Observation was a cultivated skill of Alison. Something crucial to not just surviving, but thriving in her line of work.
"Alison, I'm so glad you came. How are you?" MacKenzie's voice greeted as Alison walked into the tavern. The lovely French accent put a smile on Alison's face. It was still odd how young MacKenzie was, yet how skilled she seemed to be in her craft. Source powers were certainly something else, but Alison suspected MacKenzie probably was familiar with the bow before arriving in this world. Something about her build, the way she carried herself and favored certain resting positions, all spoke to some athletic or professional ability. Alison gazed behind MacKenzie to see a crew more motley than she had anticipated, all gathered around staring up at her from an impromptu conference table. "Umm, guys," MacKenzie said to everyone. "This is Alison. Alison, meet my party, my comrades, and most of all... my dear friends," she said, endearment rining through each word.
Alison gave a small nod to the group, her face relatively neutral as she continued to size up the party. "Pleasure to meet you all. MacKenzie spoke highly of this group and I think her praise wasn't misplaced. I'm Alison Walker." Motley was barely scratching the surface.
"If you could not tell by that accent..." MacKenzie could barely contain her giggles. "...Alison is from the United States."
To this, Alison nodded again. "East Coast, for those interested. Hell of a situation we all find ourselves in." Alison said.
With that, the group began introducing themselves, starting with the well-armored man. His body language and demeanor already spoke volumes to Alison that he was not like her or the others. He carried himself more like a local and this was soon proven true. He stood and clasped her arm in an oddly familiar handshake she had exchanged with some of her team members back in her old world. She always thought it was a little much, but now it was a strange comfort of familiarity coming from him.
“Barracker Kassel, it is good to meet you Alison.” the man introduced himself, smiling warmly. “I am not as special as the rest of you all. I am a simple Valheim boy. But I’m here to help, and I can start by getting you a drink. What are you having?” he said in a jovial tone. The grip was strong, hiding what Alison suspected to be a far greater strength. There was a steadiness to it too, something she suspected came from experience. That said, his voice belied youthfulness. This combo, as Alison knew, was not uncommon in places like this world and beyond. Wars like this produced plenty of Barrackers, Alison knew all too well. She returned the warrior handshake with equal firmness and smiled.
"Pleasure Mr. Kassel, I'm sure we can use all the help we can get from keeping your city out of the hands of the enemy. I have some ideas, but that can wait. Though, I'll take you up on your offer, for now, a light ale would be perfect." Alison responded, gesturing to Frederick.
“Well, I’ll be! Ain’t that somethin’? Glad to have a fellow American in our midst,” A tall, tan man approached her with an accent that nearly gave her whiplash. He gave a friendly grin. “Name’s Clive. Just a simple farmer, but I reckon we’ll get along just fine. Welcome to Mytheria.”
Alison couldn't help but return that grin. "Nice to meet you, Clive. Texas, right? I worked with a lot of people from there. You're a reliable bunch, so glad to have one of the Lone Star's finest out here in this crazy world as well." she said, shaking his hand, though in a more common way. Clive was certainly fitting the "salt of the earth" types she had met when working on inter-border operations. She had fond memories of those ridiculous cowboy hats their police and rangers wore, dragging the HVTs from their cells for some enhanced interrogation on cartel movements. A small shudder ran up her spine as she then remembered clearing smuggling tunnels alongside them as well. A reliable group of people, it was a true comfort to hear that twang of the South in her ears again. She wondered what led him to be here.
"Zell Brooks. A pleasure." Zell offered Alison a one-sided grin and his hand to shake. "Any friend of Mac is a friend of mine. Boy, do we have a lot to talk about," he said. Alison returned the feigned ignorance and the handshake. Unlike Barrackers warrior handshake of trust and Clive's friendly shake, Zell's handshake was of profession and care. North London, Alison determined, was where he must be from. Plenty of times had she worked with his more clandestine brethren across the globe, and she was glad to know that much like them, Zell had proven to be a reliable man. He kept a good-natured appearance, one that was carefree, but Alison knew there was sharpness underneath that demeanor, one that was always on the lookout. Alison also noticed a bruising, the same on Barracker. A scuffle, a disagreement? Maybe that local somehow found out about the op last night. Well, whatever it was, she would ask Zell later.
Next was a woman more around Alison's age. There was a gentle yet firm demeanor about her, speaking to her experience. Alison took her offered hand as the woman introduced herself. Again, there was a firm yet gentle grip in that handshake. Confidence was read in her eyes as in turn she looked Alison up and down. Alison couldn't help but also be slightly distracted by the large bird on her shoulder.
"Fenna Postma, from the Netherlands. Mother of two, forest guard back home, Ranger here," she said, before gesturing to the hawk perched upon her shoulder. "And this is Sil, I met her on the first day being here," she said. A Dutch woman and a forest ranger turned Robin Hood ranger at that. Alison wondered how she compared to MacKensie in a contest of archery. Their builds and equipment seemed different enough to imply a very different approach from both.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Postma. Dutch? Lovely place and the real gateway to Europe when it comes to trade. Glad to meet you and your little companion here." Alison said in a friendly manner as she finished the handshake. If she had to guess, she was northern Dutch, either Fryslân or Groningen based on the "Gs", they were a dead giveaway, but beyond that, it was impossible to place specifics.
They took their seats while waiting for their drinks, MacKensie making it a point to sit down next to Alison as she took her seat in front of the remaining party. Next to introduce themselves was a very tall young man. Alison maintained her professional, neutral face but felt bad for the boy internally. "Kid's not even old enough to drink and ended up here. Never got to show his potential, grow into a full man before having his life cut short." Alison thought to herself as he introduced himself.
The young man's name was "Adam" and was from Michigan. Alison could never place specifics with that region. Too much linguist wandering with those guys in her mind. People from Minnesota sounded too similar to the Dakotas, Albertans, and so on. Then Ohio and Michigan were practically indistinguishable at times. Tangents for later, as he then posed a question to her.
“Have you been doing alright here in Mytheria?” he asked, a hint of concern in his tone. Alison chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.
"Surviving, to say the least," Alison said as she rested her head in her hand. "I suppose I should explain myself a little." she paused, and sighed, weighing what she should tell and what she should hold to herself. "I was... a data consultant back in my previous life. Before I passed."
Old habits die hard it seems. Alison continued
"As you all know, we came here in strange stone coffins. MacKenzie here told me as much, and I was no different. I woke up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods, and had little to no idea what the hell was going on. Still don't. But, as was my job and knack was for, I began searching for answers. I eventually found civilization, and as it turned out, my abilities and disposition made me a good fit for the... less well-known denizens of this world. So I worked. I learned. " Fenna spoke up.
"It must have been tough, by yourself," Fenna said softly. Alison gave an appreciative half-smile to her and shrugged.
"I survived and found good work with the Thieves Guild. Made my path through this new life. I now have a good crew, people I have and can rely on in my life... I'll probably introduce you to them later. But anyway, I made my way, and during all this, I still couldn't even begin to understand the question I started with: What the hell am I doing here?"
Alison then gestured to MacKenzie, putting a firm hand on her shoulder and shaking her with a grin. "But then, this ball of light comes walking into the Brass Monkey. Now, the Second Chance, a great name by the way, really cute, was not exactly unknown. Great adventures who fell from the sky, carrying untold powers, and seem to be rapidly rising through the ranks toward greatness! At least, that was the narrative once we arrived in this sieged city. But then my crew and I put two and two together and realized I seemed to share a lot of the traits and match some of the rumors of you folk. So, we tested it, and low and behold I found this girl here is like me! And not only that, but there is a whole group of people like me." Alison said, finally releasing MacKenzie's shoulder.
Alison then spread her hands and leaned back in her chair, accepting the drink as Frederick returned with their orders. After taking a sip, she shrugged. "And so here I am, finally finding a piece to a very big puzzle." she then leaned in, eyes gleaming for the first time. "So tell me, do you have any more?"
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