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The dancing girl believed it. The woman appeared ill capable of guile. Hells, if she was telling the truth she already gave her life for her friends and allies.

She had to admit to herself that she wasn't anywhere so courageous as Liothryth.

She swirled the alcohol in her mug and took a swig; It was all to cover her taking a moment to think.

"As allies I've had worse," she said with a wry smile, "Some have tried to kill me, others... worse. I trust you enough.

"Mind you we could use some muscle. I wish Urge, my barbarian friend, wasn't visiting his old tribe."

Lio gave a wry smile. "You're right on that. Even strength spells will only go so far. Unfortunately my list of contacts has exactly one person on it. If you happen to know of anyone else who would be interested I would ensure they were properly compensated as well."

How was Assallya going to explain that she was a criminal, that she had a bounty on her head as an escaped slave?

She probably was safe. The deserts of the south were a good distance away but an enterprising bounty hunter might manage an augury or scry forth a clue. As a result she felt the need to keep moving. A fringe today could be a fire tomorrow when they learned of the bounty.

"I was just passing through myself," the girl admitted, "I don't really dance tables in a town I plan to spend time in. The wives usually start calling witchcraft when their husbands start acting like besotted idiots."

At that, the barkeep snorted, unable to contain himself. Then, realizing he'd given himself away as an eavesdropper he cleared his throat and put extra emphasis on a particular spot of his already, highly polished bar.

OOC: I have no particular direction either I must admit.

Honestly I'm surprised nobody else has jumped in.

It was strange, talking to someone outside of the monastery, but Lio was getting more used to it. And it may have been 500 years since she had truly interacted with people but sometimes the more things changed the more they really did stay the same.

"Traveling entertainers have been around for thousands of years and will probably be around for thousands more."

Looking down into her tankard she noticed it was empty. Pulling a few more coins out, she placed them on the bar. After a moment she shrugged and pulled out many more, making the barkeep's eyes go wide. "Another round for my friend and I, and one for the house as well."

[OOC: I'm tempted to add a kind of NPC third to the party. Maybe some kind of strong silent type that's just kind of there when we need them and that either one of us can play when the need arises.]

If the ongoing conversation between the elves wasn’t entertaining enough, hearing the sound of coins being used so nonchalantly did wonders to pique the interest of a silent stranger seated by Lio’s other side. He had kept quiet when the woman sat at the bar, minding his own business, but sure enough, it became hard to maintain the indifference when another cup of mead was placed beside his full one, the room cheering for the newcomer paying another round of drinks for all.

“How much are you paying for this expedition?” A sharp voice asked to pull Liothryth’s and her company's attention.

It was a man — human. With a complexion more common in the south where the sun whipped down those who walked between the open sky and the hot desert sand. He didn’t look particularly ashamed to show that the barkeeper hadn’t been the only one eavesdropping. Or to forcefully put himself inside what could be considered a private discussion.

He looked like one of the many travelers that passed through town, concealing cloak and all. Although the hardened gaze under the hood told of an experienced wanderer rather than an adventurer seeking glory. And if the calloused hands over the bar didn’t speak of a fighter, it at least spoke of a life grown with physical labor.

The sudden interjection took the dancing girl completely off guard. Kohl lined azure eyes widened for a fraction of a moment and she placed one hand to her bosom.

Assallya turned slightly, looking sidelong at the man who'd addressed Liothryth, the slits in the pantaloons and sleeves of her black silk bedlah flashing pale skin.

She then looked to Liothryth to respond. She was the woman with the coin.

It was only with great effort that Lio didn't jump when Tasius began talking. I've forgotten how to be discrete, she thought to herself.

"That depends on how long it takes and exactly how dangerous things turn out to be," she said out loud, turning to take him in. A quick glance told her that he certainly could be the muscle she and Assallya has just been discussing. "But first I like to know the name of the person I'm negotiating with."

She could do this, there was no reason to be this nervous. Lio had negotiated with plenty of people before. Just because centuries worth of waiting and planning was going to rest on these random people she had met in a tavern was no reason to be nervous.

He spared a fleeting glance towards the dancer, as if taking in her reaction before deeming it unimportant, focusing back on the elven mage packed with money.

“The name’s Tasius.” Is his short reply, not bothering to ask back for their names. Instead, he faced down Lio with a growing annoyance.

“You aren’t selling your terms very well, lady. It’s understandable to not know how long this search of yours might take, or how dangerous it could turn out to be. But if you want people to risk their lives to help, the reward should be cut clean from the start.” Grabbing one of his mugs, he pushed it towards Lio, as if returning her goodwill from earlier.

“And it doesn’t seem like coin is what you currently lack,” is the absentminded commentary he throws after a moment, “so how much are you willing to spend on hiring hands?”

If it’s too little, then looting these two would be more worth of his time. The assassin concludes internally.

Lio looked him in the eye, his harshness has burned through her nervousness. She was a mage who had faced down the army of Kelad and won, her skills might be a little rusty, but she could deal with him.

"Very well then. I'll pay you 100 gold up front as well as handling any of your necessary traveling expenses - and I'll be the one to decide what's necessary. I'll also use my magic to assist you as I can for as long as the search may take." She turned to Assallya, "I'll cover your expenses as well." She turned back to Tasius. "We'll have to stop at the Temple of Alamar to pick up the money, for obvious reasons I don't carry that much with me."

((OOC: Soooo, I figure that Alamar can be the God of finance, or something like that so we can have access to funds when ever we get to a city. Let's say they have some kind of magical banking system, 'cuz why not.))

The young elven dancing girl made herself look timid, leaning her body forwards towards the bar and slightly behind Liothryth's as if she were selling protection.

It was a ruse. The action concealed her black manicured fingers so that should she have need to cast a spell, she might better conceal the act.

Then the negotiation of terms began and Assallya began to relax. She didn't lower her guard completely; Tasius was too intimidating for that.

She was still trying to make sense of the man, analyzing his appearance, his mannerisms, his hands in particular. There was something odd about his hands-

Her line of thought was broken when Liothryth addressed her. Expenses? That was new. Most mercenaries she'd worked with weren't that organized.

"Without knowing what we're up against, other than purchasing a few chickens I have all I need." Assallya answered.

Seriously, given how much coin she was talking about a fee silver wasn't worth complaining about.

Tasius blinks, taken aback by the amount of gold offered as the upfront payment. He had imagined this elf was loaded, but to have that much at her disposal is... Very impressive.

Her offer turned out to be very attractive. Too good of a chance to let it slip by, losing a very good chance of making out of it richer than a low-ranking noble.

Turning around in his seat, the man faces them with a more open stance. “Well, that's enough for you to convince me. Although I'll be more open to discuss any future plans after getting paid.”

Assallya, on her part, would notice that even though the man’s hand stayed around his cup filled with booze, he never made a move to drink from it. It looks more like a trinket being fiddled with to keep his fingers moving than anything else.

“Are you planning to scout another person here for this party, or should we go to the temple right away to not waste time?”

"While more members for our party might be helpful, I somehow doubt we'll find anyone else here. Perhaps further along on our journey." Lio drained the rest if her cider. "I see no reason to wait. Shall we go to the Temple then collect anything we may need before heading out?"

She stood and picked up her staff which had been resting almost forgotten against the bar.

One hundred gold pieces to start! That was incredible. Assallya needed a few thousand to get started and she was well on her way to saving up. This could be the final push she needed to get started with her business venture.

Moving like water over a stone she stepped down from the stool, toes adorned with rings of brass and silver reaching for the straw strewn floor boards.

Silently, she thanked several gods for her lapse in judgement. Normally she'd have come into a new town wearing another face. Just this once she had wanted to wear her own face. What were the odds?

"I do need to purchase a few chickens, some fresh flour... and a few other things you both probably don't care about at the market. Those I travel with don't subsist on hard tack. Maybe a goat or a lamb? Do you both like either?"

"You'll have 50 gold after we go to the Temple," Lio said to Assallya. "I know we agree that you would get your reward later, but you should get something up front as well.

"I'll go there now and get the transaction started. Meet me there whenever you're ready." With that Lio went to the door, knowing she'd see them at the Temple soon.

For a moment, Tasius just watched the two, eyes following Lio to the exit before choosing to slowly stand up as well. He didn't want to lose track of the elf— not when other people could have heard about her plans of visiting the temple to get money.

“Do what you see fit.” He answered Assallya while adjusting the traveling cape, taking a double take over her figure. It makes his eyebrows slightly frown as the man tries to place where he had seen that face before. But the sound of song and merry talk around is too loud to help with that, so it’s a thought left to simmer, feet pushing the man to go after this town’s Temple of Alamar. Not concerned if the dancer were to follow or not. So far, he’s been indifferent to her existence; Or so it seems.

It was a short walk to the Temple of Alamar and other than the surprised look on the acolyte's face when he saw Lio's balance (to which she only replied that 500 years of interest with no withdrawals will do that) the transaction went smoothly.

After Lio had paid the others they agreed that they would all see to what ever supplies they each needed and get a good nights rest before meeting on the North road out of town first thing in the morning.

Lio was there at first light, sitting with her back against a tree, looking through a small book.

((OOC: Feel free to do anything you want in town. I just couldn't come up with anything else for Lio.)

Going on their separate ways after visiting the temple, Tasius made sure to prepare for what could be a long travel. As much as he could anyways, after dealing with the few figures that wanted a piece of his upfront payment. Talking business inside a tavern always lead to some sort of inconvenience afterwards.

He had agreed to meet them in the morning, to his inconvenience. The man was anything but a morning person. With the added chores he had to do late the previous night, arriving early only made his mood worse than usual.

But at least now he knows why that dancer looked familiar. It hadn't been so difficult to track down when she had entered the town and which direction she had come from. Money truly is a form of magic of its own; Not everyone could resist its charm and not be bribed by it.

If he played his cards right, this expedition could give him more than he can even imagine. The first step on doing that, Tasius think, is earning some trust from both Liothryth and Assallya.

“An academic as well, huh?” Is the man’s greetings while approaching Lio’s figure, steps barely making noise on the dirt path. “What are you reading so early in the morning-” The question fades out before he could finish because of a yawn, eyes watering under the hood.

Assallya sat upon a burgundy vardo wagon, a small house on wheels trundling along the dirt road. The back of the wagon featured a small door and a delightful small window that allowed a person inside to see who might be knocking.

The wagon's arched roof was topped in supplies, stopped from sliding off by a wooden rim that the crates and containers were tied to. While she didn't have the goat or lamb she'd wanted, there were a pair of chickens and a suckling pig in reed cages atop the wagon.

Looking relaxed, the elven dancing girl sat on the bench bolted to the front of the wagon, suspended over the draft horse hauling the contraption. She was leaning back, letting the horse choose his own path, with one leg dangling, her black manicured toenails pointed towards the dirt. The reins were loose in her left hand and her right held a book from which she read, glancing up from regularly to make sure she was still on track.

Lio looked up and smiled. "This isn't so academic, it's just a collection of old elvish stories. But I do have a treatise on transfiguration magic on animals in my pack if you're interested." She noticed his yawn. "I apologize if the hour is too early, I got used to rising early in the monastery and didn't consider that others might not."

Catching the vardo coming down the road, her jaw dropped in surprise. "I hadn't realized that you had a wagon," She called out to Assallya.