Shalan smiled softly in thanks as she took her bowl back and dug back in, eating a bit more slowly this round. Licking her lips, she looked up at Korra. "Ancient monsters, huh?" She glanced to Keiro, pondering which monsters, exactly, he'd actually faced. Dragons were of course the most fierce of ancient monsters, but they'd been absent from the world for a long time. 

She blinked when Keiro leaned toward her and, instinctively, she straightened, subtly leaning away from him as she watched him. "Aeine?" The elf asked. It rang a bell. Falling silent, she thought quickly, placing the name with the large city she'd passed. "Oh, Aeine," Shalan nodded. "Uh, good, I suppose. It's still standing." 
For a few seconds, she fell silent, and immediately a voice in her head chided her. This man and his daughter were opening their home to you, and you've been nothing but dodgy. Sighing, she poked her stew with her spoon. "I didn't go into the city. To be honest, as an elf, I face discrimination often. It gets worse in cities. As a single elf on the road, I get more than discrimination, and I prefer to steer clear of humans as often as I can." She fidgted, aware that the young girl beside her would possibly be curious as to what she meant. "It looked busy, though. Wagons of trade and children running about in play."

Going back to her meal, she got through half of her second bowl before she looked to Korra. "Which of your father's stories is your favourite?"