City of IF

[Lilith]

It's mid-morning on the day of the MidSummer Fesitval. This evening, many citizens of Isteraal from all corners of the kingdom will be eagerly jostling into the courtyard of the High Temple to watch the formal Celebration Ritual of the Divine. From now until then, all the city folk of Tiro are opening their taverns most unused rooms, their spare rooms or their attics to gain a bit of profit from all those infiltrating the Great City to see the festivities. Currently, the youths and maidens of the village are making themselves busy with setting up the carts for vendors and decorating the whole of the main street with flowers, vines and all other sorts of growing things to represent what MidSummer's celebration is to hope for; all the while, adults and elders are nursing merry ales and meads in the taverns, happy to have a holiday from their long, tiring occupations. One tavern in particular hosts the most people and the cleanest beds, The Tangled Ivy, is said to have the finest ales, meads, wines, whiskeys and malt beverages in all of Tiro, and the barmaids are well-known to most patrons, but not by backalley trysts.

[Cyberworm]

(It seems like I'm breaking the ice, so I apologize if I get the format wrong. :) )

Though he had no problems with sleeping in the wilds, it was simply ludicrous to walk back to the city every day. That is why Baelar has been looking for a place to stay. With not much money currently on his hands he was searching for a place to crash and not end coinless. He stopped in front of a decent looking tavern and checked through the window to see how it looks.

[Shillelagh]

Laneus looked around the crowd, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. He instinctively grabbed for his coin purse each time someone walked into him, remembering the tales of pickpockets and theives he had heard. Festival days in Brennae had been large enough... and yet there were so many more people who were still slowly trickling into the city!

Laneus caught himself looking around at the buildings in wonder, and shook his head. Best not to look the part of a hapless tourist, even if it was true. Laneus stared at the street in front of him, and tried not to look too far upward. His plans for independence seemed dumber and dumber with every passing minute. Did people actually live here? He sighed. Anything was better than living on a farm for the rest of his life. But still... where should he begin?

"Well, I should probably figure out where I'm going to sleep tonight," said Laneus, muttering to himself. "I'll worry about that whole 'entire rest of my life' thing later. No sense in trying to be too productive on a festival day!"

[Lilith]

A voice can be heard from inside the Tangled Ivy tavern above all the rest; there's a tall man standing in front of the rest, hands empty of ale or mead as he's using them to gesture while he talks, apparently a storyteller of sorts. The gruff voice rises as he waves his hands in an upward sweeping motion and he grins, the audience chortling with laughter at the joke. His hair is the color of golden wheat rippling beneath a hot sun just before harvest-time and his eyes are dark brown, but there's an inner warmth in them that belies a prankster nature.

"Bah! Tha's jus' what th' lady wants you to think, but she really keeps all the male acolytes for 'erself! Bit o' choice prime meat there, eh, boys?" He chuckled deeply and ducked a swipe from one of the girls swinging by with a bowl of stew, before she started scooping out dollops of it with a wooden spoon into patrons' bowls.

"Just because your wife was an acolyte, John, it gives you no right to slander the High Temple!" She admonished him as she gave the final patron the last scoop of stew at the table that was her responsibility.

"Aww, c'mon Marda! Don't be to hard on him!" One of the patrons called out to her as most of the others had a good chuckle at 'John's' expense.

The atmosphere was pleasant and warm, and the people were the same way, even with stubborn serving girls, who obviously knew how to handle themselves if the men got a bit too rowdy.

[Cyberworm]

Seeing how the place looked warm and friendly enough, the only thing that still was still burdening him was the amount in his purse versus the amount needed for a stay in such an inn. Nevertheless, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and he went in. He slipped past all the tavern's customers that were talking to each other with great energy in their voices and went to a counter of sorts that was on the far side of the room. He sat close enough to hear what the people talk about, yet not so close as to impose himself, since he would stand out if he was to sit alone.

He sat down, waited for the barkeep and became all ears.

[Shillelagh]

Laneus walked down the street, glancing at the different businesses in turn. Most of the businesses he could see were shops... at least, he hoped they were shops. Some of them seemed... pretty questionable, with an odd sort of storefront that really didn't reflect well on the owner. He could see his mother now, shaking her head at the sight of such filth and decay. If this was how they treated the outside of their store, who knew how many other corners they cut in the name of profit?

The Tangled Ivy. Well, it certainly sounded vague yet comforting, like the name of an Inn should. Whenever his father had to stay overnight for market, he always stayed at the Sunset Melody in Brennae. It certainly looked the same... except for the amount of people, of course. Man, were there ever a lot of people here.

Laneus stepped inside the Inn, and looked around. The place was packed with people, enjoying the food and drink, and just generally being sociable. Laneus flushed with quiet embarrassment, and quickly stepped to the side of the doorway. Where... what happened now? In the past, he had always stayed with the wagon while his father arranged everything. Surely there was someone in charge here, but everyone looked pretty busy- and they seemed to just be servers, too. He stood by the doorway, pretending to be waiting on someone, while he looked cautiously around the room. Surely someone would come in and ask for a room, and if he could watch and mimic them, he'd feel better about making the request. And maybe they were hiring? Perhaps a temp worker or two for the festival season? Laneus' eyes glazed over in thought.

[Emperor]

Drramos was tired and spent. He had spent the last two days, scouring the city for any hint of a rumor, but still nothing. He had filled his days with going from one end of the city to the other, parting with his hard earned coin hoping the flash would loosen secrets. Drramos had spent his nights resting his road weary body on stiff cots, floorboards and worse - and still not even the hint of information had shown itself. He had enough and decided to get a good meal, a strong drink and a proper night’s rest. He may not have been able to find the information he wanted, but the one thing he had heard was that the Tangled Ivy Inn was better than most. He walked in the door, and only after he had passed the man standing near the door, did he notice that he was watching him intently. Drramos cursed himself for being tired and hoped that this wasn’t the beginning to a long night. He made his way to the far end of the the “bar”, looking for the innkeeper.

[Lilith]

As Baelar, Laneus and Drramos slide into the Tangled Ivy tavern, pretty much all in the same area, looking for the innkeeper. The room is buzzing with activity in every corner, as spirits are high in expectation of the festivities that are to happy this evening. Just as the serving girls exit the main room, now that everyone has food and drink, a man of around medium build with grey eyes, brown hair with gray in it and a brown goatee with grey streaking through it, strides out from the back and slips behind the bar. "What do yeh need?" He says in general to the guests sitting at his bar, seeming not to be too approachable.

[Cyberworm]

Baelar waited to see what the others that arrived at the bar would say, but saw that one of them had no idea of what to do, acting overly confident.

"If there are any rooms, I'd like to take one for the next few nights."

[Shillelagh]

Laneus's eyes dropped to the ground, trying not to make eye contact but glancing upward so that he could still see what was going on. So the grey-haired man must be the innkeeper, then. It was a good thing he hadn't tried to talk to one of the servers, then- what an embarrassing mistake that would have been. He felt vulnerable enough without having all of these city people knowing that he was a mere country bumpkin. Better to look like a shy teenager than a clueless one.

The other two were definitely closer to the innkeeper. He should probably let them finish requesting a room first. Especially the newest guy- he looked exhausted, and easy to anger. Best to let him leave the room before Laneus started flashing all of the coin in his purse.

[Emperor]

Drramos tried to find a spot few seats away from the man who was ordering his food and room loudly. There was no need to get even more unwanted attention in his direction with the young man in near the front of the inn already watching him. Drramos put his head down, his lightly salted black hair falling forward, and tightened his stained and rough cut cloak around his shoulders. He glanced quickly out of the corner of his eye and noticed that the young man who had been watching him was now looking at the ground shifting nervously.

Drramos unconsciously traced a finger down the scar that ran from the top of his ear to the corner of his mouth.

I should get my back to a corner as soon as I can, or at least a room with a door on it.

He thought to himself. Drramos put a little more room between him and the man interacting with the "keep", then took a breath in and let it out slowly.

Just take it easy, not every loud patron or nervous young man is part of some bigger plan to take you down. They're just normal people, and you just not used be being around normal people anymore.

Drammos knew as soon as he had some food and a drink his nerves would quiet. He waited cautiously for his turn to order. Just in case though he made sure he had clearance to get at the small throwing dagger he had hidden in his boot.

[Tikanni Corazon]

The barkeep's eyes lingered upon the young man who'd asked for a room, fixing him with an unblinking glare. After a few moments, he gave a curt nod.

"Aye, we've got a couple 'o' rooms left," he replied, before sending a ball of gooey brown spittle into a bucket situated behind him. "...For them that has the coin to pay their way, that is..." His lips twitched into a brief, cold smile, before pursing, his eyes never leaving the visage of the much younger male. "May be though, that yeh'll have comp'ny. Been forced to stretch the quarters between two or three persons...Would yeh be alrigh' with that?"

While waiting for the boy to reply, the barkeep glanced at the other two situated near the bar, another young man, who's eyes were focused on the floor, flickering to look around the room every now and then, and a man with a scarred face of slightly more mature years, who looked exhausted. His gaze flickered between the two, eyebrows raised in bored enquiry.

[Cyberworm]

"I have no problem with sharing. It's better than sharing a roadway canal when on duty."

Baelar looked at the other two and though he didn't really know if he could trust them, the worst that could happen is that he gets killed or mugged. The latter he had little of to lose, the former he didn't care that much.

[Shillelagh]

Laneus started to flush with embarrassment as he felt the stare of the Innkeeper, waiting for him to make a decision. "I... ahh, yes, me as well..." he said, trying to fish out a few coins from his wallet without taking it off of his belt or opening it wide. "What's the... how much per night?" he asked, weaving his way forward through the crowd.

[Emperor]

Drramos cursed himself silently for wasting so much time chasing shadows and echoes all day. If he had listened to his instincts and gave up earlier, he wouldn't have to be sharing a room with two strangers.

"I take what ever you got as long as it's more comfortable than floorboards and there is a wall I can put my back to."

He eyed the younger man making his way to the counter and scoffed at himself for a fool. He had that look a long time ago, being new to the city was never an easy thing to adjust too. Though Drramos still wondered about the one ordering loudly, and mentioning sharing a canal while on duty. Drramos kept his eyes fixed on the counter and wondered the man a few seats down was a guard.

"Also, I'll take a strong drink and whatever passes for a hot meal here."

[Reiso]

Gregori sat and watched, content to let the newcomers feel out their surroundings. He well remembered himself how overwhelming the city could be for those who were experiencing it for the first time, and the festival only did more to unnerve a man if he would let it.

He wasn't sure what was holding him back from being more sociable himself, after all as a newly appointed acolyte was it not his responsibility to be more open in extending the hospitality and good faith of the temple? Sure, he was not the typical acolyte with his advancing years and his tendency to leave off a good shave, but he knew it was more than this awkwardness holding him back. With the tavern and the city so busy it was easy to find himself falling back into older less sociable habits. Well he'd better fix that, hadn't he?

"Gentlemen," Gregori said as he lifted his not inconsiderable girth to its feet and approached the bar where the men were making arrangements. "Good festival, and blessings of The Divine to you all. I trust that you are enjoying the festivities so far...?"

[Tikanni Corazon]

The barkeep's small smile crept across his lips once again at the replies of ascent and he nodded his head.

"Good, so we're all in agreemen' then," he said, reaching under the bar, and pulling out a tattered sheet of paper, which read as follows...


Meat pie, fried potatoes and gravy ~ 1 silver
~~~
Rabbit and venison stew ~ 2 silvers
~~~
Fried potatoes and onions ~ 4 coppers
~~~
Fried goose livers with onions and gravy ~ 1 silver
~~~
Soup 'o' the day with a cob of bread ~ 7 coppers
~~~
Cob of bread with butter ~ 2 coppers


...He placed the menu on the bar for the man with the scar to look at, along with anyone else who might be interested, and turned to the shifty-looking young man who'd asked about the price of the rooms.

"Tha' would be five silvers each," he replied, reaching beneath the bar again and brought out a bottle filled with a dark amber liquid. He turned back to the scarred man. "Whisky do ya?" he growled, placing a shot glass upon the bar and looking around at the three while waiting for the answer. "As yer all good 'n' aquainted now, what say yeh be room mates, eh?"


He turned his eyes to the Acolyte as he approached the bar, and raised his brows enquiringly.

"Drink?"

[Cyberworm]

Baelar looked at the prices, and already decided himself on the potatoes and onions, and told the barkeep "I'll take a plate o' these first. And for bunking together, do you really have a room to fit us all in it? It sounds like a barracks rather than a tavern's lodging."

[Shillelagh]

"Ah, okay, yes..." nodded Laneus, pulling out the proper coinage. "That, uhh... I mean, it is the festival and all, and... whatever you need to do. Yes, that will be fine. I'll take the room and consider myself lucky to have one."

He looked over his shoulder, and noticed an approaching acolyte. People of the faith always tended to help calm him down. People tended to behave whenever one of them was around. Few people wanted to seem impatient or rude in the eyes of the temple, which in turn meant they were less rude to him as well.

[Emperor]

Drammos kept his face slightly downcast, hoping that no one saw the slight inward flinch at the approaching acolyte.

"I'll take the drink, the liver, the bread and the room."

He hoped that the drink would come quickly, unlike most in the Kingdom, anything attached to the Divines made him uneasy and edgy. Drammos rubbed at a particularly resistance patch of grime on his coffee and cream colored hands.

"I don't suppose there is a place to do some washing up also?"

He pushed out the stool next to him with a slight nudge of his road worn boots. Drammos locked eyes with the young man approaching the bar.

"Why don't you have a seat here if you tired of standing?"

Drammos hoped he would take his offer before the acolyte did.

[Reiso]

Friendly lot, thought Gregori as he arrived at the bar with his greeting largely ignored. Oh well, at least the barkeep has manners, even if it is part of his job. And the young lad just seemed to be a little overwhelmed, but he seemed to be calming down a bit, which was good. The man busy rubbing his hands seemed withdrawn in an all too familiar way that reminded Gregori of an older, less scrupulous life he once led, but it was not his place to judge and he gave the man his distance by staying on this side of the bar, which placed him next to the man who made the barracks quip.

"Yes Keep, a wine for me please and thank you. I'll skip the food for now." He plucked down the requisite amount of coin on the counter heavily enough to send a coin or two spinning and make enough noise to draw the attention of anyone not too determined to ignore it. He absently rubbed at his slightly shaggy mop of dusty hair as he took them all in as a group. Well, let's try this again, he thought, trying very hard not to wonder why he even bothered.

"I am called Gregori. What of yourselves, Sirs? Any of you wish to offer a name or perhaps indulge an aging fool such as myself by engaging in some light conversation about what brings you to the Capital?"

[Lilith]

The barkeep chuckled again, deeper this time. It seemed, when he smiled and laughed in a sincere way, his face transformed into one more pleasant and approachable than before. "Alright lads." He pointed at Baelarand Laneus first. "You two'll be in the room upstairs, last on the left. And you other two, the one on the right."

Then he turned and called back into the kitchen, "Raina! I need an plate o' potatoes n' onions and a plate o' goose livers!" A softer voice called back something the guests at the bar couldn't quite make out, but the barkeep smiled and returned before them. "Boys, me name's Nerat." He informed them as he poured a glass of wine for Gregori and whiskey for Drammos.

"Two things you need to remember in my tavern. One: my girls aren't here for your entertainment. They're here to earn an honest and clean living. My regulars know this and they'll take care of any troublemakers on that front themselves. Two: when you've had enough to drink, either go to your rooms or else leave. I don't tolerate brawls here and I won't hesitate to call the Guard in." His serious tone had returned during that speech but soon enough he'd smiled again.

"Now all of ye go sit down at a table and I'll send yer keys out with Raina in a bit. You two want water with your food then?" He asked, pointing at Baelar and Laneus.

When the barkeep left, you all notice that he only took half of the payment that was said for the price of what you've ordered, and slid the other half to you. It seems the rumors that having representatives of the Divine around to get you a better price on rooms and drink in a city that housed a temple were true.

[Cyberworm]

Though Baelar liked things fair, he also likes people who give discounts. Even though influenced by the presence of the acolytes. For now he decided to shut up and listen, with a warm smile on his face.

[Shillelagh]

"Oh, sorry," Laneus said, turning to face the priest. "It's not that I'm trying to ignore you, I just, I..." he paused to stare at the change left on the table. With a shrug, he picked it up and put it back into his wallet. "I, uhh, I get easily distracted when I'm out of my element," he said, with a slight laugh.

"My name is Laneus. I'm... this is my first visit to Tirola. I've got a few weeks away from the farm, and I'm here for the festival," he said, seeing no need to further explain his motivations. He still wasn't sure he'd be able to find a career out here in the city; the last thing he needed was a bunch of strangers breaking all of his hopes so soon.

[Emperor]

Drramos took his whiskey, stood up and made his way toward the first empty table that would be accommodating to eating a meal. He barely looked up at the acolyte who called himself Gregori.

"They call me 'Drake'."

He couldn't help but laugh at the audacity or the cold humor of the Divines, if they existed at all - for making him bunk with an acolyte.

"It looks like we will be sharing a room."

Drramos sat at the worn and stained table, finishing off the whiskey in one drought and let the burn settle in. He briefly glanced between the young man calling himself Laneus and the other man still sitting at the bar smiling. Drramos lifted his empty glass at a nearby barmaid motioning for another round. He fixed his steel grey eyes on Gregori again.

"I've just got off the road for a long spell and now I looking to relax a little."

It wasn't a lie that Drramos wanted to relax. But it wasn't the truth either. Either way, Drramos didn't care, all he wanted was a drink, meal and room. One down, two to go and Divines be damned if he had to share a room with an acolyte to get the last one. He rubbed at his weary eyes and waited.

[Reiso]

Gregori may be an acolyte, but he didn't like being hustled any more than the next man. But what else could he call it when he ordered one drink and ended up paying for half a room he didn't need? Still, his involvement in the exchange did result in a discount for the others and he was not a poor man, so he let it go for now. He knew one thing for sure though, this was the last time he planned on patronizing this establishment.

"Well met Laneus," he said in reply to the man's introduction. "I hope you find that the festival meets your expectations. A fair bit of advice; don't try to take it all in at once or you'll end up feeling lost the whole time. Focus on the activities you know hold your interest and you'll get much more out of it that way."

Gregori drifted over to the table the man called Drake picked out for the group. He seemed on the verge of being amused, which Gregori took to be a comforting thought considering his otherwise dour disposition. He sat down, wondering idley what the joke was.

"I would say that I hoped our sharing a room would not hinder your relaxation," he said, dropping his voice low enough so as not to be heard by any of the others, "but the truth is we don't really have to share a room. I live here in the city and have no need of lodgings here. The room is all yours if you like." He gave Drake a moment to take that in. This was the first face to face contact he'd had with anyone since entering the bar, and he felt self-conscious as always about his eyes. Having mismatched eyes--one grey, one green--had never been much of a problem in his old life. In fact, sometimes it was an advantage. But now, as an acolyte... well, suffice to say they didn't exactly instill trust in most folk. Did the man called Drake consider him ill-omened? Was he so distracted by them that he had barely heard a word Gregori had said? Or even worse, did he recognize him? Gregori had wronged so many people he had lost track and almost any man was a likely candidate to have at least heard of Split-eye. All he could do in such cases was hope no one made the connection.

"So," he said, raising his voice to normal volume, "I am Gregori, he is Laneus and you are Drake. That only leaves the watcher over there who likes not talking. I suppose we will just call him 'hey you' in the meantime, hey Drake?"

[Lilith]

Realizing his mistake in assuming you wished a room with the rest of them, the barkeep slowly sidles over and slips the coins into your hood, Gregori and also leaves the bottle of wine next to your arm with a wink. "Sorry about tha' lad." He then bustles away to find out what commotion was stirred between a patron and one of his serving girls, a particularly fiesty redhead who'd decked the patron about two minutes ago.

Soon enough the mess is settled, ending with the barkeep shoving the patron out his front door and face down into the dusty street outside, and then waving his hand at the serving girl, who is by now red in the face from embarrassment and temper, and telling her to go back to the kitchen.

While you four patrons are beginning to chat and talk and learn about one another, many of the regular patrons file out to enjoy the festivities while Acolytes as well as Royal Guards file in. The Tangled Ivy Tavern also runs specials for those two groups on festivals it seems, and soon enough, the guards are roaring drunk while the Acolytes seem only slightly inebriated. Normally, you all know, Acolytes don't drink, but this particular group are celebrating something.

They look to be mid to late teens, male and female equally intermixed between the group. One girl with golden-wheat colored hair that's straw-straight and hits about mid-shoulder on her, looks to be the only odd one out. She's not touched her glass of weak wine, nor is she responding to her 'friends' comments.

[Cyberworm]

Baelar snapped out of his daydreaming when he heard the "hey you" comment unconsciously. After realizing how rude he was, he finished the plate he got and walked over to the Acolyte. With a slight bow he said in a normal tone of voice, in a soothing and relaxing manner

"I apologize, good sir. My thoughts sometimes give me too much to work on. That's not to say I'm absent-minded, but actually overthinking things. It was quite a stir, but I see that Mr. Nerat mended that mistake." At this point he gave a small wink that said Like I said, not absentminded. "I hope we can start over, yes? My name is Baelar, came here for the festival to learn. As you've already said, I am a 'watchman', have been so for my whole life. If you ever need any assistance, I am at your disposal."

He offered a hand and a sincere smile for a handshake, but since he only encountered one Acolyte previously in his life and he was friends with him, he wasn't sure if such a gesture was appropriate. Nevertheless he did it in such a way that the Acolyte wouldn't be offended even if it wasn't appropriate.

[Shillelagh]

Having performed the minimum expectation of small talk and social pleasantries expected of him, Laneus opted for silence. That awkward interval between "stranger" and "acquaintence" was the worst. He was really bad about coming up with topics of conversation; and anyway, Gregori seemed to be outgoing enough for the whole lot of them.

He listened politely to the conversation, keeping an ear out for any opportunity to chime into the conversation. He was distracted, however, by the arrival of another group of clergy. It wasn't often that Laneus had ever met people of the faith who were his age. One in particular caught his eye- a young girl with hair of a color close to his, not something he was used to seeing. Furthermore, she seemed to be just as shy and withdrawn as he.

Ohh, look at me, he thought to himself, trying to make eye contact. Talk to me. What's wrong? Can I do anything to help? His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and he quickly diverted his gaze to the ground. He didn't even know her name. How could he possibly help? What could he do for her that none of her friends could? He couldn't even bring himself to stand up and talk to her... why should he expect it from her? Still... it was only human nature to want to help somebody out... even if they weren't as beautiful as she clearly...

Laneus shook his head, and tried to follow back into the conversation that Gregori was pushing.

[Emperor]

Drramos' hope for a simple meal, drink and room seemed to be dwindling with each person sitting at his table. He continued to wait for a refill of his whiskey, which couldn't come fast enough. He could feel his stomach grumble as he smelled the other patrons of the inn's food and half eaten plates wafted around him.

Gregori the acolyte seemed an amiable man, but when a person had the warm comforting cloak of utter faith in the Divines it was easy to assume that all good things come from them and all bad things were part of their mysterious will. But just because Gregori and others like him could take comfort in such things did not mean Drramos should hold it against them - even if everything about the Divines was utter offal. Drramos decided to let his guard down a little and turned to address Gregori.

"Well at the very least we won't have to share a room tonight. The smell that is coming off of me could only be described as sweaty earth."

Dramos briefly put the heels of his palms to his tried grey eyes and rubbed them, then he turned his attention to the other two men joining the table.

"Greeting to you as well Baelar and Laneus, I'm called Drake."

Drake noticed the long glances Laneus was casting at the newcomers. The straw haired girl seemed almost as ill at ease as Drake felt. The mercenary in him told him that this was someone who had a job, but it wasn't hard to shake that out of his head considering how tired he was - besides he had much more important things to accomplish while he was in town.

Drake slid over a few coins to Laneus.

"The easiest excuse to talk to someone, be they man or woman, is to simply buy them a drink. Why don't you give it a try, the night is young and so are the two of you."

[Reiso]

Gregori's grip was somewhat wooden as he took Baeler's offered hand. His mind was still reeling from what he had witnessed; the Keep could not possibly have heard his voice... a near lifetime of dark deals in noisy bars made one quite practiced at not being heard when he didn't wish to, and Gregori had not wished to. He was absolutely certain that Drake and only Drake should have heard him, and yet somehow the keep miraculously overheard (very specifically), that he had not wished a room and corrected it.

He was not about to complain about a free bottle of wine, but something seemed suspicious about that, almost as if the divines themselves were watching over his establishment to ensure he was never wrong. Gregori sent a quick--and silent--prayer that his own fortune be so good.

"Yes," Gregori said, continuing to shake Baeler's hand. "Yes, of course." He wasn't sure what the wink had been about, something about not missing things, but he was clearly earnest in his greeting, which was good. Even Drake, the least outgoing of them, seemed even tempered enough. It was a relief to sit at table without worrying about violence breaking out. "I am grateful for the offer Sir, be sure I will keep it in mind if needed." He returned Baeler's smile and disentangled their hands before the gesture became any more awkward for his distracted mind.

A number of things seemed to be happening now, including the arrival of more clergy; the others were talking more, Gregori felt he'd done his part to get things going and felt quite content at this point to watch and listen as things became more interesting. He sipped absently at his wine bottle, made a non-committal affirmative sound when Drake mentioned wet earth, and did just that.

[Tikanni Corazon]

At that moment, the pretty, red-haired serving girl enters the room again, a plate of potatoes and onions in her hands, which she brings over to your table. Her eyes are slightly red, as if a few tears may have been shed over the earlier incident, but her expression is now determined and slightly defiant, indicating it's likely for the best not to ask questions.

"Which of you gentlemen ordered the potatoes?" she asks, her tone possibly a little over confident, but friendly enough, as she looks around at each of you. A moment later, another female approaches, an comely, busty brunette, a plate of gravy-drenched goose livers in her grasp. She's older than the other, possibly around thirty-five, her eyes an intense blue, with a tumble of mahogany ringlets falling to half way down her back.

"Goose livers?" she enquires, her expression warm, a hand resting upon the swell of her hip lazily. At that moment, Nerat the barkeep calls over from his position beside the table of Acolytes.

"Raina, we need three more goose livers over here, plus two meat pies and one soup," he says, the request directed at the brunette. Smiling apologetically, Raina hands the plate to the serving girl.

"Excuse me, gents," she says, before scurrying off to the kitchen once more, leaving the red-head to serve you your food.

At that moment, the young female Acolyte you noticed earlier gets to her feet. Her gaze is directed at the ground, avoiding all eye contact around her, including that of the company she keeps this evening. Without a word to the others, she slips past the other patrons, some sending admiring glances her way, one particularly rowdy man shouting a crude comment after her disappearing figure, which results in a burst of laughter from his group of friends. You watch as the girl weaves through the crowd, her face reddening at the remark, and disappears through a door around twelve feet from your table. Set into one of the main walls, you assume it leads outside, maybe to a garden or stables.

[Cyberworm]

Seeing how his meal has arrived, his eyes grew lively again. He gave Drake a slight nod and a smile as a hello, and then almost slid across the floor to his plate. Of course, his manners guided him well and he gave the silvers for the meal to the brunette waitress.

He caught a glimpse of the pretty Acolyte lady leaving with potatoes and onions entering his mouth at a steady rate, and he was done with the meal quickly and neatly. As his father would say, "like a sir". He also saw Laneus eyeing the girl, a couple of coins in his hand. Interesting... In any case, he gave a wink to Laneus and leaned his head in the direction of the door through which the girl went. He heard the shouts and somesuch coming from the rowdy bunch and directed at her, and he judged them harmless. What he didn't judge harmless was the festivities as a whole.

Seeing far too many assaults on women in his watchman days, he casually strolled after the girl and gave Laneus a friendly nod just before exiting the door. Good thing he ate the onions first, the potatoes covered most of the smell.

[Shillelagh]

"The easiest excuse to talk to someone, be they man or woman, is to simply buy them a drink. Why don't you give it a try, the night is young and so are the two of you." The words broke Laneus out of his reverie, as he turned to see Drake sliding him coins across the table.

His face turned a bright shade of red has his cheeks flushed. "No, thank you, I... I mean, I couldn't just..." he stuttered, staring at the coins in front of him. He took a deep breath, and made eye contact with Drake. "Point taken," he said, sliding back the coins. "But I have to do this on my terms." Turning around, Laneus noticed the waitresses, who were in the middle of passing out food. Rather than inconvenience them by slipping past as they stood holding plates of food, Laneus opted to remain seated.

But once the two women had retreated, so had the acolyte. Laneus watched as she quickly made for a side exit, pointedly avoiding eye contact. Laneus looked at the door, back to the table, back to the door- Baelar gave him a nod as he walked out the door- back to the table. "I... excuse me," said Laneus, blushing deeply at the gaze he imagined Drake and Gregori were giving him. Gods, it was like the Harvest Festival all over again. Couldn't adults just be content to let young love be? Laneus walked as fast as he could to the door, trying to beat Baelar as the person to reach her first.

[Emperor]

Drake made room for his meal and kept an eye on the two who had left the table. It may be the festival, but considering Laneus' reaction and Belar's impromptu departure in the same direction, Drake felt the need to make sure things stayed in control.

It must be the whiskey, I've gone all sentimental.

He did his best impression of a warm smile to the barmaid and motioned in front of him.

"I had the liver, thank you."

As he set about getting ready to eat, Drake's mind wandered to thoughts of home. He wondered if his son would have grown in to the hopeful young man he saw in Laneus or the brash one he saw in Belar. He knew in his heart that his daughter would have been as beautiful as the young girl.

He realized that he had stopped preparing to eat and quickly rubbed at his eyes again to mask the shimmer of a tear forming.

Dark thoughts, dark dreams. He reminded himself.

To take the attention away from him and place it squarely on his food instead and broke his bread in half along with some of his meal and slid it across the table toward Gregori.

"Care to break bread with me Acolyte Gregori. Seems a better option than you watching me stuff my face."

With that Drake began heaping food into his mouth all the while making sure to keep an eye on the other two.

[Reiso]

Gregori took the offered bread and gladly ate of it, but he took no encouragement from the gesture. He knew that in many circles it was an act meant to ensure the protection of the one breaking the bread more than those who shared it, but still he was at ease; there would be no harm done between them, and that was enough.

"Thank you friend," he offered while washing down the surprisingly flavorful bread with another swig from his wine bottle. A hard man to read, this Drake. He seemed burdened in a way no one could know, that he struggled with his faith, or perhaps to find it, but that some part of him hoped... for something. Where those thoughts of family? Or just of home, no matter where that was? Divine's bless and guide you to whatever you seek, friend.

Gregori had family. Maybe it was Drake's loneliness, or the youthful exuberant pursuits of a fine lady by their younger acquaintances which made him mindful of it, but his thoughts took him there now, to the scrawny fire haired rascal he called a daughter. Teresa was her name, and the last time he saw her, he was in a labor camp and she was in tears. Things are different now for him, but they hadn't stayed in touch over the years and her mother was gone the day she'd been born. He'd heard rumors since his release. Very unpleasant ones that would see her behind bars of her own if she wasn't careful.

"Let me ask you something, Drake." He took a sip from his bottle. "I make no presumptions about your occupation, but you seem like a man with his ear to the ground. A man who hears things, even on his way into a place. Things others might not hear because, well, you make it your business to hear them. So. I'm asking. Have you heard anything in town or abroad about a redhead girl stirring up problems for anyone? Name's Teresa if it makes a difference."

Gregori drank again from his bottle deeply, and when he brought the bottle back down to the table it was in its center. Easily in Drake's reach. Clearly to be shared.

"Because if you have, I promise you will find me mighty grateful."

[Tikanni Corazon]

In the bar...

The red-haired serving girl places your food before you with a smile and a short, sharp curtsey and walks a short distance away, gathering empty plates from a nearby table and taking them over to the bar, piling them into a neat pile ready to take out to the kitchen for washing. Then, apparently seeing a mark on the wood surface, she takes a cloth from the waistband of the apron around her waist, and begins scrubbing busily.

Of the young Acolyte girl's exit, very little attention is paid, even by those she arrived with, though those of you close to the red-haired serving girl are in the position to notice that she watches the girl's movements with sly interest, her eyes flickering towards the retreating form every now and then. Then the girl disappears out the side door and it closes behind her. The red-head ceases her cleaning of the bar, and hurridly heads out towards the kitchen, following the same path as Raina.


Outside...

On the other side of the door, through which the golden-haired Acolyte disappeared, is a garden. Consisting of a large patch of grass, surrounded by a cobbled path, it's neatly fenced off with a tall barrier of wood, enclosing it from the outside world, clearly belonging to the Inn. It is refreshingly different from inside however. Contrasting sharply with the rowdy, crowded atmosphere of the Inn itself, the garden is quiet and empty. The fence is alive with a mass of climbing plants, many in full bloom and filling the area with their fragrance of jasmine, honeysuckle, wisteria and rose. To one side, outside the grassy area, there is a small fountain in the shape of a unicorn, a steady stream of water erupting from the horn atop it's head to fall in the pool of water below, adding to the tranquil atmosphere of the garden.

Upon first glance, the young girl seems to have disappeared. But upon a more detailed scan of the space, she becomes visible, hidden in an area of shadow on the far side of the garden beside the fence, a particularly thick overhang of wisteria helping to conceal her. Her position also places her near a door set into another wall of the Inn, one which clearly houses the kitchen area. A moment later, the door opens and a figure steps out, the tumble of dark curls falling down her back identifying her as Raina. She approaches the girl, who stumbles forward into the older woman's arms and begins to shudder with sobs. Raina holds her close, stroking her hair soothingly. Then they begin to talk in hushed tones. Though you cannot make out all of their conversation, the odd word reaches you.

"...can't do it...I'm afraid..." the girl utters quietly, amongst other mumblings that you don't quite catch.

"Hush," replies the woman, Raina, leaning away from the girl and looking down at her, cupping her chin with one hand, before speaking further, her speech a mixture of barely coherant words and whisperings. "...the one...stronger than you can ever imagine."

Their conversation goes on for a few minutes longer, before Raina takes the girl by the hand, and begins to lead her towards the door to the kitchen area, telling the golden-haired youngester that she'd get her cleaned up. The red-haired serving girl waits beside the door, here expression concerned.

[Cyberworm]

Baelar was a bit dumbfounded by the words he heard, but he figured it no business of his... for now. His adventuristic spirit and do-gooder complex urged him to look into it more, but for now he quelched his eagerness to meddle. Calm down, the girl is... crap. She's crying, how can you let that go?

"Do you know what kind of idiot you are?"

"No, please remind me." *sigh*

"You are a benevolent idiot of grand proportions."

"So? Go chew on a rattlesnake's tail or something."

"You do know this'll get you in far more trouble than you've came here for? You're biting the arrow."

He let out a slightly audible sigh and observed the red-haired girl. He has a thing for redheads... but he also has a thing for every other girl with hair. So he dismissed his thoughts of romance and approached in an arch, pretending to observe the courtyard. After earnestly taking in the scene, he calculated the walls, roofs and such, just in case anything bad happened and there was a need to run for it. The one fire that happened in his life still affected him, but he thought it was for the better. He finally approached the red-haired girl, relaxedly and naturally. He conversed well with women, for some reason. Most probably because his father hid him in women's company a lot on their travels.

"Hello there, miss. My name is Baelar" he said with a soft smile and a half-bow. "This is a beautiful place, very fitting for an establishment such as this. May I..." he stopped here and slightly tilted his head, as if he just now noticed her distraught.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I disturb you? I apologize, I cannot help but notice your visage showing sings of worries. Are you alright?"

[Shillelagh]

Laneus's heart sank a bit once he reached the garden area. Not only had Baelar beaten him to the doorway, one of the serving girls had used a different route to reach her first. Which was good, he admitted to himself. If she feels comfortable crying in her shoulder, then obviously they're both good friends.

Competing against Baelar would be hard enough. But against Baelar and a close friend? Time to look as if he had meant to go outside for some other reason. Laneus sighed, and walked over to tall fence, placing his hand on the smooth boards. He closed his eyes, and stroked the grain of the wood. It wasn't worn with years of use like the axe handles and farm tools back home, but the feel was still relaxing.

Looking around the small garden, Laneus noticed that he was standing about as opposite the other three as he could manage. Moreover, he would not be able to reenter the Inn without being in the others' eyesight. Better to stay outside for at least a few minutes, lest he seem rather odd- who enters and leaves a room so quickly? And who knows- maybe the other two will leave in a few moments, leaving him alone with her again!

[Emperor]

The ache in his stomach subsided with each bite, and the hot meal was a welcome respite to makeshift meals of game, tack and rations. Drake paused in mid swallow at the frank question posed to him. By the look on Gregori's face it seemed serious and earnest and he wondered how many times he had that very same look when it came to countless faces Drake asked about his own family. He thought long and hard on it, trying to recall all the places he had been and all the those he had encountered - the list was long but it was incomplete.

"I'm sorry to say, but I have not. You would be right that I do keep my ear to the ground. Being a sword for hire has put me in a lot of places and in front of a lot of people, but I haven't heard of this girl."

He pushed aside his empty bowl.

"I don't know if it would do any good, but I could send out a few messages, I'm sure there a few favors I could call in and ask. I can't say I understand what is between you and this woman but I know that look - it's the same look I get when I'm trying to find answers to..."

Drake bit at his bottom lip to control the anger and the pain of the memory.

"... what happened to my family."

Drake decided he had had enough whiskey for one night.

"Maybe there is something we can do to help each other. What that is, I have no idea. As for myself, the trail has gone cold and I'm chasing shadows of rumors and as useless as it makes me feel, I could use all the help I can get."