Insights? People didn't usually ask Tal for insights and he puffed up a little at the attention for a moment before deflating again almost immediately. "Well, uh... I'm not actually from around here," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But I come through here pretty often so... I can try?"
His nose wrinkled in intense concentration as he tried to dredge up answers to her perfectly reasonable questions. "Uh... well... I can recommend not goin' anywhere near Rae's Fingers," he cautioned first. "Th'tide's real unpredictable through 'em, an' it's way too easy t'get caught with it comin' in." He nibbled his lip and dropped his hand back to his side before shoving it in his pocket. "Um. There's a fountain in Kaiholo Port that's full o' free rum. They say it makes y'lucky for a little while after y'drink some," he added, perking up a little at the mention of the free booze. "An' Th'Hanged Man in Haulani is mebbe th'best bar in Caido." He glanced around the crowded beach and then back to Cat with a rueful shrug. "Some o' th'sharpest hagglers're here in Torchline, too. Don't trust anyone at face value, an' be real careful with who y'trade favors with." It was only neighborly to pass on the warning before she got taken advantage of by a sharp merchant who figured out that she was new in town - and might be an easy mark for being swindled or cheated.
He followed her gaze to his dragon, who was happily leaning against Cat's leg as if she'd found her new best friend. The observation earned a snort of fond exasperation from the courier as he shook his head. "Oh, sure, she's always got lots o' energy for a party," he stated, teasing his companion. "But give her a nice patch o' sunshine on a warm day an' she'll be fast asleep for hours!" Even if she was warm-blooded, she shared some of the traits and quirks of her reptilian cousins!
But then he looked back at the young woman curiously, pulling his attention from his companion as he tried to guess the answer to his next question before giving up and just asking outright: "So if you're not from here, where're y'from? An' what brings y'to Torchline?"
His nose wrinkled in intense concentration as he tried to dredge up answers to her perfectly reasonable questions. "Uh... well... I can recommend not goin' anywhere near Rae's Fingers," he cautioned first. "Th'tide's real unpredictable through 'em, an' it's way too easy t'get caught with it comin' in." He nibbled his lip and dropped his hand back to his side before shoving it in his pocket. "Um. There's a fountain in Kaiholo Port that's full o' free rum. They say it makes y'lucky for a little while after y'drink some," he added, perking up a little at the mention of the free booze. "An' Th'Hanged Man in Haulani is mebbe th'best bar in Caido." He glanced around the crowded beach and then back to Cat with a rueful shrug. "Some o' th'sharpest hagglers're here in Torchline, too. Don't trust anyone at face value, an' be real careful with who y'trade favors with." It was only neighborly to pass on the warning before she got taken advantage of by a sharp merchant who figured out that she was new in town - and might be an easy mark for being swindled or cheated.
He followed her gaze to his dragon, who was happily leaning against Cat's leg as if she'd found her new best friend. The observation earned a snort of fond exasperation from the courier as he shook his head. "Oh, sure, she's always got lots o' energy for a party," he stated, teasing his companion. "But give her a nice patch o' sunshine on a warm day an' she'll be fast asleep for hours!" Even if she was warm-blooded, she shared some of the traits and quirks of her reptilian cousins!
But then he looked back at the young woman curiously, pulling his attention from his companion as he tried to guess the answer to his next question before giving up and just asking outright: "So if you're not from here, where're y'from? An' what brings y'to Torchline?"
