Iaros practically jumps out of his chair at Lily's demonstration, but out of excitement rather than fear. "Amazing! What a fascinating phenomenon. Yes, I'm sure your talents will be put to good use in this endeavor."
He sits back down and addresses the group at large, "I see that a number of you recognize my name. Yes, I am the same Iaros Karvaron that the Church of Palladys tried to declare apostate, even though my only goals are the seeking and sharing of knowledge. It is a shame, but I bear them no grudge. They were doing what they thought was right; I cannot fault them for that."
Iaros waves his hand dismissively, "But that is irrelevant to our conversation. I have sought you out because I have learned the location of a temple that, until recently, was believed to be lost. I would like to study it, but according to my sources, a number of brigands and highwaymen have taken to using it as a base of operations. I doubt that they would take kindly to me entering their hideout and taking copious notes on everything I see." The man chuckles, "No, I fear they would misinterpret my intentions. So I would like to hire you to protect me. Hopefully your presence will encourage them to cooperate, but we should prepare for the worst, I imagine." He does look genuinely disappointed at the thought.
"Well, there it is. Guard me while I research the temple, and I will pay you a hundred gold a piece. Is this acceptable?"