Spoiler: show
A smile appeared on the dragons face as three of the exalts gave their answer. "It relieves me greatly to hear that from each of you. The Archipelago lies 600 miles westwards from here, past the very same court of the storm mother whom the sirens seek to spite. I will gift you the same ship you arrived upon to provide transport there."
Ashen noted that by their own proclamations the three had more or less volunteered the group as a whole. He didn't mind though, he was planning on taking the job anyway and he recognized that the dragon had been maneuvering them towards this in the first place. Invite them into his house, feed them a fancy breakfast, give Lux a fancy dress, then make his request after they'd all sampled his hospitality when it'd be rude to refuse. A simple ploy that he honestly should have expected as soon as the word 'brunch' had come up. He had been making note of the emotional signals of each member as they spoke along with his charm for snatching out lies, and though he detected a smidgen of untruth from Fakharu his concern for his lover was genuine.
The more interesting responses came from the other exalts in the room. From Lux he could tell her outrage was real and in it was twinged a hint of regret? That was interesting, but it didn't seem to be targeted towards the dragon but herself. Perhaps she had experience with people being kidnapped before?
The more interesting scents came from Astrid and Artisan. Both had a mix of pity and contempt, with Artisan emitting a bit more avarice. Both of them seemed less interested in helping the dragon than they we're in either the reward or the challenge of it. He also detected a hint of disdain from them aimed towards Lux of all people. That one threw him for a loop and he couldn't figure what it was she did or said to earn that.
Regardless the changing moon decided to ask a question that the others hadn't. "So this archipelago... why is it magically hidden? And who is exiled there?" There was a pause from the dragon before he answered. "That is... a long story. The archipelago gets it's name for the fact that rogue spirits flee there for sanctuary. Lesser Gods who have fallen out of favor with the celestial order, elementals that have offended their spirit courts, even some demons that have escaped from hell or broken free of a sorcerers bindings. All of them try to escape punishments for some crime or another and the wrath of the law and seek the isles that dot that place to lay low. I will admit that I have found it politically pragmatic to ignore that stretch of the ocean, for there are those high in office in heaven that desire it be kept hidden for their own reasons. And as such I know little of the on goings there. I do know that Sikunare, the storm mother to the west, makes a business of smuggling such spirits in there and will likely know more, though I would caution discretion if you seek to meet with her."
Ashen grimaced at the thought of that. Entering a storm mother court, it was not a situation he relished the thought of. Especially not under current circumstances. For some reason he gave brief concerned glance at Calliope. She'd likely be the one at the largest danger if they went that route. "Any supplies you'd be willing to spare for this venture?"
The dragon nodded, likely expecting a bit of an extortion up front under this guise. "I can loan you a few items that may help, but for that I would like to know what strategy you plan to employ." Ashen pondered this a bit. They'd need to act fast if they wanted to nab Amarel safely, but how'd they'd do it will probably require a plan based around the groups strengths. He gave a glance to the others for suggestions.