Open Chronicles Mornings are Rough

[Jane]

Jane groaned.

The back of her hand dragged across her face. Flopped down on the other side of her body. She groaned again. And, strangely, a rooster started crowing--a rooster that was way too close to be anywhere other than right next to her ear.

No. No, damn it, I cast banish on the sun. Astra, banish the sun. Make it go away.

The rooster crowed again, and Jane reluctantly opened her eyes. And immediately the weight of a hangover slammed into consciousness, pressing demandingly against her head. Her hair was a sweaty, early morning mess. She pushed herself up, supporting herself with her arms and sitting up and glancing about with groggy eyes.

Some things of note:

She was in a barn, lying on some hay--peculiar enough on its own. Both of the barn doors were open and the dawn's light was spilling in. Jane also was wearing a shift. Nothing but a shift, her toes wiggling freely without shoes or socks of any kind. Where the hell was her armor, her weapon and shield, her normal arming dress and pants? Also, there was dried blood under all of her fingernails (Ooo, that was kind of a nice). What she couldn't see was that she had a black eye--a real shiner, dark blue and purple about her left eye.

Huh. She remembered vaguely that she was in this small farming village for...something. This village could've been damn well anywhere on Epressa for all she could recall. Obviously some drinking had been involved last night, but she remotely remembered some kind of big celebration.

Jane massaged her forehead with her right hand. "Hahhhhhhhhh...what did I do..."

The rooster went strutting by. Prim steps of his thin avian legs.

Jane looked back and over her shoulder and noticed then, with a grinning surprise, that she wasn't alone in the barn. How about that, there were others who had drank too much and passed out in here too. And they were slowly being roused by the dawn and the rooster's intermittent crowing.

Maybe she could piece together what had happened with them.

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate just sat there in the barn with a chicken sleeping in his lap, looking a bit confused but not too worried, he had mostly stuck around for some of the events last night. But once he grew bored he left them to their own devices. After all, alcohol no longer really affected his system, it was wolfsbane that did. Even that he would rather not take to get a buzz of sorts! So he had no idea what the others were doing that night, and it seemed that they had brought some new friends as well.

"Don't ask me, Jane. I left you party animals an hour in." Nate tells the Paladin taking a drink of water from his waterskin.

"Tracked you guys across three towns to find all of you sleeping away in this poor farmer's barn, covered in the stench of alcohol mixed with blood, throw up and piss." He lets out a small chuckle, "I basically played dad until every last one of you eventually blacked out. That was an interesting experience, to say the least."

The lycan gets up and hands Jane another waterskin, "Drink before you hangover sets in even more. It'll help with that."

The lycan looked a bit rough (rougher than usual) with his hair in even more of a mess from the night time, and he seemed a bit tired mentally. He needed a break, but that was not going to be until they fix whatever they did in the towns.

Well, he did get a few free coins out of it at least.

 

[Jane]

"Good morning...Nate," Jane groaned, her gaze focusing on him after he spoke and drew her attention.

She swung her legs around and sat cross-legged on the hay. Straightened out her shift (again, where'd this damn shift dress come from). Then kept on massaging her forehead. She sure as hell forgot the tally of floggings she'd accrued up to this point, but, once she found her cat o' tails, she figured she would probably be spending the larger part of the day atoning for this godawful mess.

"Ugh...three towns? Are you serious?"

Blood. Heh, well, that was fun, and there was evidence of that under her nails and dried on the tips of her fingers. The vomit and the piss, not so much. Maybe the Sisters and a couple specific Dark Ones would be into that, but Jane knew what she liked and what she didn't like and stuck with it. Well. Mostly. Who was to say what the fuck happened when she was too drunk to remember what all had happened.

Jane chuckled. Said, "Hey, thanks Dad, I really appreciate it."

He got up. Offered her the waterskin. The rooster went strutting by, crossing over the path Nate had walked.

She offered him back a sloppy smile of gratitude and accepted the waterskin and tipped her head back and drank greedily from it and then when she was satisfied let out a relieved, "Aaaaaaahhh...I needed that. You're a champion of Light and Righteousness, Nate."

She handed the waterskin back. Thought for a second. Asked with genuine curiosity, "I didn't punch you last night, did I?" Showed her fingernails, the front and back of them. "Scratch you? Nothing like that?"

Brief glances around at the other drunken celebrants in the barn, some still dead to the world despite the rooster's earlier crowing, some just now being roused from their slumber. She looked to see if there was anyone else she might possibly recall from last night's wild ride; someone or someones who might be as confused as she was.

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate chuckles at being called dad, "Yep three towns. I didn't stick around long through in favor of me wanting to keep myself free and not in their jail."

The lycan monster hunter takes the water skin and puts it away into his back, "If I did get scratched by any of you, it would've been no big deal. They're already healed completely." Nate explains laughing, "However, when someone is drunk usually they are slow with their punches, so I just ducked out of their way."

He gives Jane a slight smile sitting down next to her, "You guys probably drank two taverns worth of booze on your pub crawls. If you guys liked booze so much I should take all you back to my parent's castle. Full of all the alcohol no one touches because everyone doesn't get a buzz from it anymore."

Nate kick's George in the leg, "Get up you drunk bastard." He growls at the human they had met in that demon-infested town.

 

[Jane]

I didn't stick around long through in favor of me wanting to keep myself free and not in their jail.

Jane hitched her shoulders up and arched her eyebrows smirked as innocently as she could (a futile effort if there ever was one) and said, "Aww, how bad could it have possibly been?"

One of the celebrants in the barn vomited forcibly right as she said this, literally jerked out of his sleep by the sudden surge of his upset stomach.

"Just ignore him. How bad could it have possibly been?"

Ah, see, there. No big concern. If Nate did get scratched, it was all healed up by now. Kind of like the Seal of Nykios and Jane's own back, she supposed. Maybe some other bystanders in those three towns weren't so blessed to shrug off their wounds, but it was just a few little scratches, come on, a kitten could've been responsible for that, suck it up. She hadn't thrown any punches as far as she could tell. No dried blood on her knuckles, no soreness, no tooth stuck in the skin (would've made the second time for that).

If you guys liked booze so much I should take all you back to my parent's castle.

"Well, by Astra, don't tell any of these louts that. Save it all for me." Jane let a single laugh. Then three more. Flushing guiltily, "She, uh...wouldn't like that. I figure."

Moderation was the key, wasn't it? Drinking in and of itself wasn't a sin, or else basically all of Arethil was fucked. A little balancing couldn't hurt, either: take a shot, take a flogging. Oh. Make it into a game too. With coin. Add it on to Dueling Dice, but the loser has to take a drink and get flogged and lose their money. Sounded great (especially the flogging someone else part), except if Jane won, she wouldn't be drinking. Hmm. Gonna have to work on the rules.

Later. Though. Nykios was probably pissed enough as it was.

George (hey, he was here) gave a start when Nate kicked his leg. The native Guillotiner flailed his legs and arms about and shouted, "We beat them sum bitches!"

Then Jane looked to Nate earnestly. Asked, "Hey. Nate. Did you notice when I got into this--" She pinched the front of her shift dress and pulled it forward some and let the cloth go and it snapped back tightly, "--last night? Was it...this town? The second one? Or the first one way back...wherever this started?"

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

He heard a bit about the gods of the world, many of them. But his family never was religious, they just taught them some proverbs to use on demons and other creatures weak to holy magic. So he never got the thing of religion outside of work.

Nate just looked tired at George who kicked around some, "Well Jane, considering how I've heard a lot of people complaining their laundry either gotten stolen or otherwise, horses were let loose in one town, you guys ganged up on some guards in another...." He tells Jane cocking an eyebrow at her.

They were all in a good bit of trouble in each town, how they all would repay it was beyond him, and he was not paying for an inch of it. He would help with the labors but coin wise, even though he was a noble and a well off monster hunter didn't mean that he would pay off everyone's debts. If was just Jane, sure! But a whole gang? HELL NO!

"So I think your eye happened when you were tipping over, or during the incident with the guards." He tells Jane sighing. It has to be guards, always did. To be fair, they were dicks sometimes.

"That was probably the third town that the guards took place in. I wouldn't worry about the horses, they will return to their masters. But the laundry.... we'll have to see."

With that Nate stands up and stretches, "Come on, you're the only one sober enough right now to fix this shit up. I don't want it getting in the way of my business or fuck up your stuff... whatever it is." He'd offer Jane a hand to help her up, "And we need to go get you more comfortable clothing, though you do look nice in a dress." He compliments her with a smile, no one could tell if he was joking or not.

 

[Jane]

Jane frowned and looked down at her shift. Disappointment clear and evident, she said, "Did I really steal this? I suppose it is a bit too tight to have been a sound purchase."

The tightness was excusable--even desirable in the right circumstances. What wasn't excusable was the color. Ugh, green? Really. Green? She must have been drunk enough to give Nykios conniptions for sure. Green was hardly her color. Red. Red was her color. Oh how she loved the immortal hell out of the robes the Sisters of the Citadel wore. Which was probably why the Redeemer made damn certain to make her arming dress and pants for her plate armor blue--other than to fuck with her.

And she chuckled a little, briefly ran her top teeth across her bottom lip.

"Ganged up on some guards, huh. Did we win?"

So I think your eye happened...

Jane blinked. In a display of utmost futility, she brushed at both of her eyes, as if her fingers could wipe away whatever had gone wrong. Then eventually she figured it was a black eye, and, interrupting the question of "which one" loaded and ready to be asked on the tip of her tongue, a throb of soreness pulsed around her left eye. Ahhhh...that was annoying. Tack on some cheap salve or potion to buy for that.

George groaned and rubbed his eyes and said with a coarse throaty voice, "Yeah. We won. At least I did, can't say the same 'bout you, paladin. I know because I beat that pansy guard's ass twice--once in my dream too."

"Good on you, George," Jane said.

He flopped meekly about under the hangover's haze and said, "Heh, that's why them demons caught hell comin' to Guillotine. We ain't no pansies."

I wouldn't worry about the horses, they will return to their masters. But the laundry.... we'll have to see.

Horses too, huh. Jane figured there was a good chance such was her own doing. She still cherished the vivid and wonderful memory of ridding the Eunuch of another girl named Jane--another street abandoned baby raised up and into slavery, like her. A fair number of Johns under the Eunuch as well, only two Michaels and no Michelles, a Chris and a Christa, and one Samuel. Some others, but most were slaves brought in by the pirates. Anyway, said pirates also brought in an big saltwater crocodile from some big Bayou island elsewhere in Arethil one time. Jane opened the cage when other-Jane wasn't paying attention and...goodbye. Only one Jane now to catch the Eunuch's attention and get promoted to overseer.

And the laundry. Yeah, it'd suit to return it to its rightful owner. Astra, likely backed by Aionus and Tychan and Metisa in particular, probably had her (and their) arms crossed right now and tap-tap-tap goes her foot as she was surely waiting on Jane to do the right thing and return the stolen item.

Jane took Nate's offered hand.

"Your business." She smirked. "Got some contracts here or something?"

Up she went onto her bare feet. And, holy shit, did it feel like the world was a sludge inside of her skull that just got jostled around from the back end to the front end. Jane all but spilled into Nate, banging her head into his shoulder and grabbing onto his bicep with her free hand. And she let out a big, relieved, Shit I almost fell back down onto my ass sigh as she was steady.

...though you do look nice in a dress.

"And you look nice in a wolf. Skin. Fur. Not literally inside a wolf, is what I meant." She pinched her eyes shut for a moment as the world sloshed around in her skull. Opened them. Said, "Yeah. I hope I can ditch this dress soon. I ever tell you that green isn't my color?"

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

"Well if you think of it, sometimes I have to ask questions around towns to get more information other then a beast running around eating livestock. The descriptions and type of monster can be so obscure it is ridiculous." He explains. If he didn't leave a sour taste in the townsfolk mouths then maybe if he returned one day on another job they might be more willing to assist him.

Nate furrowed his brow some as Jane told him green was not her color, "Well if you ask me, Jane, I think green does suit you. But if you don't think green isn't your color then who am I to complain." He gives her a nudge chuckling.

"Thanks for the compliment though." The lycan starts to carefully step over the drunk bastards, assisting Jane if she needed. Once they eventually got to the barn door he opens it, peeks outside and

He took a deep breath and sighed with relief. Out of that damn barn and into the fresh air. But it was more for himself also, to help calm his nerves from when Jane complimented about the wolf's skin he wore around his shoulders. Half of that somewhat sounded like she knew what he really was but he knew there was no way!

"Which town do you wish to start in, the third, second, or the first one?" He asks Jane running his hands through his long hair.

 

[Jane]

Yeah. Made sense. The asking around for information bit. Jane herself had to do that a few times. She wasn't a Monster Hunter, and the things and people she was supposed to fight tended to cozy up to a particular spot. Like Guillotine, as a matter of fact. Didn't need to tip Dave or Ymir to know where the demons were there.

Jane gingerly stepped over those selfsame drunk bastards as Nate, the movements of her legs retaining a varying degree of uncertainty and wobbliness, but good old Nate helped her along. She didn't know how it was that she could be so damn mobile while drunk and this infirm while hungover. Maybe it was because the inebriation was the perfect shield against the awareness that she was, in fact, crippled in her balance.

They stepped outside the barn, and the rooster came strutting out after them and turned and went on its way.

Ah, that fresh air really helped. It felt like her face was made of sweat, but the cool morning air helped, no doubt about it. Even Nate took a deep breath and sighed and enjoyed it. She hadn't let go of him yet--he was probably going to be her crutch for a while.

"Hm. Third, second, or first," Jane said. "Well, the guard scrap happened in the third, and I'd rather save another fight for later when I'm good and ready--if it comes to that. So that's out for now. First town I don't think I would have been drunk enough yet to rip off my armor and my arming garments and steal someone's laundry, so we'll save that for later too. Second it is."

A fit of giggles struck Jane then.

"Hey. Nate. You think if I pray hard enough I can make my hangover go away? Oh, or--or--I beseech the pantheon of Celestialism for a new Blessing. A Blessing to cure hangovers. Talk about doing some good in the world. A crusade against hangovers, huh, whaddoya think?"

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate just looked confused as Jane as she started to giggle then go on something about these pantheon of Celestialism and a New Blessing. That make him look even more confused. He did hear about the crusades though.

“Well, that’ll be a terrible crusade for some people, a blessing for others.” He’d chuckle imagining all the drunk kings and emperors all of a sudden getting sober. He would be a fly on the wall for that!

He’d start to walk west, “If this crusade of yours does really happen, you know to leave me out of it. Just to save time. How would you even start it, since if this blessing can become real I know in a barn that could really use such a blessing.”

He’d look around at the woods they were walking through, they were quite peaceful. Little birds chirping, a few rabbits running around. It shouldn’t take them too long to reach the second town, maybe an hour, two at most.

“But atleast you are some how sober enough to manage to stand up and stay up so I don’t have to carry you.”

 

[Jane]

"Terrible? Hah! Who wants a hangover? Alright, other than the masochists."

Jane still didn't understand--and never would understand--masochists. And while it seemed like she and they ought to get along like a sail and the wind, no, there was no getting along. Ahh, it just siphoned the fun and pleasure out of hurting someone if they enjoyed it. Wasn't really hurting them then, was it. But maybe if she did pray hard enough and got that Blessing and there was a masochist out there who actually did want and enjoyed his hangovers, then it'd be a thrill to take that away from him. Ha, ha, finding fun in curing people--who knew?

She ought to quit that line of thinking while she was ahead. Ahead, meaning, alive. Surely Nykios was the barking hound yanking at the leash as Astra was holding him back. Yeah, that, right about now, Jane surmised. Her afternoon was already going to be hell enough as it was.

If this crusade of yours does really happen, you know to leave me out of it...

A closed-mouth, throaty laugh from Jane. And she lifted her free hand (the one that wasn't clutched dearly onto Nate for balance) to his face and tapped him on the nose with her pointer finger. Said, "Shhhhh~ure thing, Nate."

A nice day out, frankly. Hangover or no hangover. It was one thing Jane truly did appreciate about the Mainland, what the denizens of Cerak At'Thul called Liadain and Epressa. The sunshine and the clear days and the--topically enough--vibrant green of the trees and grass. Cerak had two kinds of days: dreary, or fucking dreary. Jane never really noticed it until she went out sailing with the Sisters of the Citadel to raid the coastlines for sacrifices and plunder. Like a lot of things, she just assumed the whole world was like Cerak--plunged into grayness and drab in general hue--and thought nothing further of it.

More immediately, her bare feet were getting dirty. And every now and then she'd step on something that would make her hitch up her foot slightly before continuing on.

"Well..." Jane said with a playful little smirk. "You don't have to carry me...but you could, couldn't you? Yeah you could."

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate blinked a bit when Jane tapped his nose with her finger he'd chuckle at the thought of masochists enjoying hangovers. Yeah, they would, wouldn't they?

Still, he was a bit happy he was let out of that hypothetical blessing that would've done nothing for him.

Nate watches and hears as Jane picked her feet up quickly as she stepped onto something that was probably a thorn, stone, or something unpleasant along those lines. It was definitely not fun even for him if he stepped on something particularly sharp.

"Challenge accepted." He sighs and picks up Jane putting her onto his back piggyback style. "You are incredibly light anyways, even with all that muscle you got from hunting and that armor." He chuckles as he walked, "Maybe I should buy you some shoes in the town for right now until we get your boots back."

Nate suggests keeping a firm grip on her so she won't fall, also to keep her feeling secure as he walked.

"Who are the gods you worship by the way? Like what are their stories?"

 

[Jane]

Jane grinned in a satisfied way as Nate picked her up and carried her on his back. Ahhh...that was better. Why go through all the hassle of walking from town to town--bare foot, mind--when it was much more comfortable to be carried. Let that hangover ease its way out nice and relaxed, no need to try and work it out.

You are incredibly light anyways, even with all that muscle you got from hunting and that armor.

"Aww, you're such a sweetheart," she cooed. And Jane wrapped her arms about his biceps and entwined her hands on his chest and rested her chin on his shoulder. Hey, that wolf cloak made for a nice pillow--even better.

Her fingers fiddled absently with the strap going diagonally across his chest, strumming it as if it were a lute. And she said in a tone awfully nonchalant for the content of her statement and her station as a paladin, "Buy some or steal some, whichever works best. I'm already wearing a shift that doesn't belong to me, so, you know."

Funny. When Nate asked what gods she worshiped, she almost immediately started rattling off the Dark Ones, with Dark One Alarak being first and foremost. That was still a reflex she hadn't completely shaken yet.

"Celestialism."

That seemed a little insufficient. Where was the Redeemer when you need him? He was great at this.

The trees of the forest at the sides of the path went by and by as she elaborated, tipping her head to lean against Nate's own as she talked, "Long ago, there wasn't anything. Then Astra said, 'Not on my watch,' and she made all the things. Everything, is what I'm trying to say. Or almost everything. Drakon actually made Arethil--big dragon fucker probably belched it out or something. Then we needed time and to not mess things up with magic, so Aionus stepped in--ta da, Laws of Magic, Portal Stones, mages mostly stop blowing themselves up. Then Metisa taught us all how to act right and make civilizations; Cerak At'Thul didn't get the message--you probably know another place or two that didn't either. Problem was we couldn't really speak to one another, so Tychan gave us the Common language and he probably thought that was a bad idea once he realized people like me got it too. Well, next came the fighting across Arethil and Nykios was pissed and said, 'Alright, mortals, if you're going to fight, you might as well do it fucking right.'"

Jane gave it a moment.

"And that's my hungover interpretation of Celestialism. I'm not elegant at the best of times, so take it for what it's worth."

That was damn true. Slaves just needed to be succinct and direct, not articulate and sophisticated. Jane got a little more of that--the ability to better express herself in general--during her time with the Sisters and not only learning how to read, but subsequently reading the reams of scriptures about the Dark Ones.

"Alright, Nate," Jane said with a spreading smile, "what do you between saving towns from demons and carrying around hungover paladins?"

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate tried to imagine all of what Jane said, he got most of it but some of it was lost to him, if a dragon burped surely it might catch everything on fire. Right?

"You want to know what I do on my time between hunts?" Nate asks surprised, he'd sigh and think, "Well I usually take multiple jobs at a time that span me a good few months of work. In between those I am usually finding information and traveling to the next job." He'd answer, "Not really much to do when you're a lone hunter like I am."

He has seen a great many places, however. Plenty of amazing sunsets and amazing views on top of mountains. Even dwelling deep into caves to find the one quarry he was after. Not to mention he did run into a few packs along the way. Those weren't either good or bad encounters he found as it depended on the pack.

"Don't really like staying in one place long, it's better for me to keep moving. Since some monster groups might want to rip out my throat as I sleep or something along those lines." Nate pauses for another moment, "My father did it until he retired from an injury, mom did it until she had me and my siblings. So until then, I won't stop the hunt."

Yeah, he doesn't have much of a life outside of the hunts and his family name. Nate now realized this and he looked like he didn't mind at all, as if it was normal to him.

 

[Jane]

Jane's fingers that had been toying around with the strap across his chest went up with her left hand as she raised it. Found Nate's hair. Started playing with it and twirling it alternatively around her index and middle as he spoke.

Yeah, he was every bit the Monster Hunter he had said he was. Good on him. Praise Astra.

"You like what you do. That's good. Everybody ought to like what they do." Jane let out a delightful little hmm of a laugh. Then a few more. Said, "Which was why I had to kill my Master when I was a slave in Cerak. I wasn't going to let myself cut timber and build boats for the rest of my life. I ever tell you he had it coming? Because he had it coming. Ahhh...did that feel good."

Jane drew in a breath through her nose. Let it out luxuriously. It really was going to be difficult to top killing the Eunuch. There was just so much exquisite build-up to it. The only thing she regretted was not devoting his death to a Dark One, on account of not knowing much about them at the time.

Jane stopped playing with Nate's hair and draped her hand back down over his chest. Held her other wrist to secure herself into the carry.

"You keep up the hunt, Nate. And don't hesitate to call upon your girl Jane. You know I've by Astra got your back. Any day, anytime. I'd punch a demon right now if I had to. I can't make too many promises about monsters that aren't demons or undead or dark magic tainted or Dark One spawns, but I'll tell you what: I'll Bless you, you fight those other monsters, then come see me when you're done and I'll lick your wounds clean, how about that?"

She threw her head back and a hearty belly-laugh followed, then she sighed in a pleased manner and set her chin back down on Nate's shoulder. Leaned her head against his again. Heh, if she got too comfortable like this she was liable to fall back asleep.

Distantly, it looked like something was up ahead. Horses. Three unsaddled horses. Just milling about in a docile and domesticated way in the dirt road and grazing at the grasses growing along the sides.

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate smells the air and the smell of the town came up, they were getting pretty close. "Well, as long as you are free now that is all I care about." He tells Jane as she finishes her talk about her old slave master.

He didn't mind her playing with his hair either, now that he noticed it, it might need a bit of a trim later on. When and if he got to it.

"Unless you can magically teleport from here to the Isles of Sheketh for example, I will definitely call for your aid." Nate tells her chuckling, "But I'm sure that since we both are doing our own work, which both are very very similar, to tell the truth. We could probably become hunters in crime." He tells her seeing no reason why to split from her yet. It was also nice having a bit of interaction with someone else other than animals that may or may not understand him. Besides she was nice to hang around, even when hungover.

"So then we both can get our jobs done, but no offense, I'd rather not get blessed... it goes against my family's code and the gods know how wrathful a Lord can be." He asks her, "But you can clean my wounds after I kick the bad guy's asses and reap some of the rewards."

Nate stops for a second as they got to the town and look around, "Do you remember anything about this town, Jane?" He asks the paladin. As a rough-looking farmer looked up from his work and glared at them before getting back to it again.

 

[Jane]

"Hunters in crime. Ha! I like the sound of that," Jane said.

Worked damn fine for her. Astra and her retinue clearly wanted her to ally with others, or else why bestow upon her Blessings which she couldn't use on herself? The Redeemer had his own sizable cohort, and those paladin-like Templars here on the Mainland had their Chapters. Band together--that was the message. Righteous strength in numbers. And, foremost of all, Jane enjoyed Nate's company; who else would've carried her like this while she was a sweat-sticky, hungover mess?

...but no offense...

"None taken." And she grinned. Jane sure wasn't missing out on anything--Astra and her merry band of divines were. If Nate didn't want to be blessed, he didn't want to be blessed.

Funny though. Going against his family's "code." What was that all about. Ooo...Dark Ones? Maybe. Wouldn't that be endearing. Could just be jumping to conclusions, though.

"Mmmhmmhmm...cleaning wounds. That's my second favorite part, you know."

The woods about the path gave way to the Second Town. Village? A modest little thing however you called it. Those three horses just sort of meandered in front of them, walking ahead as if they were heralding Nate and Jane's arrival. One of the farmers in the surrounding fields glared at them--heh, that was a good sign. A kid in the town was pointing at the horses and calling excitedly for his mother and father ("Found them! Found them!"). A small flock of birds flew from the woods and sailed overhead, casting a gang of shadows on the town's dirt streets and thatched roof homes.

"Well. Seems I might have let out some horses here. Means I was pretty drunk at this point. That's good. But I don't remember any specifics. That's bad. Soooo...how about we go and knock on the door of the local tavern? Might wake the barkeep, and he probably will be none too happy to see me, but maybe we can get something from him."

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate looks around at the town, "What is your first favorite part then?" He asks her watching the kid point at the horses.

Guess those are the horses that were broken free, well set free more like it.

He'd chuckle and carry Jane over to the tavern, careful not to piss anyone that Jane and her crew may or may not have pissed off last night event more. There were still some suspicious looks at a man carrying a woman in a dress piggybacks style but it was either that or carry her fireman or princess style. Both of which he had a feeling that Jane might not have liked.

Still carrying her he approaches the tavernkeeper, "Good sir...." Nate starts and looks up at the barkeep who looked the most pissed,

"You brought one of 'em drunk'rd back to me tavern!?" He growls slamming a mug on the counter. Nate glared at him,

"Now, sir, is that how you speak to someone who had nothing to do with last night." He tells the barkeep with another glare.

 

[Jane]

What is your first favorite part then?

Jane didn't answer. But she did smirk tremendously. Ahh...she kind of wanted a moment. A little moment of adequate demonstration. Now that would drive it home more than simply blurting it out--which she, naturally, was damn primed and ready to do. Didn't have a chance in Guillotine for such a moment, but maybe one might fall into her lap (and, by extension, Nate's lap) here. Sometime. Who knew.

They walked--or rather Nate walked and Jane went along for the ride--through the quiet town. Sticking out to some degree among the townsfolk surely, but enough travelers came through that they (apart from Jane being carried) were of no extraordinary notice.

Then to the tavern. A shouldering of the door to open. And, unsurprisingly, just the barkeep inside. The tavern wasn't one of those tavern/inn combinations that some small towns had, so the early morning brought no patrons. He did, however, seem to be attending to a mess left on the counter and the floor thereabouts. Spilled drink, no vomit. No blood either--that must've happened somewhere else.

They had a pleasant exchange, the barkeep and Nate. The barkeep responding, "You didn't, sure."

Jane shimmied down off of Nate's back and came around to his side, holding an arm of his with one of her own, and stood tipped ever so slightly--like a tower built upon unsteady ground--into Nate and said arm.

She spoke to the barkeep. Succinctly, "Remember me?"

"Yeah, I 'member you. Told you and your lot to get the hell outta here."

"Odd question. Was I wearing this? When I was here?" She gestured up and down, drawing attention to her green shift with her free hand.

The barkeep, his irritation quelled momentarily as his mind inevitably flexed to recall a fact, said, "No. You was wearin' a blue dress and pants and some boots. Who the hell wears...dress and boots...?" He seemed to remember that he was, in fact, annoyed with her, "But now that you say somethin' 'bout it, that dress ain't yours and I know it for the truth."

Jane, with a little excitement at this lead, asked, "Who's it belong to?"

"Pfft," the barkeep threw his hand up in a dismissive way, "why don't you ask your friend there. Probably seen the poor girl runnin' around hollerin' yesterday night after you done left, missy."

Nathanael McCallister

 

[Emery Thatcher]

"I think her name was Lilya or some shit." An irritated and obviously hung over voice rang out from the opposite end of the bar. "Guess she been fuckin' one of the guards you muddled with, so she tried to politely intervene wit' the lot of ya, and you didn't like that much miss shiny." A forced and discomforting laugh escaped Emery's lips as he blared at Jane. "Truthfully I dint' know paladins suchas yerself got that pissy bout' anythin' besides lurkers n' monsters."

Emery sat with his coat over his eyes to block out the sun and his signature shit eating grin plastered on his face. He leaned against a table with his feet in a chair in what looked like a very uncomfortable fashion, a pint of ale by his side, which he then swiped to take a swig of. Miraculously without his sight.

"Yeahhhhh your lil' friend group made quite the mess last night. I thought'd be fun to involve m'self too seeing as there ain't much else for me to do outere'. Shame ya don't remember it, love, you got one helluva right hook."

Nathanael McCallister Jane

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

Nate glared at Emery he did not like the feeling he got from the kid. He has an air about him.

“And surely you know where this Lilya is and what the lass looks like, knowing her name and all.” He tells Emery supporting his hungover friend as she went topsy turvy a bit.

He’d give the bartender a nod and still give him a few gold coins, “Hopefully to restore your stores after the lot last night.” He tells him giving the bartender a nod before approaching the drunk young man.

Whispering to Jane, “I don’t trust him, my instincts are telling me something about the boy.” He tells her watching him carefully.

“Would you tell us how we can find Lilya?” He asks Emery not walking closer to him, only if Jane approaches him he would.

He was ready to fight him if need be, and with Jane out the way she was, he would have to protect her if needed.

 

[Jane]

Correction. One patron. Well, she wasn't counting. And even if she was counting right now she'd probably fuck that up somehow too. But Strawberry Blond over there had seen at least some of what the hell happened last night and offered up a little more than the barkeep had.

...you got one helluva right hook.

"My left isn't so bad either," Jane said, grinning. Maybe the Redeemer would've looked down on indulging in a little hand-to-hand--undignified combat, or some such, would likely be the foundation of his objection--but Jane still enjoyed it. Better enjoy it. She got her ass kicked plenty of times before she got any good at it.

Jane stayed braced against Nate's arm as he approached (to an extent) Strawberry Blond. Heard his whisper. Eh. Trust. Kind of an irrelevant feeling. Didn't matter if Nate and/or Jane trusted him, he was going to do what he was going to do, and Nate and Jane would react how they were going to react. Heh. Cerak At'Thul was just the kind of place where you always expected everyone to try and stab you in the back. The Eunuch's trust or lack thereof didn't really save him from Jane's surreptitious dagger--made it a moot point, huh.

Regardless, she didn't want to go tottering off on her own. Last thing she wanted was to have a spill and to get a matching black eye.

"Yeah. Tell us about Lilya. Is she cute? I'll feel better about this dress if she is."

Nathanael McCallister Emery Thatcher

 

[Emery Thatcher]

"Oi." He pulled his coat from off his face, his piercing violet eyes now staring directly at Nathanael McCallister. "Whatchu think I am a fuckin' directory? You got coin, I might have answers, you don't have coin, I was far too drunk last night to remember anything, capiche?" He offered Nathanael an arrogant but dead serious wink. Perhaps his feeling about Emery was far too reasonable. The thief didn't know them nor did he care if they figured out their dilemma. But, if he could make a bit of coin out of the matter than perhaps it'd be worth his time.

His eyes turned over to Jane upon her response as well. His eyes did a bit more wandering all over her with an audible whistle escaping his lips to serve as a recognition of her beauty. "Man, shoulda spent more time with ya'll." He chuckled.

"I already told ya." He swung his back to the pair in an acrobatic motion where he switched his back from the table to the chair just using his feet. "I'll fess up when you cough up my lunch money."

 

[Nathanael McCallister]

"Well if you weren't so drunk then maybe you'd have enough for some lunch." Nate retorts to the young man still tossing him a few coins.

"Now you have your lunch money kid, tell us what you know about Lilya." He tells him, "If you turn out you know jack shit I will wring your tiny neck for fraud." He tells him ignoring his boisterous behavior. Men like him bugged him so much, they were always rough and think themselves above others in some ways sometimes.

 

[Jane]

What the hell was a directory, shit she didn't have any coin, and capiche was her new favorite Mainlander word. Had a nice, punchy sound to it.

Strawberry Blond looked her over, and--little thing to notice here--he had violet eyes. Violet. Eyes. That was new. Was that also a Mainlander thing, like the word capiche? She hadn't run across anybody, human or otherwise, back in Cerak who had such a color in their eyes. Huh. Found out something new every day, seemed.

Man, shoulda spent more time with ya'll.

"Yeah. You should have."

Not a very Astra-like thing to say, but, practically speaking, it would have been nice for him with his (supposedly) excellent memory to have a full recounting of everything that happened and--more pressingly--everything that went wrong last night. Because, if nothing else, she needed her armor. Specifically, her breastplate. Custom made by the Redeemer's blacksmiths, it was. And it was the only such piece where she didn't have to bind her bosom to wear it. Basically, it was comfortable. There. No reason was more paramount than that.

Anyway, Strawberry Blond knew what he knew. Whatever that happened to be. And Nate had a few more coins to dole out for Jane's sake. Real sweetheart, Nate. Absolutely.

Jane, however, couldn't stop herself from saying nonchalantly, "Can I pay you to wring his neck anyway, so I can watch?"

Then, as if it would somehow make the previous statement any better, she added simply, "I like watching."

Then, as if it would somehow make that statement any better, she added further, "Or you both wring each other's necks. Double my pleasure."

Glances to both Nate and Strawberry Blond. She figured, in her hungover judgment (not that her sober judgment was much better), to end her comments with a Hey, maybe it could be fun kind of shrug and tight-lipped smile.

Not very Astra-like, indeed. The tally was getting larger.

Nathanael McCallister Emery Thatcher