The Evening Before

[elder.sign]

The Nosey Cat was crowded as usual, despite even the unpleasant rain that discouraged people from going outside. Mid-autumn brought a biting cold with it, and the mud made it hard to walk.

Bertram and Rose were so busy that she skipped the talk she usually served with the food, and their 15-year-old daughter, Gina, had to join them.

There were a few visitors, as usual, one merchant with a servant who wanted to buy herbs, and a disgruntled mercenary who arrived a few days earlier hoping to find guard work with treasure hunters.

Lola was sitting in the corner, looking weary after a week's time in the marshes, and Julianne was at the smaller table farthest from the kitchen with her maid, Ann, a local girl.

The evening looked much brighter and happier inside than outside, and it was expected that singing and dancing would start after dinnertime.

[Apple Cake]

John would be there, drenched in sweat from a long day of work, he'd be cooling off with a big goblet of beer but refrain from any dancing since he's a bit old.

The main thing that would come to his attention would be any new arrivals, so he'll keep a lookout and perhaps greet himself.

[Visorian]

A pale skinny man enters the common area after seemingly exiting the part of the building for guests and sits at a nearby. As the comforting atmosphere washes over him he smiles as warmly as he can. Although the way his brow furrows when he smiles gives him a rat-like, untrustworthy appearance. He looks around for seating and spots the merchant. An obvious look of interest crosses his face but quickly fades. He makes his way to Lola's table and places a hand over his heart.

"Excuse me madam, but I believe you fit the description of a learned individual that I've heard of since I've been staying here. Darian Soulwater, owner and operator of Soulwater solutions, humbled to make your acquaintance. If you would have me, I was wondering If I could learn something from you about the surrounding Flora."

As he speaks he bows his head slightly while maintaining eye contact with the woman. his slicked back hair, black as pitch, shines slightly. a leather bookcase seemingly laden with belongings hangs at his side as his purple and black attire shifts ever so slightly.

[elder.sign]

Lola raises an eyebrow slightly at the somewhat duboius stranger's approach, but responds politely. "Lola, herbalist and wanderer." she introduces herself in a simple manner. "Have a seat, sir. You're not a local, I know that. What brings you into this sleepy little hick town of Willowcross? You seem rather ... sophisticated for this place."

Edited November 2, 2023 by elder.sign (see edit history)

[JagrHunter]

Song sat to the rear of the "Cat"; four well-made daggers lay spread out on the table before him. Running an oiled rag over the fifth blade he watched the strange man enter. Sensing ...something and never one to be caught short by not trusting his instincts he quickly slid four of the blades into forward canted sheathes at his waist and the newly oiled one into his right boot. Taking a sip of his wine he strained to hear the man's conversation and watched the main door...

[NorthOfOrdinary]

A small, faeish young woman in a traditional dress makes her way through the dining room from the way of the bar. Her long blonde hair shines by the firelight but nothing shone quite as bright as the twin mugs of ale she carried, one in each hand, over to the particularly thirsty looking woodcutter.

 

“Hey John! This one’s on me!” Elsie smiles warmly as she hands him one of the tankards. “There are warm buckets in the back if you need a bath. I’m sure Rose could unlock the showers for a silver.” The elf maiden gives the man a gentle clasp on the shoulder before continuing on towards the back corner of the tavern. 

 

Elsie takes a sip of the remaining mug before she sets the flagon down on the table in front of a seedier looking stranger who only a few moments ago appeared to be playing with a set of knifes. “You must be new!” She laughs, though there is a slight look of suspicious concern playing across her face. “You won’t be needing any knives here. The only dangerous one is Nora and she only bites on Thursdays.” 

 

It was a lame joke accompanied by a faker smile than the one she had paid the lumberjack but it was all she had at the moment. The girl was hoping to dance and make friends tonight - not watch any of the regulars get stabbed. Still Elsie didn’t doubt that the man could teach her a thing or two about the world outside of Willowcross if she found some time to spare him a listen.

Edited November 3, 2023 by NorthOfOrdinary (see edit history)

[Apple Cake]

He takes up the tankard and laughs for a moment, "Thanks Elsie but I'll take a rain check." He takes a big chug of his bear before noticing the rising tensions, so he tightens his pants, gets up and walks over Song, John may not be the most amiccable fellow but he takes a seat besides him and welcomes himself "Hey there! I'm John Baker, I uh work at the woodshed, I haven't seen ya around before are ya new here?" soon after he turns to Elsie, "Hey, Elsie, Get us two bears would ya, and put em on me!" He then turns over to Song.

And now he waits to see, just what kind of evening they will have today.

Edited November 3, 2023 by Apple Cake (see edit history)

[Visorian]

Damian nods and takes a seat. As he places his bookcase on his lap and begins rifling through it, he notices the shift in tone of the room and glances over his shoulder at the two men. He thinks to himself, hoping this doesn't escalate. He places some notes on the table. "I've been working on my own recipe for a healing potion. As far as I know the empire has the only supply of the stuff and that means only publicly sponsored shops sell them. I feel like the market could use a little shake up, some new supply. Lord knows people would love more healing potions if they could get them."

[elder.sign]

Rose just shoots a quick glance at Song's table and the conversation, and she seems not to worry about the man and his knives. Bertram is too busy cooking and occasionally serving to notice.

"Healing potions, yes, they are welcome anywhere. The general idea of a healing potion sounds easy, and common folk are content to use it but they come in all kinds, as you must know. For bleeding, for deep wounds, for burnt ones, for different ailments, and so on. The marshland is a big source of ingredients, for countless problems. The challenge is finding them, especially finding the one you currently want. Should you decide to buy ingredients from me, I can go and gather a lot. You're welcome to trade them elsewhere for a higher price." and she looks up at Darian with a curious scrutiny.

[JagrHunter]

Song greeted the new arrival with a subtle nod, his expression betraying neither warmth nor indifference. However, the sight of the clueless yokel casually taking a seat sent a ripple of concern through Song's mind.

"Ah, John, isn't it?" he asked knowingly, though he already knew the answer. "Allow me to save you some trouble." Song locked eyes with the waitress, signaling for her to cancel the beer that had been ordered for him, before refocusing his attention on the woodcutter. "You see, 'new' is a relative term for me. I'm just passing through this town and not particularly interested in socializing. However, judging by the furtive glances, some folks seem wary of my blades, but they were simply being cleaned of trail dust while I waited for my meal."

He paused, letting out a weary sigh, and then turned his gaze back to John. "Anything else you'd like to know?" he asked, aware that he had already revealed more than he intended, yet managing a strained smile, nonetheless.

Edited November 3, 2023 by JagrHunter (see edit history)

[NorthOfOrdinary]

"I'll just let you two gentleman be for a bit," Elsie laughs, slipping away from the table with a grin. "Call if you need anything!" The stranger didn't seem like he wanted to socialize but if anyone could crack his tough exterior - it was John. That man could get trees to talk, or so she believed, if trees were capable of talking that is.

 

"Good evening Julie, you look lovely," Elsie glides along the floor to the back of the room. She refills a pitcher and sets it down gently back on the table. "Did you girls need anything? Anna we have to dance later on! I heard Bertram is working on a new song for his fiddle." Elsie makes quick chatter before making her way back towards the kitchen. She stops at one more table on her way.

 

"Lola! I see you made a new acquaintance! Pick him up in the marshes?!," Elsie winks at the dubiously well-dressed man sharing a table with the witch. The elf smiles and energetically stretches out a dainty hand for him to shake, if he's willing. "A friend of Lola is a friend of mine. I'm Elsie. It's nice to meet you sir." She curtsies before strolling off to see if Rose needs any help behind the bar.

Edited November 3, 2023 by NorthOfOrdinary (see edit history)

[Apple Cake]

After listening to all this, John closes his eyes before letting out a hearty laugh, "Ah, sorry it's my mistake!" He says as he takes a chug of his bear before setting it down, now much calmer.

"But really you've made a hermit of yourself in the middle of a crowd! You ought to relax a little yknow?" He gestures around to the bustling tavern as he speaks.

Then he scratches his head for a moment before speaking, "Well as for what I wanna know, or I guess is custom is, what brings ya to this town? Find anything interestin?"

[JagrHunter]

Song released a weary sigh, feeling exasperated by the situation. It was clear that this local hayseed had no intention of giving him a moment's peace. With a slight hint of annoyance, he responded, "As I mentioned before, I'm just passing through. And as for 'finding' something, I had no idea that there was anything lost to begin with?"

[Apple Cake]

John leans on the bar and looks up, reminiscing, "Ah, that reminds me of the good ol times with me pop pop, ysee a long while ago this place was quite the frontier!" He says with a childish grin as he raises his tankard. He sits straight and continues "He told me adventurers would come looking for treasure, great beasts or secrets buried under time."

He calms down a bit then states in a bit more of an irritation mixed with dissapointment, "Wasn't to last I suppose, adventurers dug up a bit too much trouble, there were speakings and such and that was the end of that," and then he quietly sips his beer.

He's probably rattled off a hundred of these stories but he never gets tired of telling them.

Edited November 4, 2023 by Apple Cake (see edit history)

[Visorian]

"The pleasure is all mine." He seems to attempt something of a bow but as he's already seated he simply nods at Elsie. His eyes twitch at the mention of adventure but he keeps his attention on Lola. "The marshes, fascinating." He produces a book, bound in leather, with strange markings on the cover. The markings look nothing like a title of any sort. Rather, they seem to be holding the book together almost. A series of dotted lines and sprawling swirls cover the whole of the book, making it seem as thought it is covered in vines or webs, the symbols are located at intersections of the lines almost like anchors.

He very gently places the book on the table and reaches into his breast pocket, producing a black and gold tube of some sort. He holds the tube aloft in front of his face and stares at it for a moment, seeming to admire it for some reason. He reaches up and smirks as he twists the top of the tube with his other hand. As he pulls the two sections of the tube apart a large black quill pen reveals itself. The feather is massive, larger than that of any common bird, at least a foot long and 2 inches thick at its thickest. most peculiarly, the nib of the pen seems to be made of silver and looks like that of an inkwell pen, with intricate accents covering the entirety. As Darian grasps the opulent pen, his hand takes on a ghostly visage, as if it has been filled with moonlight. As the effect dissipates he smirks mischievously at Lola.

 

"I do hope you don't mind if I take some notes, my good lady. For posterity's sake."