As Cassius opened the door, he was looking down at a piece of paper - the paper was a letter which was given to him by a messenger, which then Cassius was directed by the King to take, so as to not appear too dissimilar from any other takers of Deston's offer of adventure. He still didn't understand why he needed to hide the fact he was a bodyguard, but he also wasn't being paid to ask questions - he was being paid to protect the prince and to do so till his last dying breath if that's how it ended up. It wasn't any more difficult than just being a bodyguard, he felt.

Cassius's eyes skim over the heads of those in the tavern. Blond, he'd said, and not much older than 20- ah, there he is, and eyeballing him as well! He folds the letter neatly and puts it in his satchel before walking closer to the prince, giving him a small bow of the head that could be mistaken for just a nod before sitting besides him. Or, rather, he sits just a seat away from him, as to give him a bit of space. He turns to look at Deston.. and honestly? Cassius sees why the King felt such a need to hire a mercenary such as himself. Deston's twiggy, bright-eyed, and entirely too eager - all of which paint blatant targets on his back. He'd be eaten alive - and that could be figuratively or literally, depending.

Cassius lets the silence between them linger for maybe a bit too long before he asks, "And what are you so excited for, pray tell?" Of course he already knew the answer, but was still curious as to how Deston might respond.

Bruvell, not a place that's far away. Siv resolved to travel there on foot until she stumbled upon a trader with a big cart full of goods. Siv of course, being the spontaneous person she is, attempted to board the cart without explaining herself. The trader, before even being able to stop and ask questions was given some 'coin' which she then followed up with, "Could you please take me to Bruvell, kind sir?". A smile, some coins, and a seemingly easy-going companion convinced the trader to accept the offer. The string of questions that followed was welcome on such a trip and complimented the ever so curious nature of Siv.

Two days in and she was finally at Bruvell. She paid the trader again with money she'd earned from her so-called 'job'. She perused the town and took in the environment before doing what she had come to do. Siv may have missed something or missinterpreted the letter for she entered each establishment and yelled the Prince's name in the hopes of finding him. Of course, trial and error would lead her to the exact place where Deston would be. She held the letter high and in typical Siv fashion yelled, "Mister Deston sir!? I'm here because of that invitation!? Are you here!?" She wasn't an airhead, she just realizes that it's much easier to find someone who yells 'Hey I'm over here!' than just asking everyone around. It was rather blunt, but it is indeed effective when said person is also looking for you.

Bruvell, it had only been a few months since she had come to this land and she was not too familiar with the towns. She had only heard the name of Bruvell mention a couple of times in the taverns of other town, or during her travels on the miscellaneous jobs she did for money, but had never been there until now. It had taken her about three days time to get there, if it were not for the traveling merchant and his family passing by, she might have never gotten there. Had it not been for the company the merchant, she might not have come at all. The odds of meeting someone else from her homeland should have been astronomical, or so she thought. Trading stories about the war, bringing up both good memories and old wounds had been the bulk of her journey with them.

She exchanged her last pleasantries as she grabbed her axe as she hopped off of the carriage and headed into to the tavern. Upon entering the tavern, she looked at the letter one more time to read the description of the person she was looking for. As she skimmed the place for anyone who might stick out, she noticed a someone with blond hair who looked more important than most of the other people who were here. She walked over to the table he was waiting at hopeful she had the right man and put the letter on the table "you the one who sent this letter?"

"Why, adventure, good sir. I take it that you're here to join us?"

Cassius didn't need much time to respond, given that his response was merely a small nod and maybe a hum of acknowledgment. This was good, because if he had tried to speak, he would have been rudely interrupted by someone shouting above the subdued cacophony of the tavern. He had glanced over his shoulder to see who exactly was doing the shouting and had found that not just one, but two women were approaching with desires for adventure as well. As a matter of fact, there was one coming straight towards them, slamming the letter on the table as she did so.

"You the one who sent this letter?"

"That would be me, yes. Prince Deston, sixth in line for the throne. And who would you be, ma'am?"

Cassius covered his mouth to hide the incredulous little frown that snuck onto his face - Deston really is that stupid. If somehow a target wasn't on his back before, it's absolutely there now. Gods, announcing out loud that he's a prince with not a guard in sight? The prince is foolish, having such a naive optimism in his heart. If not for the fact it was such a dangerous view to have, Cassius would admire him for holding onto such innocence. Not that Cassius didn't have have a somewhat similar view himself, of course - he always hoped for the best, but he also planned for the worst. His dagger is at his side at all times for a reason, after all.

He continued to observe intently, but quietly.

As Siv was signaled by a rather polite woman, she had this thought in her head:

"Hmm, I didn't think that a prince and his companion would ACTUALLY be dressed as if they were rich and important. Capelets, expensive looking armor, gold-adorned fittings, a rather flashy sword, and flashy staff. I would've thought they would be a little more inconspicuously dressed for adventure. They seem interesting if not haphazardous. In other words, they seem like enjoyable company."

As she began to approach, a woman breezed past her and slammed a letter onto the table asking if it was indeed Deston who sent the letter. What Deston said in response only further confirmed that perhaps Deston is not fully aware of his own worth. Then again, it wasn't Siv's place to tell a person what to do, after all, that's what many people tried to do to her at one point. The man observing the young prince seemed to be trying to hide his surprise, but to someone like Siv who's seen that expression more times than none, it was obvious by the look of his eyes and the furrow of his brow that he thought the same as Siv did at that very moment.

To begin her interaction with the party she asked a question, as per Siv usual. "It's nice to finally meet you sir Deston! And it's also nice to meet you miss...?" she gestured to the woman who signaled her earlier as if asking for a name. In hindsight, it was quite easy to find them, but she didn't expect them to look so outlandish compared to the regular people of the town either. It just goes to show that one MUST expect the unexpected in one's travels.

She had taken notice of the others only after she had addressed the man who had sent the letter. It had seemed like she was not the only one who received this letter from the man before them. She was a little surprised by his forwardness to admitting to being a prince, especially to a group of people he just met. Most people in his stead would try to keep that a secret. Most people would not announce it in a tavern of all places, but then most princes would not be actively seeking adventures. Most princes were spoiled and pampered their whole lives, at least the ones she had seen. "Are you daft or something?" It would be one thing if they were someplace private, but to announce something like that in public of all places was inviting trouble. To her, it did not seem like a dangerous place, but looks can be deceiving and anyone could be at a tavern.

"You should keep that to yourself." She tried to be as quiet as she could so as to not draw any unwanted attention. She had never been one for tact when it came to others, yet it was something she had tried to work on. Realizing she had not been not been the only one he had summoned, It had occurred to her that why a prince would want with her and what she could only assume to be a bunch of mercenaries. "What's this all about anyway?"

The main throughfare of Bruvell was rather bustling this day. Most days it was not. Rural towns were mostly farmers and farmers tended their fields most days. Today was market day. Stalls had been erected to sell seeds. Caravans had opened their wagons to sell pots, pans, axe heads, scythes and all manner of tools necessary for farming. (This last was to the stern indignation of the local smith who vocally berated the quality of these imports.) A wainwright was speaking with a customer about purchasing a wagon, discussing details of delivery and a dozen, dozens more were at work haggling and undermining one another.

Raziel danced in the midst of this chaos, bare feet slipping across the packed earth. Her hips swayed to a music only she could hear. Scarlet hair flung about her head, concealing her elven ears. She whirled about and about, the occasional gust of flame surprising those that trod by. At her feet was a simple plank of wood, propped up against a rock. The letters, scorched into the wood by flame simply read, "Mercenary for Hire, seeking adventure".

Narrakas finally made his arrival in Bruvell. He knew he was running late, but was a wizard ever really late? The plump Dragon born didn't think so.
As he made his way through the rural town, he saw a Mercenary for hire, seeking adventure. He waved his hand over his invitation for joining the Prince's quest. The paper vibrated a bit, before duplicating itself. Narrakas looked at the copy of the invitation, then back at the hire. He wasn't really sure what made someone qualified to be an adventurer. Since he had chosen more often to spend his time in libraries, instead of picking up whatever farming equipment he had on hand to go hunt goblins. She looked like she could handle herself, at least she thought she could. He folded up the copy of the invitation and tossed it to her feet. Surely the Prince wouldn't mind if she tagged along.

The plump Dragonborn pushed open the doors of the Tavern. He had arrived just in time to catch the last few transactions in the conversation between Deston and his new adventuring party. "It's about Adventure." Narrakas said interjecting. "What else starts in a tavern, aside from sex and drinking?" He said with a smirk. He gestured to Deston and the Cleric. "Do these seem like the kind to drink with common people, unless to gather a misfit band of adventurers to save the world."

Raziel gazed only briefly at the duplicated missive. Without reading any details beyond a desire for adventures she quickly stuffed the paper in her skirt and pranced along behind the corpulent dragon-born. She slapped the door open before it was fully closed and immediately caught sight of the object of Narrakas' attention.

"-and now that I'm here," Raze proclaimed, firmly entrenching her position with the team, "The adventure can begin!"

"Are you daft or something?" comes the woman in furs. She continues, her voice in a more hushed whisper, "You should keep that to yourself. What's this all about anyway?"

"You'd rather me lie about who I am?" Deston asked in his regular voice, Cassius finding a hint of amusement in the somewhat incredulous look on the prince's face, "It is a fair point to have, and yet I struggle to fathom myself obliging to it. Hiding behind smoke and mirrors was never my style, anyway."

Hopefully that would become his style. While Cassius isn't one to back down from challenges such as this, it would make his job much easier if Deston at least tried to lay low. Based on what was just said, though, it's not likely to happen anytime soon.

"It's about adventure," a new voice interjected, making Cassius turn his head and then promptly have to swallow the heart which had attempted to leap from his throat. "What else starts in a tavern, aside from sex and drinking? Do these seem like the kind to drink with common people, unless to gather a misfit band of adventurers to save the world?"

That's a dragon. Or, more accurately, a dragonborn. A dragonborn! Though he's seen them before during his own little adventures, it was from a distance. For good reason, too, he felt - to put it plainly, fucking with dragons is not something anyone should do if they value keeping their life. Sure, dragonborn aren't as dangerous as their dragon kin in terms of sheer destructive power, but from what Cassius has seen (from a distance), they're formidable enough foes. Maybe it's a good thing to have one on their side? Maybe?

"-and now that I'm here," came another new, feminine voice, "the adventure can begin!"

"And adventure it shall be!" Deston exclaims, the excitement in his voice palatable. That was when he revealed a scroll sealed with wax, "While I doubt there'll be any world-saving, I do have a bounty posted by a group of miners about a day or so from here. They struck a kobold nest while digging, and their progress has been impeded since. Until now, however - if you're willing to join us on this quest of ours."

Oh what an absolutely odd, motley bunch they are. A prince and his lady escort, three other women of varying levels of unruliness, a dragonborn, and then himself. What their business was, though, he didn't know. Maybe they all gathered purely for the adventure, but there was also the possibility at least one of them were here for some ulterior motive. Surely, right? While he couldn't be certain of that, he was certain of how this first little quest of theirs was going to go.

"Kobolds, you said?" Cassius replies, "That shouldn't be too much trouble."

Friha was jogging, the crystals her mentor helped her make were tapping lightly against her hip. She started out early to get ahead and show how responsible she could be, but then things happened. First was the wagon that had a broken axle, it was only a three hour walk to the closes town so helping him felt right. Then there was the wolf; it was injured and helping it along took far longer when she realized it was pregnant. Then there was that kid that was trying to mug her, brewing the tea took at least an hour. After a short chat he went along his way to try and become an apprentice scribe with Friha's letter of recommendation. Who knew that mixing inks for that nice woman would come in handy?
Someone looking down the road could see a slightly oversized bag visibly swaying with every step of Friha's, well controlled, mad dash to make it on time. One hand attempting to prevent the bag from moving too much, the other clutching a paper with the destination written on it. She would probably make it in 20 minutes if nothing stopped her, like normal.

A decent house on wheels came into the fair town with 2 horses pulling it. A young female was on the seat and was taking in the sights. Like most places and at this particular time, many people are heading home. Some would pick up some bread or veggies or something to take home for dinner. In fact, Ixonia noticed that she was hungry and headed to the Inn where she pulled up in front of.

She tied the horses to the wagon bed, checked her 'front' door and walked through the wagon door and down the steps. Her skirts swished about her as she walked. She petted each muzzle and tied the horses to the hitching post.

Ixonia walked into the tavern and looked about to find a likely party that would accept her at their table. She weaved around the hands good naturally for she also knew that most men couldn't resist temptation of a new female......

She gradually made her way to where there were several people at a table. With her best smile, she asked

"May I join you in sitting here? I shall pay for my own food and drink." she spoke quietly as she looked them.

As Nyla gives her name to Siv, she notes her soft and warm nature, "My, my... She's quite nice. It's as if she was glowing." she thought. Siv smiles back, but before more conversation could be made, more people have arrived. A rather large reptilian accompanied by a dancing elf have come to join the motley. "Ah, more colorful people! How interesting." This was followed by Deston finally revealing their first quest, a hunting mission, perfect for Siv to show her stuff. This also led to the man who arrived before her to speak, allowing her to hear him for the first time.

"Kobolds, you say? That shouldn't be too much trouble."

His voice exuded confidence, age, and experience. Again, before thoughts of reaction could be turned into words, another person places herself into the scene. A woman asking to join the conversation and even offering to pay for herself. Not wanting to step out of bounds, she turns her to Deston's attention, "Well, the person to ask is Deston." pointing her towards the blond starry-eyed prince's direction.

"It's about adventure," Hjadra turned around to see who it was only to be greeted by the sight of a dragonborn. He took it upon himself to answer her question and gave one of his own. "What else starts in a tavern, aside from sex and drinking? Do these seem like the kind to drink with common people, unless to gather a misfit band of adventurers to save the world?"The thrill of adventure would not be enough to sway her, but, she had to admit, this band of misfits was interesting to say the least. "Saving the world? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?" she scoffed.

"And now that I'm here, the adventure can begin." In came another person as she asserted herself trying to secure her role in the ragtag group.

The prince promised adventure, but assured there would not be much world saving which suited her just fine. For the most part she traveled by herself and rarely worked with others unless it was a job she could not do on her own. She was not really the type to travel with a group, mostly due to not really being associated with many people in this land. Many of her interactions stayed mutually on an employer employee basis. It seemed the prince was serious about this, he even had something lined up already, kobolds he called them, she had never heard of anything like that "So these...Kobolds, they are dangerous, yes? What are they exactly and when do we start?". Before she could hear his answer, they were join by another person asking to join. Her soft spoken voice was almost a whisper as she waited for an answer "I don't see why not, apparently the more the merrier."