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[h2][color=6ecff6][i][b]Hugh Caphazath[/b][/i][/color][/h2][i][b][color=6ecff6]Half-Elf, Monk (Way of Shadow), Level 3[/color][/b][/i]
[color=6ecff6][i][b]HP:[/b][/i][/color] 24/24	[color=6ecff6][i][b]Armor Class:[/b][/i][/color] 17	[color=6ecff6][i][b]Conditions:[/b][/i][/color] NA
[color=6ecff6][i][b]Location:[/b][/i][/color] Darenby, The Infamous Pear -> Avonshire Region
[color=6ecff6][i][b]Action:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
[color=6ecff6][i][b]Bonus Action:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
[color=6ecff6][i][b]Reaction:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
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[right][img]https://i.imgur.com/4a0uP44.png[/img][/right]
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Hugh winced at the rather over the top display of gratitude from the tiefling and added it to his list of reasons to never do anything nice for her. The less he had to put up with somehow incurring her attentions the better.

More curious, however, he thought, was the remarkable loss of composure from Victoria. Hugh found himself frankly baffled by the idea that something as small as a hug could crack the mask of a socialite of a Bard’s caliber. Seriously, what kind of Bard was that… susceptible to simple positive touch?

Granted, he was one to talk about masks and losing them, but mind manipulation was an [i]entirely[/i] different realm of serious compared to a mere hug, so he felt he had plenty of room to talk actually, especially since the uncontrollable anger itself was also a mask to some level.

Honestly, the Bard’s about-face from distantly charming to practically blushing maiden was so stark that Hugh had to do a double-take. Further, her composure could not seem to be fully regained at any point thereafter that he could see. Honestly, if he didn’t know better, he’d almost call her smitten with the tiefling. Though she continued to make room in her words for the rest of the party, it was clear to anyone with eyes that hers were only for the tiefling for the foreseeable future… Unfortunately.

Honestly, for all the provocativeness of her garb, he’d not actually expected the tiefling’s advances to go anywhere, but here they were it seemed. He really hoped not. The last thing they needed right now was even more distractions from the actual mission, and the tiefling having more influence could only be a bad thing for the team’s prospects.

Once the topic had turned to the map and business at hand, Hugh could only nod his head in satisfaction that the map had done its job and better visualized their goals for those without a firm grasp of the region’s anatomy. He could only just resist rolling his eyes at the tiefling, however. It was borderline winter, a time when the days grew shorter and the nights colder. Since when was “early afternoon” during such a time still applicable to daytime, and when exactly had he implied they’d still have daylight to begin with? And in what world would that be a limitation for proper investigators? The sun may set, but that didn’t mean they were to set with it. The night was just as profitable for their purposes -in some ways moreso, but that could wait for later conversation…

Once the party had gotten their fill of staring at parchment, Hugh rolled the map back up and safely stowed it back in its case, screwing the top back on with a satisfied hum. Unwilling to face the outside chill until necessary, Hugh spent the next small period of time simply resting in his chair… and the clearly far too wired Bard started badgering them about hurrying up. Honestly…

Hugh stood up with a sigh, slinging his pack straps over his shoulders and taking hold of his staff, the wooden pole thunking along the floorboards in imitation of a hiking stick. As low wooden thumps transformed into the gravelly crunch and squish of humid dirt and pebbles, Hugh frowned at the cart and its beast of burden.

The back of the cart was currently occupied by a large chest and a not-so-alive swine, the sight of which nicely decided where exactly Hugh would not be spending his time. Frankly, as much as he was willing to set aside personal discomfort for the sake of the mission, it would only be unnecessary discomfort to remain in close proximity to an undead… no matter how apparently well-leashed or surprisingly stench-free it was.

The Cleric and Kathryne seemed to have no such misgivings, as they took a seat in the back of the cart. Victoria took the reins, and the tiefling was beckoned to sit beside her…

Well, he certainly wouldn’t be using the cart at all at this rate it seemed, not that he’d had much intention of doing so before. He was perfectly fine walking alongside the cart, and besides, sitting in the cart in either spot would only disadvantage him as far as keeping watch for potential threats… something no-one else seemed keen on doing.

Sighing again under his breath, as the party left town, Hugh hummed in thought, making pleasantly surprised note of the numerous locals of the region filter in and out the party’s general area. An opportunity presented itself clearly.

On the one hand, diverting some of his attention in such a way could be costly… On the other…? The team was already on a time crunch. Even if an ambush was possible (if unlikely), opportunities for him to freely gather information alone were sure to be unfortunately rare, given the current plan to split into pairs.

Six to seven hours on a highly populated trade road with locals? You couldn’t have stopped him if you tried. Instead of wasting his time keeping more than a cursory watch or making pointless small talk, he could instead actually spend the first day of their investigation being productive and chasing up potential leads.

After all, he was going to be stuck with the mess of a group for at least the next week. He had more than enough to investigate them up close and personal.

Tossing on a congenial expression that was far more genuine than one might expect given his ability to finally take some level of personal control over his immediate personal circumstances (and distance himself from the far too sociable and nosy individuals he’d been locked in close proximity to for hours), Hugh left the party’s general area and set to mingling with the populace.

[color=6ecff6][i]Time to get to work.[/i][/color]