Msaka rose again a few hours later, as the sunlight coming in through the window began to fall across him. He wouldn't normally have minded that, but on this day it was a signal that he needed to get up. After all, he needed to be seen around the city like usual, acting as though he had no idea what had happened. While he might have preferred to sleep in a little bit more, he didn't want anyone to end up wondering just why he was so tired.

Several minutes later, prepared for the day, he emerged into the dining room. He stopped to scan the room, noting its current inhabitants. The atmosphere in the dining hall had the same quiet tension about it that the marketplace outside did, and Msaka was able to overhear a number of hushed speculations about what had happened to the water elemental. However, he also noted that there were no monkeys present in the room, which was sufficient to improve his mood a little bit.

He strode over to one of the tables away from the door. Only one other person occupied it, and Msaka quickly recognized him - the linguist he'd met previously. The linguist, for his part, seemed a little less tense than most of the others present, seemingly concentrating on some other thoughts as he slowly consumed his meal.

Msaka glanced around the room again, then back to the linguist. He wasn't really certain how to open the conversation, but felt that it would be best to say something. Unable to think of anything else, he quietly spoke, "Good morning. Have you found any more useful... adjectives?" The word still sounded rather strange to him, but if it would start the man talking, then so be it.

"Mmm?" the linguist blinked as he looked over at Msaka, apparently having failed to notice his arrival until now. "Oh! Good day to you as well. I have indeed found thousands of appropriate adjectives since we last spoke, and am pondering more of them now. Given what happened last night, I suspect I shall be finding many more in the next few days, though sadly, most of them will be negative in nature."

"What happened last night?" Msaka asked, noting the approach of Shema with a platter of food.

"Some dastardly villain stole the precious water elemental from our now-dried up fountain!" the linguist declared. "It is a terrible disaster of catastrophic proportions, for without its vital supply of fresh water, our deprived city will wither under the blazing sun!"

Msaka momentarily found himself trying to count the number of pointless adjectives that had been inserted into the man's claims, then closed his eyes and shook his head to rid himself of the thought. Looking back at the man, he asked, "I have heard of this. Is there no other source of water? In my home, water may be found in many places."

Shema arrived and set down the tray in front of Msaka. While appearing outwardly calm, there was a sign of worry in her eyes. She didn't say anything though, and merely smiled slightly and returned to the kitchen.

"This is a desert, and water is scarce indeed!" the linguist replied, oblivious to Shema's arrival and departure. "True, we lie at the foot of the mountains, but there is not enough to be found there to supply the city, certainly not without sending nearly every able person out to carry it back even should it be found. The only alternative to that would be to import it from elsewhere, and the cost of that would be enormous, far more than Raseir can sustain. There are fables of vast underground rivers in this region, but I am not so foolish as to believe that we could reach them, should they even exist. Perhaps a wizard may be able to contrive a solution, but by the time word reaches them and they arrive here, the city will already be dry. No, we must have that elemental. It must be found, wherever it may be."

Msaka nodded slowly, feeling a twinge of guilt but hiding it well. "It is obvious that it is being searched for, as the guards intruding into my room earlier today evidence. But what if it has been taken from the city already?"

"Then we are truly lost, unless it can be returned with great haste. The city has a store of water for emergencies, but it will not last for very long with the entire city depending fully upon it. It grieves me to think of it, especially since I had just received word that the Famous Adventurer was to be here in a month. It would have been the first time we met face to face, but now it shall not happen unless our water supply is restored."

Msaka frowned. "So much for an uneventful visit," he muttered in an annoyed tone, then spoke up again, "I do not know how to find your elemental. I do not have any magic to do that, or to find you a new one, however that is done. If I was able, I would do it, but you will have to rely on another who has more skill in dealing with them." The latter was certainly true - if he knew how to summon a new one himself, he'd do so. Of course, then he wouldn't have had to steal the existing one in the first place, which would make it a moot point.

"I am sure the guards will do their best to find it. I simply hope it is in time," the linguist answered, his attention slowly wandering back to his food and his earlier thoughts.

Msaka decided that enough had been said, and set about eating. The linguist merely picked at his food, while Msaka ate quickly, being rather hungry thanks to both the late hour and the interruption of his meal the previous night. By the time he finished, the linguist had only managed to down a small portion of his food. Msaka wasn't in the mood for more conversation with the man, and it seemed that the linguist felt the same, though likely for different reasons.

Quietly, he stood and paced towards the front door. He really wasn't sure what difference it would make, but he wanted to see the city for himself, and find out what others were saying about the theft. The innkeeper stood and bowed as he reached the door. Though he was smiling politely, there was a worried look about him that he was obviously trying to hide, just like everyone else seemed to bear. Msaka nodded in return and opened the door, stepping out into the late morning sun.