After a second Jen slipped to her feet, standing up to stretch, arching back a bit, then reached down and picked her pack up off the floor. Sorting through it she pulled her quiver of bolts free and strapped it to her right thigh, then snapped the limbs of her crossbow into place, making sure they were tightly in place, and placed the string, making sure it was taut. Quickly she pulled it back and locked it in, then placed a bolt at the ready. A second later it was slung back over her shoulder, ready for quick access but clearly not presented in a threatening manner. "[color=6ecff6]Just in case,[/color]" she said as she brushed past Kriv, letting one hand lightly trail over his midriff, a physical marker of his location so she didn't pass too close. It was completely unconscious as she headed for the back rooms, wafting a trail of something that was a soft exotic floral scent. 

One slender hand pushed open the smooth stone door. It was perfectly balanced on it's hinges so the weight was almost negligible. Well oiled it barely made a sound. The kitchen was ahead of them with a couple of ovens and cooking spaces, a big butcher's block that was being used for a prep station, and a few racks of rolls that were rising. There was also a big wooden box off to one side and a couple of doors leading out. A couple of staff gave them looks. One was an older human woman, and another was a younger girl, maybe eighteen at the oldest.

Without giving them any attention, the sable-haired sorceress made her way to a large trap door in the floor and lifted it with relative ease. It was an inch thick, and made of sturdy wood. A cellar yawned below them with simple steps down into the darkness below. "[color=fff79a]Don't go down there miss,"[/color] the older of the cooks exclaimed, one hand reached out toward the trap door as if to stop them from across the room. "[color=fff79a]It's dangerous! Big rats! Huuuuuge![/color]" 

"[color=6ecff6]We know,[/color]" Jen said, then muttered a word under her breath. A moment later glittering flecks of light, cyan and cold ice blue in color gathered around her, swirling in a slow light show before gathering together in a ball over her head, the size of a ping-pong ball. It cast bright cold blue-white light around. "Don't open this door until we come back out of it," she told the woman in a tone that would broker no questions. Moving smoothly she descended into the pitch darkness.

Once Kriv was in the door thunked into place again. "[color=6ecff6]Here we go.[/color]" 
[hr][hr]

The room around Kriv and Jen is maybe six by six. There are shelves here with small boxes and containers and jars of canned vegetables and other foods. there are a few cleaning supplies and a few stacks of towels and rags. This is clearly not enough to keep a brisk business like the Meadhall going. The air is cool, chilled by the lack of ground heat. It is perfect for storing things though. Distantly there is a stench that seeps through the room. it is like something has been rotting or a lot of things rotting and decaying mixed with shit and piss. 

Distantly are the sounds of scratches and chitterings. Something shifts. There is one door ahead on the far side of the room, on the far right. The sounds come from behind it. And one could guess that is where the smell was coming from too. 
[hr][hr]

Jen wrinkled her nose at the odor and shook her head, causing the ball of light to stir a little. "[color=6ecff6]Well that's not good. Does it normally smell like this down here?[/color]"