Prior to the entrance of the - Tilean... Estalian... whatever - umgi recruiter, Vargni had staggered outside past Balgrim and Galadred to relieve himself in a nearby hedge, and quite missed their arrival. The pleasant thing about hating living as much as Vargni did, was that you began to appreciate the little things. Voiding his bowels had become a highlight of his otherwise despondent daily routine of alcoholism, and he strode back towards the inn with something of a spring in his step.

He paused by a trough at the entrance to splash some water on his face and wash the oily sweat from his naked torso. As the waters stilled, he spent an uncomfortable moment looking at his reflection. The reflection of something ruined. Something that couldn't be put back.

Furrowing his brow at this surprisingly bleak thought, he dried his face using his thick beard as a towel and walked back through the threshold of the inn to see a gaggle of the patrons crowding around the umgi recruiter.

	"I step outside for not five leaps of a hare and suddenly work crawls out of the woodwork! That's just my bloody luck." said Vargni to no one in particular.

As he navigated his way through the array of tables and stools occupying the tavern, he heard the recruiter speak up:

	[i]"If there are any others who wish to sign their name, make yourself known. I shall be here for ten minutes, and not a minute more. Until then, I thuggest you finith your drinks."[/i]

Clearing his throat, Vargni pushed his way through the milling crowd of newly contracted mercenaries to the front, as Galadred finished his signature.

	"Hold your britches, friend - I'll sign up, and I'll do it for naught but a supply of ale and a good meal a day, as long as you don't mess us about and sell us off to the service of some petty umgi lord wot needs some rats catching."

After he added a series of jagged dwarfen runes to a contract, he caught sight of Galadred standing to his side out the corner of his eye, and turned to give the Elf a brief, hard look.

	"You're a bit ugly for an elgi, aren't you? All those scars on your pretty face. I like that."

[@Lucian]