KITCHEN GUN

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Kaelara?"
A huge part of him didn't really want to know her name, for it is a pitfall towards attachments. He had already made a misstep following her like this.
He darted his eyes at the other red-haired woman who glanced at him with, with a reaction. Unsure, but definitely not a pleasant reaction, albeit it was merely fleeting as the mirth in her face came back.

"Uhh, uh yeah. Sunburns, you know. They can be very irritating."

Sonia furthered and it was evident that he's not meant to be in this conversation, as well as already having prepared as much as he needed to, and so he quietly excused himself from the two.
Amidst that, something else bugged him while he stood there, remembering the recent words as he slowly began to decapitate an arrowhead off of its shaft. The Captain was in his midst, and he was curious.

"Is there? A previous expedition? What happened to them?"
_{@spiral origin}

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Ludwig, in his subtle manic state of wanting to get out of the crowd, practically froze in his tracks as a freshly familiar voice of suave womanhood passed by him yet again. Not to dispense advice this time, but inquiry.
He glanced at her, her red hair more pronounced this time by the sunlights bouncing of off it. What he imagines was eye contact, held merely for a portion of her statement as she moved on to other, better discourses.
He tried to murmur back.

"Its-- for..."
She's fully turned around and away, she didn't care.

Between everything that's transpired between them, and her recognizing him despite his more shadowy appearance, the word smart seems to pop out and assert itself as her descriptor. Maybe he can use her, to cut some mental presence dedicated to staying alert from danger. Maybe just to have someone competent to talk to, or to seek more advice from. Gods know everything that'll happen from then on will be all sorts of new to someone who only runs around and delivers parcel for a living.

After another decisional delay, he followed Kaelara to--he supposes--listen to the expedition's foreman and another red-haired woman talk about the expedition's scope.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

A day in the life of a courier trying to be inconspicuous while getting ready for an expedition.

Shadowing behind Sonia towards the registration desk, he paused for about two seconds before pressing down with the quill to write a name.
'Shelby Appleton' is probably someone's name. It is a name Ludwig remembers, he just cannot remember where from.
He winced, noticing it has the same initials as the name already written there. Too late to erase. He could only hope nobody points it out.

Stock equipment. He reached into the pile for a buckler, and imagined blocking an attack with it. Shortly after, he dropped it back in the pile, after basically realizing its futility. Not combat-trained for any of these weapons, either.
After about twenty seconds of silent deliberation, he grabbed a quiver full of arrows. No bow. Just the arrows. He then scurried away from the pile and the people around it, avoiding any direct attention to himself.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Ludwig watches as the key is tossed, hitting the wood floor. His right eyebrow twitches downward. Not quite because of the rudeness, just the loud noise.

He turns to follow Kaelara with his gaze as she walks past him, maroon hair and curvy form being enguled by the shadows of the dimly-lit corridor.
"Thanks for the advice." He said after a certain distance, probably just to himself at that point.

Walking towards his key as he rubs the cheeks of his face with both hands, as if trying to wash the cringe he felt off of himself, replacing it with relief at the conversation ending.
Hmm, but what if he... He tried to do that trick Kaelara did, flicking the key upward to his hand. Instead, he just kicked the key away and past the stairs, back into the first floor of the tavern-inn, and he palmed his face.

Shuffling through his bean slingbag to find a certain comb-shaped tool, he raked the keyhole and let himself into his rented room.

Audible sound of a door clicking as it's locked.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Ludwig shrugs then raises the towel on his left arm to his left shoulder before shuffling through his bean slingbag for his eyeglasses.
"Mm-hmm, trouble is correct. It's troubling me right now..."

Upon his turn to take a question, pushing his glasses up his nose bridge.
"Uh... Yeah, you know me. I love riddles. Actually what am I saying, we don't know each other."
Ludwig shakes his head, his right hand swatting away something in the air. He might still be a little faded from whatever he was huffing minutes ago.

"I'm a courier. Nice to meet you... Assassin? Huntress?"
Clear avoidance towards the usage of names.

His left hand turns the doorknob a bit, it obviously doesn't budge. She's holding that key a bit firm, is she waiting for Ludwig to ask for-- Is she already making a point about leverage to him? Tch.
A rush of thoughts linger in his mind. Words of affirmation. Calm down. Play it cool. Psych her out and be done with this.

"Anyway, I seem to have lost the key to my room."
Snide.
"Would you mind sharing your room? I'll pay for half your rent."

Something about neither of them letting out any smiles.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

The rattling of a lock as Ludwig struggles to open the door to his room. His hair slightly dewy, and he wore but a white long-sleeved camisa and brown pants, a small towel and a bean slingbag on his arm.

Slippery hands. The key is flung away, dropping near the approaching Kaelara's footsteps as she's close to climbing all of the stairs.

"Shit... Oh. Hey, you- you're one of them. Going to find that missing princess, aren't you? You look like the type."

Something's clicking. The sound of something actively clicking. A second passes, and his resolve is in question.

"Say, would you indulge me in a hypothetical? Say you have a package to be delivered strictly only to the recipient who turns up missing... You've already been paid for going to deliver it, and there turns out to be an additional, unrelated bag of coins for finding the recipient who at this point is most likely, well, dead... Would you still try to deliver it?"

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Suit yourself."

Ludwig's entire meal gone, he huffs his pipe on one side of his mouth and blows out smoke on the other side. Just emitting a faint white smoke on both sides of his face. He thinks it adds to his cool slash scary factor. Completely negated by the ensuing yawn.
He pushes his plate forward and asks the barkeep for a room, assuming he's practically already paid for one. He then turns to the silver-haired girl, lowering his voice.

"You may join me later if you want. Just know that I don't harbor any attachments.
And neither should you."

A highly suggestive invitation, yet devoid of any romance. As if making out is just another form of stress relief.
He leaves the counter, climbs the stairs to the inn floor and is fully out of sight.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Ludwig still definitely overpaid, much to his embarrassment, and at this point he didn't have the heart to ask for his change back. Just look at how enthusiastic the barkeep is.
Small-town prices are evidently a wonder to him. Whatever, just think of it as a good deed and move on, he thought to himself.
He had been meaning to eavesdrop but he can't quite make out what the two redheads are talking about in a busy tavern. He'll have to find things out another way.

Within a glimpse, half of his meal is gone before he pauses, distracted by the silver-haired girl beside her. Gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe her, and yet it doesn't overshadow the hints of anxiety abound her. Like scratches on a pristine mirror.

What a coincidence. Ludwig takes his smoking pipe, wipes the tip of it with his sleeve and gestures it towards the silver-haired girl.

"It has a calming effect. Try it. It's not tobacco." _{@Soldat Elf}

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Scarf lowered to reveal a little more of his face, smoking pipe in mouth being lit by a matchstick. Despite the calming effect of whatever non-tobacco substance is in the pipe, Ludwig's face is stilled by the shock of realizing how much he's overpaying.

His right hand reached for the three silver coins, pulling one towards him, and then another... He pushes the last one towards the bartender.

"Silly me."

Pocketing the two silver coins, he puffs out tiny gouts of smoke as he waits for his meal and eavesdrops further into the adventurers.
Why is he even roping himself into this, he should've just dropped the package at the Lady's estate. Who cares if it's actually poison and takes out an innocent guard or two? He does.
A sharp exhale.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Ludwig looked back at the poster, then around the room, guessing where this 'captain' could be. Imagining any possible conversation that emerges from that encounter, the campy awkwardness it inevitably will have, as if pleading for Dad to tag along with him during his trips.

No thanks.
If he has to guess, these volunteers will depart tomorrow, he'll show up by then. It's not like it has any special requirements to it, it seems like they'll take just about anybody.
He nods to himself, then takes a last glance at the middle-aged man. It's hard to tell what Ludwig's thinking when his face is covered by like three layers of clothing.

He takes a silver coin from one of his several pouches and flicks it towards Arthur, then walks away and out.

~

Calmer and less scary-looking after being given enough rest by the short walk, Ludwig pushes into the tavern doors. Immediately there's no question about which ones took the job. Adventurers armed to the teeth with swords and armors and non-traditional hair colours. He based his appearance from their types after all, as he found that it made rapscallions less likely to dare rob him.
Two redheads, a blonde and a silver. Three of them women, and the blonde knight is a looker. Are they a harem?

No, it's misogynistic to assume that. He sighs a sharp breath, enduring the glares of any onlookers as he walks to take an empty seat at the counter, plopping the duke's poster and three silver coins onto it, assured that the bartender is already paying attention to him.
"I'll have your today's special. Can I smoke in here?"