Jocasta gave Beren a wink, and he hid his amusement when Otar looked back at him. He couldn't be sure none of the other dwarves saw it, but they didn't say anything. Muragrim and Gurin downed another pint of what alcohol they could find, but Buri had only had one flagon and he looked at the two humans with a keen eye. 

"Percentage?" He asked, drawing a raised eyebrow from Jocasta. 

"A seventh. Together." Beren said, pointing at Jo and himself. 

"Ye've been here for one day!" Radsvir said, his voice rising. The human wench that had decided to stay and find a comfortable place on his lap flinched at the sudden outburst. He didn't notice, though his hand held her hip protectively. 

"But if our findings are correct, it'll be because of us that you found it." Jocasta added, catching on quickly. The business aptitude and gold lust of dwarves was legendary even to the layman. Of course they wanted to get the details ironed out before they even found the Thundrim. 

Beren crossed his arms. "We're not even asking for an eighth for each of us, just a seventh between the two of us." 

Otar crossed his arms as well, closing his eyes. The elder paused in thought, and then gave a nod in acceptance. 

[hr] 

"Invited to the palace!?" Jocasta said, aghast. She plopped down on the bed in her guest room, surprised. Beren stood leaning on the doorway, gazing at an identical letter for himself. She read the beginning aloud again to make sure the details were right. "You are formally invited by the Arch-Count to the Founding Day Celebration in the grand banquet hall of the palace and its surrounding courtyards and balconies. Your service to the county has granted you leave to speak to any lord and to be congratulated and awarded a token for your valor..."

"Free food," Beren pipped in, happy at that added detail. Still, he seemed a bit quiet. Jocasta owed a lot of people money, she didn't get invited to a lot of fancy celebrations unless she was working. Beren apparently felt some sort of way about it. 

"What's wrong?" She asked him, curious. 

For Beren's part, he felt and knew he looked embarrassed, which Beren imagined might look strange on someone who could grapple orcs and slay trolls. Still, he was younger than people gave him credit for, and he didn't exactly know how to verbalize his discomfort. Particularly because he was worried about being unimpressive to the girl that was staring at him right now. 

"What am I going to wear?" He asked. 

"I'm sure the Baron has-" 

"No, I mean like...I don't [i]know[/i] what I would wear." He explained. He had always loathed dressing up, and even though he had been to a banquet or two when his parents had been invited, the etiquette and the dress never could stick with him. The next part was worse, and he felt very wooden. "And uh...I don't know how to dance either..." 

He pushed off the wall and shrugged his muscled shoulders, trying to remain his normally confident self, even if he didn't feel it particularly. He scratched the back of his head. "I'm not really a high class guy, you know I'd probably mess you up."