Portia steps back out looking fairly freshened up despite not having the right accommodations for such things.

"I want to know what they want with us and then I want to talk to Malark. He's somewhere in Candlekeep with others from the temple that did not go to the Gate. It's going to take a lot to get rid of the encroaching evil before we can even think of rebuilding. I'm not for sitting around long either and this better be worth the wait."

She sits down on a bench near Orst and looks around.

"And who thinks this is a good place to sleep? I'm not even sure we have a chamber pot."

"Old Orst's been around a year or two, or ninety-four, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that evils can hardly ever be eradicated. We can only hope to defend ourselves against them. Beregost will rebuild, alright, but they'll rebuild with sufficient force to defend themselves this time. We'll stand against these folk or we'll die in the effort..."

Orst opens his mouth to continue his rant, but is interrupted by the door opening. In the doorway is a remarkably tall, middle-aged man with sandy hair to his shoulders. He wears ornate gold robes trimmed in red and a heavy gold chain signifying his elevated office. Behind him, a small elf, bald with significant burn scarring on her right side and wearing simple gray robes, waits.

"Ah, the famous Orst Shieldstone, the Sword Coast's least discrete smuggler," the tall man says as he saunters into the room. "Curious to see you tied to business of this nature."

Orst arches a brow, but does not reply as the man looks at each member of the group for a few seconds before moving on to the next.

"You all have been afforded a great honor in admission to Candlekeep by virtue of your honesty and willingness to return to us a most valuable possession that was recently stolen. Now, may I ask, who holds the soulshard?"

"Only if we can ask who's asking," Zina replied defiantly, looking the tall man up and down. She didn't plan on giving the soul gem to just anyone. "And who is in the soulshard."

"I am Elder Reader Sten Dhoro of Cormyr. This alchemist is Jena, my associate and friend." He speaks by matter of fact, with very little facial expression beyond a touch of indifference. "The identity of the Imprisoned is not my business - nor is it yours. The Keeper is indeed grateful for your assistance in this matter, and could be convinced to extend his gratitude a touch further, so long as the rightful property of Candlekeep is returned willingly."

Jena stares straight forward, into the distance, without any indication that she is listening or acknowledging the discussion.

Kanon looks pointedly at Petti.

He blurts out, "Of course Elder Reader! We have the soulshard of which you speak and will accept any generosity extended for its return." He stands from his bed and watches the scene, eyes wide. Finally, he adds, "The value of such an item is priceless, as is the soul trapped within. We only ask for access to the arcane libraries and the materials needed to complete our own research." His eyes stray towards Zina before finally returning to Sten.

"We're just going to hand over a priceless item that has some poor sod trapped in it to some guy just because he had the right color robes?" Zina grumbled to herself with a pout. Kanon was clearly not to be trusted with her book, but even she couldn't deny that he was good at talking to people.

"What kind of gratitude are we talking about?" She said loudly, directed at the man in fancy robes. 

He listened silently, gauging the actions of the two strangers. Kanon had the highest likelihood of knowing either of them, and he seemed starstruck to see both of them here now. Buuut... he's also only 18, and has no real field experience, so it was a tough call. Pettilaen is cautious. He'd been in handoffs that went south because they blindly trusted the opposing party. He was clever though, and had his ways of identifying whether a person was real, all the while being friendly about it.

Stepping forward, he puts on his best smile. "How rude are we for not introducing ourselves in return! The name's Pettilaen, from the famous Brookebrewer family. Surely you've had a chance to drink our delicious mead, Mr. Dhoro!" He outstretches his hand towards the Elder Reader, in the gesture of a handshake, noting to see if he returns the gesture to shake his hand. Regardless of whether or not he accepts the handshake, he extends his hand in the same manner to Jena, adding, "You look like you could use a drink too. That blank stare tells me you've spent many sleepless nights recently, and we have a special mead recipe to put anyone right to sleep."

Elder Reader Dhoro accepts the handshake, still stoic and largely emotionless. Jena does not respond to Pettilaen's gesture.

"You will have to address Alchemist Jena by name," the Senior Reader explains. "She has been well trained to see and hear nothing unless she is directly addressed."

Zina cast message as discreetly as she could, sinking in to the background of the room. "Does Candlekeep make it a practice of brain washing its workers?" The spell whispered into Kanon's mind. This whole exchange was unsettling.

"Well-trained?" he asked, perplexed. Heading the advice of the Elder Reader, he says, keeping his hand outstretched still, "A fair night to you, Alchemist Jena." With a smile on his face, he adds, "Please, tell me a little bit about yourself. I'm most interested to learn about you and your training."

Zeratto is likely looking out a window, mostly disinterested in the speak of trade and arcane tricks. He chooses instead to stargaze and observe the dance of the constellations.

Portia stands up when the door opens. She says nothing at how Orst is addressed and manages to not smirk, but she does glance at Orst. She wonders about Kanon being star struck but realizes he is a bit younger than herself with a far different perspective on things. She lived in a temple all her life she can remember and one never knew when they might even run into the Most Radiant in the halls. It was not often, but one was to show respect properly and not get all gushy over it. She had had a few lectures about it growing up.

She stepped forward and gives the elder reader a nod of respect. "I am Portia Starflower of the Song of the Morning. Pleased to meet you Elder Reader Dhoro." She smiles. "It's been a crazy week or so for us and a lot of things have happened to put us on our guard no matter who we are talking to. Some of the timing is far too coincidental. I do have questions. Who stole the gem, when, and who did you expect to find it on? I ask more due to the portending of events over the past couple of weeks than anything else."

"As I understand," the Elder Reader explains, "it was sent from Candlekeep with a small but capable group with orders to deliver it to an ally in some distant location. Though they traveled discreetly, by cover of night, they were apparently detected and destroyed by some powerful force. Thankfully, it would appear that force did not know of, or could not find, the shard. You stumbled upon it, apparently by happenstance, and retrieved it mere hours later."

Jena's attention is drawn to Pettilaen with the mention of her name. She smiles politely, but stares at his hand with discomfort.

"I am an Alchemist of Candlekeep, trained and appointed to deal with all things scientific and magical. I accompany my Elder Reader to assist him with identification of any item or concoction that he does not recognize. If you'll pardon me, however, it is my solemn duty to quietly await any orders from my Elder Reader."

She stares forward again, her eyes distant and disengaged.

"As for payment," the Elder Reader says when the Alchemist is finished speaking, "the Keeper is willing to grant access to the outer sphere of candles for your use. There, you will find tens of thousands of rare and valuable tomes on the history and nature of Faerun as well as some minor incantations and enchantments. It's a significant gift in return for your good fortune and honest action."

"Thanks for that amazing gift, but as of right now I think it's best if we turn in," Zina gave a little yawn. "It's been a long day for us, travel sure is tiring. We'd be happy to be of more assistance in the morning, should you need us." 

Pettilaen frowns at the refusal of the handshake, and opts to pat her shoulder instead.

Turning to the Elder Reader, he procured the gem. "Well, you both check out as best as I can tell. Can't be too cautious these days, what with rumours of Red Wizards and these hobgoblins laying waste to everything."

Holding the gem out in offering to the Elder Reader, he adds, "Keep it secret. Keep it safe. And if you need us for anything else, don't hesitate to call on us. We're heroes, afterall!"

The Elder Reader produces a velvet bag, which he turns inside out to grip the gem, then quickly seal it inside the bag.

"Very well," he says. "The Keeper will be pleased. We will see you in the morning to present you with the proper credentials you will need to access the lower candles. Until then."

He takes a couple steps toward the door, then turns around for a last word.

"Oh, and as far as accommodations, I understand your frustration and I do apologize. But you see, our few guest rooms are fully occupied. It seems Candlekeep has become quite popular among the famous and powerful of late. Never have so many legendary wizards been congregated at one place, I would think." 

He takes a sharp breath, then exits, with the Alchemist close behind.

Several seconds pass after the man has left before Orst speaks up.

"Oh, I'll be damned," he says with a grunt. "That conversation was so awkward that I forgot to ask about the messages I need sent. Ah, well, it's night at the Gate too. I'm sure the morning will be as good."

Zina exhaled loudly, her posture slouching. "Right?" She responded to Orst. "I'm glad it wasn't just me. Blackstaff knows, I'm about as awkward as they come, but even that conversation was a little much for me."

She flopped down onto the ground, resting her muscles for just a moment. Said moment did not last long, as she sat up after only a few seconds and smiled mischievously at Kanon. "D'ya think you can show me those lower candles without proper credentials?"