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[h2][color=darkorchid][i][b]Victoria Belmont[/b][/i][/color][/h2][i][b][color=9932cc]Half-Elf, Bard, Level 3[/color][/b][/i]
[color=9932cc][i][b]HP:[/b][/i][/color] 23 / 23	[color=9932cc][i][b]Armor Class:[/b][/i][/color] 15	[color=9932cc][i][b]Conditions:[/b][/i][/color] N/A
[color=9932cc][i][b]Location:[/b][/i][/color] [url=https://i.ibb.co/hWRvhS4/Hay-Barn.jpg]The Hayloft[/url] 
[color=9932cc][i][b]Action:[/b][/i][/color] Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation 
[color=9932cc][i][b]Bonus Action:[/b][/i][/color] [color=black]Morty[/color]
[color=9932cc][i][b]Reaction:[/b][/i][/color] N/A 
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[right][img]https://i.ibb.co/KW5Pyxx/Victoria-FC-3-II.png[/img][/right]
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	Victoria gave a listen to what the rest of her party had to say. More than that, she took the occasion to really give consideration toward these people she had met just the day before yesterday. These were the ones that stuck around, after all was said and done thusfar, and looked like they would be the ones with which she would have to put some parcel of trust. Probably not all at once, though. Knightly type, godly type, spellcaster. Well, she'd associated with less reputable people before. Even so, and despite their newness as an investigative group, Victoria believed that she would always be something of an outsider among them, for reasons both obvious and hidden. 

	But to the topic at hand, which she addressed after she gathered up her bedroll and blanket and placed them on conveniently arranged hay bales to form a sort of rustic twin bed near a wall, her backpack and errant cart forming a partially sectioned off area which gave a suggestion of personal space. To verbalize her thoughts, she mentioned, [color=9932cc]"My concern, for what it's worth, is not with the people who are still missing. I am curious as to the ones who vanished and then returned. It is unfortunate that we do not know who those people are."[/color] 

	She gave a lightly amused smile, recounting the events from earlier involving the crowd of drunken reprobates outside of the Public House. Wryly, Victoria commented, [color=9932cc]"I doubt that I will be able to be as effective an investigator in this small town, due to my flagrant display of magic earlier. I might even be suspect, at least until I have time to spin the incident to the public."[/color] In her estimation, it was a mistake to imply servitude to some eldritch horror when accosted by the locals, when loud and cutting remarks designed to draw attention to herself might have accomplished the same outcome, more or less. An addendum to that thought immediately followed, with some importance; [i]only because the nature of their work contained subterfuge[/i]. Otherwise, the full brunt of her ability to inspire fear was fully appropriate. 

	This thought flowed over into another point made by Kosara, about her safety, [color=9932cc]"No, you should not 'protect me' to the exclusion of our reason to be here. I have proven that I can handle myself. And I have a Morty!"[/color] The last sentence was punctuated by a sudden upbeat tone as she recalled a detail from the previous day that, in the hustle of the day, she had forgotten. Victoria's dexterous hands lifted the lid of her traveling chest. From this elegant box she produced a bundle of cloth and a signalling bell, which she had purchased in Darenby the previous day. [color=9932cc]"Marita, it's only fair that I take a turn at watch."[/color] A devious look crossed her features as she knelt in front of her carefully wrapped, animated swine and placed the handle of the bell into its mouth. A brief expression of concentration followed, and Morty, bell clasped firmly, stepped near to the edge of the loft floor. From this vantage, one could see the doors at either side of the structure readily. [color=9932cc]"But I simply [i]must[/i] get my rest. You understand."[/color] 

	Feeling very pleased with herself, Victoria returned to her pallet with the bundle of cloth and turned back around, waving her hands in front of her as if wiping condensation away from a window. Instead of making vision clearer, the motion left behind it the growing image of a privacy screen, five feet wide and just tall enough for her to see over. Satisfied, the perky Half-Elf shuffled off her working gear and clothing, applying minor magics for the sake of cleanliness all the while. She regarded her own lithe, svelte form for a moment, then sighed softly, nodded, and pulled on a set of black silk garments which were stylish, functional, and displayed relative modesty, not unlike the set she had just removed and magically laundered. 

	A wave dismissed the privacy screen. Victoria set to adding an insulating layer of clothing atop her undergarments as it was still not an ideally comfortable temperature, even with the brazier burning nearby. To no one in particular, she mentioned, [color=9932cc]"The feeling which came over me, of being watched?"[/color] her head shook slowly, [color=9932cc]"Did not occur in the cemetery itself, nor on the walk to it. It was only while returning from the cemetery. Just to clarify."[/color] Then, the Bard changed the subject again, motioning to her pig, [color=9932cc]"So yes, if two sets of eyes are better than one, then there is my turn at watch. Morty is tasked with ringing that bell if he detects anything (aside from one of us) entering this building."[/color] Utilitarian uses for Necromancy was a stiff drawing point for Victoria, as she did like making herself useful most of the time. [color=9932cc]"Sleep tight, everyone. Oh, don't forget to feed the brazier when your watch comes up. It's quite chilly out there."[/color] She smiled and snuggled into her makeshift but still fairly comfortable bed, eyes staring at the soft, red-orange glow of their only active source of light and heat. While Victoria was still willing to entertain light conversation, she was most definitely settling in for the night.