Alia put on her sunhat and arranged the towel and sunshade to her satisfaction. But before she even had a chance to lie down on the towel, she was approached by two men in their thirties. It was easy for her to tell that they were adventurers: both were wearing chain mail, which seemed even more out of place on the beach than Sarufax's cloak; the well-built one had a scabbard at his side from which the pommel of a sword protruded, and the small one wore a rucksack. She mentally tagged them as a fighter and a thief (though "rogue" was the polite term). Both were well-tanned, and the fighter had an old scar on his cheek.
"Good day, lady," the rogue said. "We would like you to help us."
"How could I possibly help you?" she asked, surprised.
"We have been looking for a pregnant elven maiden, and you fit the bill. We want you to come with us."
Ah, now it made sense. They must have heard the same prophecy as Sarufax and also be searching for the temple. She wondered just what could be in the temple, that so many people wanted to find it. She decided that it might be wiser not to mention her master or that she was on the same mission as they were.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but though it might not look like it at the moment I am in the employ of another. I can't just go wandering off, as she will expect to find me here."
Tue Jan 07 22:00:59 2020