As she leads them out of Market Square and onto the resumed Main Street, Arlen explains, "This is Main Street Central we're on now, and the bit between Market Square and the gate was Main Street West. Main Street East runs back of Fountain Square all the way to Wharf Street, but I don't recommend going there unless you fancy getting mugged. Not that it happens to everyone, you know, but if it's gonna happen anywhere it'll be Wharf Street most likely. Now look on your right to catch a glimpse of Lover's Lane, runs off Main Street Central to the south, where you will find most of the good brothels in town, the Lusty Lizard not bein' among them. It crosses Crooked Street and keeps going a ways, but the better ones are all on this end, so keep that in mind."

She nods and keeps following along. Quite the energetic sort, Arlen is.

"And here we are in Fountain Square!" There's a massive stone fountain in the middle of the plaza, tier on tier on tier like an overdone layer cake with clean clear water running down the sides. "So named for this great big fountain, guaranteed clean water! You can drink from the outer pool or the streams that fall into it, and you can fill a bottle likewise, and you can even wash your face or your shirt! Do not wash your ass in the fountain, that's a crime! Do not throw garbage in the fountain, that's a crime too! Do not piss in the fountain, also a crime! Do not fuck in the fountain, still a crime! Are we getting a general picture here or do I need to give you more examples?"

"Anything that has the slightest chance of rendering the fountain less clean for the citizens, probably a crime," she confirms with a nod.

Torok nods along.

"I am glad to see you're a clever bunch!" says Arlen, cheerful as anything.

"So! Despite being round, Fountain Square is still fairly easy to find your way around 'cos it's only got eight things in it! At your back, Main Street Central which you already know about! On your left in the northwest corner, the Mint, a very reputable pawnshop! Next up, heading straight north, Fortune Street, where you'll find the park and the orphanage! On the northeast corner, City Hall, with the big fancy marble pillars out front! Heading east, Main Street East, where you will find the Lusty Lizard off in a disreputable alley, I'll show you later! Southeast corner, the Hospital! Treats the sick and injured for free, does fancy massages and piercings for fistfuls of gems!" She runs a finger along her left ear's row of rings. "Best two hundred I ever spent! Then heading south you have Treasure Street, with an assortment of useful shops! I particularly recommend my cousin's gym if you want expert advice and good facilities for training up your body just how you like it! She charges what she's worth, though, no mistake! And finally the Library, in the southwest corner! It's got the emergency bell on top, can't miss it! The first thing to know about navigating the city is that if you get lost you gotta find the belltower and get to Fountain Square by heading straight for it, don't try to fuck around remembering which way the streets are supposed to go, if you're already lost it's too late for that! Are you with me or do you need me to repeat something?"

"That all makes sense so far."

"Great! In that case, right this way and I'll show you down Fortune Street to the orphanage!" She turns left to head north on Fortune Street, beckoning.

She follows curiously.

"Are you ready for the second thing to know about navigating the city? Let's find out! So the six major streets are Main, Salt, Silver, Fortune, Treasure, Wharf! Cross off Wharf 'cos it's a cesspit, that leaves five and you've seen 'em all! As long as you are in sight of one of those, either standing on it or standing where you can look straight at it, you're safe as far as getting lost! Head down a side street for a bit of a wander, check out a shop, no problem! The problems start when you take that second turning, or walk so far you can't see back to the major street! Why's that? Well it's 'cos this is a city, and in a city you can't just set off any old way and let your feet take you where you want to go! Trying to get to the orphanage by heading down Lover's Lane is like trying to get to the mountains by heading through the forest, it just won't work and you'll scramble yourself trying! You've got to know which streets to take, in what order, turning which ways, and not just in your head either, you've got to know it in your feet! Never trust anybody who offers you directions! Any hour of the day from dawn to dusk you can come by the tourist office and for five gems I or one'a my esteemed colleagues will show you straight to the doorstep of any decently reputable establishment in this city, naming every street along the way, and then you're all set! But if all you hear is 'north along Boiler Road from Main Street East and then west on Palm Lane until you see the sign of the big-tittied lizard', your feet don't know where you're going and so neither do you!"

Arlen comes to a halt in front of a huge, run-down building. It looks like someone started with a shack and enlarged the shack and build another shack next to it and connected the shacks and extended the resulting mega-shack and stuck another shack on top and so on and so forth until they physically could not fit more shack in their shack without spilling out into the street. Brings a whole new meaning to the word 'ramshackle'.

"This here's the orphanage, cheapest boarding house in the city! It's loud and it smells bad and you'll wonder why anyone ever has children, but if you need a bed and you got no coin, all you gotta do is show up and work!"

It is indeed loud, even just standing out in front of it. It thrums with the blended voices of too many children to count, in too many emotional states to distinguish.

"I wonder if it's an odd intersection of the intent-based navigation with the tightness of a city's layout. Either way, I'll keep that in mind."

She nods firmly at the orphanage. They're decent with kids, though quite committed to not having any of their own. "Thank you, Arlen."

"And now turning around and heading back down Fortune Street you'll see the park on our right, I could've showed you on the way here but I wanted to get to the orphanage first 'cos you said you were interested, it's not the only park in the city and it ain't even the prettiest but it's the biggest and the easiest to find," and she gestures in that direction as they pass it. There's a nameless, narrow lane leading between two buildings to an open gate, and beyond the gate an expanse of green, pretty incongruous for this sandstone city in this fairly hot desert. "If somebody says the park they mean that one. Any other park they'll name it. Anyway, moving on, I'm gonna take you back through Fountain Square along Main Street East and the route I just described to get you to the Lusty Lizard, and then I will take you back to Fountain Square and leave you standing in front of City Hall, because I don't believe in leaving people out of sight of the main roads on their first night in the city, and even less that close to Wharf Street. Take my advice, stay your first night at the orphanage if you're cheap and can stand it or the Cup and Spoon if you've got gems to spill or you hate children, leave the Lizard for later when you've got your feet under you."

They've made it back to Fountain Square; she pauses to stick her face in a stream and gulp down some water. "Take a drink if you want one!" she says between splashes.

Sure, Torok will take a quick drink from the next stream over, he's thirsty.

She nods appreciatively at the advice and then gulps down some water from a stream. "Probably the orphangae this first night for me. How long a shift does one need to work there, and how easily can it flex around working repairs with City Hall?"

"No idea," Arlen says promptly, "never done it. Betcha you can work something out, though, City Hall's gonna be eager for help and the orphanage even eagerer. Right, all done? This way!"

And she's off, leading them down Main Street East as promised.

She nods thoughtfully and follows.

"Now as I described earlier here is Boiler Road on our left, smells kinda funny all the time, no idea why. Hold your nose if you like, the street won't mind. And here we are at Palm Lane, the sign's got a palm tree on it, 'nother left down that, and up ahead you will see the sign of the big-tittied lizard, let me take you right to their doorstep so's there's no trouble for you later, dah-dah-dah-ta-daa!"

She plants her hands on her hips and her feet on the cobblestones, standing directly under the sign. Her breasts compare favourably to the lizard's.

"The Lusty Lizard brothel, as promised! If you want to stop in for a sample you can do it on your own time, I'm taking you straight back to City Hall, no fussin'!"

She laughs warmly and nods. "City Hall is where I most need to be, anyway. Need work to do anything else."

Arlen marches back along her route. "And a left out of the Lusty Lizard's front door will take you east along Palm Lane to Boiler Road, here we are at Boiler Road, still smelly, turn right, look ahead and you'll see Main Street East so you're already safe in theory but I never let theory get in my way, south along Boiler Road we go, don't step in the big pile of shit, you'd think that was what made this place smelly but you'd be wrong, it still smells even after they clean it, here we are on Main Street East! Whew, that's a breath of fresh air. And another right turn to head west toward Fountain Square. We do sell maps back at the tourist office but we're good responsible people so we don't offer 'em until somebody's been in the city at least a couple of days, otherwise having a map just tempts you to think you know where you're going and you don't, not until you've been there, and here we are! Fountain Square, dah-dah-dah-ta-daa," she skips up to the marble pillars and makes a flourishing gesture with both arms, "City Hall! Any more questions before I skedaddle?"

"Favorite place to eat off Market Square?"

"Dumpling stall in the northwest corner, run by a fat centaur, got a blue canopy and a big steamy clonker of a pot to boil the dumplings in, can't miss it," she says. "Decently cheap and he'll tell you what's in 'em."

"You've been a delight, Arlen. My sincerest thanks." She smiles and waves farewell to their energetic guide.

"Bye! Come back anytime if you need to be shown someplace else!" She waves back and scampers off.

Torok, gazing after her, remarks, "I feel like I need to sit down for ten minutes just to deal with all the words. Not even because it was too much to remember, I think I've got all the important bits down pretty well, there was just so much of it."