Durin nodded, and examined everyone in the tavern again as Arielle made her announcement. He could see there were definitely some warriors here in the tavern. He looked around the room, gauging various reactions as the announcement continued. Shortly after Arielle had finished, the two from the Order got up and approached them.

After a brief introduction, they said they'd help. Durin looked them up and down, moreso out of habit than anything. He'd worked with the Order briefly once. He knew that they were always good warriors. As Durin was getting up, the female of the pair approached him and offered her hand. Durin didn't take it, merely nodding. "Same." was the short reply.

However, it was shortly after that his attention was brought to the human female who had entered the bar. He approached her as she gave her answer, stopping a few feet away from her. He looked her up and down, eyeing her with a look that would intimidate most others. He grunted. "You'll do fine, lass. No rush on the gear. I need food first." Durin said, before turning around and seating himself where he had gotten up. He was content to wait for his turn to get an order. He turned to Arielle. "She seems inexperienced in combat, but I know she'll do fine so long as she keeps a level head." he said, giving his professional opinion of the village girl.

Valis looked up from her work without pausing, seeing new faces arrive. There was a dwarf, a human, and a winged elf, although her wings appeared to be for decoration unlike the wings of the other elf in the tavern. She perked her ears in curiosity as to what they had to say. She heard the lovely elf woman speak to the raven about bandits attacking a wagon. The dwarf was speaking to her about, and it seemed they need some extra hands to find the bandits.

Seble glided down to the table, shaking her head as she knew what Valis was thinking. They just arrived in the warm tavern and there was no way she was going back outside. Valis pet her tiny head to calm her, thinking she was still worked up about Bernard.

When the shield maiden, as she was called, announced the mission, there was no way Valis was going to turn it down. She didn’t care for the money, but more so for the joy of helping people. It was a search and destroy, and she wasn’t too keen on ending lives of others. She could help them out if anyone else got hurt, being a druid and all.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to come,” the centaur chimed, “I found the poor dearie on the side of the road and brought him to town. I could perhaps show you where. If anyone else is coming and needs something to wear for the cold I could whip something up real quick.” As if to prove so, Valis knitted a bit faster on the sweater she was working on. Although, she already had plenty of other apparel suited for cold weather in her bag.

-The Karasu-
At the mentioning of food , Vivian emerged from the backroom of the tavern where the kitchen was. In her hand were bowls of the stew she made. It was made from that of wild pigs or boar as they would say. It also contained a good amount of potatoes and carrots. It even had a few dumplings in it from the wheat harvest. Vivian placed a bowl in front of Feiia and then moved to the two elves. She handed a bowl of the stew two Eirika and Elduin and then moved to the table that Valis sat. She then put down a bowl which still had meat but not as much as the others. "Sorry, the stew ain't any good without meat." She said to the centaur. Coming out a little late from the kitchen was a young girl, the girl they just hired for the tavern. She had two bowls of stew in her hand. One she placed down at the table Alice had sat down at. She then noticed she brought out one too many. Vivian just pointed to the table with Durin sitting at it. "Just give it to him lass,..." Vivian spoke and the young lady nodded and moved to the table and sat it down. "What would you like to wash that down with? Mead or Ale, or you could try some of our homemade wine that we make. It is pretty good." She asked.

Cassandra looked to Alice and smiled at her reaction to Arielle choosing her. The poor girl had been chasing for opportunities to go adventuring ever sense she became old enough to do so. The girl lacked the experience of a good fight, but that's what this mission would do for her. It would give her the experience she needs to learn about the outside world and not only that, get some closure from the loss of her father. The man was a good member of the nights watch of this village. He kind and well mannered too. It hit the guards hard when he fell ,but the moral was instantly boosted five years ago when Jarl Erich took charge. His reign was very much needed for this village. Rumor had it that the Jarl was a part of that detachment of the guard. The raid wasn't even supposed to happen. The past Jarl always refused them to go out and hit the bandits. The Jarl was a coward and every time Erich and Alice's father went to him to protest he would shake it off. Then Erich and Alice's father rounded up a few of the men and went out anyways. The raid was successful and every one of the bandits were killed, but not without casualties. When Erich came back he was meet with a angered Jarl. This infuriated Erich to the point he challenged the Jarl to single combat and defeated him. With Erich, there was no red tape that needed to be cut. If bandits were seen or encountered they were quickly exterminated.

It wasn't soon after he meet Arielle and the Jarl married her to everyone's surprise. Cassandra just crossed her arms and was about to say something to the young woman, but the dwarf beat her to it. Durin had reassured her that she would do fine. She accepted the answer ,but the dwarf would not be the only line of encouragement. Arielle stepped forward, "I would go myself ,Alice , but my duties are here beside my husband. You , like me, know a lot about the outside forests of this village. You will be able to advise Durin of the area when needed and you will be able to scout much better. Besides today, you won't be the only woman that would be joining this hunt. " She then gestured to the stew on the table where she had sit. "For now eat and then go grab your gear, but be careful. Durin is leading this campaign so just do what he says and you should be fine." Arielle then looked over at the Centaur who was knitting up a sweater. She shook her head at the sight. "I don't think that will be necessary. If people needed to be fitted for the cold, just go to Veo. If you tell him you are going to be a part of a campaign to kill the bandits that robbed him of his cargo he will give you something for the road. If that doesn't work. Tell him I sent you." She added.

Brenard looked to the little glider and snorted. "A little coward to eh?... most certainly not worth eating." He commented and shook his head. Cassandra looked up at him and raised a wing. "Sorry, I will be quiet...." Arielle then tapped Cassandra on the shoulder and then tapped Vivian as well and guided them to the back of the tavern to speak with them privately. Those without sharp ears would not pick up their conversation, but those that did would make out the following:

"I know it's that time of the month again for you two to make your trip up the mountain, but the Jarl was wondering if the two of you on your way back can do some scouting. The surrounding areas are much to quiet. Durin over there has been the first to turn in a head for the past couple months. We don't think the orcs have abandoned this region just yet, so they must be hiding. We want you to find out where." She said. The two sisters looked to each other and then back to her.

"Sure thing, we will check out the area after we are done with the trip." Vivian said. "You can do us a favor and help the new one run our tavern while we are gone. With this sudden news we might just go early. Like perhaps first thing in the morning, We got everything prepared for the trip anyways." She continued. Arielle nodded and bowed slightly.

"Thank you, and I will help out where I can." She said. She then left the two sisters and went to the table Durin sat at. "Durin, I leave the rest to you. I must go back to the longhouse and join my husband. You can leave whenever you want." She said and then proceeded to leave the tavern. Arielle made her way back to the Jarl's longhouse to join her husband once more on the two seats that acted as their throne. She informed the Jarl about what was said and done and he simply nodded accepting it.

Alice couldn't believe this day had finally come. The dwarf in charge, Durin, had actually let her join and the Jarl's wife had supported it and offered encouragement. "Thank you, thank you both," was all that the blonde could say. Then when the food arrived, served by a new girl, the brown-eyed human took the dwarf's advice, sat down, and ate. The stew was as delicious and hot as always yet Miss Zukion had to control herself to eat at her normal speed. "You know very well you shouldn't eat too hurriedly. There will be time to grab gear still, Durin said not to worry about that and a guard always obeys their commander, unless the commander gets in the way of doing what's right. But now is not one of those times, just finish up the stew. So the village girl scraped up the last bites, got outside, and dashed to her house.

Her hood fell behind her as she flew past buildings and people, allowing the chill wind to strike her face and her hair to rise behind her like the cloak, but she kept running. The golden-haired child only stopped when she was at the entryway of a modest home, there she took a moment to steel herself before opening it to the smell of her mom baking bread in the kitchen area and humming a traditional jaunty tune. "She hasn't been like this since before Dad died." The girl thought sadly as she snuck past to the place she kept her weapons. As Alice reached the place and opened the chest, the blonde girl thought of the few memories she had left of her father. As she slipped on her leather breastplate, she thought of when he had caught her trying to get into his armour. As she clipped the quiver onto the right side of her belt and filled it with arrows, she thought of when she kept begging him to play while he was fletching some until he finally caved in. As she placed her bow on her back, she thought of when he took her to the training yard and let her try the bows there though they seemed immoveable at the time. As she buckled her sword and sheath to the left side of her belt, she thought of her dad's promise before he went to give her a sword lesson like she been asking for to see if she really wanted to learn it. Then as she strapped the shield onto her back, over the bow, she thought of that day, when Dad was expected to be home and instead was delivered his possessions and the news of his death. She shook her head before she brought back the hurt and pain, today was finally the day she could enact justice upon the bandits and see that no others experienced what she experienced, though revenge was also a powerful motivator.

With this she left the room and sought to sneak out again. But this time, her mother caught her. "Hello Alice, where are you going?"

"Out hunting again," Alice replied. It was the truth, but she knew her mom would throw a fit if she found out it was Bandit hunting. "I shouldn't be gone long."

"Well, just take care then sweetie," her mother said. Then she gave her daughter a hug, "Try to come back soon. I couldn't stand to lose you too."

"Don't worry about me, Mom," Alice replied as she disengaged the hug. "Just take care of yourself and your new little one. It probably isn't healthy for it if you're scared to death." Then Alice smiled and waved her farewells as she walked out the door. Her pace though was slower as she went back to the tavern. The brown-eyed teen pondered the while if her mother would be in a similar state she was after Father's death or would soon recover with the new child. But as she reached the tavern, she pushed all such thoughts out of her head. This had been the day she had waited for, she was not going to waste it. With that, she opened the doors and stepped in, prepared to go with the company into the woods.

She thought for a moment and nodded to Arielle. It was a tad silly thinking she could make a batch of clothing within the day. She didn’t have enough yarn, and it was a bit on the chilly side to use any more wool. Valis shrugged to herself, thinking it wouldn’t make knitting fun if she were to rush. She slowed down, and hummed softly to herself as she continued.

Although she stopped once Vivian had appeared from the kitchen in the back of the tavern. “That’s perfectly fine! It smells delicious, dearie!” the centaur spoke when a bowl was placed before her. She picked out a small carrot and handed it to the sugar glider, who was then too concentrated nibbling on the veggie to acknowledge Bernard for the time being.

Once she began eating that tasty stew, Valis noticed the shield maiden take the two who ran the tavern away from everyone. From the noise of the tavern, Valis could only pick up the gist of what was being said, although she felt rather rude for eavesdropping. It wasn’t like the personal lives of the village mattered to her, given she was only staying a few days. However, she couldn’t but wonder as to why the two made trips to the mountain apparently everyone month? They could have family over there or something.

At the mention of orcs, Valis couldn’t help but think to when they had attacked her own village a few times. Her people often fought them off since many of their warriors were strong and could overcome the brutes. Although what the orcs lacked they made up in numbers. There weren’t many attacks during her lifetime but her parents had mentioned the many times they’ve had to move the herd since the raids were too much to stay in one place.

It wasn’t like her home had anything of value the orcs could want and their attacks were most likely territorial. She wondered if Reisui had anything the orcs would want if it were the same. She hadn’t had the time to understand orc life or their ways so she wouldn’t know. Losing interest, Valis focused back on eating, going over the few herbs she had on her mentally for if she had to use them on the mission.

Many of the patrons who had crept in over the past hour seemed to all be eager to set out for the bandit hunt that the Jarl's wife and the Dwarf had brought up. Despite Feiia's silence, she was interested in the proposition, even though she wasn't much of a team player these days. The pay sounded too good to pass up, however. But when Feiia saw the young hunter, Alice, her motivations for joining shifted quite substantially. Although their encounters had been brief, Feiia knew Alice well enough to know that she was still very young, seventeen if memory of their first meeting was correct. It was touching to watch the girl's initial enthusiasm and the Snow Elf found a great warmth in her heart as she was reminded of the fire she had when she was younger. Her feelings didn't distract Feiia from the potential of it being very dangerous for someone inexperienced like Alice, but Feiia was no different when she set out from the orphanage.

Food interrupted Feiia's trip down memory lane as she quietly ate while she watched events continue to unfold. It was all kind of bore but when the Jarl's wife made a move to pull both the Drows for a private conversation, Feiia couldn't resist. She carefully got up and nonchalantly stepped past the other patrons in order to lean up against the closed door to the private section of the inn. She crossed her arms and continued her idle viewing of the tavern but all of her focus was put to trying to listening through the wall.

"...think the orcs have abandoned" ~Yadda yadda~

It was muffled and Feiia missed a few syllables but she got the gist of the conversation. Perhaps it wasn't safe to stay here anymore as those concerns sounded very much like ill omens for the village. But go where? Feiia didn't think of many options before she overheard their conversation coming to a close.

"Thank you, and I will help out where I can."

Covertly, Feiia stepped past the patrons of the tavern again. On her way across the busy hustle of the patrons, she tapped the dwarf from behind and as she brushed past him, she said just above a whisper "I'm in." She gave the dwarf a wink and continued on towards the front door of the tavern. Again, she found the wall by the door and casually leaned up against it, observing everyone else. She nodded at Arielle as she made her departure and only moments later, saw Alice step in.

Feiia delicately placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder and waited for the Alice's attention. The girl was carrying more items than when she had first entered and had likely made a trip home. "Careful. You'll never know when you might see her again." Feiia spoke softly as her stout, strong expression and roguish grin finally gave way to a something a bit more solemn, as if mourning. Of course Feiia was referencing Alice's mother as Feiia had heard the tales. But even more than that, Feiia was recalling her own experiences of leaving someone you love.

Feiia gently lifted her hand from the girl's shoulder and very tenderly, almost motherly, brushed her thumb along Alice's cheek, giving the girl a kind smile. "You'll do fine. If you need anything, I'll be there."

Durin nodded to the girl when she set the food down in front of him, asking what drink he wanted. "If you've got any Dwarven ale, I'll take it. If not, your strongest ale." Durin gruffly replied. He didn't care too much for what the other races called "ale", but Dwarves liked their drinks strong, anyway. As he ordered the ale, he passed the girl 20 gold pieces. "Do what you wish with what's leftover." Durin told her. After all, the reward from the Jarl had replinished his coffers easily enough, plus he had more coming on the way with the upcoming bandit hunt.

As Durin started on his stew, the shield maiden gave her approval as well, even being nice enough to give Durin some tips on how the girl would be useful. Best to have her as a forward scout. I'd better be right behind her, though. Never know when unexpected trouble could come about. the Dwarf thought to himself. It was shortly after that when Arielle pulled the two Drows away from the rest. Durin heard the muffled sounds of conversation, but didn't really care what it was about. Shortly after, the elf maiden came and told Durin that she'd be heading back, and that he was fully in charge of the hunting party. The Dwarf nodded respectfully, though his mouth was too full of the delicious stew to properly thank her.

Durin watched as the human girl practically inhaled her stew before rushing to get her gear. The Dwarf sighed. First sign of a newbie adventurer was how much they tended to rush things. By the time the girl had gotten back, Durin had only just finished his stew. As he spotted the human, he waved her on over. He wanted to get some idea of what he was dealing with...

"So, according to Lady Arielle, you know the lay of the land quite well. List of things to keep an eye out for, natural or otherwise." Durin said to her. He wanted to make sure that everyone knew the dangers they'd be dealing with, besides the obvious bandits. Durin glowered at his empty stew bowl. Bandits were a sore spot for him. They tended to be wily and desperate when backed into a corner, which is when the got unpredictable. And unpredictable meant dangerous in Durin's line of work.

Durin glanced over at the centaur, paying attention to anything Alice told him. The centaur certainly didn't have the look of a fighter. Perhaps she was a healer of sorts. If so, she'd be invaluable in the upcoming hunt. Healers were always nice to have around, as they generally kept people alive.

In the meantime, the Dwarf turned his eye to the Winter Elf that had spoken to Alice. He knew it was her that had expressed interest in the hunt as well, as Durin had seen the wink. As he studied her, he gave a curt nod to indicate his approval. After everyone had finished eating, he'd announce the start of the hunt.

-The Karasu-

Vivian left the dwarf's table to go retrieve their strongest ale. She didn't really think they had anything strong to begin with ,but I suppose it would just have to do. If dwarves visited Reisiu often enough she would have stocked up on dwarven ale, but no they did not get many visits from them. She returned with a bottle of the ale, it was nothing special at all. Just normal ale, the only difference is it had been aged so hopefully it would be stronger. If not, well the dwarf would just have to make do with what they had. After placing the bottle down and pulling off the cork she walked away. Her sister Cassandra went with her. They went off to prepare for their trip. A trip they were going to take earlier this month for the sake of the Jarl wanting some scouting done. They left the people of the tavern to their devices with their newest addition ready to serve them if they needed it.

Eirika took her bowl and their elven wine and moved to join the dwarf at his table. Might as well get comfortable with a member of their little group. The order had to deal with many of things worse then bandits ,so she expect nothing special will happen. All they had to do was go to the scene of the crime. See if there are any clues to their wereabouts. Hopefully it didn't snow and erase any footprints because that would suck dearly. Well then again ,perhaps the young Alice had ideas of locations for a good bandit camp. As cold as it is this time of the year, they would likely make home in a cave some where. Perhaps, Alice knew of a few such caves. Maybe even a few good sized ones big enough to house a group of bandits. She sipped her wine and then began to eat her stew. The flavor was indeed appetizing. She had to smirk and as Elduin joined her at the table she had to look to him. Elduin answered the look with a quizicle stare as if trying to figure out what she had in mind.
"I wonder how my mother would feel if she saw me sharing a table with a dwarf and at the same time eating the cooking of a drow elf? I bet they would not be too happy. Well if anything nervous." She said. The situation was quite odd if you put some thought into it. They themselves were a odd bunch of heroes. A Centaur, that was of the sheep variety. A Snow Elf, whose abilities she only heard slightly of about her race, what her skills where she had no clue. From what she could tell the woman was a fighter and could handle herself. Thats all you needed to know really. The rest was the woman's business. Then came Alice, the young woman was pretty fresh when it came to this kind of thing. She feared the young woman was rather rushing things. The snow elf took a interest in the young woman though and perhaps she could teach her a few things.

"I have a question for you,...." She said to Alice. "Did you even taste the stew?.... you ate it so fast I am not even sure if you knew how it tasted." She had a bit of a chuckle at that. She then took another sip of the wine and then looked to the dwarf. He was our leader, it would not be hard to follow him really. The dwarf did not seem all that bad really. She often wondered why there was bad blood between the two races. It was something that always bothered her. It made her glad to be a part of the order where such hate just did not belong at all. The elves of the order where much more controlled with their thoughts and could easily fight alongside dwarves if they had to. It was how we were taught. The elves outside the order though had their chins raised too high she doubt they could even walk straight without running into anything. High elves, were among some of the most racist individuals ever. They judged upon someones race not their actions. Unlike the order who judged solely upon what was good and what was evil. They even gave mercy to evil at times if it was possible. She sighed and continued her feast. The stew was great and the choice of meat was perfect for it. The drow sisters most certainly knew how to cook. Too bad they had to run this tavern alone. I mean they had one helper and that was it. Perhaps being way out here did not have much of a choice for workers like you do else where. Eirika figured she would have to change that. When they left for other settlements she would spread good word about the tavern with hopes that they might hire on more people.

Elduin shook his head at what Eirika said. "If your parents where outside of the order, they would not have liked this at all. I would have likely gotten yelled at by them for even letting a drow get so close to you. " He then looked to Durin and then to the girl Alice. The dwarf wanted to inquire as to what they were getting their hands on. It was a good choice to do so now while they were still here. Not knowing the region you are in could be dangerous, especially if you wonder of the road and into the wilderness where the real dangers are. There could be anything in these forests ,but your typical dangers where that of the local wild life. Plus there was the talk of orcs coming from the little conversation picked up from the back. Orcs were even worse then the bandits in his opinion. The orcs must have some sort of beef with the village for them to be so persistent. With winter being in its middle you would think the orcs would go to warmer weather. Something was causing them to stay apparently and that was never a good thing.

"You know me, Feiia. When have I ever not been careful?" Alice quietly laughed, but the Snow Elf had struck a nerve and the blonde's face grew distant. Even with her mom's new family, it was still hard to leave her, especially going on a bandit hunt. And there was still the possibility of giving her another heartbreak. Then the older woman stroked her cheek and said that Alice would be fine and that she would be there. The dark-eyed girl smiled and said, "Thank you." It was all that really could be said. She knew she had probably irritated the older woman at first with constant requests for stories. But they had gotten to know each other better and something like friendship seemed to be sparking between them.

Alice was then interrupted from this line of thought by the dwarf calling her over. He wanted to know of possible threats beside bandits to the party. The blonde replied as she sat down beside him, "Orcs have been a bother, but they've been infrequent this year, doesn't mean we couldn't still run into them. Other than them, the main ones are wolves and wargs. Mostly, they're in packs, making them easier to avoid but overwhelming if you're caught off-guard. Loners though are sneakier, so they may land a bite before you even know it's there. But after the initial surprise, they're manageable. Boar's tusks are sharp and they charge if provoked, better to stay out of their way. Other than that, there is nothing dangerous in the woods. There are rumors of mysterious beasts living in the mountain, but the Bloodmoon sisters, the ones who own this inn, are the only ones who go up there and they don't say anything about such things." Then she heard the elf lady's question, and replied, "Of course I tasted it. You can taste it as much whatever speed you do it at. It was delicious as always."

-The Karasu-

After their meals where done Elduin looked to the dwarf and then to there other volunteers for the job. They had sat here for what would seem like an hour. He decided to get up and voice that they should get going. "I know your the leader of this mission Durin, but I do believe it is time we should leave, before the night begins to set on us." He said. Eirika looked up at him and nodded in agreement standing up as well. She looked to the others of the tavern to see if they would agree with him.

"I am sorry Durin, but we must go... if this quest took place in the countries spring or summer I wouldn't care, but we are not. This being the winter we must make as much progress we can during the day when it is not so cold." Eirika pointed out. Perhaps the dwarf was not from this region. Well neither was she or Elduin ,but they have made trips this far north before. She looked to the others and then to Elduin­­. Elduin took it as a sign to get moving. He adjusted his bow and quiver and then proceeded outside. He told Eirika to wait at the gate for him. He decided he was going to go to Veo's shop and pick up a few fur coats that would hold them out during their travels.

When he reached the shop he move his hand down to grab the door knob and pulled the door towards him and slid inside. What he saw was what he did not expect. Veo was some sort of satyr creature. Half man, half goat. It was weird but not the weirdest thing he had seen. "You must be Veo, the man the shield maiden Arielle mentioned. She said that you would help us in our quest to hunt down the bandits who attacked the wagon." He said.
Veo looked to him and nodded.

"Yes, I will help where I can, the object on that cart that belongs to me is worth more then anything in this shop. If it helps I will lend it too you." He said. Elduin nodded and gestured to the fur coats. "Well there are four members right now that are without warmth and they could use those for the journey." Veo looked to the furs and then back to Elduin. He then threw a hand up.

"Go ahead, take it. I can get coats like that pretty easily up here." Veo said and Elduin nodded taking the furs and trying very hard to guess the sizes of Alice and Feiia. After he had picked out the four fur coats. He turned to bow slightly to Veo. "Thank you good sir. This will help out a good number." He said. Elduin then left the satyr's shop and proceeded to the gate. If Feiia and Alice had made out to the gate as well he would hand them their fur coats. As well as handing one to Eirika. He then placed on his own fur coat. This caused him to have to remove his bow and quiver momentarily just so he could fit the fur in place. He then placed the bow and quiver back in their place. He looked to the members of their party and gave a slight nod.

"It will likely be dangerous out there, for now lets just keep an eye out for the dangers Alice mentioned earlier. If you see anything else that stands out let us know." He said. He had faith in Alice's words , but the winter time attracts a lot of unknown creatures and maybe even a few creatures not of this realm. Creatures that are more dangerous then any one bandit or orc. It did cause him to think though. From what Alice said, orcs were a constant problem ,but then suddenly they were not as common as they used to be. Odd, what could have scared them away. Unless a new orc chief took over. A orc that is a lot more smarter then the average. The only thing more dangerous then a orc is a smart orc. A orc that knew how to hide his presence until he was ready to strike. He shook the thought out of his mind though. He did not want to think about things that may be irrelevant. With the Jarl hating orcs, he doubted they would travel a whole lot through his borders.

He looked to the group, his eyes would stop on Velis the one who had saved the old man who drove the wagon. "You, can take lead sense you know where the wagon is." He said taking charge due to the dwarf being a little more quiet then he should be. Once the centaur started moving he would follow in behind. Beside him stood Eirika with her wings shifting with each step she took. She wondered why nobody asked her about them. They must be curious as to how a person like her got them in the first place.

Alice nodded her agreement with the elf lord. It would get dark soon and bandits were definately not to be triffled with at night, from all she had heard. Then the blonde got up and followed the elf maiden as she headed towards the main gate. As they walked, the village girl noticed that the wings actually moved, were actually real. Alice cocked her head and stared in puzzlement, " How does she have real wings? Are high elves suppose to have wings? Is that why Mrs. Arielle always wears those fake ones? But the lord doesn't have any either. Alice, stop staring. It's impolite to stare and would be even ruder to ask about them. But how come she has wings?" And on it went, Alice alternating between staring and puzzling at the wings and trying not to do so, until after they arrived at the gate and the elf lord came, carrying fur coats.

Then he handed one to her and she was astonished by its softness. The dark-eyed girl then slipped off her shield and cloak in order to put it on. Then as she slipped her cloak and shield back on, she relished in the softness and warmth that came with the coat. She had never felt so warm before except by a fireside, and that only warmed up one side. Then Alice forced herself to snap back to reality when the sheep centaur?, who she gathered was named Velis, was ordered to take point on the expedition to where the wagon was attacked. Therefore, Alastrina prepared herself to be ready for anything, while still relishing in the fur coat and wondering about the elf lady's wings.

Valis had plenty of time to finish her stew, or rather ate enough after Seble got the last of it. She began knitting once more to pass time as everyone prepared to set off. The centaur remained at her table in the back as she didn’t want to get in the way and have to move more chairs and tables around just to accommodate herself. When they would leave she’d remember to fix the said furniture she shuffled around.

She listened quietly to the group’s chatter as they began speaking more of what they’ll face. The young dear, Alice as she’d gathered, apparently was from around these parts. She had left and came back almost as quickly as she came, having inhaled her stew to do so. Valis figured she should get some ginger ready if she should have a stomachache from eating too fast. Anyway, Alice spoke of these orcs, much like the Arielle had with the drow sisters. A drop of worry hit her as she realized that they may even face orcs. Not to mention wolves and wargs. As stereotypical as it may be, she wasn’t too fond of creatures of the canine variety.

After a while, one of the armored elves spoke up, saying it should be best they get going before nightfall. She got up slowly, sore from sitting for so long. Seble took her place back in Valis’s hair where she’d be warm from the cold. Valis plucked her staff from the wall, hooking it back to the side of her saddle bag. Once she was sure she had everything, she headed out, thanking the sisters for her meal as well gave her goodbye. The drastic temperature drop was refreshing as Valis stepped outside, having room to stretch finally. Some headed over to the gate to wait for their departure.

Curious about the rest of the town, Valis followed Elduin, figuring she’d have time after their mission to actually do some shopping. They reached a small shop, most likely the one the shield maiden mentioned where they could get gear they’d need for the mission. The elf nobleman went inside, and the centaur stayed just outside, not wanting to be in the way. She did, however, peek inside and noticed with wonder at all the interesting little curios and knickknacks. The shop keeper was a cute satyr fellow, Veo as he was called. Said satyr explained he wanted them to bring a valuable object in exchange for the coats he gave.

With that, the group reformed at the gate, nice and warm hopefully. She began their hunt, stepping outside the safety of the Reisui’s walls. For a quick second she had some doubt about risking her life once she thought about the chance of having to face dangerous creatures. She shook her head at this thought, moving along to retrace her steps from before. If there was a chance she could be useful for this ragtag team Valis decided she should take it.

-North Gate of Reisui-

Then they were off from the safety of the village of Reisui. The person leading them was the elf Elduin. He assumed control for now seeing as the dwarf was left at the tavern. Apparently the drink that he was given was perhaps a little too strong, that or he changed his mind about the quest. You can never know when it comes to mercenaries. Right now he stood behind the centaur. You don't see many of them out in the world, centaurs mostly stick to forests. Not too many of them venture out from them either and when they do they were usually the big tall horse variety. This Valis character, she was something new to him. I suppose like any other species on this planet that there would be many variations of centaur. He was curious about her ,but right now was not the time to get all nozy. Perhaps when they made camp for the night or something they would have time to get to know each other.

As soon as they were far enough from the small village he drew forth his elven bow. It was designed much differently then Alice's bow. Well Alice's was made from what she had laying around. His however was crafted by one of the finests weaponsmiths in the relm. This bow was crafted from woven oak. It was much more durable and even feels a lot lighter. The string is then wrapped tightly around both ends making it almost impossible for most to pull it back. This made it so that the arrows that got launched were much more powerful and could punch through most armor. As he walked with it he started to move his arm around a little to give himself a little warm up. Then he began to every so often take glances at the woods around them. The bandits may not attack the village ,but that did not mean they didn't have eyes on the road coming out of it. It seems these bandits in particular were very brazen attacking a wagon the was so close to a settlement. They must be getting desperate, it is the winter time after all. A lot of things get real desperate when it comes to the cold weathers.

Eirika had a hard time putting on her fur coat. She ended up having to use one of her swords to cut slits in the back of it for her wings to fit through. She then took notice that the female archer was looking at her wings. Alice was her name. Eirika turned her head to look at her wings and then back to Alice. She did have to admit that it was odd and strange to see someone with actual wings. Eirika's functioned just like any kind of wings and gave her the ability to fight with more ferocity then most of her kin or to much more easily scout ahead with the ability to fly. She decided to pluck one of the long feathers from her right wing and then offered it to Alice. "Take this, as a token of our partnership. Unlike the rest of my kinsmen I was blessed with wings.... or so they tell me. I mean yes they give me an advantage and are quite handy in tight spots. However, they do have their draw backs, such as clothing or fitting into tight places. I had to have my armor specially made for me because of them. The feathers though are quite soft and the wings do help me stay warm sometimes. I was born with them. The elders of the order said they are traits of a divine soul." She explained. She then noticed they were a good ways away from the village. This would have to cause their conversation to come to a halt. Well not completely, they could whisper. Then again she doubt anything would attack them so close to the village, these bandits just hit a wagon. They would not attack again so soon from their last hit.

She looked about the forests and actually enjoyed how white they looked at their tops. Especially when the sun would shine on them. She could only look for so long before her eyes began to hurt. Eirika always liked traveling, no matter what the purpose was. She just enjoyed seeing the outside world. It got dull and rather boring when they stayed at the Orders citadel. You can only train there for so long before you have truly learned everything and yet know nothing. The teachers can prepare you for the fight by teaching you how to handle a blade, but they never tell you about what its actually like to have to fight for your life. Its a much more different experience. You can not call yourself a great warrior or a hunter of evil if you never have faced it. Being here, and experiencing it all was where the real tests came. When you have to put your skills to a test. Seeing as a good portion of the party were infact elves, she got an idea of who the watches would be made of.

They had a advantage over humans or even the centaur. Where they could see in the dark they couldn't. It made them a lot more valuable. It wasn't dark yet though and perhaps they could solve this bandit problem pretty fast. The day seemed to last forever but the sun did shift in the sky. Perhaps it was all the snow that made it feel so much brighter then it should be.

As the group went further from the village, Alice noticed the elf lord's bow as he took it out. She was a little envious, it was by far a superior bow just by how it looked, and if its construction followed how it looked... She looked over her own as she drew it out from under the shield. Then the blonde girl thought of the time spent in this bow's construction and sighed,"Well, it's the one I made and it has served me well. Should see that fancy one in action before considering replacing yours. Just keep your mind on the mission right now. Other things can come later. You need to stay focused"

So the dark-eyed village girl readied her bow, gazed around for potential attackers, and copied the lord's arm movements, wondering what the reason was exactly but guessing there was a good one. But her attention got drawn to the elf lady's wings again, and this time the winged lady noticed. The elf though was quite understanding of it, offering one of her feathers as a sign of partnership and explaining it seemed all the information she knew about her wings. Alice was grateful for the feather and knowledge but also embarrassed for being caught staring. So she accepted the feather with a bashful, whispered "Thank you." Then the blonde sought a secure place on her person to put it, feeling how soft indeed it was. The village girl eventually decided that until she found a more permanent place, she would place it in the front leg part of her right boot and hope it didn't get squashed and destroyed before then. After that, the dark-eyed girl once more watched the surroundings, trying this time to actually stay focused.