[color=silver][center][h2][color=#ce8396]π•·π–Šπ–†π–“π–“π–† π•―π–Šπ–œπ–˜π–™π–Šπ–•[/color][/h2][/center][center]__________________________________________________[/center] In the end, the fight was settled with no blood spilled. The humans fled the scene, and the crowds begun to disperse. Leanna let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, then turned back to her companion. Sir Wardragon was speaking, and she didn't want to appear rude. Leanna followed the motion of his hand as he gestured towards the entrance of the Undermountain, her mind conjuring images of brave warriors and wise mages descending down into its depths.[color=8493ca] "Unfortunately, not many people make it back out. I’ve been down there, and I was the only member of my party to survive.”[/color] The images Leanna had conjured shattered, and the excited glint in her eye was replaced with wide-eyed horror. [color=ce8396]"Oh, I'm-- I'm so sorry," [/color]she wasn't sure if she sounded more taken aback than sympathetic, but it didn't make the sentiment any less genuine. [color=ce8396]"I... had no idea..." [i]... That adventuring was such a dangerous job,[/i][/color] she left unsaid. Perhaps Wardragon noticed her hesitance, because he was quick to continue and assure her that adventuring did not need to involve the deathly well. A relief and a half, that. He went on to say that not many people ask how to become an adventurer - rather, they simply do. The notion made Leanna's ears heat up with embarrassment. W-was that so? She really did need all the help she could get... [color=8493ca]"I’m sure there’s plenty of people around that could use some help in Waterdeep, why not start there?”[/color] She nodded slowly but knowingly. That much she'd gathered from the adventurer she'd accompanied all the way here. Big cities had big problems, after all. This tavern itself was likely no exception. Leanna took another sip of her liquid courage, then returned her gaze to the chaos that surrounded her. She glossed over the drunkards on the table and the old swindler, trying to see what lay beyond them. There were quite a few people that looked troubled, in fact. A half-orc left unhappy by the resolution of the fight; a man drinking by his lonesome, tapping a finger to the beat of his impatience; somber tieflings, whose horns made Leanna look away with a startle; a woman glancing behind her at the door, as if afraid; a creature between a man and a cat, and a nervous woman taking its paw. How was she to know where to start? Leanna's gaze traced back to the maw of the dungeon, and her heart nearly stopped. On the edge of it, she caught side of a large, clawed hand - almost as if something was trying to claw its way up from the abyss below. [i]A snowy night, the reek of blood, and a tremendous beast. Its details were scraped away by time - but it, too, had claws.[/i] Leanna stood up. [color=#ce8396]"Sir Wardragon, you've my utmost gratitude for your time and advice. Please excuse me, I must be off,"[/color] she gathered her things and her wits, willing her hands not to shake as she picked up her nearly untouched mug. She did not want it to spill. [color=#ce8396]"There is-- there is adventuring to do."[/color] With a curtsy, Leanna excused herself from his company. She pushed her way through the crowd, further and further away from the Undermountain. She did not dare turn around to see what became of the hand; whether it stayed still, or pulled up a monster of some sort. She did not want to know. She just wanted to leave the tavern. On her way out, she passed by one of the tables she had seen earlier. A woman draped in white, stealing wary glances at the door. She could've walked past her. Should have, even. But the sight of her sitting there, alone and unsure was a bit too familiar for her to ignore. [color=#ce8396]"May I?[/color]" Leanna asked with a smile, tugging lightly at the back of an unoccupied seat at her table. She hoped her voice didn't tremble. The voices of adventurers, in her mind, never trembled.[color=ce8396] "The tavern is quite packed."[/color] [/color]