Over the course of the journey to Kailee’s End, there were two things Aehren busied himself with. The first was typical to his nature. He read the books he brought along, keeping his mind sharp as he told those that asked him. The second was also typical of his nature, but it was not something he would advertise. He observed and took note of everyone around him, creating dossiers for each of them as he chiseled their personalities, background, strengths, and weaknesses into memory. The young wolf always made sure to participate with the group, giving him the opportunity to learn how each one ticked.

It was because of this particular habit that he noticed the discrepancy of the group’s talents. There was no doubt that each one of them was skilled in some form of combat, but it was the secondary skills that most would overlook that took his notice. Erik was a bard, a talented musician with a silver tongue, but Aehren knew plenty of former bards that would later go on to become ambassadors or spymasters of powerful nobles. There was Gravelbeard, the dwarf, and it was obvious what he could do if rumors were true. His reputation in Highwinter was known even to him. Jericho, on the other hand, was your average swashbuckler, and he would have dismissed the man if it was not for the fact that Aehren saw how well he got along with the others and the crew. There was also his boasting of his infallible memory.

[color=black][i][b]“What did it all mean?”[/b][/i][/color] Aehren wasn’t sure. Whenever Lady Vekk spoke of the objective of the mission, she didn’t speak in a way that conveyed a hidden meaning. However, it was established Lady Vekk was experienced in many ways. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she was able to spin a web of lies without hesitation. In fact if it was not for the fact that Calwen appeared almost nervous or jittery whenever the topic of the quest was brought up, his suspicion would never have been raised.

Aehren trailed behind his companions as they headed towards the local tavern. He wished they had some sensitivity. They were acting as though the Niratremi were monsters. They were no different from any other nation looking to expand their influence. In fact it was rather clever of Niratrem to isolate Kailee’s End and occupy it without forcing its citizens to withstand a siege. Whoever planned the strategy to capture Kailee’s End had to be applauded, capturing a key city while maintaining their forces without expending too many resources was a grand victory.

He and his companions found a spot in the tavern. Aehren already began scouting entrances and possible exits, documenting each and every single individual that was in the room, and began making strategies on how to exit the place as efficiently as possible if events soured as drunken individuals were wont to do.

However, his good mood dropped upon witnessing several Niratremi soldiers harassing the tavern girls. [color=black][i][b]“Idiots. Aggravating the citizens won’t help with your occupation,”[/b][/i][/color] he thought. Before his companions could do anything, another man went and stabbed one of the soldiers. It was another fool that was causing trouble, but Aehren couldn’t help but almost grimace as his companions jumped to do something about this predicament.

Aehren turned to the client and said, [color=black][b]“Calwen, follow me if things sour.”[/b][/color]

He trusted the others could deal with the soldiers, but Aehren was more determined to ensure that no political fallout came out of this and that their client remains unharmed.