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[Jon Potter]

"Sure," J'ann said with a sparing nod of his head beneath his dark cloak. "We know where Akiv-tchai is."

"We could point you in the right direction," J'inn added, taking up the thread of thought where his twin had left off. "Make your quest a little bit easier." This was indeed good news, Ayremac thought, staring off into the silver void of the astral plane. Finding the location of Fedifensor in such an empty place would prove daunting without knowledgeable guides. He suspected divine intervention had placed he and Ixin on intesecting paths with the pair.

"But first we need you to do something for us," J'ann finished and both men smiled, a strange expression on their rubbery white faces.

"And just what's that?" Ayremac asked, impatiently. It seemed that no one did anything out of the goodness of their hearts anymore.

"Have you heard of the neogi?" J'inn replied and Ayremac shook his head.

"I have," Ixin admitted somewhat distastefully. Her past haunted her at odd times; there were memories that she could not shake regardless of what body she wore. "The Dragon's Claw had occasional dealings with them back on Mid'Gaard. Slavers, aren't they?" J'ann nodded but his twin began a stuttering song that reflected his opinion of the neogi. The Buomman* habit of singing alien and discordant songs at odd times was beginning to grate on Ixin's nerves.

"B-B-B-B-B-Bad! B-B-B-B-B-Bad! B-B-B-B-B-Bad! B-B-B-B-B-Bad to the bone!" J'inn warbled and J'ann nodded more vehemently.

"They certainly are!" he agreed. "Slavery is one of their crimes, but the list is long regardless."

"In that case, I'll not do anything to benefit them," Ayremac said flatly. "No matter what information you try to tempt me with." J'inn smiled and held up a finger.

"Precisely!" he exclaimed. "We thought you might say that."

"You do sort of project an image of incorruptible goodness," J'ann agreed, gesturing fleetingly at Ayremac's wings, hair, eyes. "Lets a body know right away where he stands with you."

"Very refreshing!" J'inn said with a nod. Then he quickly changed verbal directions and added, "We'd like to take down a group of neogi operating nearby."

"And we'd like your help," J'ann added and Ixin glanced at Ayremac, locking eyes long enough to read her own thoughts reflected there. They needed the Buommans' help to find Akiv-tchai and Fedifensor and taking down some vicious slavers was a worthy act in its own right.

"We're listening," she said, turning to look at the smiling twins.

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*FYI, These are not true by-the-book Buommans, obviously. They represent a mash-up of Buommans (from the Planar Handbook) and Dvati (from the Dragon Compendium), favoring the Dvati in most everything but name.