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The tavern on the ground floor of the Leaping Lamb Inn was bright and busy in the early evening. Fires at either end of the hall and lanterns hanging above the tables cast a cheery yellow light over everything, and simple tapestries hung on the wooden walls helped to keep the noise level manageable. It was a pleasant place to take the evening meal—less rowdy than the taverns nearer the docks, and cleaner to boot, but less costly than the formal eating houses found uphill in the port city's wealthier districts.
The tavern's patrons were busy eating, drinking, and making merry. A minstrel played shanties and jigs in one corner, to the cheers and merriment of those seated nearby. There was no vocal accompaniment to the songs—yet. Elyde knew from experience that, after the casual diners cleared out and only revelers remained, the minstrel would progress to bawdy tunes that would have half the tavern singing along with increasingly discordant voices. She planned to escape to her rented room above before the debauchery could begin.
For now, though, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the steady noise lent some level of privacy to the conversation she and her companion now shared.
"...so I'm on my way back to the capital now, to hand in my report," her companion finished, having just described his latest mission up the coast. This particular inn was a favorite among the Dragon Hunters travelling between the seas and the capital, and it wasn't unusual to run into other Hunters here. "I'll be headed out in the morning, after a rest and the return of my land legs." The man punctuated this statement with a groan as he stretched the offending limbs out in front of him. Then he took a gulp of his ale and gestured at Elyde. "And you? You still look fresh. Where've they assigned you?"
Elyde took a sip of her own ale to wash down the stew she ate before she answered, "They've got me going all the way out to Tawalai Island on this one. They've reports of a lone dragon settling there—perhaps it thinks this island is far enough out of the way that we won't come after it." She smirked at this. "They should know better than to underestimate us by now, don't you think?"
Her companion guffawed his agreement. When his amusement calmed he asked, "And when do you sail?"
"As soon as I can." She shrugged. "I'll be down at the docks bright and early tomorrow to find a ship headed that way. The next passenger ship sails to Tawalai in a week, and I don't care to wait that long. No, I'll buy passage on some merchant ship or find a naval patrol to take me. It's too bad I can't travel by horseback for every mission. It's so much simpler," she sighed.
The conversation lagged then as the Hunters returned to their stews and bread. As she ate, Elyde's mind wandered wistfully to open plains, forest paths, and mountain treks. Anything but a sea voyage.
The tavern's patrons were busy eating, drinking, and making merry. A minstrel played shanties and jigs in one corner, to the cheers and merriment of those seated nearby. There was no vocal accompaniment to the songs—yet. Elyde knew from experience that, after the casual diners cleared out and only revelers remained, the minstrel would progress to bawdy tunes that would have half the tavern singing along with increasingly discordant voices. She planned to escape to her rented room above before the debauchery could begin.
For now, though, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the steady noise lent some level of privacy to the conversation she and her companion now shared.
"...so I'm on my way back to the capital now, to hand in my report," her companion finished, having just described his latest mission up the coast. This particular inn was a favorite among the Dragon Hunters travelling between the seas and the capital, and it wasn't unusual to run into other Hunters here. "I'll be headed out in the morning, after a rest and the return of my land legs." The man punctuated this statement with a groan as he stretched the offending limbs out in front of him. Then he took a gulp of his ale and gestured at Elyde. "And you? You still look fresh. Where've they assigned you?"
Elyde took a sip of her own ale to wash down the stew she ate before she answered, "They've got me going all the way out to Tawalai Island on this one. They've reports of a lone dragon settling there—perhaps it thinks this island is far enough out of the way that we won't come after it." She smirked at this. "They should know better than to underestimate us by now, don't you think?"
Her companion guffawed his agreement. When his amusement calmed he asked, "And when do you sail?"
"As soon as I can." She shrugged. "I'll be down at the docks bright and early tomorrow to find a ship headed that way. The next passenger ship sails to Tawalai in a week, and I don't care to wait that long. No, I'll buy passage on some merchant ship or find a naval patrol to take me. It's too bad I can't travel by horseback for every mission. It's so much simpler," she sighed.
The conversation lagged then as the Hunters returned to their stews and bread. As she ate, Elyde's mind wandered wistfully to open plains, forest paths, and mountain treks. Anything but a sea voyage.