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The buzz of conversations and bumping of tankards filled the air as the group entered the Graystone Hostel. Patrons all around enjoyed their evenings with friends, neighbors, and strangers. They chose a table recessed into the far corner with room for five, and it wasn’t long before a sprightly young Helbrund waitress, short and blonde, hurried over to greet them.
“Welcome to Graystone!” she chirped. “I’m Brunhylda. A round of drinks for everyone?”
From his belt, Deventh placed a bloated sack onto the table, clinking with the sound of metal coins.
"A bottle of whiskey, please, and ale for my friends," he said as he placed a handful of coins in her palm.
"Right away, si—" the girl smiled before gasping at the sizable sum of coins placed in her hand. "Uh, sir, I’ll only need three silver for this round."
"The rest is for you," Deventh said, offering her a sincere smile as he ignored the leveled gaze of Anna boring a hole in the side of his head. Even after the waitress left with a spring in her step, Deventh refused to look Anna in the eye.
"Deventh?" Anna growled.
"Hm?"
"Where did all that money come from?"
"A Fenvar at the Oath hall. One that got a little bit too cocky."
"And you—Wait, you didn't gamble, did you?" Anna fumed. Deventh cleared his throat and nodded, maintaining his composure so as not to escalate the situation.
"Yes, I did, but I won."
Anna's fist landed on the table with a light thud.
"And what would your story have been if you lost?"
"You know me better than that. I don't mind cheating against a cheater." He wriggled his fingers as he examined the articulations in his gloves. Anna shook her head, glaring at him knowingly.
"Regardless of those—whatever in all the hundred afterworlds those gloves are." Her words piqued Jessa's interest. She knew better, though, and figured it an inopportune time to comment. "Gambling when we're struggling is idiotic at best."
"He was willing to cheat me for all I brought back and then some. If I can keep him from trying it on someone else, I might as well do so."
Anna loosened her fist, inspecting it for traces of whatever sticky substance was on the table.
"I'm just reminding you of your responsibility not only to your guild, but to yourself as well. We're here to do honest work."
Following their short quarrel, Brunhylda returned with their drinks, and after their orders were taken, chatter arose among the others. Deventh leaned back in his chair and parted his lips so as to contribute to the conversation, but found himself distracted by the familiar burn of a pair of eyes staring at him.
Across from the group, alone at an empty table sat a Dronvari woman, her skin a fair, cool gray. Brilliant pink eyes, like two rose diamonds, shone through the candle and torch light as they fixed themselves upon the group – or perhaps Deventh himself. He recognized her from previous visits as the manager of the establishment, though he’d never spoken to her.
The moment the two locked eyes, she turned her attention elsewhere, as if hoping not to be caught. Deventh, likewise, returned his attention to his companions. He nodded along while listening to their idle chatter, wherein they carefully avoided the subject of the day's events.
The young waitress soon emerged from the kitchen. "Here you are," she sang as she set each plate down. Jessa was given a plate of duck breast, lemon, and asparagus, with a glass of dry white wine; Deventh, a bowl of soup, with a single egg cracked and dropped in during the cooking process, and a cup of coffee; last of the group, Anna received a leg of some cloven-hoofed animal. It was doused in butter and herbs, with a loaf of bread, a wheel of cheese, and an entire pitcher of ale. Everyone stared at their plates in delight.
Anna and Jessa wasted no time digging into their meals, ravenous after a long journey and an unexpected detour. Deventh sipped slowly from his mug before starting to eat, content to enjoy some food reminiscent of home, however simple a dish.
It seemed that the moment his focus became fixed on his own meal, he was nettled once more by the feeling of being watched. He met the woman’s eyes again, but only for a moment to acknowledge her before withdrawing his gaze. Figuring such an acknowledgment to have been sufficient for the time being, he continued eating. The other two remained oblivious to the spectacle, engrossed in savoring the perfection Brunhylda had placed before them.
Time passed as the group ate, and Tatsidi and Lydie eventually joined them.
“Nice of you both to join us,” said Anna as they seated themselves. “Together, no less.”
“Aye, we hit it off all nice and cozy,” said Lydie, nudging Tatsidi under the table with her knee. “Figured we’d discuss the job on the way here.”
“Fascinating.” Anna’s tone dripped with sarcasm. She had seen Lydie flinch earlier at the mention of his name. “How do you two know each other?”
Lydie’s lips soured. She blinked twice over widened eyes.
“What do ya mean, hen? Swear he was lurkin’ in the Oath hall, and then—”
“We worked together at our previous occupation,” Tatsidi interjected.
Anna lowered her voice. “The House?”
“You told them?” asked Lydie, her knees catching the table as she shot to her feet. She planted a fist on her hip, and with her other hand leaned in and flicked Tatsidi’s ear. “Are there wee little idiot bugs munching on your stupid brain?”
“They are trustworthy, Lydie. I have been safe with them for a fair number of moons now. Please sit down.”
“I apologize for striking a sore topic,” said Anna. “We have heard of the tragedy that befell your lady and her home. You are safe with us, just as Tatsidi has been.”
Lydie’s fist shook the plates and tankards across the entire table as she slammed it down, throwing her body onto the chair. She extended her index finger and held it within an inch of Tatsidi’s nose.
“You’d better be right,” she said, leaving it at that. In hopes for a stiff drink, she waved down Brunhylda.
Conversation drifted from one topic to the next as drinks were brought and filled, and in celebration of their new member, she became the focus. Despite her protests, the drink had caught up to her and she relented, answering questions and comments about herself.
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"So, Jessa, what’s your father like?" Anna asked, her cheeks red with alcohol. "Awfully interesting that he would leave his young daughter in charge of his properties."
"Well, I depend on him to pay for my schooling, so I’m working for him until I graduate,” Jessa explained, a sigh escaping her lips as she sifted through her thoughts. “Managing the properties was the only job he could give me where I’d have some freedom to travel. He has ways of finding out if I’m doing anything he disapproves of." She fidgeted with an amethyst ring on her right middle finger.
Not inclined to comment where it wasn’t her place, Anna gave an understanding nod, and Deventh responded the same. Jessa sensed their unease and opted to change the subject. “Enough about me, though. How long have you two been married?”
Unsure whether she’d heard correctly, Anna coughed and spat up her drink.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again? It sounded as if you asked how long we've been married."
"I… did?" Jessa replied, now second guessing her long-held assumption. She opened her mouth to ask if she’d made a mistake, but before she could speak, Anna erupted into laughter. Unable to contain herself, the Helbrund pounded her knee with her fist, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. A sudden chortle from the opposite side of the table stole her attention from Anna’s boisterous display. Tatsidi was snickering to himself beside a dumbfounded Lydie, and Deventh sipped his whiskey through a devilish smirk. The Dronvar, however, gave her the mercy of a genuine explanation.
“Unless something’s gone horribly wrong, I’ve never been married,” he said. Anna’s fit of cackles had quelled itself to a point where she could breathe again, and she picked up a napkin to dab away the tears of laughter.
"Please, please excuse me! I haven't had a laugh like that in quite a spell. No, we're not married – I could lift him off the floor with just my pinky! How could he satisfy me?" Anna’s ribald proclamation, though at his expense, was just enough to shatter Deventh’s composure with a sudden wave of laughter. Tatsidi, too, continued snickering to himself.
“These hostel drinks may be a bit stronger than we remember,” Deventh joked, hoping to relieve some of Jessa’s embarrassment as her face grew redder. “Don’t fret, we’re not laughing at you. Just the idea of the thing.”
Hiding her face behind the palms of her hands, Jessa shook her head. Tears welled up in the corner of one eye.
"No, it's all right. I shouldn't be making such outlandish assumptions,” she said, wiping away her tears. "It was quite silly of me, but… No harm done, I suppose."
“No harm done,” Deventh affirmed, gulping back the last of his drink. From that point on, lighter conversation drifted along, with Jessa exercising caution not to provoke any further unwanted discussions. An hour came and went, and while the atmosphere around them still buzzed with merriment, their table grew dozier by the minute.
"I think we're close to turning in for the night," remarked Jessa. Deventh let out a low hum to acknowledge her, but showed no intent to move from his spot.
His gaze wandered to the Dronvari woman who eyed him earlier. Now resting her elbow atop the table with her head perched upon the palm of her hand, she stared down at her drink with heavy eyelids, idly stirring it with a finger. The smooth, long waves of her black hair glinted in the light as she tossed them away from her face. As if to keep a distressed sigh contained, she puffed out one cheek, furrowing her brow. Eyes full of longing, she stared at the door.
Turning his attention back to Anna, Deventh found her dozing off in a similar position. Her head soon slid off its perch and fell onto the table. The thump jolted Tatsidi, who was moments from passing out himself. Anna hoisted her body upright, giving little more than a grunt to the others as a parting courtesy before she plodded away with her head hanging. Tatsidi and Lydie followed.
Quiet settled around the two who remained. Jessa struggled to work up the courage to say something, but for each gaze she made upon Deventh's face, shyness and embarrassment swept over her. Before she had a chance to speak, the Dronvari woman appeared next to her, voice shaking and tears welling up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but would you two mind keeping me company?" She kept herself small, hunched over her arms which were folded at her chest.
"Not at all," Deventh said, gesturing to the empty seat to his left. His eyes remained sharp and wary of the woman against the otherwise relaxed backdrop of his face. The woman nodded and a half-hearted smile of gratitude appeared as she pulled up the chair. Brunhylda appeared, bringing her a full shot glass in one hand and a just-opened bottle of Orcish whiskey in the other. The woman smiled up at her before proceeding with her story.
“I've been waiting the past few hours for a... former lover of mine," she said. "He said he wanted to meet me to try to work things out. Silly me – I was stupid enough to believe him."
Regret and frustration saturated her words. She downed the whiskey shot before filling it back up, a slight flush accentuating the dark gray freckles across her nose and cheeks. Deventh's silent, concerned stare brought her attention back to him. "I'm sorry, here I am airing my dirty laundry and you two don't even know my name. I'm Velaiah. I must admit, it is refreshing to see another Dronvar in Grimros. Ghol knows when the last time was."
"Likewise. That accent – Girin-Val?" Deventh asked, inciting her smile to grow as she gave a slight nod. Velaiah's familiar accent coaxed out his own. "I'm Deventh. And this is Jessa, a colleague of mine." In response, Jessa shrunk back, offering a weak wave of her fingers.
“Nice to meet you both. Do you have a family name, Deventh?”
“Not if you don’t.” Deventh’s response elicited a smirk from Velaiah. He shifted the topic. "Can't say I've ever known anyone to have a particular reason to leave Girin-Val, but I won't pry for now." He gave her a cordial smile, irked by a much more suspicious curiosity than he let on.
"Yes, well, let's just say, aside from tending to animals, the farming life didn't suit me. Now, here I am, working at a hostel and looking to random strangers for a distraction from my poor choices." She chuckled as she realized she was bringing the topic back to her misfortune. "I'm sorry, talking about it doesn't really distract you from it, does it?"
"No," said Deventh. "Nor does drinking in excess, but it seems we're both in too deep to do anything about that." Velaiah's eyes glistened with the tears she held back as the two exchanged smirks. The more the two spoke, the more Jessa melted back in her chair, entertaining the thought of slipping away without invoking their attention and find a vacant bed.
"I believe I more or less told you what happened a few moments ago," Velaiah said. Resting her chin on her hand again, she stared down into her drink. "If you mean the details, we'd be here all night." Her lips curled into a slight grin at the thought.
"I've got time," Deventh said, leaving her with the choice of whether to unleash her woes on a perfect stranger. Velaiah accepted his invitation without hesitating.
“Well, he was a bit of a scoundrel. But he liked to spoil me with lavish gifts, and he treated me well most of the time until he took up frequent drinking. Unfortunately, it turned out he never made any of his money through legitimate means, so I felt an inevitable danger closing in on me. But now he's saying he's turned over a new leaf, left whatever bandit gang or outlaws he was working with."
After several minutes of recollecting the details of her relationship with plenty of deviations along the way, Velaiah noticed Jessa's seat was empty. Concern crept into her voice as a sense of guilt sparked within her.
"Oh, your friend must have turned in. I hope I didn't interrupt your date. I guess I did steal all the attention."
"Date? No – I don't mix business with pleasure," Deventh assured. The two sipped from their drinks in perfect unison, a comfortable, evanescent silence filling the air between them. "But do go on, since it’s well after hours."
"Oh," Velaiah said as a glimmer of interest lit up her eyes. With a sly smile she leaned forward and recalled the point of discussion. "I will spare you the rest of the excruciating details, but he was meant to arrive in Kho'gul today. Should have been here midday – something about catching a cart – but as you might have gathered, he has yet to arrive."
"A cart," Deventh pondered aloud as he found himself hoping for a mere coincidence. "Pardon my curiosity, but is there any chance he was headed up here from Ravengarde?" Velaiah immediately stopped swirling her finger through her drink.
"Why do you ask? Did you see something?"
"Well, there have been attacks as of late along the Raven Gate road. Hopefully the worst hasn't happened, but it’s possible he didn't intend to abandon you here."
"Are you saying he's been attacked?" Velaiah asked as her voice grew worried. "Did you see him? By Ghol, I planned on rejecting him when he showed up, but if he's hurt, I'm not sure I could even face him."
"Well – perhaps. On our way to the city, we found a cart that had been attacked. With only one survivor." He paused to gauge Velaiah's reaction in hopes of being gentle in delivering the news. "We took him to the infirmary nearby, and his chances of recovery look favorable. He's Esdathrin; black hair, clean shaven, and a bird's foot birthmark on the back of his neck."
"That is him." Velaiah frowned, sagging in her seat. "Though he had been trying for a beard the last time I saw him. I’m not sure how I feel – he did a lot of bad things, but nothing quite so evil that it would call for this."
“Morality rarely dictates circumstance,” Deventh said. “I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, in any case. If you do decide you want to see him, the others probably wouldn't mind bringing you along tomorrow."
"I'm not sure I'm ready." Velaiah shook her head. Looking outside, she realized how late it had gotten. The puffed sleeves of her aubergine tunic drooped as she yawned and stretched her arms. Her chair barely made a sound as she stood up with catlike grace and thanked Deventh before heading to bed.
"Thank you for letting me know he's being taken care of. Should you need anything, you can visit my quarters. Far end of the hall," she said, pointing in the direction the others had gone. "Otherwise, we have free porridge and coffee in the morning. Maybe I'll see you at breakfast," she winked, adding emphasis on her last sentence.
"Maybe," Deventh concurred. "Goodnight. Perhaps tomorrow will bring better news." As Velaiah walked away, he kicked back to enjoy watching the antics of the other patrons from his isolated corner.