"Of course. But that's a bit ahead of ourselves. Do you have a better guess for where it'll be than: Alectai's big wagon, in his rooms? Also, we haven't even figured out if sneaking in is the right plan."

She resumes walking towards the solitary tree. "It sounded pretty big, but it also sounded important, and he does strike me as the kind of guy to keep the most important things close. Either his wagon, or that Debra lady is watching over it."

"If it is Debra we have to get past then sneaking is probably the only option. She does not strike me as persuadable. Or bribe-able. We should find that out first."

"Do you have any ideas on how to do that beyond walking up and asking? Competent wards will hide anything inside from Windsight unless it's staggeringly high-level."

Ame shakes her head.

"We could observe Debra, see where she spends her time, rule each of those places out. Or we assume it is in Alectai's wagon and find a way to get invited inside for some unrelated reason."

"My instinct is telling me it's probably in his wagon. The thing is apparently big and where else would it be? From the overheard conversation, doesn't sound like he'd be so interested in buying what you're selling. I could try to sell him, uh, custom-grown wood moldings for the wagons? I'm not sure - I'd be stretching my abilities. But I don't have to actually come to a deal, I suppose."

"Would you be comfortable with that? I suppose it does have the benefit of failing gracefully."

"It's a bit sketchy to just break into someone's private property buuuuut, we're adventurers. And it seems possible evil-related. Maybe tomorrow after we've had more time to think of alternate plans. And stay up late to see if sneaking in at night is an option."

"If we can do it without any breaking, that would be safer. But maybe you can... wander a bit. While I go make a spectacle of myself tonight and draw all the attention."

"Heh. Just keep in mind that adventurer latitude isn't infinite and lots of places are more closed-minded than around here. In Zanzifar, they'd try to stone you, adventurer or not. And if it bounced off they'd go get stronger people until it didn't."

They get to the tree. "Gimmie a minute to grow a sign. What's it gonna say, what are you planning?"

Ame hums in consideration.

"Something like, 'touching me is free, for 2 copper I'll make you cum, tips appreciated'? Where's Zanzifar. It sounds like home."

"Big desert between two mountain chains to the west of here, dangerous monsters wandering around, lots of people who worship the sun, who is also some dead guy in a pyramid or something. They'll stone you for a lot of things to be fair. Do you have something to write with?"

"I've got the pen that came with my quest journal. Or I could just carve it."

"I'm not really a mastermind type, you know? I'm the party member who is boring and writes everything down, except I'm not a bard either. Sorry I'm not more interesting!"

A signboard is taking shape as the tree groans slightly.

"And I am the mastermind type? I'm just the healslut," Ame jokes.

"We need to find a boy who's good at organizing things for you to slut at, then. In the meantime I'll have a look around while you... Distract, and if I see an opportunity I'll take it."

"Alright."

Ame takes the sign and heads back toward camp.

She writes her business model for the night on it, and then strips naked. She puts her clothes in her pack, tosses her pack onto her Lube Slime, and looks around for a good spot to set up.

Elizabeth wanders off in a different direction.

There are a couple of good spots in the low grass with visibility from the center of things and a decent amount of firelight, or she could find a spot between two wagons, or try to borrow a chair or table or something.

The pair on watch, walking a wide circle around the encampment, don't quite seem to know what to think about her. One just shakes her head, the other laughs and ogles her. "I heard a rumor about how you got hired! I'm - You can actually fight, I saw, but- Hahahaha!"

"I can do a lot of things!"

The Lube Slime sloshes its way over to a spot between two of the major campfires, and Ame follows, picking a spot that is highly visible but doesn't block off anything important. It's with in earshot (and eyeshot) of the musicians, but far enough away not to disrupt them. Lit from either side by the flames, she plants her sign in the ground, deposits her pack out of the way, and dunks herself into her slime.

She emerges, sprawled out on top of the Lube Slime, her body glistening wetly from head to toe.

The nearest people look around awkwardly between her and anything else, and have a conversation about whether she's seriously doing that right there in the open?

She went off to a room with six guys yesterday, someone says.

"All at once?"

Nod.

"But she did go get a room with them, like you're supposed to, right?"

Another nod.

"Maybe you could... Find a wagon and invite people in?" One of the women who isn't into women herself asks, frowning. "Just, you know. Somewhere you're not so exposed?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Ame sits up. This is a bit of an odd twist on the idea of 'public indecency' she's used to, but she's trying to make a scene, here, so enabling something scandalous can only help. Still, how to navigate this...

"I'm sorry I don't have a hot guy counterpart for you," she tells the woman wryly. "But look around. We're all really only exposed to each other, out here on the road, away from everything."

Ame spots one of the guys from the gang-bang and grins at him.

"How often would everyone get the chance to do something like this, with a girl who can handle it, together, out under the fading sky? Don't you think it'll make for a great story?"

"I'd certainly like to handle you."

"Stories are stories, real life is another thing."

"You may not mind fucking in the open, but some people do!"

"Something about this feels wrong..."

"By the Lady, under the open sky- Anyone could come along the road!"

"I need another drink."

"Nobody will believe us."

"We'll believe us. Go on, one of you macho boys, take off your shirt touch her so'z I can watch," says this other straight (and drunk) woman, smiling a horny little smile.

More and more people are looking in her direction. The musicians have stopped. Some people leave, to get their friends and out of disgust and not wanting to be near drama.

"I don't want to see people fucking when I'm trying to relax!"

There are some murmurs of both dissent and agreement.

"I do! You can leave, then!" The woman who wants live porn shouts back.

"I'd have to go to bed or walk halfway out of the camp to leave, that's unreasonable!"

Ame continues to sit atop her Lube Slime as they argue.

"I'd like to point out that if enough of you participate, we'll have a nice wall of bodies sparing the ones who don't want to," she finally chimes in. "And how about this? We can play it like a game of silence. Anyone who can get off without making a sound, doesn't have to pay that time."

"I was relaxing by the fire, and now this!"

"Oh stop bein' such a prude."

"I'm not a prude, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to want!"

Opinion is turning against the complainer, though.

"She's an adventurer. Probably from some public sex utopia or somethin'."

"We don't let adventurers kill people just 'cause they come from some lawless island."

"Fucking and killing are really not the same thing!"

"Still, this isn't something you see every day..."

"What the hell is that, anyway?"

"Lube slime," says the one man here who was inside her last night.

"Lube slime? As in-"

"Yep!"

A slightly older man who left a minute ago comes back with a tall portable awning. "Hey, Vona, Gene, Tisha! Come over and play the one about the jungle girl! And someone help me set this up. That way it's not public sex, it's a show. With audience participation. And you can all shut up and enjoy it!"

The guy with the awning rounds up three more and has them set it up, forming a thin cloth roof overhead. On the way to his corner he leans over her and leers, roughly groping one of her lube-slick boobs.

'It's a show' and the addition of an awning is apparently enough to justify it to this crowd of half-drunks, hesitant and anxious as they are to break this taboo. The guy with who got the awning undresses first and comes around between her legs as people start crowding around, and the three-person band start up a tune - the first bit is describing a beautiful and noble jungle princess who everyone wanted, one way or another.

(She snorts to herself at the 'public sex utopia' comment. If only. But she can't not be really proud of herself, actually, that multiple people have made that mistake.)

Ame arches into awning-guy's groping touch, his fingers slipping and sliding over her breast.

"A show, huh? I like the way you think."