Swamped

"Seems the show had some sort of scandal attached to it. One that the local bigwigs tried to keep quiet. Didn't get the details on what it was; my informant wanted more than I was willing to spend on that point. But I did find out a lot of the people involved aren't local. A bunch of them are staying at Feldspar's hostel. Including Laikenne."

"Interesting," you say. "And where is this hostel?"

You actually know that, but you don't see a need to be clear as to how well you know this town.

"About three blocks in that direction, then turn left and you'll see it just past the blacksmith's," Sunflower replies. "But you'd best hurry. Seems they have some sort of rivalry with a group that's coming in for Nual's holy day, so they're leaving first thing in the morning before that gets underway."

Now that's a strange story. But you think you'd best investigate the beast first, seeing as you were divinely guided towards that.

"I think I want to see what that beast is doing at the library first," you say. "Whoever rides it is likely to be turning up there, and I have a hunch we'll need all the help we can get."

"Hope that means you'll work your magic this time," Sunflower says quietly. You don't reply, and just follow him to the library.

You don't see anyone else around when you arrive. But you expect Black is still there somewhere - just not in sight.

What you do see is that the beast is glancing down at an open book on the ground. Is it actually reading?

It doesn't even try flip the pages at all, so probably not. It's still a strange sight. Although seeing it attempt to flip pages with its legs would probably be even stranger.

Maybe Nual was trying to guide you to the book? It certainly seems worth a glance, just in case. But you'd need to get closer, which doesn't seem feasible while the beast is around.