define('WP_CACHE', true); Tavernkeeper – Crossed Paths – Logs https://crossed-paths.com/logs The Story Thus Far... Sun, 02 Feb 2014 06:32:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.6 Chapter 72: The Tavern-Keeper’s Gifts https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/364 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/364#respond Wed, 28 May 2014 11:00:01 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=364

Continue reading]]> Chapter 72: The Tavern-Keeper’s Gifts

In Which Being An Honest Beast Has Its Rewards.

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Chris: The owner hare knocks loudly on the cellar door, pausing merely to light a new cig and take a drag.

Catamount: The ferret jerks awake at the hare’s knocking and then quickly rolls over and shakes Soquan.

Arrin: Soquan jerks his head up from the crook of his arm for a moment before flopping it back down again, groaning out a quiet, “Five more minutes please Da…” and then snoring again.

Chris: The hare crooks his mouth a bit annoyed and, with a jangle of keys, opens the door.

Catamount: The ferret staggers out of bed, trying not to get tangled in the blankets. “We’ll be out of your hair in just a bit, sir.”

Arrin: His level of consciousness rising slightly, the otter realizes that infact, that it wasn’t his father trying to wake him, and he needed to be up and ready to hit the road. With another groan he rises to his feet and gropes around for his coin. “You want to pack up while I pay the hare, Joz?”

Chris: He shakes his head and motions with his paw to settle back down. He stoops to pick up a bag of flour and throw it over his shoulder. “Breakfast in ten minutes. Talk to me after.” He walks back upstairs.

Catamount: Jozra nods. “Thanks.” She turns back to their little cellar-campsite and begins folding and packing. “I guess that answers your question.”

Arrin: The otter snickers and helps his friend pack. “Indeed.” He pauses for a moment while muscling a blanket into his pack. “Think the weather’s let up?”

Catamount: Jozra nods again as she ties the drawstrings at the top of a pack. “It was clear last night, I think the storm is long gone.”

Arrin: He pulls a face. “Ugh, that still means lots of mud for us…”

Catamount: The ferret shrugs. “Not if it’s warm enough. I think it dried out quite a bit last night.” She grins. “I predict patchy mud with a chance of puddles.”

Arrin: The otter can’t help but laugh at the comment, giving the ferret a hearty thump on the shoulder before turning his attention to his pack strings. “Good one Joz.”

Catamount: Jozra grins and a few minutes later, the pair are ready with bags all packed and the cellar looking very much like it did before they turned it into a makeshift room.

Arrin: Soquan hefts his bag onto a shoulder and looks towards his companion. “So we snag some food, pay the guy, and we’re outa here?”

Catamount: The ferret nods as she leads the way to the stairs. “Pretty much. He said we should talk to him first before we set off down the road, though.”

Arrin: He nods while following her. “Yeah.”

Catamount: The two appear at the top of the stairs, apparently just in time for breakfast. They begin to make their way towards an empty table.

Chris: A few mice bring steaming plates of hearty food and quickly run back to continue working in what must be a hell of a kitchen.

Arrin: Still slightly dopey from sleep, Soquan is content to stay silent for the moment as he follows the ferret. He yawns softly while trailing behind her, and once plunked into a seat he begins to pick at his breakfast.

Catamount: The ferret, on the other hand, digs into her breakfast and is nearly finished before she looks up. “You sure you’re up to this Soq?”

As loathe as she is to delay their journey even more, she doesn’t want the otter to come down with anything serious.

Arrin: He looks up towards her. “Don’t worry Joz, I’m just still a little tired is all. See?” He takes a large forkful of eggs and eats.

Chris: The tavern is abuzz with creatures, some tripping over others, some scarfing their breakfast, others already pounding down the ale.

Catamount: Jozra soon clears her plate and sits back, idly examining the beasts in the tavern as she waits for Soquan to finish his breakfast.

Arrin: Having picked up his pace, the otter finishes not long afterwards. “Any interesting news floating around Joz?”

Chris: The hare can be seen giving the occasional reprimand and chain smoking as usual near the kitchen and bar.

Catamount: The ferret shrugs. “Not much that I can tell. Mostly about the weather.”

Arrin: He flashes her a smile. “What are they all saying, ‘Thank gods that storm’s gone?’”

Catamount: She chuckles as she stoops to scoop up her backpack. “Pretty much. Let’s go talk to the hare. He might have some juicier gossip that better suits your tastes.”

Arrin: He laughs and mimics her actions. “Lead on then m’dear.”

Chris: The hare is currently helping the barkeep serve drinks, a cig hanging from his lower lip for dear life. He notices them and motions for them to come to the entrance of the kitchen.

Catamount: Jozra leads the way, weaving around a few beasts who have already managed to drink themselves rather tipsy.

Arrin: Soquan trails behind Jozra quietly and after escaping the advances of an obviously drunk female, he decides to stick close to Jozra, placing a paw softly onto her forearm.

Chris: The hare is waiting, leaning against the sink with a small pouch in his paw. “Weather’s cleared.” He takes a drag.

Catamount: The ferret nods. “Hopefully the road won’t be too muddy.”

Chris: He shakes his head. “Earth’s coarse around here, doesn’t hold water too well until a few days south, but by then it should be dry.” He takes another drag and finishes the cig.  He holds the pouch out to Joz. “Take this. Treat the herbs in the smaller pouch like a tea if his sickness persists. The rest is standard balms, bandages and the like. There’s some powder that stops bleeding as well.”

Catamount: Jozra blinks in surprise, having not at all expected anything of this sort. She gratefully accepts the pouch from the hare. “Thank you very much, for everything.”

Arrin: He nods slowly. “Yes, not many would allow a pair of strange beasts to sleep in their cellar.”

Chris: He nods humbly, pausing graciously. “Now, about your pay…”

Catamount: The ferret chuckles a bit. “How much do we owe you again?”

Chris: The hare thinks for a moment. “Hold out your paw.”

Arrin: Blinking, the otter does as asked, lifting his paw off from his companion’s arm.

Catamount: Somewhat confused, the ferret holds out her free paw as well.

Chris: The hare places a pack of cigs into Soq’s paw and all of their gold and silver into Jorza’s paw, closing her paw around it. “Absolutely nothing.”

Arrin: He starts. “What? But why?”

Chris: The hare chuckles. “You hear all that noise? I’m doing well. I don’t need to take a couple of decent beasts’ gold. It was a test at first, then it was collateral, now it’s a gift.  Hard to trust goodbeasts these days, wasn’t sure if you were on the up-an’-up. As for the cigs… They might just turn out to be the most helpful things you’ll carry. Keep them dry.”

Catamount: Jozra practically beams at the hare, still clutching the pouch in one hand and the coins in the other. “Thank you!” Other than that, she’s at a loss for words.

Arrin: Soquan on the other hand, nods, stowing the cigarettes away in his pack. “Can you tell us anything about news further South? My friend and I are heading that way.”

Chris: At Joz’s delight the hare gives, for a brief moment, the rarest thing out of him; a smile. As the glass recedes a bit from his eyes, you could almost see a soul. Almost. He coughs and frowns, nodding to Soq’s question. “I know very little, but I’ll show you what I’ve noticed.”

He walks to the entrance of the kitchen, beckoning them to overlook the tavern floor.

Catamount: The ferret quickly packs the coins back into Soquan’s pack and tucks the pouch into her own before following the hare.

Arrin: Soquan follows the two closely, otherwise choosing to be quiet for the moment.

Chris: The hare motions casually to two stout, raucous hares sitting at the bar. “As you leave, you’ll notice something about those two. Keep that in mind, along with what I said about the road ahead.”

Catamount: The ferret quickly analyzes the two hares pointed out, memorizing much about them with little more than a glance. She nods at their host. “We’ll do as you suggest.”

Arrin: Soquan gives his own nod, his ears flicking towards the direction of the hares in hopes of catching a bit of conversation between the two.

Chris: The hare nods, pulling out a fresh cig and lighting it. He pats both on the shoulder as a goodbye and begins to walk toward his frantically working kitchen staff; yelling and dragging off of his cig as usual.

Catamount: Jozra waves at the hare’s receding form and then turns towards the otter. “Let’s get on our way, then.”

Arrin: He beams and slings an arm around her shoulders as he steps forward. “Lead on then m’dear.”

Chris: As the pair walk out one of the hares spots them and, dropping out of his joyous manner, gives them a cold glare out of the corner of his eye. He nudges his friend, who does the same.

Arrin: Soquan perks his ears towards the pair, and murmurs quietly to his companion. “What’re they doin’ Joz?”

Catamount: Jozra, while not obviously looking at the hares, sees the entire exchange. She keeps her face neutral, however, and guides Soquan out the door, not bothering to answer his question until after the door has closed behind them, putting them well out of earshot. “They didn’t look friendly, Soq. We may not have as much luck in meeting friendly beasts as before.”

Arrin: He allows a low rumble in his throat, “Stupid prejudiced beasts…”

Chris: A couple of cloaked figures carrying small satchels come around the corner of the tavern and head toward the two.

Catamount: The ferret eyes the pair suspiciously: a result of the exchange just moments ago and the fact that it’s a surprisingly nice day after such a deluge. Partly cloudy and a little brisk, but largely pleasant. She mutters a warning to Soquan.

Arrin: Soquan heeds the warning and adjusts his grip on his staff slightly in case in came to having to fight the beasts.

Chris: The two figures approach and stop a bit short, holding out the satchels. One of them speaks. “Food for your journey, courtesy of the owner.”

Catamount: Jozra relaxes a bit and smiles at the two. “He’s too kind.”

Arrin: He nods and gives a slight, uneasy smile. “Yeah.”

Chris: They smile and nod. “He yells at the staff, but he’s got a really good heart.”

Catamount: The ferret accepts the satchels. “Thank him again for us, will you?”

Chris: They nod and scurry off to their kitchen duties.

Arrin: Soquan snags one of the satchels from Jozra and shoulders it. “I wonder why he didn’t just give them to us when we talked with him.”

Catamount: Jozra shrugs. “He probably didn’t want his other customers to see us leaving with bags of food for free. Bad for business and all.”

Arrin: He mulls the over a bit. “True, true.”

Catamount: She settles the satchel with the rest of her pack, choosing to rearrange it more comfortably when they stop for lunch and continues leading the way South.

Arrin: He follows along side her, arranging the satchel similarly while he walks.

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/364/feed 0 Chapter 71: Soquan’s Cold https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/362 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/362#respond Mon, 26 May 2014 11:00:26 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=362

Continue reading]]> Chapter 71:  Soquan’s Cold

In Which The Otter Takes Ill.

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Chris: The hare opens the door rather loudly. He makes his way down the stairs and begins to move a few boxes.

Catamount: The hare’s movements wake the ferret, who blinks blearily in the filtered light that makes its way towards where she and Soquan bedded down. She yawns and stretches.

Arrin: Beside her, the otter makes a noise of protest against her moving, and tries to huddle more into the warmth of both the makeshift bed, and his bedmate.

Catamount: Soquan’s snuggling is in vain, though, as Jozra sits up and regains her bearings. Now that she thinks about it, it is about breakfast time.

Arrin: Soquan gives up his search for warmth, cracks open an eye sleepily – not that it does any good to him anyway – and makes another soft noise. “Whasamatter?”

Catamount: The ferret stretches again and scratches just between her shoulder blades. “It’s morning.”

Arrin: Soquan grumbles and attempts to huddle back under the blankets. “The sun’s lying.”

Catamount: Jozra chuckles. “I don’t see any sun down here. There’s people eating breakfast upstairs, though.”

Arrin: He grumbles some more, “They’re lying too…”

Catamount: The ferret gives Soquan a light shove and then rubs her belly. “I suppose you’ll say my stomach is lying next?”

Arrin: He gives her a small, wry grin. “Yes.”

Catamount: Jozra rolls her eyes and shoves Soquan a bit harder. “Gettup! Lets see if the rain’s stopped.”

Arrin: Soquan attempts to roll over. “Bugger off Sihayadda.”

Catamount: The ferret smacks the otter upside the head. “Well in that case, stay in bed, sleepy head. I’m getting some breakfast.”

Arrin: Soquan huddles further into the blankets. “Fine by me.”

Catamount: Jozra harrumphs and gets herself up. After making herself a little more presentable, she approaches the stairs.

Arrin: With a glassy eyed look in the ferret’s general direction, Soquan reaches out to grasp the ferret’s tail and drags her back towards the sleeping area. “You should get some more rest, I doubt you want a relapse.”

Catamount: The ferret struggles out of the otter’s grasp. “I’m fine, and it’s definitely time for breakfast, you… hey, are you feeling alright?”

Arrin: Soquan pulls a grimace, attempting to get warm again. “I’m fine Jozra, there’s no need to shout.”

Catamount: Jozra quirks an eyebrow at the otter. “You’re as bad as me. I’m going to get you some tea and maybe see if there’s a healer in the house.”

Arrin: The otter merely gives a soft groan and rolls over without comment, pulling the blankets over his head while he curls in on himself.

Catamount: Jozra glances at Soquan in a concerned manner and then heads for the stairs, finding the tavern already open for business and with a decent amount of clientele for such an early time in the morning. This could probably be explained by the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, though.

Chris: The hare looks up at Jorza from his upturned bucket and waves her over, taking a quick drag from his cig.

Catamount: Jozra notices the hares beckon and makes her way towards him. “Er, good morning.”

Chris: His disillusioned eyes meet her good morning. “Want anything?”

Catamount: The ferret nods. “Right now a cup of tea to take to Soquan, I think he managed to catch a cold. Some breakfast too, of course. Ah, there wouldn’t happen to be a healer around, would there?”

Chris: The hare barks a nearly indistinguishable order to his chefs, getting up and stamping out his cig. He begins walking away toward the back of the tavern.

Catamount: Jozra watches the hare walk off, a little unsure of what to do with herself. The tavern keeper has proved to be quite capable, though he didn’t exactly answer her question… Gah, just our luck if Soq’s sick.

Chris: The hare returns with a small leather bag. He gets a chef’s attention and nods the cup of tea over. He pulls out a few vials, crushes some herbs and drops the mixture into the cup. “If that doesn’t work tell me.  Your breakfast should be ready shortly.”

Catamount: The ferret nods thankfully, still feeling awkward but not quite as much. She takes the cup of tea and warms her paws around it, thanking the hare before she heads back towards the cellar.

Chris: He nods his thanks and sits back down on his bucket, lighting a new cig.

Arrin: Back down in the cellar and curled under a few blankets, Soquan has fallen back asleep, his light snores easily heard to anyone nearby.

Catamount: Jozra carries the tea down the stairs, surreptitiously smelling the steam and putting it together with what she saw the hare put in the cup. Not that she didn’t trust the hare, she just felt that some certain skills could use some dusting off. A tiny taste confirmed what she thought, no trace of poison. And now she had to figure out how to wake the otter without spilling the tea.

Arrin: Blissfully unaware of the ferret’s presence, the otter sleeps on, happy to feel warm, even if it’s just for a little while.

Catamount: The ferret nearly scalds herself and the otter before she decides to set the mug on the floor and shakes the otter awake. “Hey Soq, I brought you some tea.”

Arrin: The otter starts awake and pokes his head out from under the blankets to give her another glassy look. “What? Tea?”

Catamount: Jozra picks the tea back up and tries to give it to Soquan, realizing all the while that she hasn’t a clue as to how the otter managed to take care of her when she was sick. “This will make you feel better.”

Arrin: Propping himself up while keeping the blankets around him, he makes a grab for the cup, missing it completely. “Ugg.”

Catamount: The ferret chuckles a little. “Slow down, river dog.” She moves the cup towards one of his paws, letting him feel the heat radiating from the cup. “It’s right here.”

Arrin: Feeling the warmth from the mug, Soquan grasps it in his paws, taking a long drought of the tea. “Ugg, damn rain.”

Chris: The chefs quietly come down and set the food on a couple of portable tables a little ways from the scene and leave.

Catamount: Jozra calls out a ‘thank you’ to the chefs as they leave. “They even brought us breakfast in bed, Soquan.”

Arrin: “Wonderful.” He grins and chuckles half heartedly, gulping down the rest of his tea before rising onto unsteady paws to move towards the food.

Catamount: Jozra gently pushes the otter back down onto the bed. “Here, I’ll bring it to you.” Carefully she helps him settle a plate on his lap.

Arrin: He gives her another smile. “Thanks Joz.” Settling himself again, he proceeds to pick at his meal.

Catamount: Jozra wolfs down her own breakfast. She was awoken by a rumbly tummy, after all. As she polishes off the last of the meal, she looks over at Soquan. “Feeling any better?”

Arrin: He nods, swallowing his mouthful. “Yeah, a bit, I definitely feel a bit more like myself.”

Catamount: The ferret breaths an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. “That’s good. Maybe you should rest some more, I’ll go find out about the trail ahead.”

Arrin: He pushes aside his half eaten breakfast. “Are you sure you sure?”

Catamount: She nods and scoops up their plates. “Yeah. It’s still drizzling a little outside anyway. You might as well get some more rest.”

Arrin: He gives a quick nod and settles back down again. “Alright then.”

Catamount: “If you need anything, just holler. We’ll hear you.” She balances the plates in her paws and makes her way back up the stairs.

Chris: The hare frowns at her, getting up from his bucket. He takes the plates off of her paws and stalks a bit angrily into the kitchen, giving one of the chefs a few nearly indistinguishable stern words before depositing them into his paws, stalking back to Joz trailing a cloud of smoke. “Good?”

Catamount: Jozra nods. “Yes, thank you.”

Chris: He nods, taking another drag and sitting back creakily back on his bucket. “And your friend?”

Catamount: “Better, thanks to your tea. He’s resting now. Hopefully it’s just a little cold.”

Chris: He nods again and takes a drag, looking out into the tavern.

Catamount: The ferret rubs the back of her neck uncomfortably for a moment, then decides that there’s probably no better person to ask. “So, er, we’re heading South. Anything about the road we should know?”

Chris: He nods pausing thoughtfully for a few seconds. “Don’t stray too far from it. And I’ve been hearing whispers, tales, what have you; either way just take with you that… the farther south you go, the harder it’ll be to keep going.”

Catamount: Jozra nods thoughtfully. The hare’s words indicate she wasn’t just hearing things when she received the orders tapped on trees. There was definitely something South that needed checking out. “Thanks.”

Chris: He nods. “Check with me before you leave.” He waves a paw half dismissively and half goodbye to cut off any potential further discussion.

Catamount: The ferret nods sort of half-heartedly, feeling awkward. She looks around the tavern aimlessly for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do with the day.

Arrin: Sometime later, after managing to pull both himself and their stuff together, Soquan slowly makes his way up the cellar stairs and into main tavern area with both bags slung onto his back. He tries in vain for a few seconds to gauge where his friend is before deciding to call out to her. “Joz?”

Chris: The hare, still stationed on his bucket, turns his disinterested, glassy-eyed gaze toward the otter and watches.

Catamount: The ferret jerks up from where she was sitting, staring into the hearth fire. “Soq! What are you doing up?” She’s out of the chair and at the otter’s side in only a few smooth steps.

Arrin: The otter gives her a small smile. “I felt better and I decided you could use some company.”

Chris: The hare half-cocks a grin and slumps his head back down.

Catamount: Jozra chuckles a little and guides Soquan back towards the fire place. “The sky seems to be clearing up a bit, it’s only sprinkling a little now and then.”

Arrin: He gives a nod. “When do you want to head out then?”

Catamount: The ferret looks the otter over critically and then considers the beasts entering the tavern for an early lunch. “Tomorrow morning sound good? It’s nearly lunch time now and you should make sure you’re over this cold.”

Arrin: He crinkles his nose, hating the idea of staying longer, but Jozra was right. “If you say so…”

Catamount: Jozra chuckles. “I know, I know. But at least it’s only one day and not weeks…”

Arrin: Soquan nods and after placing the bags on the ground, he plunks into one of the chairs by the fire. “So you got any ideas as to how to pass the time?”

Catamount: The ferret shrugs her shoulders and sighs. “Not a clue.”

]]> https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/362/feed 0 Chapter 70: The Tavern https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/360 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/archives/360#respond Fri, 23 May 2014 11:00:48 +0000 https://crossed-paths.com/logs/?p=360

Continue reading]]> Chapter 70: The Tavern

In Which There Is A Convenient Place To Get Out Of The Rain.

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Yazeth: The door opens on a cozy tavern with a bar on one wall, a massive fireplace on the other, and a few tables and chairs scattered in between. The wall opposite the door contains a decrepit staircase leading to what looks like an unused second floor. Fortunately the inn doesn’t look too crowded, a few beast skulk in the corners and a chubby bar-rat wipes down the counter.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan basks in the warmth of the room for a few seconds before turning before turning to her. “You wanna talk to the innkeeper, or should I?”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs. “Plenty of time for that, let’s get dry first.” She makes her way towards the fireplace and takes her cloak off, dripping the entire way. She drags two chairs before the fire and helps Soquan hang his cloak next to hers on the rack near the fire.

Arrin Woodgreen: He thanks the ferret and slips into one of the chairs with a grateful sigh. “You know, if the weather clears up tomorrow, I might just be dry again by the midsummer celebration.”

Yazeth: Jozra laughs, coughs a little, but successfully covers it up by laughing some more. “C’mon Soq, it’s not that dramatic.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan crinkles his nose. “Sure, you’re not worried, you’re smaller, you’ll dry faster. Probably late spring to early summer.”

Yazeth: Jozra laughs again and scoots her chair a little closer to the fire, hoping to dry a little faster that way.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan mimics her. “Sure, you’re laughing now. Don’t come crying to me when you wake up and you’re still wet.”

Yazeth: She chuckles and then notices the approaching bar-rat. “Ready for a late lunch, Soq?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan looks towards her. “You’re kidding right? Of course I am.”

Yazeth: The rat shuffles up to the pair, a greasy rag dangles out of his apron pocket and a pad of paper is tucked under his arm. “C’n I get’cha anyfin?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan barely turns towards the rat. “Whatcha got that’s hot?”

Yazeth: Staring at the ceiling, the bar-keep/waiter rattles off a short list of things to eat and drink. “Mead, stew, bre’d, co’fe, msh’room soup.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He can’t help but smile at the list. “Some stew, with bread and a coffee sounds wonderful right now.”

Chris: Holst opens the door to the tavern. He shudders off a few droplets of water before heading to the bar.

Yazeth: The rat heads back towards the kitchen with the order. Jozra’s fur fluffs up as it finally begins to dry in the cozy tavern. “Much better than that pile of sticks.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan snickers softly and shakes some residual water that clings to his whiskers. “Almost anything is better than that pile of sticks.”

Chris: Holst collides with the waiter and Soq and Joz catch his attention. He pauses, narrows his eyes a bit and continues walking to the bar. “Stout and sour, keep ’em coming.”

Yazeth: The collision with the waiter attracted Jozra’s attention. The fox looked… strangely familiar, though she couldn’t place him. Shrugging it off, the ferret reached towards her cloak, squeezing a couple of droplets out of a soggy corner.

Arrin: Soquan yawns loudly, stretching his limbs a bit and reclining into the comfy chair. “So we’re going to stay the night here, and head off in the morning? Or are we going to stay for a few days?”

Chris: Holst nurses his ale, letting the layers of stress slip off from the day. He cased the place on the way in, normal riff raff.  Except for- The bartender cut in. “’Nother one already mate?” *Holst looks at him with icy eyes. The bartender sets down two.

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head, mainly to aid the drying process as she repeats her response verbally. “No, just the night. Two at most if the rain continues like this otherwise it’ll be winter again before we get Sou… home.”

Arrin: Soquan nods, and closes his eyes for a moment as he scans the room audibly. “If the weather is goin’ to be like this, we better snatch up a room before they’re all gone.”

Chris: Holst leans with his back against the bar. He sees the pair, his paw stroking his chain idly. He’d have to keep an eye on them. His eyes catch someone else sitting in the shadows and a chill runs up his spine.

Yazeth: Jozra idly glances towards the bar and kitchen, noting the fox sitting there but not registering him. “I wonder what’s taking that waiter so long?”

Arrin: He shrugs. “Other orders?”

Chris: The rat comes back, shaking much less than previously setting their orders on the table. “I hope everything’s to taste.”

Yazeth: The ferret quirks her eyebrows at the rat for a second and then looks at what he just delivered. Fortunately, the mugs and dishes are steaming and at the moment, that’s all the ferret really cares about. “Thank you.”

Arrin: Soquan sits up straighter at the smell of food and the proximity of the rat. “Aye, thank you!”

Chris: He gives a fainting smile and walks quickly back toward the kitchen.

Chris: Holst stands up slowly and begins to walk toward a row of booths. Luckily the rest hadn’t come, but him being here still had a reason.

Yazeth: Jozra barely pauses a moment to inhale the aroma of hot food before dividing it up between herself and Soquan and digging in. Surprised at how hungry she is, the ferret barely registers any taste, good or bad.

Arrin: Soquan digs in just as heartily as the ferret, and like her, he barely registers any taste, only the feeling of the warm food entering his stomach.

Chris: Holst stands outside of the booth. The figure doesn’t register his presence. “Not here. Not today.”

The figure elicits a condescending snort and sips his drink. Holst grips his chain tightly, the leather of his gloves creaking. The figure turns. “Have a seat…”

Yazeth: Finally the ferret begins to feel full, warm and dry. As she pushes her plate away, she remembers the need for a room and tries to signal to the bar rat in order to get something set up.

Chris: The bar rat nods and heads over, standing expectantly. “Yes?”

Yazeth: Jozra thinks for a second, wondering what it might ‘look’ like to have both of them in the same room before she discards that notion. Frankly, she really doesn’t care anymore what other people think of them, as long as those nightmares stay away. “We’re going to need a place to stay for the night, and possibly tomorrow night if the weather keeps up.”

Chris: The rat cocks an eyebrow. “Well, we don’t exactly have rooms. There’s a cellar but you’ll have to talk to the owner…”

Arrin: Soquan turns to face the rat slightly. “Can we speak with the owner then please?”

Chris: The rat nods and points to an old rakish looking gray furred hare sitting on an upended bucket in the kitchen.

Arrin: Soquan turns to Jozra. “You wanna go take care of this?”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs slightly. “Sure.” She scoots back her chair and heads towards the kitchen, slightly disappointed to leave the glow of the fire but her fur is long dry by now, the clothes she’s wearing only the slightest bit damp.

Chris: Holst’s eyes ice over. He pulls his chain with his left paw, takes a half step forward and wraps it around the figures neck, pulling both ends tight to cut off any gurgling noise.  He whispers into the figure’s ear. “Not here, not now, not tonight at all. In fact, not tomorrow either. Got it?” He tugs a bit to emphasize his point.

Yazeth: For a second, the fur on the back of the ferret’s neck stands on end, instinct and training alerting her to something going on in the shadowy recesses of the tavern. Her surreptitious glances don’t reveal anything, although she does notice the fox that was at the bar missing. She doesn’t have anytime to think about this, though, as the hare looks up at her quizzically as she approaches.

Chris: His eyes look as if they are permanently squinted, as if he had one too many days out on the open plains. He nods at her and smoke exits his mouth as he talks. “What?”

Yazeth: The ferret tries to look kind, like she doesn’t want to cause too much trouble for the hare. She doesn’t quite realize that her illness and troubles have left her looking somewhat angular with shadows beyond her ferret’s mask under her eyes. “My friend and I need a place to stay for the night, and possibly tomorrow night if the rain keeps up. One of the waiters told us we should ask you about staying in the cellar.”

Chris: He crooks his mouth sourly and stands with a slouch. He looks around as if to say ‘Looks like a bar to me, not a hotel’. And looks back at her expectantly. He takes another drag. “Coin?”

Yazeth: At this, Jozra looks at the hare shrewdly. Thanks to their visit to the SSMC they have quite a bit, but there’s no need to make that fact public now is there? “We can pay, assuming your price is fair.”

Chris: He rolls his eyes and lets the smoke out in a long exhale. “Three gold a night for the both of you.”

Yazeth: The ferret raises an eyebrow. “A bit steep. If it wasn’t raining, I’d find somewhere else to stay. Remember, we’ll be eating at least breakfast tomorrow, maybe all three meals. And we might want to buy some provisions before we leave…”

Chris: He waves a paw dismissively. “Food’s included, one and a half gold per person too much?”

Yazeth: The ferret calculates quickly in her head. “With food included that seems fair enough. I suppose you would like your payment now?”

She briefly regretted that she had never done very well in Diplomacy, she might have gotten an even lower price if she had, but they could pay and it wasn’t unreasonable, which was enough for her.

Chris: He looks away disinterested as he holds out a paw and drags off of the cig once more.

Chris: Holst waits for the figure to nod before releasing him, drawing a knife to the figures neck as he slips the chain back over his shoulders. He sheaths the knife and walks out of the bar.

Yazeth: Jozra pays the hare and is about to ask for directions to the cellar when she notices the door to it standing slightly ajar. Instead, she thanks the hare and makes her way back towards Soquan.

Chris: The hare sits back down with the same disinterested look.

Yazeth: The ferret settles herself again near the fire and across the table from Soquan. “The manager is letting us stay in the cellar for the night.”

Arrin: Soquan grins at her, momentarily distracted from picking the crumbs off their plates. “That’s great news.”

Chris: Holst leans against a tree a fair distance outside the bar. The rain pelts his head as his cold stare remains on the tavern’s door. He didn’t need sleep anyway…

Yazeth: Jozra gazes rather aimlessly into the fire for a little bit, until the flames remind her of… something else. With a slight start she looks away and busies herself with checking the dampness status of their belongings. “These cloaks are going to take a while to dry.”

Arrin: Soquan cracks an eye open. “Can we keep ’em out here overnight?”

Yazeth: The ferret eyes the cloaks. “Probably. I don’t think they’ll mind too much.”

Arrin: He nods, “We’ll keep ’em there then.”

Chris: The last stragglers are being led out by the bar rat as the night draws to a close.  The owner is sweeping the floor with an old broom and the same expression he held before. New cigarette though.

Yazeth: Jozra stretches out of her slight doze, something catching in her lungs for just long enough for a short coughing fit. “We should probably head on down to the cellar and see about getting some sleep.”

Arrin: Soquan rises sleepily, gathering up his belongings as he rises to his feet. Lead the way, Joz.”

Chris: The hare speaks through his smoke as he sees the two rise. “You’ll find bedding down there. Any time you want to be woken up?”

Catamount: Jozra glances at the otter and thinks for a moment, the dark cellar might throw them off a bit. “Around breakfast time or so, if we’re not already up and it’s no trouble.”

Arrin: Soquan nods his head in agreement. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Chris: The hare shrugs with a disinterested face and leaves it at that, turning away to sweep more.

Catamount: Jozra shrugs and leads Soquan down into the cellar. Light streams in from the doorway and there are a few candle holders placed in convenient spots with a couple already lit.

Arrin: No comment comes from the otter, and he yawns loudly as the two of them descend into the basement.

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