Open Chronicles Between the Embrace of Drawa.

The ever-keenly aware Arnor produced a grim smile. He reached to his waist, laying a knife on the table. In cards, it was known as a 'tell'. The dark elf had an extreme tell- of reaching for a weapon. His eyes flicked to his hand on the table, no doubt an attempt to distract him. The other moved down to his boot. Boot-knife, more than likely. A mark of a desperado, rogue, or ne'er-do-well. Or a man with the intention to deceive- or protect himself. But Arnor was many things, but a fool was not one of them.

And truth be told, given the positioning, Arnor could probably use the table as a weapon before the elf could reach for his knife.

"For a man so close to a land he so despises, you speak boldly."

He leaned back up fully, staring down at the Dark Elf, and the human who was joining him.

It was cold out. Too cold for most, but for a Nordenfiir just cold enough. The winds of the sea whipped wild and angry across the unsheltered lands of this poor fishing village. Maude had been here only once before and it had been on her journey to put as much distance between herself and Eretejva as possible. Fate had a different idea, seemed.

She arrived to the Inn with a swelling gale of bitter seasalt frost clinging to her armor. Meant to meet her newest traveling companion, Arnor Skuldsson after splitting off from the man just a night or so ago. Need to check on something, she'd told him, meet me at the Inn. So it came as little surprise that she could smell the man well before she spotted him - normally this spoke only to the keen senses of a Norden, but where Arnor was concerned it spoke to the amount of time taken between good and proper baths.

He was a musky man, to be certain, but she didn't mind so much. Reminded her of home.

The door slammed shut behind her with a cold shudder in the wind, leaving the woman to ply layers of frostbitten pelts from her figure as she strode across the Inn to the bar towards the back. Green eyes briefly surveyed the patrons of the place, giving the present situation between Norden and Elf a passing glance before turning to the Innkeep.

"Ale," she said, pulling her gauntlets from her hands as she took a seat on a stool, "a room, and a word with Raveth about his sign outside."

Then, while the Inkeep went about his work, the woman cracked a second glance back at Arnor and his ... friend, "What's all this then?"

As if on cue, a man of a similar scent to Faelin's description joined them. As they exchanged a few verbal jabs, the tension rose to a point that could have been cut by a knife. The newcomer may have had just that idea as he placed a small blade on the table, in front of Faelin and herself, The girl remained quiet. If anything, Faelin was making this situation worse for himself by provoking the man, and she wanted no part in it. So, she turned her head, just as another traveler joined them at the bar. She had fiery hair, and had warrior's strength, by the look of it. When she ordered a drink, Sapphire followed suit, keeping her nose to herself as the situation between the dark elf and the man progressed

Arnor removed the knife from the table. The Dark Elf was not worth a bounty- not that there were a lot of men that were up to snuff hunting, and killing- or worse, capturing, a Norden. He did not consider the Dark Elf a threat, more along the lines of a nuisance.

He turned, and walked to the pale man- asleep. Arnor, being the polite man that he was...kicked the table he was near, lightly. Enough to wake him.

"We're here for the job, stranger."

Two Nordenfiir....very powerful set of friends to have on a job. Not that they were really friends- Maude was there more along the lines of...convenience.

She downed the ale in three gulps and smacked the tankard back on the bar.

"Another. What's your wife cooking in the kitchen?"

"Venison, salmon, leek stew."

"I'll take a serving of each."

A side glance was given to the small woman that joined her at the bar with little more regard beyond the arrival of her second tankard. Maude collected her gauntlets and drink, stood from her seat and moved to join Arnor in disturbing the sleeping Raveth. She took a seat at the table with a loud screech of chair across wooden floor, took a swig from her drink, and slapped her gauntlets on the table with an obnoxious clatter.

"Can't imagine too many people around here could actually read your sign..." it was a poor fishing village. The fact that someone lived here was educated enough to write it was worth a small amount of surprise.

Sapphire raised a skeptical eyebrow as the woman ordered every option on the inn's menu. As the duo took place near Raveth, Sapphire tucked into her own stew, finishing it as the travelers spoke with the inn owner, but keeping a curious ear honed into their conversation. While gold was in good supply by her standards, she could use more. If she could get in on some kind of job, perhaps some easy coin would come her way.

Arnor simply stared at the man known as Raveth spoke. He was half tempted to use the gauntlet to bash in the elf's face, but decided against it. The miserable old man got a simple roll of Arnor's hand, indicating for him to continue. Arnor had nothing to say, but plenty to hear about.

“This is it.”

Maude looked at the man nonplussed, a vague glance given to the elf.

“Let’s hear it then before my meal gets here. I like to eat in peace.”

Arnor leaned forward, staring at the man who was offering them such a vague contract. He felt...cheated. As if there was more than he was letting on. There always was, granted, a risk of being cheated.

But nonetheless, he leaned forward, staring at the man at the table who gave them a suspiciously vague answer.

"I don't buy it all."

Arnor wasn't the only one who was expressly unimpressed by the vaguerie of this ... bounty? Contract? What even was it? Luck would have it that the first course of her ordered meal arrived: leek stew. Not a choice a Norden took lightly when there were more options, but she was tired and hungry and stew seemed appropriate considering the winter gale outside.

The woman broke the loaf of bread offered on the wooden platter and promptly dipped it into the bowl before taking a large bite. The exasperated sigh was a level less of aggravation if only for the food in front of her, "Nor do I," she followed up Arnor with a full mouth. Propriety be damned, she wasn't in the Frozen Halls and she certainly wasn't entertaining Royals and Nobles and dignitaries.

She took another large bite, chewed, and indicated with a circling hand for the man to fill in the details.

"What about a reward".
She'd kept quiet as the others spoke, choosing to read the situation before she jumped in. The two newcomers seemed like seasoned adventurers. Surely they'd make any job easier just by being on hand to swing a sword. Faelin, for his part, struck the girl as quite cunning; a quick thinker. They made a good team, and maybe if she could prove her own worthiness, she could get in on a cut of their quest's reward, if all three even decided to take on the quest.

The quest itself sounded uncertain. Raveth didn't seem too informed on what he was talking about, which was partly the reason she asked about a reward. She wanted to further test the legitimacy of all this

"You best hope their pockets are swollen with gold then, old man", she said as she moved to join the group, still careful to keep her distance. "I believe I could be of use to you on this venture", she said, looking to the pair of travellers, then to Faelin, to see if the elf would join in himself