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Ciro sat down as Penn left. He thought her a nice girl; but he had no time to dwell on that. It was imperative that he concentrated on the Dwarf's question and that he mask his troubles.
"Here's to you fine Dwarves!" Ciro said politely, and drank long from the pint Ibun had offered him. The ale of the Green Dragon was fit for a King, and Ciro was eased within seconds of tasting it. He steadied himself.
"As to your question" Ciro said, "where should I begin? For I have arrived here from a broken road, always careering this way and that; and where I am bound I do not know." Ciro watched the Dwarves silently assessing his performance and, once again, considered exactly what he should tell them. Ciro now spoke in a quite low voice.
"I seek a man. He is scheduled to meet me at this here Inn. He is from the South, and East somewhat. He has information which I would hear because it concerns matters that are close to me. You may have marked my nervous entrance; well, this meeting has been rather a long time coming.
"But I have not long since been in the North and the East. It was around two years ago now when I was rather busy over in that direction." And now raising his voice, Ciro exclaimed "For this reason I have been lucky enough to mingle with a number of Dwarves. Tell me! where do you hail from?"
Ciro leaned back in his chair, feeling more comfortable despite the look of interest in the eyes of the Dwarves. He took some much-needed bread.
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