Msaka made his way through the maze of streets, following the innkeeper's directions. He soon found himself on Shmali Tarik, off of which he expected to find the lane that branched off to Aziza's residence. He hurried along it, the prospect of finally getting his hands on an elemental, narrow though it still was, urging him onwards.

He stopped suddenly, sensing that someone was following him. He turned and looked back, and sure enough, there was a young man hurrying along after him, an angry look in his eyes. From his slightly unsteady stride and unkempt appearance, Msaka guessed that the man was drunk. He carried a sword, but it was sheathed at his hip, so an immediate attack didn't seem likely. Of course, that didn't leave Msaka feeling any more hospitable towards the man.

"You!" the man snapped loudly as he neared. "You're one of those jungle people that caused us so much grief last year!"

Msaka made no reply, but shifted his stance so as to be able to move quickly if it was needed.

"Your war cost my uncle his business!" the man bellowed, stopping in front of Msaka. "If you hadn't started it, his caravan would not have been delayed until the goods were spoiled!"

Msaka again said nothing, knowing that it probably wouldn't make any difference. In another place, he would be tempted to teach this man a lesson, but doing so within the city would probably get him in far more trouble than this person would.

"He lost everything thanks to you," the drunkard growled angrily. "And now he lies dead, his heart broken by the shame of destitution!"

Again, Msaka made no response save to glare back.

The man stabbed a finger towards him. "Your people cost me my uncle. I don't care why, but be assured that I will avenge his loss however I can, and if it is through you, then so be it. You will regret having come here." So saying, the man turned and stormed back off the way he had came, snarling obscenities.

Msaka watched him go, deliberately holding back from cracking the man's skull open with a spell. Drunken rantings were annoying enough, but a direct threat was not something Msaka cared to let stand. Unfortunately, killing the man here and now was not an option, unless the man attacked him first. He stood silently for some moments after the man turned a corner out of sight, considering whether he should tell anyone about the event.

He eventually decided against it, reasoning that that man might not have been the only one who held a grudge. Obviously, the truth of what had happened in Tarna last year had not reached this place, or if it had, not everyone had listened. The war that had occurred had been started by demons manipulating everyone there in an attempt to generate enough death energy to open a permanent portal to their homeworld, not because of some theft by his tribe, as the cow people and liontaurs had believed at first.

With a frustrated sigh, he turned and continued towards Aziza's home, trying to force the encounter out of his mind. It wouldn't do to be in a bad mood when he arrived there, as he was going to need all of the persuasiveness he could muster to get the elemental from her.

He soon reached the intersection he was looking for, and turned down the short street that led to her home, reaching her front door a few moments later. He reached out and knocked on it firmly, expecting to have to wait at least a few moments for an answer. Instead, the door swung open almost immediately, and a familiar sounding female voice spoke, though without an obvious source. "Enter, Msaka of Tarna," it said in a calm, level tone.

"She knows of me already? This could complicate things." he thought, stepping through.

The interior was cool, a welcome change from the streets outside, and was decorated in a manner befitting one who worked with elemental water. Blues dominated the decor, and a large glass tank of water set into one wall contained a number of colorful fish that swam lazily about. The architecture and furnishings were all of high quality, and beautifully made. Whatever else might be true about this Aziza, she certainly had a great deal of money to be able to afford a place like this.

Aziza herself stood across the room, near the top of a short set of stairs that led down into a lower area of the room. Msaka recognized her immediately - she was the sorceress who had been present when he had told the guard captain of his experiences. "So that is how she knows of me... or at least is part of it," he thought.

"Welcome to my home," Aziza said formally. "Please, sit and rest." She indicated a table surrouned by several cushions in the lower area of the room. Msaka nodded and crossed the room, descended the stairs, and sat down on one of the cushions. Aziza settled onto a pillow across the table from him.

"Shall we have tea?" Aziza asked, her tone remaning politely formal.

Msaka considered his response for a moment. He wasn't really thirsty, but Aziza's method of speaking indicated that she considered it a formality to offer it, and might well think it formally correct for him to accept. He nodded. "Yes, I would like that," he said as politely as he could manage, hoping it didn't sound like he was trying too hard. Tea wasn't among his favorite drinks, but wasn't one he particularly disliked either, so at least he wasn't going to have to pretending he did.

Aziza swirled her hands over the table for a moment in a fashion which Msaka recognized as the casting of a spell, though not one he'd encountered before. A tea service appeared on the table between the two of them. The teapot was filled with hot tea when it appeared, and poured itself into the two cups that had accompanied it.

They both drank, Msaka finding that the taste was acceptable, even though it wasn't one he'd encountered before. "Unsurprising, given that I haven't been to this region before," he thought.

He set the cup down, waiting as Aziza did the same. A sudden realization hit him as he looked at her - he'd not only seen her before at the guard captain's meeting, he'd seen her in Tarna - this was the woman that the liontaur sorceress had been speaking with in her sending. He wondered briefly if the liontaur had said anything about him to her since he had left Tarna, knowing that if so, it could complicate matters.

"Please, tell me why you have come," Aziza said, still maintaining the polite formality in her speech.

Msaka hesistated for a brief moment, then replied, "You specialize in the element of water, as is apparent from both your reputation and your home. I have need of someone with that... knowledge." He did his best to keep his tone polite as well, though he just couldn't bring himself to sound quite as formal as she did.

"Please continue." Aziza said calmly.

Msaka chose his words carefully. "My people have sent me here to acquire something which I think I will require your assistance to obtain. I need a water elemental." Aziza arched an eyebrow, and he quickly continued, "My tribe wants to make certain that we will always have a clean supply of water. It is not usually a problem, but things can happen. The hero who stopped the elementals here last year also visited our village during the demon attacks that came soon after, and he... mentioned the fountain that he had bound a water elemental into, giving that city... Raseir?" He paused for a moment, fairly certain that was the place that had been named. "A permanent source of water. We want to have the same thing in our village."

He took a breath, then finished his little speech. "I realize you are probably wary of helping with this, given the damage they could have caused here last year. To that I can only say that the elemental will not at any time be used against this land, and in fact, will be gone from here soon after I acquire it."

Aziza sat silently for some time, showing no sign of what she was thinking. Msaka waited patiently, having expected this reaction, which was better than the outright rejection that had been his other expectation.

At last, she spoke, the polite formality even more expressed in her words. "You have done Shapier a service in discovering the nature of the caravan threat. But what you are asking for is far more than that. I do not know you well enough to agree to such a thing."

Msaka tried his best not to show disappointment, but knew he was failing miserably. "Is there anything I can do to prove that I can safely be trusted with one?" he asked, knowing full well as he did that there probably wasn't.

Aziza shook her head. "I am sorry. Perhaps in the future I will know you well enough, but not at this time."

Msaka swallowed, realizing that he now had a serious problem. "Very well," he said as calmly as he could manage, deciding that he'd rather stay in her good graces for the moment. "I am sorry to have troubled you. Thank you for your time."

They both stood, and Msaka crossed to the door, which opened at his approach. He stepped through, ignoring the sound of it closing behind him as he strode down the street and around the corner. Glancing around first to make certain there was no one in sight, he unleashed several bolts of electricity at the stone wall next to him, snarling in frustration. The shaman wasn't going to accept anything other than success, and he didn't have years to waste proving that Aziza could trust him with one.

Turning away, he stalked back down the streets, heading towards the fountain plaza, and ultimately back to the city gates. He needed to be alone for a while, both to consider his next move, and to report to the shaman, although he was certainly not looking forward to the latter.