"Glad we're on the same page," Elmsley whispers to Glitch as the dragon lands. The donkey then dismounts, hooves hitting the ground with surprising grace, given the size of his pack. He even turns the landing into a showy little bow, answering the mysterious Thorn's introduction: "Elmsley Flourish, the Amazing and Astounding."

The magician's apprentice then nods along with Homespun's inquiries. "Yeah. I mean, okay, it's not like the princesses are going to solve every problem, but... We're kinda out in the boonies next to that." While he patters on, he wracks his brain for any "Oracles" he might have come across in his studies, and what that might tell him about the stranger and his proposition.