[h2]Varian Sigmund - Dalenham, Ethora[/h2]

A sharp pain came from the center of Varian's forehead. He groaned, placing a hand upon the area of discomfort, as if to try and rub it away. Ironically, went he rubbed his hand around the area, he felt an oddity, and looked back upon his fingers to see the remains of dried blood. Despite the throbbing in his head, Varian sat up, his gaze lingering on his fingers for a moment longer. As he looked around the room, a few questions came into his mind. How did he end up here? Where exactly was he? And who in Isir's name was the naked woman lying next to him?

As he got out of bed and began dressing himself, he contemplated these questions. By the sound of his movement, the woman began to stir, yawning and stretching her limbs as she opened her eyes. She looked up at Varian who stared down at her. Her features were quite nice. Long brown hair and eyes to match it. She was well-figured and fair-skinned. For a Dalenham girl, at least. There was a moment or two of silence between the pair, before the woman gave the Highman a smile, and spoke softly. "Good morning." She said softly to him.

"Good morning," He stated back to her. He continued to dress himself as he placed on his sleeveless leather vest, and then his baldric over that. Harnessing his axes upon his back, he looked back down to the woman. Again, a brief pause between the two. She continued to smile up at him, while Varian shifted between examining the room and the woman. "Sleep well?" she asked him.

"More or less." Varian replied. He paused momentarily on what he should say next, but then decided to blurt out, "So... shall I pay you now or have I already done so last night?"

The next sight Varian saw was a hand coming upon his cheek, smacking him loudly enough that perhaps if others outside the door were present, they too would have heard it. Varian's cheek instantly starting becoming red from the slap. "Right." He said, heading for the door. "I suppose that means last night..." He said in a rush, exiting the door, just as the woman began cursing after him.

On the other side of the door, Varian found himself in the familiar sight of Edward's tavern. The old, creaky, filthy-looking tavern looked much the same as it did when he entered it the day before to collect his silver for the job, though some tables appeared to have been damaged. A few stools also appeared to be out of place. Varian began to recall a bit of what happened though it was all very hazy. After he split apart from the group, he  must have headed here. He remembered someone challenging him to a drinking game. He didn't remember exactly how, but the damned man had somehow managed to coerce him into it, and the rest was history.

"You silver-tongued devil, you." The familiar voice of Edward said to Varian from behind his counter at the helm of the tavern. He smiled spitefully at the Highman as he cleaned a mug with a dirty rag. He headed towards Edward without an immediate reply, rubbing the side of his face as he tried to orient himself.

"How much for the room?" Varian asked in his usual cold voice. 

"Oh, you already paid las-", Edward stopped himself in the middle of his sentence. "...Uh, that'll be fifteen bronze pieces." He said with a smile. Varian did not bother to put up a fight about the ridiculous price of the room, still feeling the effects of the no-doubt large amount of drinking he had done the night before. He placed the bronze pieces from his bag onto the table, and looked around the dump of a tavern, before proceeding to the exit. Edward shouted something after him, but Varian mostly ignored him.

Varian was able to get it together along the way, shaking off most of the effects of liquor through the 'fresh' air of Dalenham, and was feeling loads better as he approached the gates of Dalenham, where the group was supposed to meet. Already at the gates was Edon. He was early, and looked quite comfortable where he was at. Varian guessed he was there for a while, but he was too out of it to make a big deal out of it. Varian nodded at Edon, and tried his best to be casual and he sat on a large rock he spotted. He placed his head in his palm and looked down as he awaited the rest to arrive.