Jared wasn't very eager to get out of bed. It was just so beautifully warm in here while even the most shoddy look out of the small window was telling him that temperatures were plummeting outside as crystals of ice had started to grow from the edges to the center. An arm that almost seemed to be too long to belong to any human reached lazily for another chunk of wood and tossed it into the open fireplace that had been defending him against the cold since last evening. A bit too late however - the loner living in this farmhouse had picked up an infection some days ago and still was busy recovering. The things keeping boredom away ? A book and Khan. Well... there was some interconnection between the two things. Let's just say that the book had not been published by an exactly ordinary, mortal printer. Many details of the story were so rotten as the strange paper it was printed on appeared to be. Yet - much to Jared's dismay and Khan's fortune - the pages had turned out to be much more robust than anticipated.

The thin tome was slammed on the small desk next to his bed. Enough! He'd not spend yet another day on laying around doing nothing. Rather bad developments were making progress out there and he had to go for another inspection run. Not to the castle, but to Seren's Folley. These damn hunters had such a nice board there on which they diligently noted everything they intended doing within the next weeks. Jared already had considered stealing the thing and subjecting it to thermal disposal below the chimney more than once, but the plan never came to execution. Today it wouldn't either, so much was for sure. But maybe something interesting was to be seen there ? He could also buy some liquor...

[color=darkgreen][i]I feel obliged to inform you that you are likely going to infect people when you go there and have to cough.[/i][/color]
[color=#ff9933][i]Women you want to say ? According to my observations, the ratio of men to women standing next to this job board is out of proportion to the same ratio in the general population. I'll temporarily decimate competition. You have to approve this![/i][/color]

Khan gently zapped his host and then went silent until the latter one was fully dressed. Over the years Jared had learned that this meant that Khan was giving in to the argument (but was too proud to openly admit it).

Knowing that he'd not have to expose himself to the chilly weather outside, Jared had gone without putting on much more than his thick woolen and hooded cloak painted in white and red. It would protect him for the short distance he had to walk, but maybe appear a bit strange because it was frayed. But who was Jared to care about this ? There was a nice little cave hidden in the woods adjacent to Seren's Folley he almost always selected as his target. Noone would be there to see his arrival and so it was today.

The farmer entered the tavern, his head easily reaching up to the wooden crossbeams supporting the upper floor. Ducking, Jared approached the job board without caring much about looking left and right.