POOHEAD189

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"An you got a cute lil nose," Neil said, poking her nose gently.

After her words sunk in, just after she had finished sucking on his chest, he came to terms with her parent comments. "Is it because Altdor is so hoity toity? Here-" He placed another bar of candy in front of her face, this time the crunchy kind of chocolate. She bit into it greedily. "Look, Marnburb is just like an imperal city, just less Sigmar and Franbz flags. You'd like it, lots of opportunity to-" He started laughing, already tickled at the idea of swindling people in Marienburg with Emmaline. She would be dangerous there, though it was also a dangerous city in turn.

"Lots of space for us to have fun, and lotta money, and the ships to go whereverelsewhere we want to be, ya know?" He paused, his mind stop working for a good moment. "My momther would think you were ok, probably. She died few years ago. My sisters would think you were somthing. I dunno, haven't thought of them in awhile. They're probly gone to live in stirlan or something. You-...what you laughing at?" Neil asked accusingly, and he started laughing too. Emmaline downed her mug, a small stream of ale sliding down her neck and onto her chest. Neil had finished his third mug already, and he knew if he had another, he would be gone from consciousness. Still...

The rogueish and very drunk thief drew close, and lapped up the bit of alcohol running down her bosom, licking her bare skin. Emmaline squeaked and snorted and then giggled, dropping the empty mug once it was done.

"Tastes evem better this way. It's ok, redheads are ok with it," He said, not even knowing what he, himself, meant at that. He made sure to nibble a bit of her skin with his nice teeth.

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"Marienburb?" He asked, not quite catching on the incorrect pronunciation of the name. "Me too! I mean, haha. I mean, you should have told me bat! Because I'm from there...!" He placed his hands against his chest, or one hand and a mug, the brew sloshing onto his shirt. He was vaguely aware of it, rather his mind preoccupied with concentrating to the best of his ability on Emmaline's lamentations. He looked crestfallen she would even suggest such things! Baby!?

Of course his eyes bugged out when Emmaline lifted her chest in his face, but he shook his head despite his gaze never quite leaving them. "No, no, no, no...no, babe. No..."

He placed his mug down, blinking. "No, because those peeble don't get it. They're just jealous you want, you wan smart enough to take their stuff. But you need brains for that kind of thought work. And I love both of you." He patted the top of her chest, and then patted her cheek. "Both the head part and the body part, because together they make my girlfriend which is you who are. Who you- uh, who you are!" Yeah, nailed it. "Me? I'm just some engineer in a city full of fucks like me! But you got the thought and acting and the magic and the scehems and the just amazingness."

He pressed his palm to his chest, as if he were making a great confession at a trial to decide the fate of his life. "I-I love all! The entire all of it. All that and the tiddies too! Jus like how you like me for me but also my handsomeness, because I'm-" He started nodding, as if it were time to admit it finally. "-really cute. It's true. Mmmhmm, I might be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than you, but I got pretty eyes and a good smile. Would be mere hubris if I did not think so, right?"

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"Yes, dreadful business," Neil remarked snobbishly, taking a bite of his own chocolate bar. It was heavenly, and it melded well with the wonderfully potent Bugman's. The brew burned satisfyingly as it went down, and yet it had a deliciousness about it he couldn't really appreciate to the fullest extent because he had nothing else to compare it to. Weighing it up against other ale was just cruel. He almost broke character, but he managed to retain his effete manner. "Seems the whole city is in an uproar! Darling, did you say you needed more drink?"

"Don't change the subject, but yes please." She said, holding out her mug for Neil to scoot over to the table with his longer reach and refill the mug.

"Luckily, the city is-" He groaned and pulled back, handing her the mug and refilling his own, before reclining back into a comfortable position. "-even more expansive below ground as it is above."

"Hmmm?" She wondered, her mouth filled with chocolate. Neil wiped a smudge from her cheek with his thumb.

"The sewers. I know a sewerjack that knows the undergreound top and bottom. There are tunnels that make it miles out into the countryside. We just need to take them." He explained, biting into his chocolate bar once again. His left cheek was half-full as he chewed. "You know, it'll suck to see this place go. But it's for the best. Plus in a month or two the usual tenants will be back anyway and kick us out."

Wow, Neil thought. He had a sudden realization that one mug of Bugman's was already causing him to feel loose. Another one might knock him into inebriated. This stuff was powerful. He was suddenly fascinated by Emmaline's new hair, running his fingers through it. "Where do you want to ko... uh, go after this, hot stuff?" He asked her, and he hiccuped. Neil blinked, his lips unbound by even his normal, low supply of inhibitions. "Hey, did I ever tell you I think you're too good for me? You outta be... you uh, you should be someone important and like, w-where? I don't know where I'm going with it, but you're amazing and I love you."

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"Whoa..." Neil said, a bit overwhelmed by his admiring of her. She was no more pretty red headed than blonde, but there was something about variety that sparked a fire in a man, and he didn't think he would ever be disinterested in this mischievous woman. He smoothed his hair like one did when talking to a pretty girl, without thought or intention. "No, uh... wait what?"

She waved a hand in front of his face, and the nimble thief caught it. "Hello?"

"Sorry," Neil replied honestly, sighing. She had been through a lot today. Fun later, after their anxieties were alleviated. "They did come asking about the Golden Kettle." He saw her eyes widen, but he held his hands up. "They didn't think we did it, just that we should find out information about possible chaos incursions within the walls. They think cultists had something to do with it."

"So my theft got them to be extra alert in dealing with the subterfuge of the ruinous powers?" She asked, smiling.

"You can spin anything, can't you?" Neil grinned. "It was my idea to go looting by the way."

"I never said it wasn't!" She remarked innocently, her eyes going to the stash Neil had accumulated for them atop the table. The wrapping of the chocolate looked so very peelable, and the drinks were incredibly expensive. Neil had actually done quite well, despite Emmaline's escape being the talk of the southern district. Neil smirked and grabbed the keg of Bugman's. There were two pewter mugs set aside on the desk, the thief procuring them and pouring each one to the brim. Emmaline took one mug in her hands, and they both settled on the couch in their usual positions. Neil on the cushion and Emmaline snug on his lap.

"I suggest we leave the city in three days. Just long enough to enjoy what we have before things go tits up. Sound like a plan?" He asked her, awaiting her answer with his mug held out so she may bump it in response. He grabbed a large, sixteen ounce bar of chocolate and opened it, holding it just before her to bite down on.

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

Neil poked her skin experimentally, eyes boring into the tattoo his new girlfriend now sported. He admitted it looked pretty cool, and he would have definitely asked who gave her the ink if he hadn't seen the snake-demon thing leap into the two dimensional space. He shook his head, perplexed. He wasn't drunk enough for this, he decided. Luckily Neil had bought a myriad of drinks for he and Emmaline to imbibe in throughout the coming evening.

"So... this doesn't hurt, right?" He asked, stroking his chin.

"Uh... no? But I'm still wildly confused?" Emmaline said, fretting. The snake thing remained unmoving, but Neil didn't trust it. Would it pop out of her skin and bite or strangle either of them? It seemed like a dumb way to go, but he had seen more humiliating and strange ways to die before. Neil and Emmaline exchanged looks of confusion, but as the woman began to shake her head and part her lips to say something, there was a distant knock. Neil lifted himself up and turned his head like a meerkat, another knock following.

"_{Neil Edwards!}" a voice called.

Neil sighed. "Great, it's Inspector Leizbauhnor." He muttered.

"You don't think..." Emmaline said, uneasily clutching her bodice.

"ONE SEC!" Neil called through the open balcony door. He turned to Emmaline and shook his head. "Nah, I doubt it. Even if it's the case, I'll just shoot him and we'll get back to drinking."

"Drinking is a good idea," She said, the blonde thinking back to the chase, the crash, and now this weird serpent familiar embedded into her body.

"Wait, wait." Neil held both index fingers up. "Before you drink and before I go out there, I have an idea. In the closet there's some dye."

"Uh, yeah?"

"Look, they're going to be looking for a blonde woman. You might want to think about changing your hair color. Wait! Just for a few days." He reasoned. "If this Leizbauhnor guy is here, he's either here with that description of you or he's wanting us to go back out and do something for him, in which case someone might spot you. You can't really hide that banging chest and that big butt, but you can look different with the hair..."

"Some guy saw you too!" She protested. She didn't seem disturbed by changing her hair, but it was still likely a hassle.

"Some guard saw me steal a few bottles of the good shit and some chocolate. Em, you have an entire city looking for you. Just change your hair to whatever we have just for a few days, and by the time it's out of your hair we'll be sailing to Tilea or Stirland or wherever, alright?" He placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her. "I'll go see what the walking stick wants and then we'll get to drinking. One second."

Neil departed out of the bedroom, hurrying down the stairs to the hall in the second floor, opening up the wide window to peer down at the tall, thin man with the wide brimmed hat and the spectacles. Beside him stood a man that looked carved from granite, grey eyes staring out just below a bronze circlet with the twin tailed comet emblazoned at its apex. He wore great plate armor, and in his hand was a large, ornate warhammer that looked more than adequate enough to break through the tower door if the man felt so inclined.

Neil leaned over the side. "You boys missed the parish by about two miles. Just head right down that road and keep walking until you hit the wall. You won't miss it, it's full of beastmen."

"Mr. Edwards, where is your plump companion?" Leizbauhnor asked, adjusting his glasses. He looked to have gained a new scar since last they met. Perhaps the man did more than bookkeeping for the Order of the Fiery Heart.

"She is currently indisposed my good man, shall I bring her a message?"

"Were you two near the southern docks, anytime recently?" He asked, betraying no emotion. The warrior priest remained silent, just staring at Neil.

"We were just out, but no we were up near the palace. We were just helping some of the common folk, putting out some fires. It was the priest-er, the least we could do. So many looters, nowadays. This city won't hold together if we don't stick together. Anyway, could you get to the point? It's been quite a day, sirs."

"Very well. My companion here, Warrior Priest Valkar Baudenhal, is tasked with stamping out all corruption in the city. Rampant magics and such. He asked for my aid, and I knew just who to requisition for help. My two lawless initiates who happen to be quite useful at sniffing out trouble. A number of notable families, including a very prominent one just the other week, have been accused of heretical practices. I believe are familiar with one case that was infested with mutants..."

"-Yeah, shit's messed up-"

"-and it is paramount that we remain vigilant. So, I would ask you and your...friend... to keep an eye out and have a few names to add to our list when I return in three days time."

"Uh... well, I'll see what I can do. Is that all?" Neil inquired.

"For the moment." Leobowitz said. The grim-faced Warrior Priest finally opened his mouth and said. "I look forward to working together."

"Yeah, me too! Ok! Thank you! Goodbye! Goodbye-" He closed the window and superfluously locked it. Immediately he was thinking of the family Emmaline had stolen from, but that would put her in the crosshairs of the law. No, no, the best option was to just somehow leave the city before three days time. He would talk with Emma about it, and so Neil walked back up the stairs to make sure she hadn't guzzled half the keg of Bugmans.

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

They were located on the southern bank of the river reik, near the docks. Neil didn't want to make for the bridge straight away, and so he prowled through the alleys and lesser used side streets, moving further south so he could then make his way round and meet Emmaline at the bridge. Neil padded along a small street, keeping his eyes skyward to dodge any civilian dropping spoiled porridge or refuse into the gutters from a window above. Just as he suspected, a portly woman with a wart the size of a rat poked her head out to gaze at the weather, not the street below, and she unceremoniously dumped the contents of some chunky, smelly concoction out of an iron pot right atop Neil's position.

Neil leaped to the right, the filth missing his dark head of hair, but it splattered onto the cobblestones and small droplets flecked his ankles. His skin crawled, and he waved a hand upwards and shouted. "Hey, be careful with that shit!" Though the woman had already retreated into the apartment. He shook his head, backtracking into the main street. He gradually became aware of a loud screeching, an odd wailing of metal on stone rapidly coming closer. Neil turned up saw a carriage, unbound by horses and wheels, rocketing towards him like the twin tailed comet itself.

"Fucking balls!" He cried, sprinting across the street and hitting the wall just before he was crushed. Neil looked around and then back at the departing carriage, watching it slowly unravel into a thousand pieces of kindling and metal rivets. He had seen a lot of crazy shit in his day, but that was something new. He sighed. "This either has to do with the war or Emmaline. If it's her..."

His question was answered almost immediately. What little crowd there congregated at the street, all gazing at the flying carriage and the guards chasing after it. All save one person, a shapely woman with blonde hair Neil could never mistake. She was at the lip of an alleyway, getting to her feet and looking away from the street, speaking to someone. Neil looked both ways to make sure there wasn't another projectile, and he hurried over to the otherside of the street, but she had begun to depart immediately. Neil followed her down the alley, the scent of human waste mixing with the aroma of freshly cooked meals from the windows above.

Emmaline hustled away into a cross in the backstreets, next to an abandoned shed and a restaurant that had been converted into a closed shop of knicknacks. She suddenly stopped and turned, pulling out a dagger and glaring at Neil, her eyes glowing as the steel of the knife was transmuted into three smaller slivers, all floating in her hand, ready to plunge into her pursuers chest. Neil watched her intimidating manner dissipate like morning dew when she realized it was him.

"You've got some explaining to do." Neil said, raising an eyebrow.

"About what?" She asked, her eyes big and doe-like. Neil wasn't fooled, but he did smile. He waited until she knew he wasn't going take the bait. "Look, I had a little accident, but it's all solved now. We're away and we have uh... this!" The woman presented the case, fluttering her lashes.

"I'm not mad, but next time you hop into something that starts careening down a street, I want in on it." He told her, jealous she got to fly out of that thing like a goblin doom-diver. Though his train of thought was interrupted when she showed the case, and he tilted his head, curious. "What's that?"

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

Neil laughed to himself, the sort of evil chuckle one gave when they were facetiously performing for themselves. He had hit the eye of the ungor, as they said in middenland. Neil had even found some Ulthuan Dreamwine, which might be a pit too rich for him but he would try anything once. The chocolate wasn't stashed in his pack yet, nor the drinks, but he was making a pile of 'to steal' things in the corner of the storehouse so he could just sweep it all in and flee in one go. It might be a bit superfluous, but he might climb out of the window, though glancing up at the portal, he wasn't sure if it was feasible.

"Ok so," he whispered to himself, taking stock of the stash he had accumulated. "This should be enough for three days, even considering Emma's bottomless pit of a liv-"

"Hey! Who the hell are you!?" A strong voice asked, Neil spinning to see the gateway opened, a burly 'clerk' looking at him with accusatory eyes. He pulled out a cudgel, gripping it so tightly Neil saw his knuckles whiten. The man approached, Neil stepping to the left to keep away from his picked stash. Especially the chocolate. It looked easily smooshable. "Answer me, drawlatch, or I'll silence you for good!"

"I'm just inspecting the stock, I promise." Neil said, holding up his hands. He idly stepped closer to the racks of alcohol. "I got hired last week."

"Oh, last week, eh?" The man echoed, mirroring Neil's movements to make sure the thief had no escape route. Luckily for Neil, he wasn't looking for an escape, and instead nestled himself just beside the crates and the rest of the alcohol stock. The man gave a practice swing of the blunt instrument in his hand. "Last week Karl Franz gave me a runefang and kissed my arse. That's about as likely as you being hired by the Golden Kettle Company!"

He gave a wide swing at Neil, the thief ducking, cudgel swinging wildly over his head. Neil was going to kick out, but the man wasn't hired just because he was big. He stepped out of Neil's reach and came back in, this time slamming the cudgle into the ground, Neil barely having time to dodge. The guard hadn't noticed Neil's hand gripping the neck of a bottle, and as he stepped to the right his arm swung, the thick glass cracking over the man's head. It shattered, blood and alcohol sliding down his scalp. He cried out, catching himself as he near lost his balance. Neil saw the man's eyes listless and unfocused. Unfortunately, he didn't think the fellow had the frame of mind to swing again, but he did. Neil was hit by a surprise strike, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Ack!" Neil hit the crates, just as the guard was charging in at him, wanting to press home the advantage. Neil leaped up, pulling himself above the charging man. His balance still a bit untethered, the alcohol he slipped on didn't help him the next few moments. He hit the crates like a bull, only he had no horns. Neil winced when he hit the wood with his already bleeding cranium, the man falling back and slipping into unconsciousness, the cudgel falling from his limp fingers.

"Shallya's mercy, that was close," Neil marveled, slowly climbing down. He stepped over the fallen guard, nearly slipping on the alcohol himself, but managed to make it over to the pile he had gathered and shoveled it into his pack like a dwarf shoving precious stones into a minecart. Carefully, he hefted the sack behind his back and left the man there, closing the gate behind him and walking back into the thoroughfare, climbing over the wall just as another group of men walked past. He would circle round to the front and wait by the alley for Emmaline. He hoped she was alright.

Fortune & Glory: Grimdark Pulp RP

"What is the meaning of this!?" Baron Marius cried, striding forth through the crowd with the Duke in tow. Beren forgot the Duke's name, but he was understandably busy at the moment so he forgive himself forgetting at the moment. The brutes held Beren by the arms and waist, and one even had a leg, however all of them including Beren had stopped struggling when the nobles approached. With no answer forthcoming, he reiterated with: "I asked a question!"

"These men are attacking me, my lord." Beren said.

"This'n attacked the lady Rachel!" One of the thugs exclaimed.

"I didn't!"

"Where is Jocasta?" The Baron asked, and when one man opened his mouth to speak, he gave the man a cutting glare.

"She went on the balcony. I don't know sir, I was going after her when these guys jumped me. This girl here-"

"Lady..." the Baron reminded him. The woman had gotten up now, her cheeks flushed and her eyes looking nervously from side to side, downcast though they were. Beren couldn't guess her game or her problem, but she was attempting to do something to get him in trouble. He would find out at some point, but right now his priority was finding Jocasta.

"My lady here asked me for a dance, I said no and stepped past her, and she fell over somehow. I didn't touch her." Beren expressed.

"I can vouche, sir," Alberad stated with a courtly poise, striding around the buffet table to present himself before the leading nobles. He stepped like a dancer, and his eyes, though kind, were as sharp as knives. The Duke, a stately man in a dress of loud colors, gave a smile to the dignitary.

"None of us would dare question elven eyes, sir." He stated diplomatically, and looked to the men. "Let the man go about his business. It seems to have been a misunderstanding. Do it, now."

Slowly, Beren felt arms leaving his body and he was able to stretch again. He was just about to step away, before he remembered his manners and gave a bow to the elf, the baron, and the duke. "My lords, I appreciate it. If you'll excuse me."

"Go on," The Baron said.

Beren didn't wait for a second invitation. He jogged away, weaving around the dancers and servers and opening the curtain to the balcony to see Jocasta there, lounging above the balustrade, leaning with her arms and looked down into the lights of the street below. Beren started to announce his presence, but he paused and simply looked at her. This was nerve wracking, he realized. Ok, this is big but you can handle it.

"Hey," he said. Jocasta turned and looked at him, her eyes wide like saucers. Her lips moved, but no words were forthcoming and he held his hands up. "Hold on, let me speak. Uh... ok, I should think before I do that, probably. Ok, so... I don't know what's wrong. I know something is bothering you, but I was planning on..." Beren fished into his pockets, getting it wrong the first time but finding the other pocket held what he sought. "-giving you something..."

"Beren..."

He pulled out a small black case, small enough to fit in her palm. He walked up to the balcony's edge with the container in his hands, and her eyes bugged out when she saw it. "What are you doing?" She asked, aghast.

"Uh, well... look, I really like you. And, yesterday when you were back at the manor I went around and found something I thought you might like. I wanted tonight to kind of be special, but so far it's been strange. But stuff is only as awkward or weird as you decide to make it. I bought this for you, because... I realized over the last month or two, I have a big crush on you, and I wanted to get you this so..."

He placed it in her hands, and when she opened it, inside were two earrings of gilded bronze. They were carved into the likeness of a dragonfly, split down the middle. Each one had an eye of sapphire, and there were small grooves on the outer edges that looked as if they fit together like a small puzzle. A bit of parchment stuck out of the top of the case, and within was a small note that read:

Rose are red
I'll give this a shot
My poetry sucks
But I think you're pretty hot.

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

Sigmar, this was too easy. In Marienburg, men had the sense to make the buildings either uniform or ubiquitous so as to confuse would-be thieves on where the goods were. But he knew just where to go from an idle glance. He could tell exactly where the gold was, the food, and just where he needed to be. Each storage house looked much the same. A single story building near three stories high, windows at the zenith, the buildings stacked up with sensible stoneworks with large wooden doors at their front, locked with large iron shackles. It would take a man on a demi-gryph or a team in a steamtank to break apart the doors with brute force, but Neil didn't need that.

Or the keys.

Neil had managed to smuggle his way into the thoroughfare between the office and the first silo, and while he was taking a guess, he knew the managers of the Golden Kettle were too smart to give the keys to the closest guard, but too lazy to keep it on their person in case they needed to unload hurriedly. So Neil, slinking his way silently behind a stack of timber, slowly reached out and gnabbed the keys off the first 'clerk' he saw, the man reclining just before Neil and the furthest from the silo he sought. His fingers slowly lifted the keys up and out of his belt, and to his delight he saw there were three of them on the iron ring. Did they have multiple copies of the same keys, or were these all fake? Even if they were fake, it would take the man, who looked like he was about to doze off, a good while to even notice they were gone. Neil and Emmaline would be long gone by then.

Neil started out the back of the timber pile, though a noise ahead had him freeze against the lumber. There was another, identical noise, and he knew it was footsteps. He grabbed the lip of the topmost timber and climbed up it with alacrity, flattening himself atop it, as to let what he believed to be two men walk by.

"That woman's got something the boss wants." Said a voice. "Mark me."

"Gods, she's got something I want too." The other said.

They laughed and began bantering, continuing on their way. Neil heard the keyman stir at their presence, snorting. He mumbled something to himself, but didn't get to his feet. Rather, he sneezed and hacked up something particularly gruesome, but apparently kept to his spot. Slowly, like a serpent across the sands, Neil slid off the timber and landed noiselessly, padded away into the alley. The thief stopped often to be safe but otherwise made an unobstructed path to the far storage house.

The waterfront was mostly deserted on this end, save for two men on the jetty pulling up the mooring line of a ship, and so he decided it was best not to sneak this. He simply had the keys in his hands and walked round, stepping into the light of the day and facing the great door. With his back turned and without a skulking look, anyone half looking his way would think he was an employee. The second key fit perfectly, and once the lock's inner mechanism 'clicked' he slowly unwound the shackles on the door and opened it just far enough for him to slip in, closing it behind him so no one would think it odd to be left open.

He hoped Emmaline was keeping them busy. He needed a bit more time.

And something to carry it in, he thought. Neil gave a soft, suggestive whistle as he saw mounds of stacked and tightly wrapped chocolate, with the symbols of Araby and even far Cathay on the opened crates. To his right were barrels and barrels of drink set as a base for racks filled with bottles of vodka, wine, and much, much more. Neil went to the drink first, pulling out bottles from the makeshift shelves. Some were local, and there was some reikland vintage as well. Good stuff, but no, he could get that anywhere, even if it was expensive. Some stirland moonshine? Nope.

"Oh hello..." He whispered, pulling out another bottle. Manann's Own? That was rare, she would like that. Some Carcassonne Special Reserve? He was up to try some of that and... Neil laughed in disbelief. He had cast his eyes downward, and the barrel he had been standing right in front of was a barrel of Bugman's!

"Yep, I'm getting lucky tonight."

The Elder Scrolls: Endless Night

Thurgred stirred in his seat, drawing Hakon's attention. The nord gave a cursory glance to the door, watching as two mer walked in to the warmth of the taven. Not together, but one after the other. He couldn't tell if they held a secret anxiety behind their eyes, but he still felt on edge. The crowd was growing thick in the place, and the two friends, Hakon and Thurgred, had eaten their fill in relative silence until the door had opened. Hakon realized he needed another refill of his drink.

"Grab one for me, as well." The orc remarked, sliding his mug over to the Nord.

"I'll see about getting you a drink you can handle. Maybe some Summerset wine." Hakon quipped, taking the drink and sliding his chair back. Thurgred went back to chewing on the bones of the chicken wings he had mostly devoured, the tusks and crackling of teeth on bone reminding Hakon of a dog he once had. The nord tried his best to gently shoulder through the throng of tavern-goers, making it to the counter and asking for another round of mead for the two of them. Idly he glanced at the Dunmer and the Altmer that had entered. Despite his misgivings on the Thalmor, as any sensible man would have, he did not hate elves. Ancient enemies of his people, yes, but every man, or elf, was an individual.

This also was not Skyrim during Ulfric's rebellion, where one could never be too careful about who was a spy for the dominion, telling on who worshiped what god and who to report to the imperial authorities. The Thalmor might not be allies of the Empire forever, but imperial state secrets were a bit more conspicuous for spies to be looking in on a blacksmith, and far less to do with common people's rights of culture and religion. As far as he was concerned, everyone here was welcome here as long as they didn't cause trouble.

Walking back with the mead, Hakon passed by the window. The glass had looked impossibly dark from the bar counter, but close up he could make out the outline of the city street and the wide expanse of the...

Where was the water? Odd, the right angles and curves of the houses and shops were unobstructed, but the sea was obscured by a fallen cloud. Looking longer, it seemed as if it was moving closer to the tavern. He glanced about, and then backtracked to the door. That phenomena only really happened during snowstorms in his experience, but maybe this could happen in the southern weather? He shoved the door open with a brawny shoulder, gazing out with his blue eyes. He could see the rolling fog creeping closer, shrouding the horizon. There was some movement left that almost had him jump, but on second look, it was the figure of a woman.

He felt he recognized her, though he couldn't think of a name. She strode down the steet, idly looking at the fog as if it were a stalking menace. Hakon held the door open for her with his back. "Best get in," He said to Granuaile Greenbow.