[hr] [center][table][row][cell][h3][b][sup]A [color=2e2c2c].[/color] Long[color=2e2c2c].[/color] Time [color=2e2c2c].[/color] Ago[/sup][/b][/h3] [justify][color=silver] [b]“Ma, for my birthday can I have a big ol’ sword like Pa?”[/b] A young Brigitte chirped up at her mother as she loomed nearby with a book in hand. The aging woman with auburn hair smiled brightly as her daughter spoke and sat down at a small table in her room before opening the book. Its old worn pages frayed with each turn; the ink wasn’t quite faded enough to be tossed away, but the tome was ancient. The Lady of Fenris, Deilyn, outstretched a hand to her daughter with a maternal invitation only a mother could offer. Warmth, comfort, security— the rock in Brig’s world that balanced the stern resolve of her father. The young raven-haired girl scampered over to her mother before hopping up onto her knee so whatever old story Deilyn Fenris wished to tell could easily reach her ears. [i]“Howbout another one of your ma’s old stories?— your father can spoil you with swords and gore later on th’ evening.”[/i] Deilyn tucked a few of Brig’s bangs behind her ears before flipping to a page where charcoal scratched into the shape of a cloaked woman holding a torch within a dark and forboding forest. [right][i]Long long ago, before the torchflies long abandoned the north.. There was a village nestled along the forest end where the three tribes lived. The Fire Tribe tended to the people. The Ash Tribe tended the woods. The Smoke Tribe tended to the dead. One day, a young girl arrived from the forest claimed by no tribe. She was too young to be a hunter, and too old to be an orphan lost to the wilds. The girl spoke only three words as she enter the village. Mourning ... falling ... flame ... The girl was frostbitten so the Flame Tribe took her in. At their mighty bonfires they warmed her till color returned to her skin. In the golden firelight they would come to find she wasn't from the north at all. Her hair a strange silvery blue, her eyes white as the snow itself. The Fire Tribe's shaman did not know if the girl would be a blessing, or an omen. So once she was nursed to health, they brought her to the Ash Tribe. The seers of the Ash had the mysterious girl drink bloodberry. But she did not sleep or have visions when she did? Then they took to the woods where she was found. There she walked the twisted trees as if she knew them her whole life. Every glade, every clearing, the paths only wyrms and icewolves walked. It was then that the Ash realized, This girl was a child of the land itself. They hunted with her. They ate with her. They shared their culture with her. And when they trusted her most, they showed her the Heavenspeak. At the mouth of the mightiest berg of the north, the nameless girl was brought. Once they arrived she dropped to her knees as if seeing a ghost. The second time she had ever spoken was then: O' father ... give ... love ... For the first time ever did the Heavenspeak rumble. It shook as if the earth was about to sunder right there beneath their feet! And the iciest cold spilled out from above, almost as if the Heavenspeak breathed out. The hunters of the Fire froze in fear. The hunters of the Ash stared in wonder. And the hunters of the Smoke walked to the girl's side. They claimed it was their turn to watch over the girl. That journey back was more arduous than the one there. Many of the most mighty of hunters lost their way. But the Smoke followed the girl and stayed the path. Her hands burnt on the torches flame. As she lighted the pathway through the forest. Every night spent awake shaking at the shadow shapes. Until at long last they returned to the village [/i][/right] [b]”But who was the girl ma’ ?”[/b] Asked the young Brigitte to her mother. The Lady of Fenris closed the old story book a few pages too early, not giving her daughter the story’s conclusion and smiling as it was tucked back onto a bookshelf. The sound of Brig’s whining only stoked some mirth onto the war scarred woman’s face and finally she’d rise to her boots and walking to the door. The shit-eating grin upon her face grew just a tad larger as she looked back to her daughter whilst opening the door. [i]”I think you’ll love th’ present Kurt prepared for you this year Brig.”[/i] [/color][/justify][/cell][cell][color=2e2c2c].[/color][/cell][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/NAg1pGY.jpeg[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/5R5wQHg.png[/img] [color=2e2c2c].................................................................[/color][/cell][/row][/table][/center] [hr][center][table][row][cell][h3][b][sup]Where There's Blood , There's Coin[/sup][/b][/h3][@Yankee][@xAlter][@13org][@Theyra] [justify][color=silver]Blackpebble’s reputation for mercenaries was undeniable, the amount of them that dominated the Stone’s Throw dwarfed simple common folk sitting at the tables. Perhaps it was a side effect of the job, with mercenaries networking amongst themselves, sharing information on what spots held the most profitable jobs and which to avoid. There was even a large bulletin board near the entrance with paper postings of wanted individuals, beasts needing to be slain, or simple tasks too difficult for one northerner to do alone. [b]Maeki[/b], after clearing things up with Brig and Nika, returned to his duties and swiftly noticed the person they were looking for enter the bar— just as the mute mercenary woman came to fill some space at the bar close to him. [color=brown]”Ah! I’ll have Bet grab some mutton stew for ye’!”[/color] Maeki clapped his hands together and turned to a tall tan-skinned woman with long black braided hair, clad in an apron she seemed to be a waitress or chef of some sort. [color=orange]”Aye, give me a minute— if my husband knew you were working me this hard he’d cleave you in two.”[/color] Bet, the barmaid clicked her tongue before setting down a tray of mugs upon the countertop and dashing back toward the double doors leading to the kitchen. The half-dwarven innkeep would clock Sieg as he appeared with a request for mead. Maeki let out one singular chuckle before pulling an oaken mug from the tray nearby and slamming it down in front of the man and looking at the still and silent Brig and Nika sitting at the furthest end of the bar. Maeki dipped his head towards them before turning around and heading into the kitchen to speak privately with Bet in the back. Nika had returned Maeki's gesture, and now that he and Brigitte were alone in the crowd the knight hunched his shoulders. His elbows were on the bar counter, but he was not at rest. Even in a familiar environment like this, it was unlikely that he'd be able to relax anytime soon considering everything that had happened. Stonecrown was familiar too after all. [color=#C3BDFF]”Watch th’ door for me Nika, mercenaries or not, who knows what sorts have gotten entangled in this mess.”[/color] Brig looked to the mug of mead that found itself sliding across the countertop and in an effort to blend in with the rest of haggard souls making themselves comfortable at the Stone’s Throw, snatched it up for herself. [color=rosybrown]"Right,"[/color] Nika replied, then chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. After Brig had awoken again, he'd filled her in properly on everything that had transpired at the castle, sparing no detail. Now that they'd come to Blackpebble they had to be quick and discreet, but the latter was never something that Nika had excelled in. Coming here had been Brig's idea, along with seeking out that magekiller while they were at it, and he wanted to ask if she already had more plans in that head of hers, but now was not the time; not with so many opportunistic strangers sitting with their ears perked. These mercenaries did not escape Nika's notice, just as the sight of two ragged travelers did not escape theirs. Nika dipped his head slightly, enough so that he would be able to keep an eye on the room and its entry without making it [i]too[/i] obvious, and murmured to his companion, [color=rosybrown]"circlin' like a bunch of buzzards they are."[/color] If the attack in Stonecrown ended up being a prelude for things to come, the mercenaries would not be starved for work much longer... though despite being so immersed in the North's fondness for battle, Nika sincerely hoped it would not come to that. [color=#C3BDFF]“Probably just desperate for coin,”[/color] Brig raised the mug of mead up to her lips and took a quick swig whilst making eye contact with the individual it was intended for. [color=#C3BDFF]”— or they might know something we don’t.”[/color] She grumbled beneath her breath as her cold empty eyes scanned around the tavern to the mercenaries who clumped up near the bar. There wasn’t an easy way to discern how much information had leaked from Stonecrown, but if the guilty party involved did their job correctly, it wouldn’t travel very fast. [color=rosybrown]"Now that's a scary thought."[/color] Nika ran a quick hand through his short hair as Lord Fenris' advice passed through his thoughts once more. Siegfried’s eye twitched as the girl grabbed his mug of mead and took a sip. He side eyed her and signalled for another, his mood dropping even further if such a thing was even possible. [color=#6ecff6][i]”Don’t stab the client, don’t stab the client.”[/i][/color] was the repeated mantra. He grabbed the second mug, shooting the Luxun man a glare that dared him to try it. He let out a teasing, almost mocking snarl of bared teeth, canines bared and slightly too long. Siegfried spoke up after taking a sip, the immediate warmth soothing him slightly. [color=#6ecff6]”For folk who want to stay hidden, you’re doing an awful lot to appear suspicious.”[/color] Sieg said, taking another sip. [color=#6ecff6]”Taking another man’s drink when it wasn’t offered, one he paid for no less, that’s a mistake few make twice.”[/color] The stranger’s words caught Brig off-guard, drawing her sight away from Nika and directly into a tense eye contact with the mercenary whose mead she sipped from. Still though, she sipped at the mead silently as he said his piece, veering her vision towards the door that Maeki disappeared behind and then to Nika briefly before finally deciding to answer. [color=#C3BDFF] “If I were worried about coming t’ blows with someone I don’t know, I wouldn’t have done it. As for suspicion, we’re trying t’ get out of town as quick as possible so ‘ts not like we’re trying t’ make friends, stranger. Speaking of who’re you even?”[/color] Siegfried just eyed the girl in a way that was less wary and more judgemental. It was the look of a wolf sizing up a bug, something or rather someone not worth his time for the moment. He could give an actual answer, his name, his occupation, perhaps a price if she had any work for him to do. He doubted she’d give a real answer, or if she was the one even in charge. He shifted his gaze to the man again, and assessed. [color=#6ecff6]”Depends who’s asking, or if the little lady is even the one in charge..”[/color] he settled on. [color=#6ecff6]”This a conversation that should happen here, or were your requests to go to the back because you’re shy?”[/color] He signalled for another mug, already having drained the first one. He didn’t get drunk easily anymore. Now he just drank to drink. He gulped half down before she could answer. [color=#6ecff6]”But if you really need an answer, I’m the guy who’s drink you stole and someone who really didn’t get that great of sleep.”[/color] Leaving aside the petty theft, a grouchy, hardened merc was probably the most common kind around these parts. Not unexpected, but still Nika visibly bristled at the man's words. He didn't usually need to defend Brig's honor or anything of the like (she preferred to do that herself, and it was a sight to see), but after what they'd just gone through one could say that Brig's pact knight was still feeling pretty raw. He turned to the dark haired man, his brows pinched together. [color=rosybrown]"Put it down to buyin' a lady a drink after a hard day and let it alone,"[/color] he said. Clearly the stranger did not recognize the Lady Fenris, but pointing that out would bring a lot more unwanted attention while they waited for Maeki. Then again, it was Brig's identity so it was up to her how she wanted to handle it. [color=#C3BDFF]”Stealing a drink in a tavern?.. say that a little louder and maybe you’ll spark up a round of laughter ‘eh?”[/color] A coy smile drew across the woman’s lips as she shook her head and looked to Nika. An arched brow found itself pinned up at his comment, rolling with it before quieting her tone to a whisper within the loud roar of drunkards within the bar. [color=#C3BDFF]”Lady Fenris is looking for th’ mysterious hunter of mages that ‘s passing through Blackpebble, and ‘m waiting for Maeki to return so he can introduce me.”[/color] Siegfried raised an eyebrow both at the Luxun about defending the woman, and then the remark about buying the lady a drink. Sieg wanted to laugh, but held himself back. Fair enough, he supposed. Although the lady’s next words caused his eyebrow to lower, and then for him to snort into his own mug. [color=#6ecff6]”The Lady Fenris is looking for a hunter of mages?”[/color] he asked, voice level and suddenly very interested. [color=#6ecff6]”That’s quite a specific merc to look for, girl.”[/color] he placed down his mug. [color=#6ecff6]”Say, you wouldn’t happen to know why the lady of Fenris is looking for this mage hunter?”[/color] he probed, leaning an elbow on the wood of the bar, resting his cheek in his fist. He turned, giving them his full attention. [color=#6ecff6]”If Maeki is going to introduce you, it’d better be worth her time, no? I heard he’s quite prickly, a bit of a lunatic really. Rumor has it he drinks mage blood after each kill, and charges quite the premium.”[/color] He watched them, looking for anything, a flinch, a grimace, any sign that what he was saying was getting through to them if at all. [color=#6ecff6]”You’re in luck, perhaps. I’m no fighter, but I value my skin and my trade. Names, whispers, where to find people who don’t want to be found. For the right coin, I may be able to give some information. Here’s a little appetizer if you want, since he’s leaving Blackpebble. Might be on the road out of town already. Left this morning, might be a few miles gone already..”[/color] He got a reaction in the knight, whose brows shot up at the blood drinking comment before he glanced at the woman next to him as if to ask [i]what the hell, is that true?[/i] Meanwhile Brig slowly tilted her head at the man’s response, squinting her eyes and narrowing them to burn the image of the man speaking into her mind. [color=#C3BDFF]”I’d believe you, but Maeki ‘d tell me if he left, and I’m on a tight schedule you see.”[/color] The gray-eyed woman turned and bent in her barstool as her leg raised to give herself easier access to the scabbard resting above her ass. In one swift motion the rimeglass blade is plucked from the harness and brandished before stabbing it into the wood of the countertop. [color=#C3BDFF]”Coin’s not a problem, nor a necessity, so if you’d like ta’ cut the shit?”[/color] Brig shook loose bangs of ebony from her eyes and flared her teeth at the man. He didn’t flinch, didn’t jump, didn’t even seem surprised. [color=#6ecff6]”Cut what shit?”[/color] Sieg said with a helpless shrug. He eyed the dagger, rimeglass, filed it away, and finished his second mug. He signalled for another, drinking from the third mug. He picked up his head, and reached out a hand to the dagger, before pulling back, figuring the girl was more likely to stab him than anything. [color=#6ecff6]”You’re in a hurry,”[/color] he repeated. [color=#6ecff6]”And you have an expensive toy. I can see why you think coins not a problem. Unlucky for you, I’m not in a hurry.”[/color] The corner of his mouth twitched up into a not-quite smirk, not-quite smile, swiveling on his seat, setting the mug down with a thunk. [color=#6ecff6]”I’d suggest maybe not brandishing a dagger at the guy you’re looking to hire.”[/color] He leaned in close, eyes narrowing into slits, seeming to glow in the dim light. [color=#6ecff6]”Now maybe give me a reason to consider your job and why I should waste my time on you noble types.”[/color] Brig looked once again towards the door that Maeki disappeared through, almost hoping he’d come storming out to settle this quarrel for her, but things were never that simple. So she looked then to Nika with a frown before twisting the rimeglass blade and returning it to the scabbard. [color=#C3BDFF]”To ensure that th’ mages don’t take our land from us. Nika, am I connecting the wrong dots or is this th’ guy?”[/color] Her knight had put it together at the same time as her, right after the man in question had all but pointed it out for them. Nika frowned, giving the mercenary another, proper once over. If nothing else, it put the man's behavior more into perspective. [color=rosybrown]"You've got it right,"[/color] Nika told Brig, shifting where he stood. Brig crossed her arms over her chest and leaned towards the nameless mage slayer. Her nose wriggled, brows knitted, and lips pursed as she measured the man— knowing that she didn’t have any magic, but dealing with that seemed to be this figure’s specialization so maybe the odds were in her favor. [color=#C3BDFF]”When Maeki returns, we can discuss things in th’ back; but what I can tell you ‘s that I am indeed the daughter of Kurt Fenris, and someone who specializes in killing mage fucks will be handsomely rewarded if they lend me their ear.”[/color] He leaned back, the stool creaking under the shift in weight. [color=#6ecff6]"You have a colorful way with words, girl. 'Mage fucks.' I can work with that sentiment."[/color] He let a smirk touch his lips, a dry, humorless thing that didn't quite reach those unsettling eyes. [color=#6ecff6]"And if you're the lord’s daughter, then maybe you actually have the coin to back up that rimeglass sticker."[/color] He glanced at Nika then, his gaze lingering on the Luxun features with a cold, biological curiosity, the look of a butcher eyeing a side of beef, deciding where the best cut lies. [color=#6ecff6]"You keep strange company for a Fenris,"[/color] he muttered, the disdain audible but controlled. The mageborn tensed under his glare but did little else besides draw in a heavier breath. It was nothing he hadn't heard before, or even seen before - though it had been a while since a look like that had been leveled at him. Siegfried turned his full attention back to Brig. [color=#6ecff6]"I'll listen. But know this before we step into any back room: I charge for the time and the risk. And if you're asking me to hunt mages, real ones, not hedge wizards pulling coins from ears, the price starts high."[/color] He tapped a calloused finger against the wooden bar for emphasis. [color=#6ecff6]"If they're entrenched? It doubles. If they know I'm coming? Triples. And if I have to clean up a mess your knight can't handle..."[/color] He let the sentence hang, the implication of an exorbitant fee clear in the silence. He gestured vaguely toward the door where Maeki had vanished, his body language relaxing into a deceptive stillness. [color=#6ecff6]"We wait for the dwarf, then. But keep that blade sheathed, Lady Wolf. I charge extra for babysitting."[/color] [color=brown]"Half-dwarf ye' twat! My Haldrian father 'd have yer head if'e heard that!"[/color] Maeki exited the backroom with Bet beside him holding a hot mini kettle with two cloths to stop her hands from being seared from the cast iron. Bet shot Maeki a passing glare before making her way to the center of the countertop and plopping the kettle down to begin scooping some of the molten stew out into the bowl. [color=orange]"Here ya' are m'love."[/color] Bet smiled to Eirun before sliding the bowl and a metallic mug over to her and nodding before dividing the stew out for a few other patrons within the Stone's Throw. The Inn's cook seemed to have been instructed to take charge of the bar so that Maeki could take Brigg and her companion to the back, but before he lifted the small wooden barrier that led behind the bar, Maeki would shoot a glance to Aslan and nod to him. [color=brown]"Let's not make it a scene, hurry up."[/color][/color][/justify][/cell][cell][color=2e2c2c].[/color][/cell][cell][img]https://images.alphacoders.com/873/thumb-1920-873880.jpg[/img] [img]https://images.stockcake.com/public/9/1/8/91829e19-9aff-4377-affc-c87e387bb8e6/festive-tavern-gathering-stockcake.jpg[/img] [color=2e2c2c].................................................................[/color][/cell][/row][/table][/center]