Mas Bagus

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Best I could wrangle free from tight lips last night, was that smaller groups had been sent, but have gone missing-- Gone at least 3 days past check-in. Stay on your toes. Nobody was willing to speak up about specifics concerning what to expect out there. Either they don't know, or refuse to talk. Don't know which."

Sonia deadpanned for a moment before managing to recover with a dry chuckle. "Ah, same plan, same gig, and yet, expecting different results. Some may call this insanity. And I guess we are a bunch of lunatics, willingly signing up to be a part of this insanity."

Sonia shot the captain a glare, yet didn't bother to directly confront him about Robert's finding. If the man was truthful he would explain without being asked. The concern about his transparency had been implied multiple times and at this point, Sonia wasn't expecting much.

Sheathing her sword in its scabbard, Sonia just needed another occasion to make her stance firm, and until that time came...

"But whatever. Come hell or high water, let's get this party started and rescue that damsel."

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"I... I see." Said Sonia, trying to offer a small sympathy. But the fellow has already excused himself with no more words to say, maybe he was shy?

"Something in the middle maybe?" she turned to Kealara. "I already have a machete, but it is a poor stabbing weapon, and I could use something with more power. An arming sword sounds like a good idea. Gotta see the inventory then. Thanks for the advice!"

Leaving the captain to be questioned by more people, Sonia smirked as she headed for the supply wagon. Unfortunately, there was no bastard sword in the pile, so she took her time to pick the longest and heaviest sword from the pile, even if the difference was just a slight. She noted that their quality wasn't anything exquisite, and although that raised speculation that the duke was skimping his defense budget, Sonia couldn't complain. It was made of steel and would cut and pierce flesh all the same. And look! It also came with a leather scabbard!

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"...Our plan is to travel to the ruins where her personal effect was discovered, and scour the place. With any luck, we will find her there, alive and well…"

Another answer that doesn't answer much, Sonia thought. The Captain's refusal to naturally divulge any significant details was again, weird and further reinforced her suspicion that the captain was up to something. Either that or a blatant incompetency. Both were equally dangerous.

On another note, Sonia was fully aware of the captain's displeasure, but instead of giving it a rest, she pressed one more time to see his reaction and enjoyed it like she harbored a certain vendetta.

"Scour the place..." she nodded and smiled mockingly, pausing to count the participants present today. "And I presume that was also the plan in the previous expedition? Hmm? I hear ya, captain! Thanks for answering!"

Waving teasingly, Sonia retreated with another thing to ponder. All things considered, the incongruity of this mission wasn't any far from her usual routine actually, and encountering a disingenuous employer wasn't a new experience for her. All the questions and cautiousness were there so she knew what to expect and where to position herself in this quest.

Once we are deep into the wilderness, the chain of command will be as frail as a leaf anyway.

"Kaelera!" ...and the weird fellow with a face almost completely closed. She didn't know why, but his presence made Sonia feel slightly unsettled. "Not a fan of morning sunlight, eh? Mister?" she managed with her usual mirth, a small talk to divert herself from backbiting the captain, who was clearly looking at them at the moment. Seriously, she could hear him exhaling in frustration right now.

"Well, you heard the man. Time to prepare, and I think I could use a secondary weapon, do you have any suggestion, Kealara?"

@spiral origin@JP@KITCHEN GUN

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

Sonia approached the table with a positive if not nonchalant air and wrote her name as instructed: Sonia Alhathya the hunter. She then thanked the soldier and moved toward the Captain, which she greeted with a crafty glee. Probably much to the Captain's dismay.

"Morning, Captain. Now that I am in, pray tell, what is exactly our plan to rescue our Duke's wayward damsel? To which directions the site is at, and how far?"

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Und pring tvo more peers for mein friends, Kaelara und Zonia. I'll coffer zee tab."

"You don't have to. Really," said Sonia, shaking her head in disapproval. "We will start our work tomorrow; getting there with an addled mind is unwise. I am sure someone else would appreciate a free beer. Master Jean, maybe? You've been very quiet all this time."

After saying that, Sonia stood up from her chair. "Chat up for a bit will ya? I have some errands to tend to. See you around folks!"

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Guess we'll just have to make the best of it."

"Well, let us hope they wouldn't take us for fools. We are two good samaritans after all!" Sonia winked. "Though, I am not sure if it sounds right to do a charity for a noble."

Both women smiled, for they knew the statement was to highlight the strangeness of their situation now. Gulping her mead, Sonia let out a low whistle. Her bowl had been empty, and her drink was halfway depleted. Suddenly, she smelled something that made her nose wrinkle.

It was coming from a man sitting two stools away from her.

Ah yes, this was a bar, alright, and people smoke. Still, she could never stand the smoke, and although she wasn't nurturing a habit of chastising smokers, she would reposition herself to another corner, a gesture often taken as a discourtesy, sadly.

The man was talking to that awkward silver-blondie girl, and at that moment, Sonia saw, or rather heard him whispering something to her ears. What was it? It was not her business. Then again, the man had excused himself and went upstairs, talking about good timing.

Her attention was again on the girl named Engie. And particularly her briefcase. She eyed the inkeep, recalling if the girl had informed him about her unstable luggage.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

"Going to Katwiz did not strike me as a sound option. Given it's a major town, and that as you said, has the possibility of being under the red stripes' control, picking Katwiz as our next destination seemed rather reckless. We have an injured person for one, which would be a liability should we end up in a fight. That said, you are also correct that looking around in the dark for where the Red Stripes' enemy may be also seems to be a fool's errand...So, why not attempt to go back to Dragon's Maw? As I've said, our mission was to bring back Paladin Thomas and his entourage. We found the group dead at their base camp, and now we have confirmation that Paladin Thomas was also dead. Why exactly are we remaining in this land rather than making our reports and awaiting further orders?"

@Randomguy

Truth be told, Carmen did not expect someone would oppose his plan. So when Carnathia expressed her doubt, it added up to his building agitation. He felt like his devotion was being attacked. "Because I do not believe it until I see him myself," he answered, clinging to a fragile compassion to remain composed.

“I didn’t want to ask at the time because we were still recuperating, but are you saying that this Thomas person we’re looking for is dead?” asked Osric.

"That Redstripes scoundrel from the camp, said so." a scowl escaped him, and he reached for a shield hung on his back. No doubt it once belonged to Thomas himself, and he wasn't delusional enough to eliminate the worst possibility. Part of him might have already accepted this possibility but was unable to find the justification.

He looked at Carnathia searchingly. Her question demanded a justification, why not retreat to Dragon's Maw? Why were they still here?
The light from the fire camp washed on his face, there was silence for a moment, but only a few would notice another fire flickering in their Captain's eyes.

"There is still a hope that Thomas is still alive, and I don't want to abandon that hope. I can feel it. Even if he dies, I want to know why." Slowly the anger started to seep into his voice."We are more than capable of infiltrating this region. And if our concern is our wounds, then there was no better place to head to than a nearby town. It is I believe, a better option than risking weeks going back to Dragon's Maw."

The sternness in his demeanor told one important thing the Captain did not say. A zeal that turns into a determination to seek retribution. He wanted to make them pay.

"Orders aren't worth following if it means leaving people to die, Senorita Carnathia. And from whose that order you mentioned came from but from a misanthrope elf that knows nothing of our values?! Why should I follow that?! To lay down my arms and leave after they murdered my brethren?"

Carmen stared at Carnathia with a hidden disdain. The situation was heating up, but before anyone could throw another argument Osric intervened, not a moment too soon, really.

“I think before we do anything, lets at least finish patching ourselves up. Even in the fire light, I can see that apple on your head, Carmen. To take a ball to the skull like that, you’re lucky it didn’t knock your head off. That Lynx girl seems to be healing in that, um, ice block of hers. With her in that state, we’re not really going anywhere anyway until she thaws herself out. Lets give it the night and discuss it again in the morning.”

To that, Carmen nodded. He had been enduring the pain, and there was a truth that it muddled his judgment. But was it? The wound was caused by the enemy, and he embraced the pain as the fuel to plan his next move. Retreating back to his corner, Carmen was quickly on a deep thought regarding what he just said.

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"And whether we like it or not, we might need to watch each other's backs out there."

"Oh, I am sure we can count on each other," Sonia said earnestly. "But I wouldn't put my hopes high. It has been weeks since this Lady's disappearance, and so far the clues are... limited at best." inching her seat a bit closer to Kaelara, Sonia then continued.

"I've been a hunter for years. And I tell you if the plan is to go into that ruins and rescue that Lady, my assessment tells me there are four possible outcomes in this. One, the Lady's dead, and her remains were eaten by a beast. Two, she has been ferried away outside this region, and lastly, she was somewhat spirited away to God-knows-where. Like those missing men."

Sonia raised her hands to make a spooky gesture. If anything, to ease up Kaelera's stiff demeanor.

"Yeah, of course, the last possibility is we found her in that ruins, malnourished but alive."

She knew those weren't exactly an optimistic observation, but Sonia wasn't one to keep things in her chest, and she would be more than happy to hear someone having a similar thought. "And one more thing, shouldn't we be curious about our rewards if, by the end of this quest, the Lady is found but as skeletal remains? Hmmm? Feels like a gamble, no? And where the heck is the Duke? Shouldn't he be here? It's his daughter's life on the line."

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Feels like our little village has become the focus of attention lately… albeit for the wrong reasons. I do hope you all find the poor missing Lady…"

Sonia chuckled, but her voice was not as enthusiastic as before. "We hope so too, Master Innkeeper, we hope so too.."

Despite the innkeeper's offering, Sonia decided not to poke him with any questions and instead let Kaelara inquire instead. Although he seemed to be easing up now, God knows the Poor fellow might be unable to handle multiple questions at once, thus she wouldn't risk a breakdown in communication.

So Sonia would sit tight and listen. And why not enjoy the food when she was at it?

When she was about to take a spoonful of warm stew, the adventurer next to her introduced herself out of the blue.

"I'm Kaelara Ashwyn"

"Oh yes... yes, you are the Gal earlier." The demoness managed, unfazed by the sudden but rather anemic gesture. She could respect someone who thoroughly felt the tedium of introducing oneself to five different people within two hours, so she too should be brief with her replies. "Sonia is the name. A hunter."

Both women seemed to share a silent agreement that for now knowing each other names should be enough for pleasantries and it allowed a room for the innkeeper to continue his account. Sonia listened intently, and while she was chewing a piece of bread, there came a revelation that there was a knight apparently, heh, of course, there would be, the question was...

"Don't you think it was strange that the captain found the Lady's personal effects but none whatsoever about the knight?" murmured Sonia "Heck, he didn't even mention anything about it. I ain't one to badmouth my employer, but considering we are the replacement of that Captain's missing men, I'd take this job with a bit more precaution."

Through a Wayward Glimmer -- to a Faraway Place

"Th-thank you for your patronage, we hope you enjoy your food and stay!"

"You're welcome." when the bartender bowed, Sonia looked around to appreciate the cozy simplicity, the smell of old wood, and the delightful aroma from the kitchen. When her attention was on the stammering bartender again, she tried to offer a smile to ease his nervousness, because it seemed generous tipping wasn't enough...

"A lovely inn you have here, yes?" Sonia began after the bartender handed her order to the kitchen staff, her red eyes watched his every movement, (especially when he pocketed the money), yet her voice was still friendly and assuring. "How has business been lately?-- Good, I presume?"