[IC] What Lies Below

[c3p-0h]

Kat watched him go, never leaving her seat and smirk still firmly on her lips. "Pleasure talking to you too," she drawled. Gods, that one was irritating. Maybe she'd slice off his ear when he was sleeping. Not keen on following him out the door, she decided she might as well stay in the tavern for a bit and take in the rest of her new 'companions'.

[Richard_III]

Osla woke up to the sound of shouts and arguing below. Obviously that Ernst chap she had met last night was getting a bit frisky with another member of the group of heaven forbid some stableboy that had charged him tuppence too much. An audible
"BY THE GODS CAN I GET SOME SLEEP FOR ONCE" could be heard from Osla's room as she threw off her bed sheets and rose from the hard wooden bed. It seems that she had gotten a bit too drunk last night and hadn't bothered to take off one of the gauntlets on her hand before going to sleep. Another indicator of the amount she had drunk was the splitting hangover induced headache that was making every noise feel like a Dwarvern smith was making a shiny new battleaxe out of her skull. She only knew one cure for a hangover, and that was what caused it in the first place, drink.

She put on the rest of her arm and hung her sword on her side along with her bow on her back before descending down the stairs, tying her hair back as she did. She looked at the people from her group sitting at the table monetarily before turning to the barkeep.
"Hard ale please" was all she said. As soon as it was served she took a swig and moved over to the table where Kat sat.
"So what was all that commotion about, Ernst getting on yer' nerves?"

[c3p-0h]

Kat paused when she heard a voice shouting for quiet and was unsurprised when one of her new companions lumbered down the stairs shortly after. She didn't react when the other woman dropped herself into Ernst's recently vacated chair, and continued eating her apple, until all that was left was the stem. Dropping it on the table, she glanced up at Osla's words.

"I'm not sure farmer John knows what he's gotten himself into," Kat replied with a smirk. She then looked down to Osla's fresh mug of ale. Gesturing with her chin, she said, "Fan of your drink? From the looks of you I'd say you had your fill of that last night." Kat reached for her own mug and, lifting it in a small salute, took her own swig. Kat decided she hated this one less than Ernst. Maybe it was because of her dismissive tone.

[DSquiggs]

Ehluria had finally awoken from her peaceful sleep nice and dry. She had picked a spot where smaller branches intertwined with each other to create a kind of natural hammock. The thick branch above her protected her from the harsh rain, catching watch the tree tops could not. Birds chirped loudly and wet leaves rustled in the light wind, causing water droplets to smack into other surfaces of the forest. It was all quite beautiful to her. After rubbing her eyes and right after, she looked to the ground and chose her landing spot. It was second nature to her these days and without a second thought, Ehluria leaped from her spot and fell gracefully through the air. Water and mud kicked high up into the air around her. After wiping off what may have landed on her, she took a moment to listen to nature's music. She had slept in a little later, but knew that she wasn't to late. She traversed the glistening forest at a moderate pace towards the village.

A few adventurer's roamed the streets, looking to restock and reequip. She headed straight for the tavern. Once she got there, Ernst, if she remembered correctly, came through the door with quite the attitude. She smirked under her veil and walked into the tavern. Kat was inside. Ehluria chuckled as her assumptions were confirmed. Osla was also present. Ehluria walked over to the table and sat at the corner opposite Kat and motioned for the barkeep. "I'll take water, please." she said politely.

She looked to Kat. Someone got the boys panties in a bunch, huh?" her voice carried a hint of intrigue

[c3p-0h]

Kat took another sip of her beer – so kindly payed for by Ernst, she thought with a smirk – when Ehluria walked in and sat down. Looking far too innocent, she replied, "Honestly, I wouldn't know. Maybe he's just tightly wound." But her eyes betrayed her mischief and she hid her smile behind her beer.

Setting down the empty mug (she'd finally finished off the last drop) she reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her silver coins. Kat began with it placed on top of her fingers, and started maneuvering it across her hand, deftly flipping it over her fingers. Originally she'd taken up this practice to make her left hand more usable after losing the right one, but since then, it'd become something of a habit for her when she was bored or nervous.

She watched the silver glint over her dark skin. "Not fond of drinking first thing in the morning like the rest of us?" she asked idly, referring to Ehluria's order. Her voice carried a note of sarcasm, as she wasn't actually one for it herself.

[DSquiggs]

Ehluria's focus was suddenly averted to Kat's hand. The silver coin moving rapidly across her hand had awoken something within. Becoming so in tune with her fox form had given Ehluria certain perks, but with it, certain drawbacks. She fought the urge to try and catch the coin, but her eyes couldn't stop following it. She tried answering the question to the best of her ability, but it was still slightly distracted. " I don't really uhhh, drink. It uhhh, never ends well for me." Eventually she was able to resist the urge, but not without difficulty. She looked to Osla, fearing that if she looked back at Kat, her attention might be snatched once again.

She was too focused on not looking at Kat that she didn't know what to say. She simply sat there and smiled; not tat anyone could see it. After an awkward moment, Ehluria went up to the bar to grab her water.

[MonkeyBusiness]

Vidc had stayed quiet and to himself as he enjoyed his food while two of his companions started to argue with each other over the most pointless things. This is going to be one hell of an adventure if this is how it starts. He thought to himself and chuckled at the thought of himself being a priest. I guess I do look like some sort of priest if you take way the scars, tattoos and bad memories. He knew his life would have been so much easier if he had become a priest instead of people taken at such a young age and forced to kill people for a living but besides that he was free now for the most part and he would enjoy it while he could. He than got snapped back into reality from his thoughts as Ernst stormed out and it appeared people were starting to wake up and come down stairs, he got up from his stop at the bar and left an empty plate of food there with some coppers next to the plate and went to the table were the others were sitting. "That was an interesting talk you and Ernst had there." He said as he sat down at the other end of the table and adjusted his scarf and brushed some crumbs off of his jacket.

He looked at the other two that had just arrived and attempted a smile at both of them. He wasn't used to having to interact with so many people but he was trying to get better and knew this group may help him with that a little bit. "I don't think I caught either of your names. Mine is Vidic and I am a traveling mage and not a priest." He told them as he fished into one of his pockets for a bar of chalk to show that he was a rune mage and hoped that if he said he was a traveling mage they might not ask to many questions on how he had come to learn his magic.

[Desk Lamp]

Jespir's head shook back and forth as he followed the conversation between the two, and suppressed an amused and astonished smile at their exchange of sharp words. It was always nice seeing teams work together. He settled into a nearby chair and leaned back as if attending a play. His comments, though, remained unvoiced. This verbal duel was between them, and he was definitely not getting involved.

The talk, as entertaining as it was, soon finished. His eyes followed the farmer boy, Ernst apparently, storm out the tavern before switching to the one-armed woman, Kat. "That was one hell of a show," he laughed. "I'm anxious for an encore."

He nodded in greeting towards the arriving companions. His introduction was past due. "Name's Captain Jespir," he greeted with a grin. He had never really thought to himself as a captain, but he like the ring of it.

[DragonBeastMode]

After having a great sleep, MarcoPolo got into the shower. He took a nice long, warm, bath. He was glad this place had bathrooms for them. If he didn't get a shower at least every three days his fur would mat, then he would stink. He couldn't have people calling him smelly. He then got into the process of combing out his fur. Making sure he looked presentable, even in front of these low grade soldiers. Nope...MarcoPolo had to remember that in order to keep this adventure moving smoothly, he would have to play nice. If anything the only two people that seem to dislike him was Ernst...and Osla. He could really care less if the peasant cared, but Osla she seem like a noble, she should be on his side. That would change hopefully. Walking down the stairs after getting dressed, MarcoPolo saw the group at the table, Ernst was arguing with Kat. MarcoPolo found it amusing. Once they stopped everyone got settled in. MarcoPolo went over and sat down, smelling of spearmint and cocoa; thanks to his grooming shampoo. "So...is everyone excited for the adventure, I can't wait to see what Spine looks like. Once we get rid of that dragon...Black was it? Anyway what's everyone going to do once you get your share of treasures?" MarcoPolo wasn't in it for the gold, he had enough gold for three lifetimes. He was in it for the glory, so when he went back home he could gloat to the other Kunites. MarcoPolo loved to have all attention on him. He would be praised and everyone would ask him everything, he couldn't wait.

[SillyGoy]

There were adventurer bards playing music not for coin but just to show off, adventurer princes who put on their armor on with the wrong strap order and also showed off, but both of whom fell for the inflated prices of the goods the merchants showed off as apparently having superior quality, and bought them like they had a good bargain. Fools, Ernst thought, shaking his head, spoiled lads and lasses with too much coin to spare and wasting lots of it on one go. At the very least, the dried meats were at manageable prices, procuring a good five pounds of it for only twenty coppers after some fierce haggling and surprisingly learned discussion about the merits of the using the dry-salting method to preserve foodstuffs.

But he could not help at how strange the people were. Things were so different in the north, where furred hats and thick animal skins were the norm; but here, it was feathered hats and thin tunics. The people were not as engaging as Ernst would have expected from a quaint village, and one of his companions was just downright rude. Unfortunately, he had signed a contract, and now he had to endure it all. Of course, he was just fine with it, considering how good his employer was, and the gold too.

“Hey, you’re going to the Spire, aren’t you?”

The voice seemed to be directed at him. Ernst shifted his gaze to the side to see a blond-haired youth in full plate approaching him with a sort of smug look and an imperious posture.

“Why do you ask?” he said, rather quickly.

“Well,” the squire-looking lad, who was taller than Ernst by a few inches, gestured flamboyantly, hands at the up and sides like there was something majestic to present, as if he were a queer. “I just happened to see you buying some food for quite the long haul. You see, my group and I are headed there too.” he looked behind him, and there were figures silver-plated, akin to him. “We’re looking for more members. You look like you’re alone, and we could use a good archer. What do you say you join us? There’s good company and good honey mead to be had in this adventure. You only have a gambeson? We can buy you some mail. Or plate if you want. Archers need speed, right?”

His voice was quite high and his hips and feet swayed with every fantastic gesture. His eyes were bright blue and sparkled in the early morning sun. His golden hair was neatly combed, and his skin was fair and a symbol for his being well-bred. Needless to say that his plate armor, ornate with engravings and reliefs, shone white under the sun, too. Contrast this to Ernst, whose unkempt hair was a mere brown with stray locks all over the place; whose lazy step showed disinterest in fancy charm; whose eyes were too dark to sparkle and whose skin was too rough and calloused to be enjoyed by the nearby milkmaids who were admiring the squire and ignoring him completely.

“I’m sorry,” the woodsman, light green with disgust and envy, held up a hand, “but I’m already in a party.”

“Ah, that’s unfortunate.” Then the youth held out a hand. “Good luck to you, then. May we see you there in good health.”

Ernst eyed the hand suspiciously, but then shook it. “Of course. You as well. Hope you die horribly on the way there.”

“My,” the noble chuckled, and the two of them parted ways.

As he continued down the path to the fletcher (which, from afar, could already be seen as a particular gathering spot for elves), he could not help but voice his thoughts, a contemplative knuckle on his chin.

“He was a sure queer, but… he said he’d buy me armor. Brand new...”

[c3p-0h]

Kat's fingers paused in flipping the coin when she saw Ehluria's weird response. Scrunching her eyebrows a bit in confusion, she watched as Ehluria excused herself and practically ran to the bar. She was about to open her mouth and question the other woman when Vidic spoke up. So, he was a mage, eh? Kat still didn't trust him. The air around him was deadly and there was no life in his eyes. If nothing else, she figured, he'd probably be a useful companion in a fight.

The blond elf that had been silent throughout Ernst's and Kat's… exchange finally brought it upon himself to speak up. Cracking a smile at the good captain (apparently) she responded, "Probably won't have to wait long for round two." Gods knew if beggar boy tried to start something with her again, she'd be too happy to work him up.

Then the wolf…thing… spoke, and Kat's attention was pulled towards it. Her question caught her off-guard, though it was an obvious one to ask. What did she plan on doing with the supposed riches they would find? If they even made it that far, which Kat still wasn't betting on. But simply put, Kat didn't care much for money. And she sure didn't give a crap about glory. She had Hel, and they could take care of themselves. Or rather, he could take care of them. But it was with a heavy gnawing in her stomach that she remembered the one truth she'd learned in life: loss is inevitable. Whatever good thing she had with Hel couldn't last forever, and some day Hel would leave her, too.

But if she didn't prepare for it, maybe that day would never come.

It was fool's logic, she knew, but the other option hurt too much to think about. It was this that caused her to reply, "Don't know, don't care. Money's not my thing."

[DAWNSTAR]

Tregon didn't realize how much time had passed until he heard the eight o'clock bell ring. They had four more hours before they had to set out for Vargiz. The black skin human, Kat was her name, had been conversing with Ernst in what seemed to Tregon to be quite a pissing contest. Their argument, though it seemed like it was truly an argument, was little more than a friendly jest. Yet, it seemed that both Kat and Ernst took the jests to heart. It was hard to believe that the company of these two would bring litte more than conflict. They seemed like opposite sides of the same coin to Tregon, Ernst being the 'perfect' human and Kat being the outcast of humanity. It was certain that Ernst wouldn't have felt the same discrimination that Kat had in her life.

Tregon knew a little something about discrimination after all. It was hard to be taken seriously in dwarven society when you a half bastard son. He was born with no standing, hated by everyone and constantly told that his existence was abhorrent in the eyes of the dwarven gods. Even in the human world he was shunned. Yet, Tregon had overcome it like any other man or woman could. His eyes wandered those in the bar and noted the absence of Ernst. He hadn't been back to the bar yet and the town, even during day, was a dangerous place to be allow in. "I don't intend to do much with my money. I am in it to see my heritage. My father's grandfather was from Kal'Draguraz and, though I wish I never knew my father, I want to know more about Kal'Draguraz. Plus, Guringar wants to see Kal'Draguraz once more before he dies. He is old even by dwarven standards and won't live much longer. A healer had come to see him this past summer and determined that his health was indeed on the decline. Anyway, we should set off to find Ernst. Gods know what kind of trouble that human could get into if he is left alone."said Tregon to the collected party. He hopped off his seat and picked up his pack of supplies. Tregon was the first out of the bar of the group and into the open air. It took a while before his eyes adjusted to the sunlight but once they did, he noted the clouds were gathering once more. It would probably storm once more before they reached Vargiz.Now then, where could that human have gone off to?

[MonkeyBusiness]

Vidic smiled under his scarf at the wolf's question as he had know what his answer would be for quite some time now. "That money will go towards allowing me to get revenge on the people that have ruined my life. If the rumors are true and he will all get a King's ransom from this dwarven city than I may even be able to buy a small army for myself to get my revenge for me." He said as he rose from his seat at the table and stretched. "Now if you can excuse me, I think it is time to go and get some supplies for myself before we make our trip into the mountains." He pulled his hood over his head as he headed out the door into streets and disappeared into the busying streets as he ran threw a mental list of all the items he needed to get before they made the trip.