The Dryad 7 Information

It is hard to say whether I was more surprised by how much had changed over the last thousand years or how much was still the same. There were a few buildings made out of stone which were only seen in the larger towns last time. One big change was the the clothes that people were wearing. The quality of it seemed to have improved much over the years. I saw much less of the rough leathers I remembered. Taking their place were colorful fabrics with bright contrast. However, the biggest change would be the things that I am told are called wagons. They are large boxes with wheels pulled by animals. I watched one of them rolling along the road, fascinated with how they seemed to make moving the load much easier than it would be without the wheels. As the wagon pa.s.sed through a muddy patch of the road, a long straight track was made. These were the things making the funny tracks on the ground that I was trying to figure out earlier.

Turning to Istan I asked, "So where would be the best place to start? I don't think going up to random people and asking if they have seen Faun or some strange being would get us very far."

"I think you are Right Moth--" I gave Istan a hard look. To which he coughed and continued. "--Laurel. I think we should head to see if someone in the Inn knows anything."

"What is an inn?" I asked Leafia while raising an eyebrow.

"If I remember right, it would be some sort of a house travelers can pay money to stay at. I have never seen one before, so I am just going off of what I have heard from other people," she said with a small shrug while the two of us followed behind Istan.

Istan lead us to one of the nicer buildings in town. It was two stories tall and seemed more stable than most of the rest of the buildings. As we walked inside we were greeted by a mostly empty room full tables. I had to guess that this was a place for the guests to spend some time and to eat. It has been a long time since I have 'eaten' anything. I wonder if the humans have come up with any better food. The last time I interacted with them I was really just eating to maintain appearances. From my memory, the human food had no taste to it. Elven food was not as bad, but still not something I would go out of my way to eat if I didn't have to. It really is convenient at times being more like a plant. I can just get my energy from the world around me.

Istan walked up to a man who was working on cleaning the room. "We have just arrived in this town and we are wondering if you would be able to help us out with a few questions we have."

"How may I help you? Are you looking for a room to stay the night? We have been full up, but one of our rooms opened up just this morning. "

"We might be staying the night but first we need some more information." Istan said. Once hearing that I could tell that the man looked slightly disappointed.

"We will at least have a meal here. We have been traveling for a few days and have not had a chance to eat a good meal." Istan said to the man pulling back his hood and placing some coins on the table. "There is nothing wrong with engaging some customers with some conversation when you are not busy."

"An elf!" the man said under his breath. Then he replied out loud, "I would be happy to oblige you but we have already run out of meat this morning. All we have left is bread." Suddenly he seemed much more respectful.

It looks like that part of humans has not changed: giving them money makes everything go smoother, and the man was a lot more willing to talk. Also the humans, or at least this one, had some sort of respect for the elves.

"We do not have a habit of eating meat in the fall when food is abundant." Leafia said, also lowering her hood.

Istan turned to me and asked, "Will that be acceptable to you M *cough* Laurel?"

"I have no need for meat," I replied, also lowering my hood. I could eat meat and I have in the past. After all some plants did the same. But as a plant spirit, I felt no need to eat at all, so not having meat was no problem. As I let my hood drop, I was a little confused though. I was wearing Istan's cloak. Where did he get the hood from? I also can't believe I did not notice this until now.

"Pardon me, I did not realize that about Elves. I will get you some bread. Please wait just a moment. Could I get you anything to drink?" The man became still more respectful after learning that not one, but two of our company were elves.

Istan said that water would be fine and the man headed off to the back.

I edged closer to Leafia and whispered in her ear, "Where did he get the cloak from?"

"One of those that were going back to the village gave it to him before we left. He would have picked up a spare once he made it back to the to the village." I guess that I did not pay them much attention after I started walking off. Might be what I get for doing my best to ignoring them for 500 years.