The walk through the town seemed a leisurely one on first glance, though Corinne's eyes made the occasional rounds and checked the surroundings again and again. The invasion from the night before had left a sour taste in her mouth, and she'd rely on every last hunter instinct to be able to predict if another one was upon them. Apart from that, whatever little damage was done seemed not to have come to this part of town, where she walked into with her uncle and half-elf. The blacksmith's forge seemed undisturbed, and she found herself biting her lip and breathing a word of gratitude under her lips.
...she didn't know what she'd do if...
No!
"Julia...I see. Welcome to our hometown, Julia. Welcome, welcome. We don't often expect a half to pass by or even stay a spell. But they do, and they're rather interesting, and unique in personality, beyond the stereotypes I remembered growing up with at one point in time. They're rather much more than that." Corinne smiled a waning smile as she looked over at her uncle fondly. He was a half. But she didn't hate him, not in the slightest. Her mother didn't either, but some members of her father's family couldn't stand the thought and noses were upturned at how unholy it was to send their elven daughter to live with a half.
It was a good decision...for the majority of the time. "The pleasure is all ours."
"A beautiful name for a beautiful lass." grinned the half-elf walking steady with the horse's strides, throwing glances towards the red-haired maiden time and again, and it made Corinne roll her eyes rather exaggeratedly. Good old uncle Seb. "Welcome to Estermere, and a drinking partner, my luck be damned! As for my favourite... As adventurous as I might be prodded into being, nothing ever does the same for me as a good ale. I'd breathe the stuff, 'f I could."
Corinne's eyebrow rose, and she threw her gaze over to Julia, shaking her head rather sorrowfully though no words came out, and she hoped she'd pick up on the implication. Though, of course, when something is that vague...
"Morning, evening, any time is ale time." the man chuckled now, "But a traveller treating me to a drink? By the name of Vaudrey-" he paused abruptly here, though only for a handful of seconds, as if hesitating, though he continued same as usual in the next instant "By the name of my father, I, Sebastian Vaudrey, swear not to let a traveller spend on good liquor. I must treat you to a drink, my lady. It would only be fair. You should spend your coin wisely, the roads can be rather harsh mistresses."
And Corinne watched him, and he seemed happy, like he always does when socialising. The man was a social butterfly above anything else, that came to life when a good conversational partner made themselves apparent. She'd only just wondered though...like she had time and time again before, why he still lived all by himself. Why he himself never found a woman and started his own family. It wasn't like he was ridiculously old, or senile, and wouldn't be for a long time. Compared to her estimated 18 years of age in human years, her uncle surpassed her at being in his mid-late 40s. His blood made him age differently than she did, though a couple of white hairs did spring from his chocolate mess, and it didn't particularly bother her until she really thought about it.
Whenever she'd asked, he'd always say that it was to keep his little Corinne the most important girl in his life. And though he had his moments, he really loved his niece.
That much was very, very true.
She was about to add a comment about her own preferences, hinting at how she much preferred finer fruit wines, before the topic of the blacksmith was raised. Corinne took the opportunity to really look at the girl's sword, and she was right. A smithy's touch was all it needed.
And the slight flush at her cheeks brought out the colour of her hair.
The blacksmith's forge approached, and in hardly any time, they had made their way there. Corinne felt a little regretful she hadn't insisted the girl's baggage come with Lysander, though she seemed just fine keeping it with herself, and the last thing Corinne wanted to do was invade anyone's privacy and overstay her welcome, so to speak.
"Kindness is kindness' own reward, as strange as it may seem." and here she laughed, a soft, lilting sound, "Gods above, if ever a fateful day comes when our assistance is required of you, my lady, I believe you would do the same. No physical reward needed at all, really."
She shot a look at her uncle, who held his hands up in front of him innocently, which made her sigh heavily and continue "...though if you do ever take my uncle drinking, please, for the love of every last god, make sure he knows when to stop. Thank...you."
She bit her lip a little when the horse was brought to a stop near the forge, and a familiar location too.
Lysander whinnied, which brought on some soft cooing from her.
"Cherry, I know...I know."
"...but we're here, ah. And a fine destination, too, the forge."
Corinne had just noticed the man inside, Rowan, and she raised her hand in an attempt to give him a half-wave. It wasn't like she was expecting to see Benjamin or anything...hmph.
Her uncle however excused himself from the two and stepped closer to the man with the greying hair, beaming and exchanging pleasantries, that might have distracted him from his work for just a little bit, but Sebastian meant no harm. "Rowan, working on the finest, newest project ever I see. How have you been? Corinne might have come to see Benny, but it's always nice to see you around too."
At this time, as the elf was dismounting, a bright flash struck the sky in plain daylight, and she almost lost her footing with one foot being this close to catching in the stirrups. Though she landed just fine, fortunately, if a bit shaky, and did up the stallion at the nearest post. She then walked over to the girl with the bright red hair, extending a hand and giving her a proper smile. It was different looking at her from eye-level. Somehow she just seemed...bigger than Corinne. But she was beautiful, and she had to give her that. Halfs really did tend to get the best of both parents. Careful blue eyes took in the girl from the closer angle now.
"Finally, a proper introduction, Julia. I plan on sitting here a spell, waiting for someone, but the tavern should be..." her gaze left the girl to search out the surroundings, and as always, as unmissable as possible by being the most ordinary seeming building in the area.
"...ah yes. There." her eyes lit up. "The Den, for short. I cannot think if I've called it anything but that...but if I am not mistaken, it is properly known as 'The Hunters' Den'. I...would advise for you to watch yourself there. The crowd mayhaps might...be a little bothersome."
Her eyes fell to Rowan. Squinted. Then eyebrows raised in that way they do. "Rowan, you don't seem to be working with anything like that but...did you see that flash of light just now? I'd think it rather strange!"
