Aelitha Velone, Troubadour-for-hire, wasn't doing much that day, just lazing about by a river, fishing for free food. Casually flicking the fly back and forth, hoping for a big fish to take the bait so that she didn't have to spend any of her hard-earned money on daily necessities. No bite though, and she was getting rather bored of this. Sometimes, she wish she had a net or something, but at the same time, a net was much to big to lug around in her travels. Her rucksack was already half her weight, and she was pretty sure that her horse was getting tired of carrying the basics of a house on its back. Sitting on a rock and letting out a deep, long sigh, the blonde girl wondered how long it would be until she got something worth eating. It has already been three hours, and it was all rather...depressing, how nothing at all has happened.
It was then that an object fell from the skies, diving into the river and causing a giant splash that promptly drenched Aelitha. Immediately looking upwards, yet seeing nothing above on the cliff, the healer then took a look at the person before her. A brunette male, maybe a few years older than her. The impact had twisted his limbs in some odd manner, and she was fairly confident that at least one of his organs were ruptured. An unpleasant expression appeared on her face. Suicide? No, there were ways of dying that were much faster than this. She could still see that he was alive, his chest going up and down ever so slightly. But the worst thing was that the young man was still conscious. His eyes were dim, but they were still function, the pupils dilating. Clicking her tongue, Aelitha rolled up her sleeve, put aside her fishing pole, and then dragged the man back to the rocky shore. He felt too soft, his forearms giving away to her strength, bending too much to appear normal. The man was conscious, but would die without any intervention. She made a quick evaluation, and decided that she needed money. When she brought back her hands, they were red, stained with his blood.
His body was still warm though, so something annoying like getting sick WHILE heavily injured probably wouldn't be a threat. The man held onto a tome, showing that he was a mage. So it was an attack, perhaps. But by who?
No, why was she thinking this, when she could simply ask him.
Tilting his head to the side and letting the blood pour out, Aelitha waited until his mouth seemed relatively clear before she began to speak.
“Generally, I wouldn't bother with you, but you seem like a mercenary, and I need to get some jobs. So here's the deal. You tell me what's going on, as well as let me join in on whatever future jobs you might have, and I'll heal you for a price, okay?”
And without asking for his consent, she forged onwards. Seems like fishing will have to be
A few days had passed since that odd incident, and the man was now recovering in an inn room that Aelitha was paying for. It was eating into her budget, and apparently, this Talbot was going to pay her AFTER he reunited with his mercenary group, so she really was running dry. Ah, and it seemed like he was part of the Shepherds as well, the same mercenary corps that was being hunted down by some stupid, paranoid king for some stupid, silly reason. What an annoying mess. Shoulda just ignored him until he died of natural causes and looted his corpse, but, alas, Aelitha wasn't THAT cold-hearted of a young lady, even if the healing spells she stacked up on him pretty much made her take a nap right after.
Sighing in a melancholic manner, the girl played with her mug, still half-filled with warm caramel cider. The Plegian taverns were, like the rest of the country, rather backwater and simple, the waitresses looking more like trolls and giantesses than humans, but it was still a place with interesting dishes. The caramel cider, at least, tasted like a honeyed variation of hot chocolate, with a thicker texture. She honestly didn't understand HOW the 'cider' part fit in, but she didn't really want to ask. Her funds were really drying up, regardless. The smoked rabbit would only last her another meal, at best, and she hadn't eaten any good vegetables for sometime. “If only rabbits tasted like carrots,” she murmured, staring into her reflection on the surface of the cider before sipping the beverage once more. It would be nice though, if things actually tasted like what they ate. Would make hunting wolves and such much more reasonable, instead of simply killing those poor predators for their furs.
“Ugh, if only hunting was better...but nope, wilderness's super empty nowadays...alas, I shoulda just married that knight kiddie while I had the chance, but ah well...”
In that Plegian tavern, Aelitha simply continued with her murmurings, getting rather displeased with her whole life situation. Downing the last of her cider, she burped and then said to no one in particular, “God dammit, if only those damned Shepherds wore signs above their heads or something...I want my money already...”
