Private Tales Hidden Memories

[Oliver Rose]

Rysa was lucky. Tonight the bar in the lobby of the inn was nearly empty and the people who sat around the fireplace talked in hushed whispers. The day was growing dark and Rysa would be able to close up the bar soon enough. Silvan was currently wiping down tables and mopping the floor while she reorganized the ale and mead. There would be a new shipment of materials tomorrow and going down to the docks was always a tiresome trip. She needed to get sleep soon.

"Silvan," Rysa called, the boy popping his head up, his eyes drooping from weariness.

It had been a long week.

The boy walked over to the counter and set the rag on the still dirty table, "Yes?"

Rysa watched as he rubbed at his eyes, "I think you've done enough for today. Go get some rest and I'll continue cleaning up from here."

He gave half a smile and retreated quickly to his personal room. Silvan had been working for her for years now. She watched him grow up. His baby fat was now gone and he was sharper around the edges. Rysa remembered when she'd found him. An orphaned boy begging for coins in the marketplace. There was something special about him that the elven woman just couldn't resist.

Once Silvan disappeared into his room, Rysa picked up the rag and started to scrub the countertop until her arms ached. When she couldn't scrub any longer, she noticed the lobby had cleared out. Sighing in relief, she cleaned the last of the tables and threw away leftover food.

Finally making it to her room, Rysa fell onto her bed and rolled onto her side. She sighed again.

And then she saw it.

The map had been in her possession for so long, she couldn't remember how she'd gotten it. Then again, she couldn't remember anything from before she arrived in Alliria. It was rolled into her cloak when she'd awoken on the first day her memories began and she felt it meant something, so kept it.

The only notable thing about the map was a red circle placed next to Belgarth. Rysa had been there many times in the exact location of the circle only to find mountains and trees and goats. There was nothing. Yet she kept it in hopes of one day knowing why it was she owned this map.

Right as her eyes began to close, the bell sounded from the front of the inn, signalling a new customer had arrived.

 

[Smiling One]

“Time for some drinking!" Willis excitedly entered the inn feeling tired but eager to drink and gamble his pay maybe even coerce or tavern waitress to warm his belly. A farmer in the village nearby gave Willis good coin for killing an Owlbear that was feasting on his Cows. It took Willis an hour to slay the beast though he had to convince the farmer to use one of his Cows as bait reassuring the man that the animal wouldn't be harmed.

"If there's so much of a scratch on my Betsy!" the farmer exclaimed. "You ain't getting a copper!"

"I'm a professional," Willis said. "The Owlbear won't get a chance to breathe on him."

The contract went smoothly Willis lead the Cow into the forest and the Owlbear rushed from the bushes to try to eat him but some well-placed shots by Willis' Crossbow bought it down. The farmer thanked Willis profusely by showering him with coin that will last Willis a week. Though when it comes to coin, Willis has a tendency to spend it all of his coin in a day.

"Innkeep!" Willis smiled bringing out his coin purse. "Vodka!" the young man slammed the coinpurse down on the table and sat down eagerly waiting for his drink.

 

[Oliver Rose]

Rysa groaned. Of course someone would come in once she was just starting to settle down for the night. She wanted nothing more than peace and quiet after a long week of noisy drunken men.

The elven woman planted her feet on the wooden floor; it creaked under her weight. She head for the bar and noticed the man sitting patiently there. He had slapped a coin purse onto the table. Rysa heard the sound from her bedroom. Quickly, she scurried behind the counter.

"Sorry about that," she yawned, "Vodka you said?"

Rysa turned around and grabbed the only bottle of vodka she had left. There was barely enough for one drink, so she set to preparing it as quickly as possible.

"That'll be ten coins," typically she only charged five, but this man had interrupted her attempted slumber, "Will you be renting a room tonight?"