Lupus sat in a tavern inside of Nyhem, 'The Drunken Merchant' it was called. On the outside it was decent enough to look at, nothing falling apart, the wood cut properly with nothing sticking out, the paint was a bit flakey but that was about it. The sign outside was that of a man who was obviously a merchant, and obviously drunk. The inside was a bit different. The walls were covered in soot and dust, as well as a few splatters of ale here and there. And the floors creaked with every step, as if it were about to break at any moment, and were covered with mud, ale, vomit and what looked suspiciously like piss.

It had been a few weeks since the King had died, and people were still mourning his loss. The place was packed with mercenaries, they were causing a bit of a ruckus, but Lupus didn't mind, everyone though did for some reason. People were still in mourning over the King, and these men and women were messing not with the mood, they were all jolly and loud, and that was the problem, people were in a somber mood, and wanted it to stay that way. It seemed the only reason a gift hadn't broken out yet was because people knew better than to get into a brawl with a band of mercenaries who had just come back from a fight. It was almost like everyone had some good sense left in them, well, almost everyone. While most of them weren't drinking, they were still chatting away loudly and cheerfully, as if nothing could break the mood.

Finally, one man seemed to have and enough. He was a short man, dressed in simple yet colourful clothes, and seemed just a little bit tipsy. He stood up from his chair and made his to one of the mercenaries, a tall man wearing armour and covered in tattoos. He went up to him and started shouting at him, and his friends, "HAVE YOU LOT NO RESPECT?! THE KING DIES AND YOU SHOW GREAT DISRESPECT BY BEING JOYFUL AND MERRY!" The man in armour looked down upon the little man, and chuckled to himself, "So what if we are in a good mood, who's gonna stop us from being happy? You?" He started laughing, as did a few of the others with him, "You barely come up to shoulders, and you look more like a jester than a fighter." This got more people laughing, but the little man was so enraged that he seemed to forget himself. He pushed the mercenary as hard as he could, knocking the man over onto his friends and causing everyone to stop laughing. 

The tall man got back up slowly, and had a mean look in his eye. He slowly walked towards the short man, and seemed as if that if e got within arms length of the man, that he'd throttle him within an inch of his life. Lupus decided to get up from his seat and try to head off the confrontation before anyone got hurt. He walked between the men and held up his hands, "Peace friends, peace. This is no time for fighting, this is a time for reflection. Yes the King has died, but that does not mean we all must become sad and depressed." He turned towards the little man, "Good sir, these people meant no disrespect to the fallen King. You must understand that they are a band of tough and battle hardened individuals, and may have trouble expressing themselves in a way that people who have never seen the things they have may not understand." He the turned towards the tall mercenary, "And you sir, you and your band must know that this is poor timing to be having parades and to be so loud and boisterous. But, there is something all of you must know." He then stood upon a table and riases his voice more, "The King has died, that is known. But being sad about it and crying over him will not revive him. But, what we can do is celebrate his life. Celebrate his achievements, his legacy and his honour. Celebrate the fact that although he has died, he died at a good age and has left this world a great man." He grabbed a tankard off the table and raised it over his head, "A toast, to those who can't be with us, to them that made our lives better, and less now they our gone. And of course, to the King." A few other raised their tankards and toasted with him. 

The tall man and short man looked at each other, there was still hatred in their eyes, but also embarrassment. They gave one another a nod and went back to their own tables. Lupus hopped down from the table and stood in the midst of everyone, "I know that things are still a bit tense, so, why don't I tell a story eh? I promise you that you won't regret hearing my stories. So, what do you all say? Wanna hear a tale or two?" A few people grunted an affirmative, but for the most part everyone seemed uninterested. Lupus nodded, drained his tankard, and put on a serious face.