Why she really wants this treasure

I don't have to wait long before Mil comes back down with a gorgeous young woman with a similar ethereal quality to the attendant at the bathhouse, likely another nymph. This one, however, was wearing a deep red corset that had the top half of her breasts completely exposed, holding them high and proud, and a plum skirt that was almost floor length, but had a slit in the side revealing tantalizing glimpses of her leg with each step she took. I'm guessing this is Mélisandra. Meanwhile, Mil is back in a utilitarian-looking green tunic that still manages to cling to her curves enough to be undeniably feminine. She looks up at me, then glances away, blushing.

I push myself off the wall I was leaning against, and look at the nymph, "Thank you for your help."

She waves her hand at that, her long, graceful fingers perfectly manicured, "It's not a problem, I always have time to help this little kliiata when this kind of thing happens," she gives a slight smile, and I feel my knees wanting to melt. If that tiny smile could do that, then this nymph could wrap me, and probably anyone she wanted to, around her finger with a full one.

I clear my throat, then look at Milaya, "We should get going, it's nearly time to meet Nerissa," she just nods and accompanies me out.

We make our way through the back alleys for a few minutes in silence, before she quietly asks "So how much did Pon tell you?"

I glance at her, and just says "Enough to have a basic idea of what happened earlier. You can give more details when, and if, you feel comfortable. Either way, I'll do what I can to help out with it," she smiles at me, and we continue on for a few more seconds, before I add on "Though I have to ask, does this issue of yours have anything to do with you wanting to go after this treasure that no one has been able to find for centuries?"

She blushes a little, then nods, explaining "There is a scepter. A magic scepter. Supposedly, it can end any magic it is used on, no matter how powerful. I was tracking the legends and stories of it, and the last known sighting of it was being loaded onto a ship that Lightheels raided," she looks away, and adds "I'm tired of constantly fighting to keep myself dressed, and of needing to spend so much of what I get my hands on to replace the ones that end up getting shredded, or charred, or whatever else!"

I nod, "I can understand that. And while I do kind of wish I would have been warned about this ahead of time, I can understand why you wouldn't want to lead off with that when trying to recruit help. Might end up with people travelling with you for the wrong reasons."

She gives me a wan smile at that, "You have no idea. Promise me you won't tell Nerissa about this? If it happens while we're travelling, I'll explain everything, but otherwise I would rather as few people know about this as possible." That seems perfectly reasonable to me, so I agree.

Not long after that, we come back into sight of the Wench, and I can see Nerissa is already out front. She gives us a smile as we approach, "Ah, good. Come, let uss go and sspeak with Alymarrez. I look forrwarrd to trravelling with you, and hope my sskillss will be of sserrvice." I nod at that, and let her lead the way to the Drunken Dragon tavern, and head inside.