Realistic or Modern Travelers - A New Beginning

[KyanoTzoker]

Kayle noticed without fail all the tense, uncertain looks her unsheathed sword was gaining. She could feel the pressure of several pairs of eyes watching her movements carefully as she waited for her food. As it came, she was seated in a side table, by a wall, and listening to charismatic chatter and giant's bellow. Kayle listened with careful intent, and considered the job proposed by the charismatic man. Hunting... She didn't have the equipment for it, and she never was much of a hunter, but she supposed if she could find some way of being useful she might get a small share of the gold. Anything is better than nothing. Worst case scenario, if she at least tries to show herself possibly useful, they might consider taking her along for a different job, at which she might be more capable. Something about them told her they wouldn't stop job-hunting after a jolly hunt.


Kayle spared a glance at the people of action who now gathered inside. A giant of a man of whose simple humour and apparent tolerance she could appreciate, a charismatic young man of who she had yet to decide whether he was foolish or simply 'different', and the sibling pair who had an almost scheming air about them. She didn't think she liked them, but particularly disliked the brother, Manjano, was it?, for what she thought was an.. un-empathetical air about him. Kayle'd had no lack of that sort of person in her life, and had grown quite a distaste for it. She looked back to her stew and for now, kept to herself, continuing to listen. She did however spare a look at the bulletin board, glancing over what seemed to be available for pay.


She had next to no money left, a few silver back in her room, and although she didn't want to stay in this town much longer, she needed more coin if she were to continue honestly. Kayle continued her consideration in silence.

 

[Rise]

Maybe I'll take this job... Greer looked around at the people in the tavern. Surely none of them wanted a store associate's job, dealing with customers and all. She looked back to the job posting and hesitantly reached up to it to tear it down. You snooze, you lose? She tore the listing down since she did not have a quill or parchment on her person and folded the paper after she took one last look at it before pocketing it.


Taking one last look at the people, she then took off out the door of the inn. Greer would probably have been no use to them in their little trip anyhow, though she did have a horse to help carry their winnings. However a steady job was on her mind, and to start somewhere, one needed to start low, and she couldn't be picky. She walked in the direction of the center of town in the market district.


Gruff's Weapon Emporium, here I come... She thought sarcastically as she walked with a slight frown.


 
Greer slipped through the town locals that were browsing the stalls lined along the sides of the streets in the market district of Fay. The scent of fresh bread wafted from the bakery, causing her stomach to growl even more angrily at lack of food filling it. And so she took a quick stop at said bakery, buying a pastry that would have to satisfy her empty stomach until she returned to the inn for a proper meal. And a second dinner to boot... She thought as she took a bite out of her pastry as she left the bakery after she paid.


Munching on the sweet jam-filled dessert, she kept an eye out for the weapon emporium, ignoring the commoners around her. The emporium wasn't that hard to spot since it was in the center of the town's market district, as well as weapons of various sorts lined the windows of the shop on display. Stuffing the last bite into her mouth, she licked her fingers that held the pastry before she picked up the speed as she headed there.


"Hello?" She called out as she entered. The emporium seemed empty and she wondered where the owner of this weapon shop was. "Mr. Groff... Er, Gruff?" Greer wasn't sure what the owner's name was. What's the name of this place? Maybe it's neither Groff or Gruff. Perhaps it's Groot...? She pulled out the job listing and read it over. It had two different names listed, a single typo between O and U.





She shrugged and called out again, trying not to lose her patience. What kind of owner leaves their shop full of weapons unattended? "I'm here to inquire on the assistant position, if it's still available!"

 

[Santii]

While relaxing in his bath Ricros was pondering his next move. Although he had enough gold to last him a few weeks, he needed more for what he had in mind. Thinking over the jobs he had seen, There was a few bounty's that paid rather well but they would be dangerous especially alone. After drying himself off and getting dressed again. He decided to head down stairs and enquire about some help in taking out one or two of the bounty's. He took two of the flier's down off the board and then also decided to take one asking for help finding a missing husband.


The first flier was a bounty calling for aide in finding and killing a bandit known as Gondo. He had been attacking merchants entering and leaving the town. It was unknown how many men he commanded but it was thought to be a small group. The reward was 1000 gold


The second flier was also a bounty this time demanding the target be brought back alive to captain of the guard Theolas Puntin. There was a rough sketch of an ugly looking weasel fellow known as Frey. He was thought to be hiding out in a nearby abandoned farmhouse. The reward was 700 gold (alive only)


He looked around the common room and instantly spotted the giant from earlier. He didn't look like he needed the gold with armour like that but a brute that size must love killing Ricros thought. He walked over and put the two fliers down on the table in front of the man. Watching his eyes for any reaction. "alright big fella. You look like you can handle yourself in a fight. Do you fancy helping me take care of these vermin?"

 

[Tom-Pen]

@Lioness075 @Mechani Giraffe


Finn was happy to see the young woman's - Leandra's - behavior as it was, friendly and charming; Especially given that on many occasions Finn's "flirtatious charm" resulted in something more along the lines of a slap or, just as commonly, some sort of beverage being poured atop his head. But luckily for him, or so he thought, that was not the case this time.


"Finn," he said to her reaching out and taking her hand, "And pleased to meet you," he went on, lifting her hand in a gentlemanly greeting, bowing ever so slightly to her, doing his best impersonation of a "true" gentlemen - which he clearly was not. The whole series of actions quite a farcical affair. He only nodded at Manjano - with a smile of course - the brother's apparent mood suggesting against a more friendly greeting. After his comical greeting of the two siblings he began to speak again upon the matter of work, and more importantly the pay, but was interrupted by a tapping on his shoulder. He turned and faced the man to whom the hand belonged, the man as a whole looking to be quite the dangerous sort.


"Excuse me, I know how to use a bow, perheps I can be of assistance in helping you hunt?" Finn thought about it for a moment, started to answer but then stopped. He thought some more and then turned to Leandra and her brother.


"What do you think?" He asked, feeling he had two good reasons to divert the question to them. The first reason was that they were essentially his partners now, therefor, they had a right to have some say in the matter. The second reason - and naturally the one that weighed more on his decision - was that he didn't particularly want to be the one to say no. While he waited for one of the siblings to answer he leaned close to the inquiring man and said "My partners," gesturing at the two with his thumb. He crossed his arms and leaned against the bar, a content smile plastered on his face - as was common - pleased to have shifted the responsibility to someone else. If the two said he could join them that was fine, as was it if they said no, just so long as he didn't have to say it.

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra resisted all urges to roll her eyes at Finn's actions, finding them all to be highly comical, even though there was a slight genuineness about them. Letting Finn take her hand, Leandra flashed him another warm smile, though she was immensely relieved when he let her hand go, which she quickly brought back to her side. When Finn gave Manjano a smile, Manjano didn't return the gesture at all and merely continued to silently stare at him. His actions definitely speak louder than words, Leandra thought in amusement at Manjano's lack of speaking and very little interactions with Finn.


Shifting their gaze to the newcomer, Leandra and Manjano both began to instantly analyze him from head to toe, taking in every detail they could in just a few seconds. Once done, Leandra raised an eyebrow at him upon hearing his offer of aid. She was even more surprised when Finn asked the twins what they thought about letting the man join them. Not wanting to be rash in the decision so as to deter their new 'partner', Leandra looked back at Manjano, who's gaze already said no. Leandra raised an eyebrow at this and then smirked slightly before returning her facial expression to a friendly one and looking back at Finn.


"We'd rather he not tag along, Finn. We're both more than capable of hunting without adding another person. Plus, the more of us that's present, the more likely the game will be spooked and impossible to hunt," Leandra said before flashing Finn another warm smile of hers. Manjano almost smirked at his sister's act. They hadn't done this kind of trickery in a long time, but this Finn character seemed to be either extremely naive or just a helpless romantic. Either way, Manjano doubted this would end well for the fellow.

 

[Tom-Pen]

@Rise


A young woman entered "Gruff's Weapon Emporium". Upon hearing his name, or better said one of his names, called out Mr. Gruff, or Mr. Groff, depending on what you choose to call him, jumped up suddenly from behind the counter. Mr. Groff, or Gruff... The shop keeper, as he was, was a short stout man with a bushy brown beard. He was balding, the only hair left circling around the back of a decently sized bald spot quite perfectly centered atop his head. He wore a white collard shirt, spotted with grease and such, brown trousers, and a black work apron. On his face, normally, were tiny round glasses that he squinted at, often too far down the bridge of his nose for him to easily see through. Currently, however, there was large black pair of welding goggles on his face; he also had a welding torch in his right hand.


"Hello?" he asked, "Who's there?" Not able to see clearly with his welding glasses on, and far too absent minded to think of taking them off, not to mention remembering that he wore them first place.


 
@Lioness075 @Mechani Giraffe


Finn looked at Leandra as she spoke to him, he listened, and then he turned to the man.


"I'm sorry, but my partner's have spoken." He patted the man on the shoulder despite his dangerous look - Finn rarely let the look of a person scare him off, or any of his friendly gestures for that matter - and smiled, "I'm sure I'll see you around town though," he added as a sort of parting.


He turned back to the two siblings and finally began to get down to business, "So, partners," he said, drawing out the word partners, "How does 200 gold sound?" Finn asked with an eyebrow raised.

 

[Lioness075]

Manjano continued to remain silent, but shifted his gaze to the back of Leandra's head, which she instantly felt even though he wasn't physically touching her. Leandra decided against any threats since those would most likely deter such a man as Finn. Instead, she took the passive route and simply asked Finn, "What's the reward for the completion of this job? The total reward."


If Finn didn't lie about this, then the twins would have a good idea as to how much or little this man was letting them have of the fair share. Leandra already knew that if they were getting any less than equal of share, then Manjano would most likely take the dangerous route, especially if Finn refused to work with them on the payment.


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Rise]

Greer blinked as she watched the short shopkeeper jump up suddenly from behind the counter. Oh, there he is. He's just short. She tilted her head to the side and studied the stout man's appearance. She didn't expect him to look the way he did, for some reason she thought he would be tall, muscular, and a boisterous warrior of a man. But this appearance also worked as well since it kept true to the fact he might be an inventor of weapons. Must be so out of his mind from too many a failed invention... She thought about exploding inventions before pushing the thought from her mind, remembering why she was here.


"Er, let me help you with that..." Greer walked over to him and pushed his welding goggles up a bit quickly since she did not like to be in other's personal space and the same as others being in her own personal space. "Er, you must be Mr. Groff..." She cleared her throat. "The name's Greer Shaw and I'm here to inquire about the assistant position." She held up the job posting she had in her hand.


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Archon]

Thrain was put on alert at the sudden fliers placed in front of him by the cold looking man from earlier, In response, he furrowed his eyebrows, sighing ever so slightly, why did everyone come to him for the murder missions or the most dangerous? Why couldn't one, just one single time, he be approached by someone who had a missing horse that needed to be found, or maybe a cart that needs fixing. He could certainly tolerate being a bodyguard, as trouble rarely happened, but these fliers before him... They were actively hunting people, which was dangerous, yet he couldn't shake off the significant amount of gold the first one offered...


One thousand gold, that was certainly a small fortune worth having, besides, this 'Gondo' was the type of man who enjoyed attacking defenseless merchants, such people deserved justice. And the valuables returned to the merchants, in fact he assumed those very people were likely still in this town, since Gondo would probably be camped near the main road. If this was the case then they could tell those who were robbed that their belongings had been recovered, Thrain would like that. Instead of being the known for his size and killing ability, he'd be known for his size and kindness! And this bandit captain was a fine place to start. Obviously though, this meant that he would have to cancel his hunting trip, but that wasn't a problem since the others didn't know he was coming anyway.


Now convinced, after weighing the pros and cons of each option and each bounty, Thrain turned back to the man and gave a smile before standing up to his full height.


"Aye, I'll help you deal with this 'Gondo'... Under one condition: No unnecessary killing. Only their leader needs to die, the rest we can scare off, and any stolen merchandise goes back to the original owners." Thrain answered, folding his arms and awaiting his potential partners response.


@Santii

 

[Mechani Giraffe]

Cyrus stood there disappointed by


the rejection, as the silver coin man and the twins continued their conversation he drifted away back to his seet at the back of the inn. Another man passed him walked by him holding some fliers, at first cyrus brushed this of, until he approached the giant man with the proposal of joinig him on a bounty hunt. Cyrus stopped and looked back at them listening in on their conversation, the giant's talk about not making Any unnecessary killings suprised him. He assumed that a man like him would relish at the thought of battle, but this made him more approachable. Cyrus thought to himself, I could ask to join them on the bounty hunt, cyrus had grown lonesome travelling alone and was more than open to companionship.


Cyrus continued listening to the two until he mustered the courage to go up to the two. He approached the table the two were at, "pardon me, but I think you could use more help with this, I could help you with the job, If you'll have me."


@Archangel Galdrael

 

[CousinMerla]

Barely containable excitement could be easily squandered. Jax's excitement was waning, ever so slightly, but still waning. That is until she reached the food. There were so many stalls, almost too many to count, filled with all types of different foods. She breathed in the different varieties of aromas that mixed and mingled in the air, each breath drawing her nearer to each stall. She looked at the various stalls and found one selling cooked meat. She practically jumped for joy and ran over to it.


As she dug around for the little money her mother had given for this trip, she wondered if spending all her money on meat was the best idea. Might as well she thought. If all the money she had was only enough to buy a cooked leg of turkey, then she definitely wasn't going to buy an inn room with these silver coins. Jax placed the silver coins down on the stand and was handed a cooked leg of turkey. She continued walking, but had decided to head back towards the inn. Worst case scenario she could just sleep outside, which is what she had been doing for the past week.

 

[Santii]

Ricros listened to the big man's offer and was about to respond when another man who had been sitting in the corner, not far from where Ricros had sat on first entering the inn.


"pardon me, but I think you could use more help with this, I could help you with the job, If you'll have me."


Despite looking a little pompous the newcomer looked like he knew how to handle himself. Ricros was a little concerned about the three way split in reward money if they managed to hunt down the criminals but he had bigger plans concerning his money issue's. He just needed a little luck. His soon to be companions might not like it but they wouldn't know what he planned to do before he was well clear of any danger.


In regards to the big man's request, It was a non issue Ricros only needed access to the bandits belongings or his safe stash.


"Glad to have you both along, Turpin is the name" The pair introduced themselves before Ricros went on. "We will meet at the west gate in one hour. I am going to see if I can get any more information about the pair before we head out."

 

[Archon]

After sharing names and agreeing on a meeting place Thrain decided he'd take a walk, and maybe buy himself a proper meal, not some skinny turkey leg. Oh yes, he'd get the good food, steak. Steak was a must... He felt himself drooling at the thought, previously he hadn't realized how hungry he was, and a man of his size needed to eat, a lot.


Most of his money went to food, but with the increased prices here his coins would only last a few days at most, luckily the pay was a lot higher, as evidenced by the bounty prizes, although he was a little annoyed this 'Turpin' had accepted the mans offer for help. Thrain could probably do both bounties alone, instead they'd be splitting a thousand gold three ways. Not what he really wanted to do.


He left the tavern after the pleasantries, not looking for further small talk with either men, instead the need for something to eat overpowering his senses. Thrain briefly counted his coins, just to be sure he had enough to buy an inn room and a steak, yet to his horror, a pouch was gone... His heart sank as his money had effectively been halved... He cursed himself for being so unaware! If he got his hands on whoever stole from him...


Yet he shrugged it off, the bounty would pay off. He's have more money, and he was going to buy a big, juicy, steak with the last of his money. The food of kings.

 

[Santii]

After splitting up with the pair, Ricros got his horse from the stable and headed of to find some guardsman to ask about any rumours involving the bounty's he held. After gathering as much information as possible he decided it was time to pay a visit to the Bellefew residence, which was situated in the eastern part of Fay. He knocked on the door and waited a little before knocking again....


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Tom-Pen]

@Lioness075


Finn looked at Leandra as she answered; he lowered his raised brow but maintained a charming smile. After she spoke, proving to be wiser than Finn had likely first made her out to be, he continued the charming smile but said nothing.. Another moment passed and he suddenly started to laugh, not nervously, but quite genuinely.


"Fair enough, we will split the reward right down the center, 250 gold for me, and 250 gold for you and your brother," He said. His original intention not being to cheat the two out of a fair share, but rather do most of the work himself, which he likely would still do. That didn't bug him, doing most of the work, he quite liked hunting and imagined to enjoy the endeavor a good deal. He was, however, rather poor and would have liked the extra money.

****

​

@Rise


Gruff, or Groff as it were, could suddenly see again, and what he saw was his usual shop, but with one unusual difference, a young woman.


"Oh... thank you," he responded to her very helpful actions earnestly. "Groff actually" Upon further thought he corrected himself, "No, you're right, it is Gruff... wait... oh blast it!" he said waving his hand in the air in mild frustration, "Well it's one of those, I think..." The confused shop keeper then picked up a pair of tiny round glasses and set them on his face. Squinting through them he now got a much clearer look at the young woman. He bugged his eyes out and leaned back adjusting the glasses.


"Are you sure you have the right shop?" He then thought about his question and mumbled to himself looking around the room "Am I in the right shop?" Needlessly to say, Mr. Groff... or Gruff, was a man of extreme absent mindedness. But he was a good weapon smith and worker, and a quite harmless old man, that is if you don't count all of the weapons he had access to.


"Oh well, you probably know where you are better than I do," Mr. Gruff, or Groff, suddenly said laughing, not giving the young woman a chance to answer. "What do you know about weapons, and selling them?" This time giving her the time to speak.

****

​

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra smiled at Finn, happy to hear that they'd all be getting a fair share now. Manjano shifted his gaze away from Leandra's head and back to Finn, while Leandra said, "Good to hear. Now, are there any supplies in town you need to stock up on before we begin?"


Leandra then thought back to the decently large sum of money that the twins both had already. Considering how poor Finn had appeared in the earlier scenario of him trying to get a decent meal, Leandra wouldn't mind paying for a proper meal for him. Not that she truly cared for him, but the more kindness she showed the man, the more he'd trust her. Thus, making the twins' job much easier down the road. It helped that Finn seemed to be a sucker for beautiful women.

 

[Rise]

Greer nodded as the old man thanked and corrected her for he preferred to be called without a titled before his name. A small smirk played across her lips, his bewildered nature amusing her and befitting for a man his age. However, the smirk on her lips quickly dropped into a scowl and she could feel her eyes narrow at the man at his reaction toward her now that he could properly see.


In the right shop? Did my ears hear correctly? Can he not see the armor I'm wearing? How dare he? Not all women work in dress shops and bakeries... Greer let out a scoff, and an eye roll as well, as she clenched the job listing in her hands. However before she could say something along the lines of, "I believe I'm in the right shop, Mr. Groff. This is the weapon emporium of this town, is it not?" and slam the paper down on the counter in between them to point at the name of the shop vigorously since there are times she could barely keep her anger on a leash, she was caught off guard by his question of her knowledge about weapons and it left her speechless, let alone action-less.


Her knowledge on weapons was quite minimal to say at the least. However she was over-thinking the situation. Surely the old man wasn't looking for someone who knew the dynamics and all of that about weapons. Was he? Usually people who entered this shop knew what kind of weapon they had in mind before purchasing such said weapon. Did they? Greer knew nothing about selling anything for the matter. Her experience in this matter was rather limited, not existent if one were to ask the opinion of let's say Groff himself, and she could feel the nerves working themselves in her.


"Um... I-I like weapons!" Was the only thing she could say, recalling what the ad had asked, as she gripped the hilt of her sheathed sword. She then suppressed a sigh, she should have thought this more clearly before seeking any job that required a knowledge of some sort, let alone expertise. Of course the emporium owner was looking for someone experienced and had a knowledge on weapons. The only knowledge Greer possessed about weaponry was how to swing a sword around and harpoon a spear. Her style in battle was rather take flight kind of approach if one could do so, since she did wear light and little amor. She didn't like wasting her energy and having the risks of her losing her life greater than it should be as well.


"I don't think this job is the one for me since you are looking for a more experienced person, sir. It was the only job on the board that had a steady pay and I'm not sure if bounty jobs are abundant in this town for I am a new arrival." She sniffed the air like none of this bothered her, not at least having nerves in the slightest, and then turned on her heel, waving her hand. "I thank you for your time and I wish you luck on your search. Good day, Mr. Groff." With that, she headed to the door of the emporium to leave.


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Tom-Pen]

@Santii


A man came down the street atop a horse, and stopped at a worn, weather beaten old house; it was large and looked as though it once was a magnificent manor home of sorts, possibly belonging to a wealthy family or even some minor royalty. Now, however, it was but a shell of what it once was. Window's were broken and parts of the roof were patched, and rather poorly at that, and the entire building seemed to lean to one side. The man had likely come in regards to a flyer sent out by the owner, Mrs. Bellefew. He dismounted his horse and walked up the yard to the door; he knocked once, waited for a short moment, and then knocked again. After the second series of knocks the door opened revealing Mrs. Bellefew, owner of said house.


Mrs. Bellefew was a magnificently beautiful woman, her figure curved in the most right of ways and her stature was that of elegance. She had long blonde hair that cascaded down and fair skin soft to the touch that complimented her deep blue eyes and light features; her beauty was almost hypnotic.


"Yes, can I help you?" She asked innocently in a calm smooth voice, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side, her eyes fluttering their long lush lashes before the man.

****

​

@Rise


Mr. Groff, or Gruff, listened as the young woman discredited herself, and watched as she then headed for the door.


"Wait a moment," he said to her, scratching the top of his head and thinking his situation through. The truth of the matter being that he needed an assistant rather desperately and few had turned up in response to his ad. He walked over to her and walked around her once, looking as at her as one might inspect goods that plan to purchase. "I think you'll do," he stated nodding his head and scratching his beard. As to what it was he had been looking for when inspecting her I truly couldn't say. His odd doings often had no real point to them, at least none that made any sense, as is likely with his inspecting of the young woman. "Names Gruff, but most folks just call me Groff," the shop keeper extended a hand to the young woman, "Now tell me, what should I all you?" His absent mindedness - or possible insanity - clouding over any earlier introductions.

****

​

@Lioness075


"No, I'm quite ready to begin, although, if we had a wheel barrow or some horses the job might be quite a bit easier, and we would be able to get done quite a bit faster I imagine," Fin said to her, now very eager to get to work. "I suppose that doesn't matter too much though, I'm sure we can manage it without," He added laughing a little, his laughter coming from the simple joy of now being so close to hunting, and therefore close to being payed.

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra instantly grinned at the mention of horses, as she said, "Actually, my brother and I have horses in the stables near this tavern."


Leandra paused for a moment and was about to say that they could get a horse for Finn when Manjano began staring at the back of her head. Sighing, Leandra kept her mouth shut and hoped that Finn wouldn't mind sharing a horse with one of the twins.


Though, knowing how overprotective her brother could be at times, Leandra already figured that Manjano would insist that Finn ride with him instead. Oh well, the point was fast travel, and the twins' horses were beyond loyal to the pair. The twins had saved the horses numerous times and vice versa. They were all inseparable and invaluable to one another.


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Santii]

The door opened and there stood one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. She looked like a queen standing there in the doorway and then she spoke as if singing a melody, "Yes, can I help you?"


This was not at all what Ricros was expecting. He had imagined a weathered old rich hag.


“Mrs Bellefew I presume?” he inquired and after getting confirmation he went on “I am here about the flier and to help in whatever way I can”


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Tom-Pen]

@Lioness075


"Perfect!" Finn said excitedly. He then thought for a moment, looked at Leandra, then at Manjano. "Manjano!" He exclaimed, "You look like a tough fellow, and persuasive I'd guess too." Finn looked to Leandra with a grin, a grin accompanied by a subtle wink of course, then he looked back to Manjano.


"I think we should have you go and speak with the merchant, you know, make sure he waits for us to bring him the deer, otherwise we might lose the deal all together to someone else," He then acted like he had to think through further details, though in actuality his plan had already been fully thought through, this being merely for show. "Leandra and I can make are way to the forest, oh a mile or so down the road to the West I think, we will get things set up, scout it out, you know, see if it looks like a good spot. Then we'll wait for you by the road, maybe with one or two deer already if we're lucky; the three of us can then finish up the hunt and return to town with five hundred gold worth of deer!" The last bit of his plan, the part about the gold, said slightly louder and with more zeal than the rest.

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra giggled at Finn's enthusiasm, but then burst out laughing when he mentioned the idea of Manjano persuading the merchant to wait. Manjano would most likely threaten the man's life to get him to stay. Manjano frowned slightly at Leandra's laughter, not sure what she found so amusing, though he wasn't quite sure what the Finn fellow saw about him that made him seem so persuasive. He was persuasive, but definitely not in the way that Finn seemed to be thinking.


Regaining her composure, Leandra shook her head slightly before saying, "Yeah, Manjano is persuasive, but I doubt he'll be helpful in this kind of situation. I'll handle the merchant and you two go and get set up." Lowering her voice while directing the conversation between herself and Finn, Leandra added, "Manjano will probably say little to nothing to you, but don't let that deter you. It's just how he is."


@Francis Stickmin

 

[Tori Blackwood]

Blaine waved out at the sea as the large vessel departed, men standing at the railing and shouting their goodbyes. Though they were uneducated, a bit unhygienic, and quite crude, she would miss them all. During the last few years, they were the closest thing she had to a family. Not to mention, she still had a place in her heart for their captain, Captain Felix De Medici. He was as much of a heartthrob as he was a pirate.


The cool breeze coming off the ocean had her skirts flowing gently and her hair lifting subtly. It felt nice and she closed her eyes to enjoy it, throwing her head back and inhaling deeply. The air was filled with ocean salt and a watery scent she had come to hold close to her heart. The men had stocked up on supplies while they'd been docked and Blaine had elected to stay in the ship, partly not wanting to leave them all behind. That part of her, however, was overshadowed by the part that was even more eager to travel and learn and have an adventure. She hadn't ever truly been free before. Even on the ship, she was a slave to the sea.


So with nothing but a small sack of gold, silver, and copper, and a few changes of clothes, Blaine set off to the port town. She was approaching a gate held open, most likely to welcome visitors, which was guarded by a few armored men. She was hoping this town wasn't closed off to the world. Logic dictated they would welcome any and all visitors as they had a port and most trading towns were quite open. Having it otherwise would be a terrible business move. All that traffic would diminish and the town would dry up and subsequently get abandoned.


As she arrived at the gate, Blaine smiled and nodded to the men. One eyed her bust, another looked her up and down, and the last one gawked at her height. She knew it was hard for men to grow accustomed to her height as a woman.


"Greetings," she nodded to them. They nodded back, a grunt erupting from the trio in unison.


From the moment she stepped past the gate, she could see an inn and knew that should be her first visit. Everyone knows everything at a tavern, usually. And if she was lucky, they'd have some mead. Or even some ice wine. Her bodice, a tight corset with various silks and gems embroidered onto it and affixed to it, held her frame up to prevent her from slouching. Naturally, her shoulders ached a little. The alcohol would definitely ease her bodily pain.


She opened the heavy, wooden doors and entered. The atmosphere was dimly lit and smelled heavily of alcohol and meat. She could also smell some type of roasted nut. It was a beautiful scent. She appreciated the little things in life and couldn't help the wide grin that graced her elegant features.


She took a seat at a nearby table and ordered a pint of mead from a woman in the usual garb of a tavern wench. As she sipped the amber liquid, she placed a few copper coins on the table for the woman to come get when she was free. The honey from the mead awakened Blaine's hunger. Her stomach growled and she leaned back in her chair to enjoy the mead more fully, exhausted from the day's events prior to arriving here.

 

[Mechani Giraffe]

after the three men exchange conversation, and the two left to do their own bussiness before they meet up again, cyrus decided he should stat packing his things for the trip. He went upstairs to the room he had rented the day he came here, he entered the room and sat on the chair next to a small cupboard. he grabed his burlap sack which was next to the cupboard and went over hi supply, about a weeks worth of rations, and a canteen of water, which if rationed well could last him about a whole day, he would have to refill it dayly. On the wall, on a weapon's rack was his halberd and long sword, he was glad the inn had weapon racks, clearly the owner knew what adventures needed.


the halberd was a long wooden pole with a spear head at the tip an axe on one side and the other a curved hook, primarily used to dismount horseback soldiers. His long sword was nothing special just a standard longsword, Cyrus usually used it in one on one combat situations, usually duels. Bellow the weapon's rack leaning on against the wall aws his steel parma, a medium sized shield, there was nothing special about it, no crest or insignia. next to the shield was his longbow, and quiver, which had around 12 arrows remaining. Really cyrus should have better stored these weapons, he had heard of theaves taking things from people in this town, he was lucky noone stole anything from him. he gathered his things his shiled, halberd and bow on his back and his sword at his side, this amount of weight would easily weigh down a person, but Cyrus had been traveling for a long time and has become dull to the burden, able to carry it with ease.


once packed cyrus decided to take a walk outside, he hadnt really toured the town he was in since he came, he was mostly in the inn drinking and eating in solitude. he went downstairs and out the front door, maybe i will meet a new person, maybe make them a comrade he thought to himself.

 

[Tori Blackwood]

Blaine chugged down the last of the mead, the sweet honey liquid running down her throat and igniting a fire in her stomach and chest. She let out an enthusiastic giggle and waved the barmaid over.


"My dear, that was excellent! The coins on the table are for the drink. And these ones are for you," she said, handing over two silver pieces as reward. She was just so happy to be where she was. The environment, the drink, the entire world was simply too much to enjoy. She was positively giddy.


The barmaid thanked her and parted ways with her. Blaine stood and straightened her skirts, keenly aware her tight bodice was still as spotless as it was when she first arrived. Blaine was about to find the portly innkeeper to rent a room for the week when she saw a large man come down the stairs and, without so much as a word to anyone, leave the tavern. He was armed and caught Blaine's intrigue.


"Adventure," she whispered to herself with excitement. She quickly slung her burlap sack of clothes over her shoulder and pocketed her coin purse before trailing the man out the door. He couldn't have been more than twenty paces from the door when she called out to him, arm outstretched.


"Yoo-hoo! Big guy!"


She didn't know if he heard her.


"Hey, big man! Wait up!" Blaine called out. She jogged up to him, making sure to note his halberd and sword. Though she hadn't used either weapon, Felix had taught her about them. Though he only trained her with a knife.


"Woah, Mr. Macho, hey!" She stopped right behind the guy and quickly fixed her hair before giving her brightest smile in case he turned around. "You look like you got business to do. Me? I want an adventure. You should let me tag along."


Blaine knew she was being forward, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to wait around forever to find an adventure. She'd seize what she could by any means necessary.


@Mechani Giraffe