Pushing back from the table with a sigh, I rub my full stomach and regard the skeletal remains of the abnormally large chicken on my plate.

The meal of the crispy skinned, herb encrusted bird; coupled with spicy roasted potatoes and fresh mixed vegetables, all washed down with generously filled cups of ale, had been one of the most delicious meals I'd ever eaten. I begin to speculate on the possibility that perhaps my new drow taste buds were in fact heightened in relation to my old human ones too. It did make sense that levels of perception would apply to all five of my senses.

Cinnamon is still nibbling away at her selection of cooked and raw vegetables while Kyrst polishes of the last of her two drumsticks. The second having been offered by me when she had finished the first and made a comment that she was going to order another.

The fairy should have been dragging around a belly that reached to her ankles with all the food that she had consumed, yet it was still as lean and taunt as ever.

"Where the hell do you put all of that." I marvel as she drops the chicken bone onto the tea-saucer Nicola had delivered earlier. The makeshift plate had been piled with the same selections of foods that had made up my own meal, save that it was smaller portions. Though it had still been ridiculously oversized compared to Kryst.

It was, by all accounts, physically impossible that she could have eaten as much as she had. But, I had observed the fairy consume a roasted potato that was, relative to her, the same dimensions as a basketball ball. Along with two Flintstone cartoon sized chicken legs, a mix of a dozen or so softball peas and corn kernels, and a full shotglass and a half of ale that would be comparable to a office cubical waste bin.

"Cinni, are you seeing this?" I ask turning toward the playboy bunny beauty.

In stark contrast to Krysts all but licked clean plate, Cinnamon still has a rather impressive pile of food remaining. Still chewing on the same turnip slice that she'd started at least five minutes ago she has been oddly quiet ever since we left Crod and I start to wonder if, as horrible as it is to imagine, that the troll might hold some sort of attraction for her.

"Cinnamon? Are you alright?" I prod.

She continues to stare through me, lost in thought.

To my side Kryst lets out a Ahhh and bangs her, now only quarter full, bucket of ale down. The clink of glass on stone breaks Cinnamon out of whatever self induced trance she had been in and she locks eyes with me.

"Oh, umm... I'm sorry, Brian. Were you talking to me?"

"Yeah. It's just. It seems like something is bothering you." I indicate her plate, "You have barely touched your food."

"No. I'm fine. I suppose I'm just not that hungry is all." She replies meekly, but I swear that I hear her tummy growl.

"C'mon, Cinni. You only had those nuts and berries, and that last bit of sandwich all day. You need to eat."

"I'm fine." She says placing the mostly intact turnip slice back onto her plate. She fidgets with her fingers for a moment.

"Brian , do you..." Cinnamon glances toward Kryst who has started to once again chug on her ale. She lowers her voice a bit and I see a nervousness creep into her eyes. "I have a question. When we were with Icky earlier, well, umm, I was wondering. Do you think..."

My heart is jack hammering in my chest, dreading the next words. Was she about to ask my opinion of him? Or worse if I thought that Crod, the smelly, oafish, cannibalistic, yet strangely enough somehow still endearing, TROLL, would be interested in her? In a romantic way?!

"A pleasant evening to you, Sir. And more importantly, ladies." The voice interrupts Cinnamon mid question and I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. "I do hope that the meal was satisfactory."

I instantly recognize the man as the bartender, and as Nicola had informed us earlier, the owner of the Inn, Mr. Roth.

"It was excellent. Thank you."

"Happy to hear that." He smiles, "Now, I was told that you would be interested in a room for the evening, is that correct?"

"It is."

"Well, we are quite full. But I do have a few beds free in the common room or there is a single room that's still available."

I pause. I hadn't actually thought of sleeping arrangements, just the fact that I would be able to sleep or 'Jelf' meditate on an actual bed. Would Cinnamon and Kryst be alright sharing a room? I guess the proper thing would be letting the ladies take the single and me bunk in the common area. Though, I'm not sure if I am comfortable sleeping amongst a group of strangers.

In many of the games I've played a night in the common room was an open invitation for the GameMaster to spring a chance encounter of some type in the relatively safe environment that an Inn provided. Or worse, a sure fire way to lighten a players coin purse with the help of a sneaky pickpocket. Coin I had precious little of at the moment.

"We'll take the single." Cinnamon pipes up surprising me.

"Alright. The room will be seven gold. However, that includes both breakfast, and the dinner that you just had." He motions to the plates.

I balk a bit at the price but see that Cinnamon is already reaching below the table to her belt.

"Actually. I was wondering." I motion to Cinnamon to pause and reach over and pull one of the meat bags out from under the table. "We had done some hunting today and bought down a Drayger. We still have quite a bit of the meat left. Would you be interested in perhaps a sale or trade."

"Drayger?" The innkeepers eyes widen a bit and he leans over to inspect the meat. "Quite a bit you have here. Are you looking to get rid of the lot?"

"If you'd be willing."

He scratches his chin for a moment and gives a few clicks of his tongue in thought. "I couldn't give you coin. I have standing orders with a few of the butchers and fishmongers after all. But I could do trade. If you are in town for a bit I could offer you three days in a single room, plus three meals per day."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"How about five days? And the meals, that's for myself and my companions here?"

General Skill: Trading vs Mr.Roth: Fail!

He pauses and looks over the plates in front of each of us. Lingering for a moment on Cinnamons vegtable platter and Krysts tea-saucer. "It does, but I can't do five."

"Four then?" I offer, "And drinks included with the meals?"

General Skill: Trading vs Mr.Roth: Success!

"Two drinks per meal, and ale only." He smiles extending a hand.

"Deal." We shake and he reaches into a pocket to produce a iron key which he places on the table in front of me. I almost let out a squealing 'eeee' as it looks exactly as I think a medieval key should. As long as my hand made of pitted dark iron.

"You will be in room three. Up the stairs. Just look for the door with the same symbol." He says tapping the key and the three arrows embossed on the wide flat head.

"I'll bring your bags back after I store this, but if it's anything else you need just let me know."

"Will do." I'm all smiles as the innkeeper Roth walks away, feeling much better now that I have secured food and lodging for a least the next few days.

"Thanks, Brian." Cinnamon says.

"Ain't no thang, ladyfriend." I grin.

"Yeah. Really nice work." Kryst says dismissively, "Now then, it’s past time we got down to some real business. Namely dealing with the fact that you, Too Tall, still need to pay your dues."

"Pay my dues?" I give her a snort, "Whenever some wild-eyed, twelve inch tall manic looks me crooked in the eye and asks me if I've paid my dues, well I just stare that little sucker right back in the eye, and I remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: have you paid yer dues, Brian? Yessir, the check is in the mail."

Kryst stares at me, her expression scrunched up in total, agitated, incomprehension and Cinnamon merely blinks a few times while I nod to them both, plastering a smarmy grin on my face.

"What in the hells do you go on about?!" Kryst throws her arms to either side in annoyance.

I suck my teeth, more than a little let down that my near perfectly timed and executed tribute to cinematic gold, falls flat.

"Never mind." I sigh, "What is it that you think I owe?"

She holds her shot-glass upside down and bangs it on the table. "A drink, remember?"

"I owe you a drink? For what?" I leer over my elbow at her.

"For keeping that Crod guy busy."Kryst folds her arms across her shapely chest and plops her feet on her table.

"I never agreed to that, and besides... you didn't!" I counter.

"You know we can quibble back and forth all night about who said what and who did and didn't live up to their end of a bargain struck in good faith." Kryst rolls her hands in the air then follows up with a shrug. "But at the end of all of that needless jibber jabber is the fact that you still owe me a drink."

"I just got you dinner and two drinks, never mind the same thing three times a day, for the next four days." I play along with her and I find myself actually enjoying the ridiculous fake debate. It feels like I'm sitting with a couple of my old friends. An experience I haven't had for years and one that I sorely miss.

"Bah! That don't let you off the hook. I want a REAL drink." Kryst says playfully pushing the glass toward me with a foot. "One that you're supposed to pay for."

As good as I'm feeling after my successful negotiation, and the friendly banter with the fairy, I really don't mind. After all, I'm in a real fantasy tavern, where I just made a deal for room and board with the innkeeper by trading collected monster meat from my last adventure. It didn't get much more straight up 'Role Play Game' goodness than that!

"Fine." I snatch the glass and stand, putting on an exaggerated show of being annoyed. I make sure to drop the act when I turn to Cinnamon, giving her a pleasant smile and offering inflection. "Would you like anything from the bar, Cinni?"

"No thanks, Brian." She replies, though I catch a slightly odd, timid look in her eyes as she  answers the question.

"And make sure it's a real drink, not some kinda hoity-toity elf concoction." Kryst calls out as I start to maneuver my way between tables.

When I reach the bar I see Nicola is standing behind it, I suppose taking over as bartender for Roth while he was dealing with us. She sidles over when I belly up between a pair of empty stools.

"Another round, sailor?" She asks with a sparklie eyed grin.

"Not for me." I hold up Krysts shot-glass then tap it on the heavy wood counter-top. "Don't ask me how, but apparently I owe the literal, little lady, a drink." I scan my eyes along the bottles on the shelf behind the bar. "Supposedly something with a bit of a kick."

Nicola turns and taps a candy apple red bottle with a what looks like a similarly colored, transparent liquid inside. "Dragonfire Whiskey?"

"Sounds perfect." I smile.

"So, what brings you to town?" she asks, quickly cleaning the shot-glass before starting the pour.

"Just passing through." I turn to indicate the bunnygirl back at our table and see that she and Kryst are engaged in conversation. "Cinni has family here in town."

"She from Hutchhollow?"

"She is. How did you know?"

"Most of the lepuri that pass through are." Nicola nods, "Or are headed there." Replacing the whiskey bottle on the shelf she turns about and puts the full shot in front of me.

"What about you?" She flips a her hair to the side and leans on the bar "Are you from..." Nicola places a hand on mine and giggles, "now, please don't be mad if I pronounce this wrong, Despthfell?"

Unlocked: Free Background Skill: Regional Knowledge - Despthfell

The name pushes a bit of innate knowledge forward.

Despthfell

An ancient magical cataclysm plunged this continent forevermore into a state of perpetual gloom. As a result it is the common ancestral birthplace to all of the Shadowkin; races that have adapted and now thrive in this land of eternal semi-darkness.

Whoa! That's pretty damn helpful! I even get glimpses in my minds eye of what must be the darkened landscape of 'my' homeland. Cities built from carved blocks of onyx and crystal. Jagged obsidian mountains that jut high into the air. Fields of gently swaying green speckled luminous grass. Small purple and white furred deer-like creatures, bounding though forests of immense mushrooms and alien looking fungi; all glowing in a rainbow of bio-luminescence.

I push the images out of my mind and focus on the present, and the question from the attractive woman in front of me. Is that how you say it?   Getting the hang of it I once again allow my seemingly innate knowledge to seep into the forefront.

Unlocked: Free Native Language: Shadowspeak / Darktongue

Unlocked: Free Native Language: Elvish

Unlocked: Free Dialect: Drow

x0 Free Native Languages Remaining

"No, No. Your pronunciation is spot on." And I know that it’s true. I smile and hope it doesn't come across as the goofy, bashful, doofball grin that I feel inside. It's more than a little strange, and crazy cool, to have this woman flirt with me. I shoot a somewhat guilty glance over towards our table.

Cinnamon isn't anywhere to be seen but Kryst is still seated at her tiny stone table set in its center. My mind flicks back to the conversation that Roth had interrupted and I get a little anxious. Did she head out looking for Crod or something?

"Ahh, as for me? I'm afraid that story will have to wait for another time." I say holding up the drink, using it as an excuse to get back to my companions.

"I'll hold you to it." She smiles. I take out a silver and indicate at the glass to which Nicola nods. I slide it, and a few coppers over as a tip.

"Thanks. Don't be a stranger."

Quickly making my way back to the table I stop at not bothering to sit I glance around in a silent question to Kryst. Before I even ask she nods towards the stairs at the far side of the inn.

"She's gone up to the room." Kryst points at the shot glass in my hand and makes a waving motion to hand it over. I do so resting it on her tiny table. Her eyes widen and she licks her lips gleefully as she studies the dangerous looking alcohol within.

"She asked if I wouldn't mind hanging down here for awhile. You know, give you guys a little privacy." Kyrst says lifting the glass.

"Really?" My heartbeat doubles and I swallow the quickly formed lump in my throat.

"Oh yeah." Kryst shoots me a naughty wink. "So you better leave me some coin, or maybe set me up with a tab at the bar. Unless you want me to head up to the room after just one drink."