{Crimcha, Bravest of the Chickens}

Crimcha gave a soft nod as he placed a couple of buttered dinner rolls onto his plate. "Try to keep your eyes focused on my back and stay close. Everyone's distracted and talking, so it'll be rather clear right to the bar. Ready?" He waited a few seconds before taking one step forward. If Will followed, he would then continue walking forward to lead them both to the drinks.

_________________

- Sandra -

Be nice... it was a good thing Lydia told her to be, or else Sandra probably would've been less than nice towards Junior. It wasn't his fault, Sandra just didn't get along well with children his age, they were noisy, annoying and fidgety. Honestly, kids lost their cuteness the moment they learned to talk.

But luckily Junior turned out to be the complete opposite of all that, although he really could do with some confidence. As Lydia, who always had a sweet spot for kids, and him got to talking, Millie joined the table as well and gave a welcoming nod to Sandra, who replied in kind. At least she didn't seem amused by her rather unnatural attire.

Unlike a certain friend called Emeline. Who, while she didn't say it, was visibly amused by Sandra's predicament. Sandra waved back at her with a wry smile that simply said "One word and I will hurt you." Emeline made the smart choice of not sitting at this table. Then again, if the roles had been reversed, Sandra would've probably laughed at her as well, so it was all good in the end.

Lydia and Millie hit it off well, had they met before? Truth be told, Sandra wasn't all that well aware of who Lydia and Millie also liked to hang out with. And they brought up a rather interesting point, what to bring along on the trip? The rather sudden growth spurt and added... baggage had severely cut into her wardrobe, not that she owned a lot of clothing, but now she barely had anything left that fit. Much to her mothers joy, she could still hear her go on and on, Oh, my little girl is turning into such a pretty woman! Eugh, if Sandra didn't know any better, she suspected her mother from spiking her food with growth supplements.

It was Junior who jolted her out of her little rambling thoughts, by suddenly placing a plat of rather delicious looking cake under her nose. She hadn't eaten anything yet, so she was a bit peckish. Perhaps she had gauged the boy in a wrong way, maybe the boy was more mature than he let on? Even with the stuffed cat and all. "Thanks!" Sandra said as she greedily started to gorge down the cake. It created a rather stark contrast between her current appearance and manners, but Sandra didn't care, she almost never had cake. Her mother always told her it would make her fat and that it was unhealthy, which sounded rather hypocrite now that she was thinking about it.

"Oh gof, thif if dellivious!" she said with a full mouth towards Junior, hopefully he was fast enough to dodge the sudden barrage of pieces of cake hurtling towards him. How could her mother life with the guilt of depriving this from her all this time!?! And as she was wolfing down the cake, she noticed Rem entering. It only occurred to her now that he hadn't been here from the start, she ought to say hello to him. Probably tease him with her current attire and receive a few dubious comments in return.

So she quickly finished her cake in record time and got up "I'm sorry ladies, but I've got someone to greet." she said in her best dainty impression, before wobbly walking towards Rem. At least she was slowly getting used to these damned heels.

Sandra approached him from behind, he either hadn't seen her when he entered, or most likely, he hadn't recognized her. It wasn't difficult to figure out why he was late, she was perfectly aware of his... hobbies. Of course, the strand of long, curly hair on his shoulder did help her deduce this as well. So she carefully took the strand of hair from his shoulder and held it in front of him as she leaned against his back, her head on his left shoulder. "It seems like a certain someone was too busy to attend the opening." She said with a teasing voice.

_________________

-Fenrem-

Rem saw the dangling golden curl in front of him and felt something - someone - pressing against his back and immediately guessed the widow had somehow snuck in and wanted to ruin his life. He was about to say something rather hotly to Elaine about giving the game away, but caught himself just in time as Sandra's voice lilted towards him. He snorted in response and began to shrug her off with a clever retort, but he choked and made a strangled noise when he saw what she was wearing.

He looked at her up and down for a moment, a piece of meat he was about to shovel into his mouth still dripping from his fork, and immediately thanked Muerin for the fact that he had sufficiently sated himself earlier in the day. The second thought was also a thank-you, but to Mrs. Pilkington. The third thought he immediately pushed away and instead tried to think of something to say that would keep him at an advantage.

What he ended up with was, "You...Sandy....Sandra. You have cake around your mouth."

Alexander's eyes darted around and around in anticipation of her answer.
When the girl did speak he was held captive by everything she said, she seemed a bit boyish , even through the dress,but that only made him more interested in her.
After she had stopped talking he sat there looking dumbfounded as if waiting for her to say more, he was so unused to having a conversation with anyone near his age that it felt as if he was bieng told a story, more than talking with her, and he was enjoying it.

Once he realized she had asked him a question he said O-Oh me, my name is Alexander Grier he said as he watched her eat her food I'm a bit of a pioneer in the field of smith'ing, at least from what I know I am, One of the only smith's anywhere to be able to smith wood and many other items!he paused a minute allowing her to take this in
As far as what I do goes, it depends...for work , I'm a blacksmith, and as much as I love doing it what I really love is Inventing ,and tinkering with things, and I wouldn't be able to do it without my ha- He paused to reconsider his words . Ummm I like making things, and as far as I'm considered we're like cousins in trade.

_________________
I got friends on the other side ~

- Sandra -

She couldn't help but snicker at Rem's reaction, it was better than she expected. Guess she at least got a bit of fun out of the dress. Though she couldn't help but blush a little, she felt so... defenseless.

Wiping her mouth of any cake, she sat down next to him with a big grin on her face. "So what do you think? Don't I look absolutely fabulous?" She said with her best impersonation of Zephrin, which wasn't all that good. "In all honesty though, I miss pants. This feels so wrong, it's like I'm just running around in my underwear... although I'm sure you wouldn't mind that" She gave him a coy smile. "So do tell, what unlucky girl did you... do your thing with this time. Oh, and please skip the details." While she wouldn't ever admit it, not even under torture... probably... she did feel a bit... a bit... she wasn't quite sure what she felt. Jealous? Why would she feel jealous? He'd made passes at her, and she'd turn him down every time. So the opportunities had certainly been there, and given his reaction just now, would certainly arise again.

Or maybe it was just hormones running rampant through her body. Being a chemist doesn't just mean you know the chemical properties of plants you know, you need to know something about the human body. It was a good thing she had a little self knowledge like this, helped her see things in perspective again.

_________________

"Hey yeah! We are just like family." Emeline agreed with a laugh, giving Alexander a playful punch on the arm. She noticed when he responded he seemed to hesitate if only for a second and he fidgeted occasionally. 'He really must be worried about tomorrow.' The girl jumped up from her seat, "You look like you could use something to drink. I know I can. I'll be right back." She took off before the boy could respond.

As she made her way across the tavern, she spotted Sandra a ways in front of her. She kept her distance, not because of the whole dress thing but because she was talking to Rem. She passed by the two and gave Sandra another look, this time a cross-eyed kissy face. Rem's back was turned to her so he wouldn't see the idiotic face she was making. She quickened her pace immediately after making the face in case Sandra had any plans to smash it in. 'I do deserve to be punched right now.'


After grabbing the ale she promptly returned to the table where Alexander waited. "Here we are." She handed him one of the glasses. "Brought this too!" She plopped down two plates of cake and slid one over in front of him. "Looks good, huh?" She immediately began devouring her slice. It was wonderful, perhaps the best cake she had ever had though when she thought about it, she never really had cake. "So Alexander, you said you like inventing things, right? What have you made? I don't want to pry if it's a secret or something. But just tell me." Her eyes were wide with interest and anticipation as she practically leaned in his direction, this was the kind of stuff she loved talking about.

~Veint Falko~
~Singing for a Feast~

It was just after the Elder finished his speech that the Bard came behind Veint and grabbed his shoulder, excusing himself from Veint’s family that was sitting around him he took Veint outside. Veint was wearing his black tunic and trousers since this was quite the formal event. He had left his cape inside. Veint was surprised by his Master’s sudden approach and he wasn’t afraid to tell him so when they were outside alone.

“Master Loren, what can be so important to take me away from a feast? Is the Sky falling, or does wood turn to yeast?” he asked with a jester tone in his smooth voice. His eyes were dark in the low moonlight and his smile wide as it was from the moment he left the house. “My boy, this is no time for jokes nor for skives. Celebration is a time of joy and not of rhymes,” he answered with the same musical tune. A smile couldn’t help but imprint itself on his lips.

Veint let out a hearty laugh right from his stomach as he responded, “As expected Master Loren, nonetheless I still don’t understand what would be so important?” His master, still smiling walked forward, away from the inn and motioned him to follow. “Veint, from tomorrow on I will not be here for you. I will not be able to give you the support you had until now, and you need to understand that when you reach the Guild things are going to get far more difficult” he spoke while walking “Everyone travelling with you will have a far more difficult job to do when you arrive to the Guild, but especially you. Being a bard in the Guild is a bit different than being a bard in the small village of Amber Falls” He stopped walking.

They were now below one of the largest oak trees in the village. “Do you remember what the real job of a Bard is?” he asked with solid seriousness. Veint recognised this to be one of those tests his master loved to pop in the most random times. “A bard is the great equaliser” he answered seriously “a textbook answer” he thought with satisfaction. “An answer straight from the scrolls I gave you” the Bard responded crashing Veint’s confidence “Can you explain me now what that actually means?”

Loren’s face was calm and unreadable; his silver hair was glistening in the moonlight the wrinkles on his face were showing now more than ever. Veint took a deep breath, just like his master taught him. After a second his words were even more confident and more powerful than before “A Bard is an agent of nature, he acts on behalf of nature to control and protect the balance of the world” he said. A strange calmness was thrown over his mind as he said those words. “Correct” the Bard said and his smile widened a bit more “Now I want to give you a gift, to aid you in your journey” pausing for a moment he put his hands in his robe and took out a wooden box. He sat down, Veint mimicked him as he always did and put the box on the ground. He opened the box slowly and took out a small circular object, no bigger than the fist of a child, made of glass, strings, feathers and leaves.

“This is a Dream Glass, in other parts of the world there are Dream Catchers and Dream Weavers. A Dream Glass is something much greater than both of those things” Master Loren was talking now in a voice almost like a whisper “Learning to use a Dream Glass is a very challenging notion, most people can’t use it without proper teaching, what I taught you until now I think should be enough for you to work on it on your own. You’ll learn more of it when you arrive at Crenshaw and the Dawn Guild.” Veint looked at the glass ornament in awe, he had never seen an object like this before.

It was something unreal, transcending the light around it in mysterious ways. “This will transform your music into something so much more” his Master said and before Veint could respond he packed the ornament back into its box and gave the box to him “Now it’s time for the feast, and maybe some music wouldn’t be bad” he added with a light hearted smile, a weight lifted from his shoulders. Veint took the box and stood up as well.

They walked back talking about other things, about Crenshaw and the Guild, about the people Veint would be travelling with. It was all very warm and very friendly, but there was a tension underneath it all, as Veint couldn’t let go of the ornament. He was eager to practice with it and learn from it. After they reached the Sleepy Sheep his Master told him to get his lute, and with eagerness Veint went to get his cape and lute case. He opened a secret compartment in the lute case and put the wooden box next to the letter for the guild. He took the lute, wore the rich burgundy cape and headed off to find his Master in the middle of the inn where they always performed.

“There, there,” his Master spoke in a voice loud enough to be heard by the crowd but not loud enough to be considered a shout. He had a strong voice, a bit coarse and a bit husky as well, very different from Veint’s.

“Come and listen
A song is comin’
A song of life,
Of joy and might”

The Bard said and as he finished the last line, Veint joined in with his lute, singing along a song of adventure, a song for heading out; a song that not many people had heard in the town. Because this was a town for people that stayed, not for people that wandered. And yet as it turned out to be, it was a song much appropriate.

"Upon the hearth the fire is red
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow me may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the Moon or to the Sun.
Apple, thorn, and nut and sloe,
Let them go! Let them go!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! Fare you well!

Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world begind and home ahead,
We'll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!”

Veint sang it and sang again, his voice crisp and smooth like honey, like the wet soil and like the blazing fire. Not everyone was quiet, but everyone listened. Not everyone learned the words, but everyone was humming. Veint had sweet smile on his face and eyes glowing yellow across the flames. This was a day of both joy and sadness, as finally some would be ready to leave but even so, no mother is ever ready to leave her child. He saw everyone that would head to the road with him and everyone he knew. He repeated the song one more time. Not everyone was here, but it did not matter, he sang one more song, and then he stopped abruptly and said with a loud melodic voice.

“Rejoice, for greatness is nigh! The road is long but it never lies” he said and his brown hair swished as he gave a low royal bow. This was a night to be remembered.

A couple of minutes later having put the lute back in its case, Veint was walking along the numerous foods picking things carefully to add to his own plate when he noticed Sandra and Fenrem talking. He had met with Sandra quite a few times as he went to get some herbs for the Bard, although she never knew that it was actually for bard business and it was more than once that he convinced Fenrem to take him to the casks where they had more ale than a fourteen year old could handle. Taking his plate with him, a playful smile on his face, he walked towards them with a quiet step hoping to sneak up on them. He took a bite from a piece of meat and as he came close he spoke with a sarcastic cheeky voice that only he could do “What are you guys doing all up close and personal?” you could say that his whiskers were smiling and that his eyes were glowing mischievously.

_________________

Gregory was returning by the Sleepy Sheep as he heard Veint's song, the bard's singing put a smile on his face as it had done for some time; having been around the town for some time now, the young merchant returned to the Inn to see that much had changed since Elder Her's departure. He decided he would listen in on the conversations that his peers were having and join in if invited to do so by them, for the time being though, he stood toward the food tables, observing the other party-goers with a smile on his face, occasionally he took a bite of some food or stuffed less perishable goods into a small bag which he intended to bring with him to contain marketable items.

_________________
These are a few of my favorite things

Lara Kossak ~ Busy Busy Bee

A short blonde girl was all but sprinting through the crowd, carrying with her four separate trays all filled to capacity with flagons of ale, plates, and other tableware, all threatening to collapse at any given moment and shatter around her. Despite this, the girl continued moving just as swiftly as ever, weaving through the festival goers with such skill that a professional dancer might have gawked at her display had one been there to see it. Lara scarcely had time to breathe between orders. As soon as she had finished emptying one set of trays, yet another was ready to be brought out. Of all nights, her mother picked this one to take a personal day. Not that Lara could blame her. She couldn't remember a time when her mother hadn't taken on the extra load of the festival so that she could enjoy the festival among her friends. Perhaps it was fitting that her mother had given her this one final challenge before she was sent off to master her trade?

Still, Lara longed to break away from work and find out what her friends were up to. She kept hoping to spot at least one of them in the crowd, but between every man in the village asking for another pint of ale and everyone else almost deliberately stepping in front of her, the poor girl could scarcely find her way back to Malkizid's table. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!! How much longer do we have to keep this up!?" she huffed, setting her trays down at last and propping herself against the empty side of the table. "I don't know if I can keep going. My feet are killing me, I can barely breathe, and no one is showing even the slightest sign of slowing down."

Before she could even receive an answer from her childhood friend, Lara saw a brand new group of customers looking around blankly, a clear sign that they were trying to get service. The young barmaid sighed before picking up a new set of trays and dashing over to them. Once she had finished passing out their drinks and taking down their order, Lara was just about to head back when she finally noticed the rest of her friends. The baker's child, (what was his name again? Junior?), seemed unusually popular tonight. Beyond him though, Sandy was an absolute shock. Had that green-thumb actually let someone convince her to wear a dress for once? This brief lapse in concentration cost Lara dearly as she failed to notice one of the patrons rising from his seat. The young girl tripped, sending all four of her, thankfully, empty trays flying through the air. Lara herself slid across the ground for what seemed like ages before finally coming to a stop just in front of Malkizid's table. "Ooooooooooowwww!"

-Malkizid Soluvan-


His job was somewhat over, a customer helped and a polite smile was given in return for the nice compliments. Rare was the day someone in this small town gave a compliment to the ones working in the back of a kitchen, then again it was even more rare for a cook to leave the kitchen for longer than a minute to take an order... Where was Lara?
A quick glance showed his small fear was realized, the poor girl was working too fast without looking at her surroundings, taking what would later be described as 'Quite the spill'. Quickly stepping forward, Malkazid put his quick and precise hands to work. Grabbing the trays was childs play, a cook grabbed plenty of falling items dozens of times a day, grabbing Lara however was a bit of a task even for him.

Extending his leg out, the girl fell softly on his leg to cushion a bit of the momentum before he grabbed the back of her shirt and gave a good yank to pull the rather light girl up and placing her back on her feet. "Be careful, walk slowly and calmly. We've been over this. How am I gonna keep explaining to your parents why you come home from the tavern with bruises?" Putting down the trays, Mal licked his thumb and wiped a smudge off the girls face. "Run along now, Lara.

_________________
"But when one of it's baby chicks is in trouble, Momma comes a run'nin' and a squawkin and a run'nin''." -General Treistar

Orcus listened silently to the songs from Veint with mild pleasure, leaning back into his chair with closed eyes as the bard sang and played. Perhaps he'd have changed a few of the tones or chords, but the bard was the expert, and maybe it was meant to fit the mood here. He'd have to admit, his tastes were probably out-of-fashion, church hymns and other classical melodies while normally in a very serious context. Still, there was obvious talent there, hopefully he'd live a good life because of that, it would be disappointing if such a gift were left unrewarded, but who knows the hand life has dealt?

Orcus finished his cup as he heard the small crash over the large chatter of the crowd, immediately decided to ignore it since no-one was screaming or anything serious and raised his hand. The jewel in his ring flashed once, just as if light was bouncing out of it, in order to catch a waiter's eye. He gripped the top of his cup with his other hand's fingers and twirled the water around the bottom of it playfully over his lap for a moment before stopping himself. Foolishness...Perhaps I should be going to refill my cup myself? he asked himself, before deciding that this little bit of trouble caused to one person doing their job, would be less damaging than possibly affecting the other travellers' celebratory evening while he did so. Best just to remain here and enjoy the peaceful moment, it was rare he got moments when he didn't have to do something.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

Alexander Grier-

Emeline seemed to be very nice,(despite punching him in the arm which he sort of chuckled at) and as he sat back he felt a bit more comfortable, then when she left he tensed right back up again. (aaahh, this is the first time I've really been able to enjoy any conversation with anyone but my father.)
when she returned he perked back up again. Uhm...ah, thanks for the cake.He turned a bit red while thanking her. She had a bit of a manner to her that wasn't exactly what he expected (If I manage not to blow this I might actually make a possible friend here)he thought as she handed him the cake. Alexander watched her eat her's with a smile.

He turned bright red in the face, (this was really hard to do for someone with tanned skin like his) humbled by the thought of explaining what his things did, there would be no getting around it this time ,he was going to have to tell her. Then an idea struck itself into his head. Excuse me one moment I'll be right backHe ran over to the other end of the pavillion. Alexander reached into his bag ,and pulled out a small shiny object with leather straps then he ran back to the table.
in such a rush he knocked into a rather well dressed young gentleman, after apoligizing about a dozen times he ran off back to the table.

I think I could show you better than I could tell you. This here is something that i noticed could really come in handy at times for the...well, time.
He grabbed one of her arms gently and put it one of the straps around her arm,then the other strap around it. It's sort of a portable sun dial. You can keep it, it's one of three prototypes.

Alex blushed a bit brighter
I just look at things the way they are and want to improve them,make them better than they were before not so much get famous, as just explore, learn, then take what I've learned and use it to create things, but I probably sound stupid, or pretentious, I've spent all my life knowing about myself, what about you...? He said as he dug into his cake the music of the bard playing in the background.

_________________
I got friends on the other side ~

Gregory caught a glint of light in his eyes and looking up, noticed Orcus; or more specifically, Orcus' ring. He grabbed a pitcher of water and walked over to the spook's table.

"Orcus?" The young shopkeep began. He had known Orcus from childhood but did not associate with him very often due to an opinion that he took his work demeanor too far into his personal life. Still, he saw that the boy was alone and that he was holding an empty cup, which needed tending to.

"It's been a while." He paused to introduce himself, in case the Seventh son did not remember who he was. " Gregory Hanstein. I'm the apprentice over at the General Store." The shopkeep decided to ask to continue the conversation. "Mind if I sit here? I've got some water I can refill that glass of yours with." He brandished the pitcher slightly as he asked the question, hoping to have the dark lad accept his invitation.

_________________
These are a few of my favorite things

Sabeam Nightshade - Just leaving the inn heading home
Sabeam just sat there watching the woodcutter with a rather unamused expression on her face to which the lack of response annoyed her, 'Is she just toying with me?' She thought to which she abruptly stood up and spoke, "Eat it all to your hearts content...I lost my appetite!" The raven haired teen then stormed off away from that corner and started heading towards the front door, 'It's gettin' hot in here...too many people in here...' The violet eyed fletcher thought while passing a few of the young apprentices who were mingling rather nicely, maybe. She felt every step was long an exaggerated as she slowly headed to the door, her mind whirled with a few different thoughts about what just happened, 'is that girl out of her mind?' Was one thought. The other thought was something to the effect of, 'it was probably the ale talking.' Sabeam stopped just before reaching the door and just sighed while looking rather tired. She placed her left hand on her face while just staring blankly at the door, "I am too tired of..." She silenced her self by covering her mouth with that left hand to which she then dropped that hand and moved to the door opening it and heading out into the darkness.

The moon lit the small dusty town which the young woman took a deep breath and let the air out. The sound of the crickets chirping as if speaking some sort of coded message to one another about who was leaving the inn. The music and laughter could still be heard from outside the inn which Sabeam started walking towards the town square. The cicadas now started to chirp as well while the raven haired tee with the sharp violet eyes continued her trek towards the square. Some of her fondest memories actually happened there. She remembered watching the other children playing their games there while the adults would watch them with simplistic smiles and cheer. The apprentice fletcher never really wanted to play with the others for she honestly rather watched them play. She stopped dead in her tracks as she stood in the middle of the town square while the reality of it all started to set in, 'we are all leaving tomorrow...' Sabeam did not have a chance yet to say anything to Donovan about the ritualistic 'right of passage' or anything about the others.

She tilted her head upward looking at the many glittering stars in the sleepy night sky, Sabeam was in awe of the natural beauty for she was always too focused on work to really think about the simple things. She then started walking slightly north of the town square for that is where her home as well as the fletching shop was. The fletcher slowly walked the dirt road while feeling a little tired from the strange things that had happened that very day. As she walked her hands moved to the back of her head to release her braided hair from the small leather strap that head it all together. Her pale fingers unwound the thin brown leather to which her jet black hair unraveled blowing about in the light breeze.

_________________
You've tried so hard until now, you needn't blame yourself.
You've treasured your Rose Signet until now.
I shall give you a kiss as your reward.
This is your consolation.

-Ranger Lodge-

“Hroth is out with the others.” Redgrove said dismissively, as if such a thing should have been obvious. Her shot daggers as him. He wasn’t satisfied. “He and the other Rangers are tracking their continued movements. Hroth would be here if he thought bringing you your report was more important.” He droned matter of factly.

Her’s fist impacted the desk in the room, and hard. “Well then man, give your report.”

“Oh yes do.” Grumbled Captain Gurd. “We’ve been preparing for weeks, on your warnings I might add, and you Rangers still can’t tell us where the enemy encampment is. Those deep woods patrols have been getting closer every damn day, so they have to be out there somewhere.”

“Can we reeeaaalllly call them enemies boys? Sure they may be patrolling well within the border but they haven’t hurt anybody yet have they? Besides, the men of Gelban have always been amiable.” Dr. Hemper chimed in more enthusiastic than anything else. Aldrnari would have heard of Gelban. It was the neighboring land to the east. The nearest Gelban town was also at least one hundred and fifty miles away though dense forest with no roads to speak of.

“Be silent Farn.” The Captain spat. “Leave matters of town defense to us.”

“As you should leave the scouting to us Captain.” Elson interrupted. “Wherever their camp was doesn’t matter. A full contingent is bearing down on the Great Falls as we speak.”

“How long before they arrive at the Falls, and with how many men?” Asked Captain Gurd. With some real information he was beginning to come to life. “We have home field advantage. It shouldn’t be too much trouble to lie in ambush. You snipe them from the woods, thin the heard and send then straight for us. You’ll be the hammer and we’ll be the hammer.”

“We’ll also be starting a gods damned war!” Elder Her shouted in frustration. “We still don’t even know what they’re doing here!”

“Then why don’t we just ask?” Dr. Hemper intoned as he passed back and forth in the crowded room.

“Yes by all means, ask the small army trying to sneak up on us through our own wood what in the world they are doing and if they’d like any help doing it. Brilliant idea doctor. Lets just up and tell them we’ve been spying on them this whole time.” Her hissed.

“So you don’t want us to fight, and you don’t want us to talk.” Captain Gurd sounded as if he was about to have a conniption. This was not the time to take a wait and see approach. “What do you expect us to do? Let them march straight into town? Are you going senile Arron? You need to make a decision before I make it for you.”

“And what of the people? Do we tell everyone and evacuate now, or step up our current plans for the purplepox?” The doctor added. “The brew can be ready by tonight if you need it but we need a decision.”

“Both of you shut up!” Screamed the Elder. The room fell silent again. “Redgrove, finish your report before I strangle the lot of you. I’m not making any decisions before I know exactly what we’re dealing with.”

-[Damnit, I hate being late.]-

Renaldo approached the front door to the inn with a bit of an irritated look on his face. "Ah jeeze, I'm late. Hopefully not too much so." His mother had spent so much time bothering on his appearance for this special event, despite his protests she wouldn't let him leave until she thought he looked well enough.

With a final sigh, he straightened up with his pack and walked into the door. He looked around and saw the rest of the apprentices. "There sure are a lot of them, this should be interesting..." He said with a slight smile on his face. He put his pack near the entrance to the kitchen. "Nice catch." He said with a grin. "I'm leaving my pack near the kitchen, there's a couple of quail wrapped up inside it." He said simply, and made his way over to the table. He wasn't terribly hungry at the moment, so he just got an assortment of the spread on a plate that he could pick at while talking with the rest of the apprentices.

He didn't speak up right away, he'd let the current conversations go on unless others chose to include him in what they were talking about. Hopefully Mal would be done in the kitchen soon enough.

_________________

☽Aldrnari - Ranger Corps Lodge☾

Aldrnari remained quiet as Elson began his report, starting off with Hroth's location. Hroth was out tracking someone? This couldn't be anything good then, Aldrnari guessed. And her guess was soon confirmed by Captain Gurd, mentioning that there were enemies in the woods, where only the rangers could get, and yet the rangers still couldn't find them? Something wasn't right. There wasn't anything that a ranger couldn't track, and humans were some of the easiest of all to follow. Then Dr. Hemper spoke, and Aldrnari turned as white as a sheet. Gelbans a hundred and fifty miles into the forest? Closing in on the falls? Even if the Gelbans were currently at peace with the Sylians, this was incredibly bad news. No one ever raised an army for anything good, after all. Aldrnari also found Dr. Hemper's almost gleeful tone of voice to be a little disturbing.

The girl's color slowly returned as she continued listening. It was hard for her not to push the fear of the impending situation away when the adults who were supposed to be in charge of the town were squabbling like little children. The amusing thought was gone almost as quickly as it came though, as Elson contuned his report. Or he would have, had Gurd not interrupted with more questions, and the assumption that they would have the advantage. Aldrnari almost laughed aloud at the arrogance of it. How could Gurd possibly believe that there were enough trained soldiers in the town guard to fight against a full contingent of well-armed soldiers?

Aldrnari put a hand to her forehead as the adults began to argue again. Her was right, just blindly attacking Gelban soldiers would start a war, because there was no way the town guard would be able to kill every single invading soldier. Word would get back to Gelban, no matter what. Hemper's idea of asking wasn't bad. It was a good way to throw a potential enemy off balance, and a not-so-subtle way to gain information. But everything seemed to go downhill from there. Her didn't want to fight, Gurd didn't want to talk, and Hemper wanted to infect the incoming army with some sort of disease. That was the most terrible idea so far. Biological warfare could only backfire and hurt the town. It would be a poor decision to go through with.

Thankfully, Her put an end to all of the bickering, but Aldrnari lost a great deal of respect for the man due to his behavior. Screaming wasn't going to help diffuse the tense situation inside Hroth's office, not by a long shot. And it was unbelievable the way he was treating Elson. The rangers were their own entity, and Her had no right to order any of the rangers around like that. Hroth would not be happy to hear about such behavior. But the lull in conversation left Aldrnari with a choice. Did she let her presence be known, and show the adults how unreasonable they were being, or continue listening to see what other information she could gather? Her personality clamored for her to stand, but her training held fast. A good ranger listened until there was nothing else to be heard, or until they faced the danger of being discovered. She didn't seem to be in any danger of being found out just yet, and Elson was about to speak again, so Aldrnari would continue to listen for the moment.

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

Emeline Harcourt - Alexander & the Sun Dial

"No problem but you should really thank that guy..." She pointed behind her, moving her arm around gesturing to no one specific, mostly because she had no clue who made the cake.

As she waited for the boy to answer her question, she watched his face turn bright red. She didn't notice him blushing before. And suddenly he took off before she could ask if he was ok. She hummed a bit of a song as she waited and looked around the tavern. Some girl was on her way out and some boy had just walked in.

Alexander arrived back at the table and Emeline immediately turned her attention back to him, excited to hear about his creations. The carpenter was transfixed by the shiny object he brought with him, she listened intently as he spoke. A smile spread across her face when he said it would 'come in handy at times for the...well, time.' She watched curiously as he strapped the sun dial to her arm. When he told her she could keep it, she stared at him unbelieving. Then she felt her face go red (and unlike Alexander, she was pale.) It was rare that she ever got some sort of present from anyone. She quietly admired it for a minute and listened to him speak.

"No, you don't sound stupid. Or pretentious. Nothing like that at all. You sound like...like...like an inventor." She stared the boy in his eyes. Emeline raised her arm to admire the sun dial, "But you sure? I can keep this?" She stared down at it, it was beautifully crafted, this boy had obviously spent some time on it. And here he was just giving it to her and they hardly knew each other. "It's so cool! Thanks! This is the perfect thing to start a new journey with tomorrow." She gave him another punch to express her excitement, "And it's one of three, huh?"

She played with the sun dial having caught the light at just the right angle, sending the reflection dancing wildly around the top of the table. She was caught up with the gift she had almost forgotten he had asked her something. "Oh right. As for me, I like to build stuff. You know, like chairs and tables and such. Though what I really like to build are houses. It's the greatest feeling to know you get to build it anyway you can imagine it. And then get to see it when it's done and know someone lives in it and calls it home. Gotta say though I think there's some things I'd still like to know about myself." She paused for a moment. "I can't stop staring at this thing." She held up the sun dial again and laughed. "I bet your friends like getting gifts from you."

Alexander Greir-

Alexander's face spread a goofy looking smile when he saw she liked the gift he had given her. His smile got even bigger when she had reafirmed his belief in himself. Yeah sure keep the sun dial, You know the world is a funny place, maybe one day I'll need somethin to be built and I'll show up at your store.He was glad she liked it. Yeah, I had more things but I figured I'd start of with what I found in the cityHe continued to eat his cake as he listened to her talk, rubbing his arm with a slight smile from where she punched. When she finished talking he snickered a little...It's just, so funny that a carpenter and a blacksmith who invents stuff are talking about building things. It's sorta like...destiny,no....Irony, anyway maybe one day you'll build my house... He watched as Emeline stared and stared at the sun dial. Oh well as far as friends go I never really had any, I always had work to do ,or was busy, or had some new thingamawhatzit to try out, even in school whenever we had freetime I'd just go to a quiet place to work on something....I guess the Importance of friends was just, lost on me.

W-well Emeline, tommorow is gonna be a really important day , I'm sure you have plans to do somethin cool huh? Alexander nugged her a bit with his elbow.

_________________
I got friends on the other side ~

~Millie with Lydia, Junior, and Sandra before she went to go flirt~

Millicent's expression turned thoughtful at Lydia's request. "Hmm. I'm not really sure if I can. It really depends on if any last minute deliveries come up again. It's why I was late in the first place." She paused and tilted her head towards a lively table mostly populated by boys and two adults, "Not to mention I need to go associate with my family at some point before the night's over." Her nose wrinkled slightly as one of her brothers belched loudly causing the others to roar into laughter. They'll never grow up will they? She thought to herself and returned to eating her food.

When Junior wandered off leaving them to 'protect' Rhyme before returning with cake. By this point Millie had finished eating and had been planning to try the cake anyway, so Junior's return was well received. "Sure I'd like some," she replied to him wondering what had made him so nervous about the cake. Taking several bites of it she finally nodded in appreciation, "Whoever made this is very talented," she stated bluntly. "I've tried some cakes in other places when I traveled around and this is probably one of the best I've had." Millie wasn't the sort to come out and say it, but she had a bit of a sweet-tooth and enjoyed trying things when she had a little money to spare. She continued to eat the cake with a content expression on her face.

When Sandra got up to go talk to Rem, Millie raised her eyebrows slightly at the girl's attempt to act well... like a girl, but didn't comment. I can understand being forced to wear the dress, but trying to act the part seems a bit odd for her, Millie pondered to herself as she continued her way through the cake.

_________________
Zee Captain: "Better dig your heels in"
Mr. Snippy: "Why? What?"
Zee Captain: "..."

Orcus turned from the fire and looked up at Gregory, staring blankly at him without blinking. He kept silent and unresponsive throughout the questions, not even nodding to show recognition. He stayed silent for a moment as he considered Gregory's request, and then placed the empty cup on the small round table inbetween the two chairs facing the fire, beckoning towards the empty seat as he did so. I assume business at the store is good, as you are choosing to leave to gain some higher qualification at the Guild. That is good to know. He said simply, as if it was a matter-of-fact. It was good to know that Gregory was doing well, he hadn't seen him in a while due to some other child being sent to deliver provisions in recent years from their store. They'd met once or twice before Orcus's apprenticeship, and he'd seemed a pleasant enough child, although that was a long time ago. How have you been personally then. he asked. One of the stock questions he used when dealing with conversation.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

-Fenrem-

Rem sighed.

"As I've told you before, Sandra Pilkington," he said, keeping his eyes carefully away from her cleavage, "I'm not some sort of uncouth sexual beast who kisses and tells. What happens in my barn...or in the hunters' clearing...or in your lavender garden are of none of your concern."

His eyes twinkled in sudden mischief. Two could play that game. And boy, am I good at this game.

Looking into her eyes in earnest, he said, "But...the more intimate details I do not mind sharing...I began by giving her soft kisses down her neck - "

He lifted two fingers and left light butterfly trails along her neck and down to her shoulder.

"As her dress slowly began to fall lower...."

He let his fingers, not quite touching her, trail downwards from her shoulder.

"And lower..."

They trailed even lower.

"And-"

And then he was interrupted by the wonderful and melodic voice of Veint Falko, the resident bard-to-be. Rem hid a grimace, as he always did with Veint. The distaste wasn't personal by any means, as Rem found Veint just about as personable as anyone in that quiet town, but the two shared a certain magical style.

Rem had been trained in subtlety and subterfuge in his magic - his friend, however, had very different training, and, to Rem, Veint's channeled magic through his music was as subtle as an angry bear in the woods. It had knocked several of Rem's attempts at previous functions completely off.

He had long since decided that it was not Veint's fault, though, and gave the young bard a smile. He casually dropped the fingers he had been using to tease Sandra and reached into his pouch to take out his usual carrying flask of spiced clove-cinnamon metheglin and motioned for them to take a drink, if they so wanted to.

"Veint," he said. "As much as I would like to explain to you what a man and a woman do together, I'm more partial to give the women of our town at least a fighting chance to run away before you figure things out on your own. Nin knows the legions you'll slay with that voice of yours in the future."

Emeline - Something Cool

"Build your house? Yeah sure. If I do it'll be a nice one, with a workshop for all your inventions." She held her arms out in front of her as she imagined the house, indicating the shape and layout. She smiled brightly at the concept.

Her smile faded though when he told her he didn't have any friends. "Oh..." Emeline said softly. To her, friends were extremely important to have. Her friends were the closest thing she had to a family, though she never told them this; she thought it sounded pathetic. "Friends are good to have. You can share stuff with them. Like...your inventions. Maybe another time you can share with me some of the other things you've made and I can show you the things I've built." Emeline smiled at Alexander.

"I almost forgot!" She nearly shouted immediately after he asked if she had anything cool planned. Though he was referring to the next day, she had something she wanted to do before the night ended. "Remind me again before this whole 'get outta town' party ends. I have a surprise for everyone." She looked around quickly before leaning closer to whisper to him, "I made these fortune flyer things, they make them over in Windsor. Or is it Windberg? I don't know. Some city. Anyways, do you know what they are?"

Baldemar:

Me in one of your dresses. I wouldn't want to be found dead in one of your creations. Baldemar brought out while half laughing. I mean really. Your Clothes look nothing like the real fashion designers. I'ts not Haute Couture enough for my taste. But dont worry I bet they can use a mediocre tailor down at the guild. You know to fetch the fabrics and clean up. Or maybe they will use you as a dress doll Baldemar startes laughing out loud from his remarks and drank down his ale. yep! there's hope for you yet. Maybe you'll learn something to Like, I dont know, modesty. He looked at Zephrim knowing that a snappy comeback would probably follow soon.

_________________
Dragonborn Dragonborn, by his honour is sworn, to keep evil forever at bay
and the fiercest foes rout, when they hear triumph's shout.

Dragonborn for your blessing we pray, and the scrolls have fortold, of black wings in the cold
that when brothers wage war come unfurled, Alduin bane of kings, ancient shadow unbound
with a hunger to swallow the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9eGtyqz4gY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50u0zUeCmU

- Sandra -

Note to self: hit Emeline tomorrow. What was that face even supposed to mean? Her and Rem? In his dreams. No wait, rather not go there either. If it weren't for this dress, she'd tackle her already. Oh well, punches were always best served to those unsuspecting. Despite all that though, a slight blush appeared on Sandra's face, very uncharacteristic of her.

She shifted a bit uncomfortably as Rem started to name the places were he... well, did his thing. Wait, her lavender garden? She suddenly snapped her look at him. "You didn't..." She started, just as Rem suddenly got awfully close. Perhaps a bit too close for her comfort, but she didn't pull away, instead answering his gaze with her own, slightly startled gaze. He touched her neck and ran his fingers down towards her shoulder, getting a shiver out of her as well as the slight blush increasing in intensity. Why hadn't she hit him yet? Pushed him away? Clobbered him until he was either unconscious or her hand hurt too much? Perhaps it was curiosity? This was unknown territory for her after all. Or maybe it was anticipation, wanting to see just how far Rem was willing to go. Again, it was so uncharacteristic of her, this dress was evil!

Just as Rem really started to warm up, and her heart felt like it could jump out of her chest, she was suddenly jolted out of her trance by the sudden voice of the bard. She shook her head in confusion, and relieve. What on earth had just happened? As she listened to the bard, and later Veint, she felt like the words were lost on her. The story was good, but she simply couldn't keep her head in the game.

Afterwards Veint came and sit with the two of them, to which Sandra let out a small prayer of gratitude to whatever god was listening. Although his question caught her a bit off guard "N-nothing... Absolutely nothing!" she stammered. Though the bright blush was certainly saying otherwise.

Rem got out his flask and offered them a drink, a offer Sandra certainly wasn't going to deny. She quickly took the flask out of his hand, before Veint could grab it, saying "Ladies first." Hoping that with a few jokes and a bunch of alcohol, she could get rid of these damned feelings. She took a large drink from the flask, being friends with a brewer had its advantages. Over the years she had grown a good tolerance against alcohol, although she still couldn't hold nearly as much as Rem could (she blames her father for that, he's a lightweight). If her mother ever found out, she'd probably kill Rem and then her, good thing she was in the other part of the tavern.

She handed the flask back to Rem, as she wiped her mouth. "Aaah, that's just what I needed! I'm gonna get so drunk, I forget all about this stupid dress and these ridiculous shoes!" To illustrate her point she lifted her feet into the air, though the boys wouldn't understand it, they'd never have to walk in these torture devices. "And you two are going to help me with that." A coy smile appeared on her face as she faced the two again, she was starting to feel a bit more like her usual self.

_________________