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Jabek nodded. "No surprise there. They've been getting more frequent lately, it wouldn't surprise me if there were an eruption coming somewhere."

He rose to his feet again and stretched. "If you'll excuse me," he murmured, "I'll let you eat while I wake the others. If we can make a full day of it, we might be able to head back home tomorrow."

He smiled at Eron and headed towards the back of the cave where the other men were still asleep.

Since Shoneah was already awake, she joined Eron while Jabek woke the others.

"Good morning," she greeted him quietly, sitting on the ground next to Eron. "You look like you slept well."

She was feeling moderately better than the day before, though she was still eager to wash. And though she had gone to sleep rather late the night before, with the different hours in this world, she had managed to get what for her was a usual night's sleep, so she was quite refreshed.

Shoneah smiled faintly and reached for one of the wafers. "Thanks. How did that go for you, by the way?" She took a bite of the wafer and was pleased with its taste. "I mean, you seemed to be doing well, from what I saw, and I've seen people who grew up with the lifestyle get sick on their first skinning."

She had to admit, she was impressed with how he was coping with the things he was having to do. She would never have expected a city dweller to do the kinds of things they were doing.

Shoneah chuckled softly. "Regardless, I'm still impressed."

She took another bite of the waybread and fell quiet again. Jabek had finished rousing the other men, and he came back to join Shoneah and Eron while the others got themselves up and ready for the day.

"So, Silverbirch," he smiled at her, "you're going to join us on the hunt today?"

She nodded. "Yes. I hope to repay you at least a bit for all you're doing for us."

Jabek laughed. "You could give us one or two of those dragon scales and you will have more than paid us back, but I won't deny that we'd be grateful for the help."

"A few things," Jabek replied with a smile. "Small ones can be made into jewelry, but those are rare because the dragons' skin doesn't harden into scales until they're close to a decade old at least, and by that time they're rarely that small anymore. Bigger than that, they're usually used for armour - they're so much more protective than leather or even metals, and they weigh no more than leather if they're put on properly. Occasionally they're used as household items - plates or bowls depending on the shape, chair bottoms or backs if they're big enough. And there's one family who uses one as a bathtub."

He shook his head slowly. "That one came from a dragon that must have been thousands of years old," he said quietly. "It took over a hundred men to kill it ... and only half a dozen survived. Still, I suppose that's neither here nor there now."

He smiled again and looked between the two unintentional travelers. "The scales that you have are perfect for making armour."

Shoneah thought about it. While she was more than happy to give him most of the scales, he also had a point about their usefulness. As travelers, she and Eron would be hard put to find or make dishes - bowls and plates especially - that they would be able to use and not worry about them breaking. She wanted to keep at least three of them for that purpose - one for cooking and two for them to eat off of.

Unless Eron had something else he wanted to use them for.

She looked to him. "Do you have any use for them?" she asked him quietly.

Shoneah nodded and turned back to Jabek. "Then I ask that we keep only three, for using while we're traveling to cook and eat with. Aside from that, the scales are yours."

Jabek grinned widely. "Wonderful. Thank you very much."

"That will also make the case much lighter," Shoneah added with a smile to Eron. "Though we may need to trade it in for something easier to carry ..."

Shoneah shrugged. "I suppose it depends on if anyone else would have a use for it," she admitted.

"Unlikely," Jabek spoke up again as the others joined them. "You will understand when we return to our village. However if you wish to be free of it, we will be happy to keep it for you. Who knows, maybe we will find a use for it. Of course, we would give you a good travel bag in return."