny! The werewolf over there might turn its eyes on you and rip you to pieces. Then what other gremling would I turn to to mock?"


Lenny made a face.

"You think you're so smart yet not you prattle on about superstitiouns. " Lenny sneered. "I'm not a gremling."

Winston grinned.

"I know."

And then the goblin pointed at Thrax.
"And that ain't no wolf, my pale skinned northern friend."

Winston raised a brow at the rebuttal. 

"That, my friend.." Lenny went on, gesturing in Thrax's direction. "Is a gnoll- more common here than you'd think. And.. apparently are very bad at singing."

Winston snorted and picked up his drink that a barmaid was kind enough to refill, nodding to her in thanks.

"A gnoll, huh?"

"Yeah.." Lenny scratched idly at an ear. "More closely related to the hyena than anything else."

Hyena? Winston rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  He'd atleast heard of them. He eyed Thrax. He supposed he had some difference from a wolf.  Of course, that's why he assumed the hulking thing was a werewolf. Not that he'd ever seen one before. There were stories- none that showed them off in a light as polite as this one seemed to be.

Hrmm.. so a gnoll musician....
He observed the others, wondering if the female was about to break out in song next. He wouldn't be surprised.

Thrax twitched when he overheard the goblin criticizing his singing. Normally, he would let things like that slide, but something about this particular goblin was extra... gobliny. He didn't judge people by their happenstance of birth as a rule, but he'd never met a goblin that wasn't tone-deaf. 

"Y'know, if a goblin thinks I suck, then I must be doing something right!" he called to Lenny.

"Thrax," Hana protested quietly, shooting a quick look in the goblin and his companion's direction. "Let's try not to make a tradition out of the barfight thing, shall we?"

She shot a smile at Rowan, murmuring her own praise of his performance, before raising both voice and hand to the other two across the taproom. "No offense meant, friend!"

Winston waved back at the others from across the bar, smiling.
 
"No offense taken!  I remind him everyday he's tone def and ugly!" Winston called across the bar. Lenny laughed beside him, chuckling along with until his face fell as he realized..

"Hey.. wait a minute.."

And Winston's smile grew broader. He patted Lenny on the shoulder and urged him to look away. 

"Best to take the compliment when it's given, Lenny," Winston went on with a patronizing pat on his shoulders .

Thrax mumbled an apology to Hana for trying to start something.

Stygian looked between the gnoll and the kitsune. In a friendly, but somehow threatening tone, the crocodilian said, "From one unpopular race to another, I suggest you refrain from sowing any chaos in my establishment. I am not fond of violence, but I will not hesitate to expel any troublemakers personally."

Considering that he made Thrax look like an adorable puppy by comparison, there was little doubt that the barkeep could deliver on his threat.

Hana saluted the reptilian bartender. "Understood. We'll be on our best behavior," she assured, with a quick, pointed look at her companion.

Glancing back at Rowan, she asked politely, "So, what brings you here, anyway?"

Rowan downed another shot.
"Well, truth be told, I've heard rumors of a lost city or something along those lines. I'm a man prone to adventure. I didn't choose the bard life, ya know. It chose me! So I just go where I feel the wind is taking me."

He grinned, softly plucking the strings of his violin, using the magic in the strings to try to calm the slightly tense atmosphere.

Winston almost dropped his glass the moment the halfling spoke. You'd think he'd be more surprised the crocodile stopped anyone from wanting to start something with Lenny- the goblin deserved any of the teeth he'd lose in that scuffle. But what the hafling said...

How far had news traveled?

He eyed Lenny, narrowing hid gaze at his companion who was now grinning ear to ear. And before he could even speak- Winston jagged an unseen knife and pressed it against Lenny's side.

"Don't even start a thing.. or say anything. "

He gave his companion a look and Lenny paled but nodded, muttering something about humans and being terrible leaders.

Winston turned away from the group, a finger tapping his mug of ale.

"Well, what are the odds..." Thrax chuckled after taking a swig of ale. "We heard similar rumors and are also here seeking adventure and fortune."

"We've had the itch ever since our last adventure went sideways and paid nothing. Would you believe the bounty we trying to collect turned out to be possessed by a demon?" He shuddered. "If we hadn't run into the cranky Shadow Ranger hunting it, it would probably have torn us apart like the unlucky elf in our party."

"But it wasn't all bad." He smiled. "We met each other and made some lasting friendships."

Hana smiled and nodded with Thrax's assessment, but her attention was divided. Something seemed...off about the way the goblin had gone suddenly quiet. And his human companion seemed rather abruptly disinterested in the conversation.

Winston considered what he heard. And debated if he ought to advertise or not. He was being paid handsomely for this gig, and while he'd welcome more money- he wasn't the financer of this expedition, even if he were the navigator.

It's why Lenny was giving him an odd look now. Money was money. But Winston also was a man that kept his word.

"Why are you keeping your tongue?" Lenny asked, eyes narrowed upon his friend. "That's a lot of potential over there, my friend. "

Winston gave him a look and talked lowly.

"I'm keeping your tongue because I'm well enough educated with my current employer to know she might be less than thrilled we've invited additional escorts on her caravan."

Lenny still seemed unconvinced.

"Money is money, my good friend."

"And threats are threats. You want I should throw you in the Niafi?"

Lenny lifted his hands placatingly and said no more, but kept looking over at the other group of bards.

Thrax caught on to Hana's divided attention and followed her gaze to the goblin and his human friend. "Ooo, are we eavesdropping now?" he asked her with a playful smirk.

The goblin better not be saying anything else about his singing or, worse, his girl. She might not be able to stop him from starting something a second time.

Rowan merely "hmmmed" and idly drank another shot. Things weren't adding up. The goblin and his companion went silent realll fast...he narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
"A shadow ranger, huh? That sounds fascinating." Rowan turned to the bard.
"Sounds like you've had some amazing adventures."

Winston couldn't believe Lenny- but at the same time.. it was Lenny.

He shook his head and finished his beer and waved a hand to get the barmaid's attention but she had already slipped into the back room.

Without missing a beat, Lenny hefted up his empty mug.

"Don't worry, I'll get you more beer, my friend."

And before Winston could protest, Lenny had already made his way to the bar and put the two empty mugs onto the counter. He grinned toothily up at the crocodile man.

"Two of your house drafts, if you'd please."

Winston glared over at Lenny- who was now too close to the others gossiping about the deserts...

"He just better not do anything stupid," Winston muttered under his breath.

"Maybe," Hana responded quietly with a small smirk at Thrax. "For now just getting the lay of things."

The goblin sidled up to the bar, and her curiosity got the best of her.

She smiled at Rowan and nodded between the two bards. "Oh, I'm sure Thrax would be happy to tell you more--what are you drinking? I'll get another round." She slid slightly toward the goblin and bartended even as she asked, ears perked.

"Right away." Stygian nodded and turned to fill the two mugs from one of the kegs on the back wall. Turning back around, he placed the drinks on the bar. "Here you are."

Thrax chuckled. "I've got two words for you," he told Rowan with a grin, "ghost ship." Sure, it was terrifying at the time, but all good adventures were.

Rowan, intrigued by this "ghost ship", leaned in.
"Cursed, abandoned, ghost ship or crewed?"
Rowan had never been to the sea...let alone seen a ship, and the idea of a ghost ship was fascinating.
He stared at the empty shot glasses in front of them and decided against ordering another shot.

Lenny too, was intrigued by it.

A.. ghostship? Surely they were fabricating it..

But even still..
The goblin cocked an ear and lingered, listening in and feigning nonchalance. 

"Don't ask me how it works, but as far as we could tell, the ship was the ghost." After letting just the right amount of doubt grow, he launched into an account of the incident. "It all started with the fog. We could tell right away that something was wrong with it, but it wasn't until the crew started all saying the lyrics to a grim seas shanty that we knew we were in danger."

"I tried to steer the ship out of the fog, but then the mist-shrouded galleon appeared and opened fire, piercing the deck with great, big harpoons attached to chains. As it tried to haul us in like a whale, the two of us—together with the ship's mage—fought to break us free. With some magical ingenuity, we broke the phantom chains and freed the mesmerized crew."

"But the thing wasn't done, and gave chase. Hana used all of her magic to craft an illusory vessel for it to attack while I—I shit you not—discouraged it with a happy song. It worked! But it eventually caught on and launched one final volley of shots."

"They were not cannonballs. They were insectile crustacean things made up of bones; from its crew, I assume. The nightmarish constructs attempted to swarm the crew, but they were no match for us and the fine crew of the Adamant Lady."

Lenny only stared.

He wasn't sure what kind of insane nonsense the gnoll was sprouting.. but.. it took every ounce of his being not to laugh. 

"A ghostship?" Came another incredulous voice across the bar.

Lenny turned, ears perked up.

It was Winston and he was looking straight at the gnoll.

"You're telling me... that three people.. gnoll.. included.." he went on, recalling what Thrax was. "Took down an entire ghost ship?"

"Well, it wasn't three of us by the time the roly poly bone bugs showed up," Hana cut in with a small shrug. She normally left most of recounting their adventures to Thrax. "The crew were pretty lucid by then. Though to be honest, I was exhausted from that illusion work, so it's a bit fuzzy for me after that."

Thrax laughed at the misunderstanding. "And we didn't so much as take it down as manage to run the hells away, which is decidedly less impressive. The thing is very much still out there, hunting for other victims."

"I really don't blame you for being skeptical. I was there and I barely believe it." He shrugged. "We just have a knack for landing in the middle of crazy town."

Winston lifted both brows.

"A whimsical tale indeed. Bartender," he gestured towards the group before him. "A round of drinks for my ghostship survivor friends!"

Thrax grinned. "Whimsical? No, friend, it was epic! I played so hard that the wind became mine to command!"

He chuckled to himself. "I mean, we both passed out after all that, but still, it was so incredibly awesome!"

Rowan thoughtfully listened to their awesome tales.
He raised his glass.
"May more adventures find you."

Winston couldn't help but laugh.
"I've had my fair share of adventures, but that one takes the cake. Though I must admit I'm rather glad I've never personally experienced a ghost ship adventure.. though I'm sure it was grand!"

He lifted his mug again and moved closer to pay the barkeep for their round of drinks.

"Any good treasures you hauled away after such an adventure?'

Thrax shrugged his sizeable shoulders. "We never set foot on the ghost ship, so there's nothing to show for it," he said, still sore about merely surviving, even though at the time he was just happy to come out alive.

There was always what happened during their crossing of the desert, but then it didn't seem like the right time to get into that.

"And any coin from our previous adventures has already been spent. So if anyone's hiring, we'd appreciate it." He chuckled.

Hana shot her partner a dry look and mouthed, Subtle.

Still, Thrax's way of doing things often got results, she couldn't deny that.

"We can do more than frighten off ghost ships," she added with a small, crooked smirk. "Heard from a university back in Arca that there might be an archeological expedition around these parts--don't suppose any of you know anything about that?"