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So she claimed to be more than a century and a score. Possible, but he found himself doubting it. That was not the issue though.

"Clearly," Elodar stated, ignoring the sarcasm - or maybe he just didn't get it. "Your actions were idiotic. You acted as a newborn foal attempting to climb like a seasoned mountain goat."

And there was the dwarf, drunk and carrying on about adventure. Perhaps it really had been to their benefit when he'd run off early on them. And of course this blue-cloaked fool girl would be eager to dive back into trouble; how had she even made it to adulthood? No sooner had she stood and spoke than the elf reached out to smack the back of her head again.

The words were said.
Marchesa heard them with a flicker of satisfaction, and placed the goblet down on the table. "Very well. I would introduce you to my colleague in a moment, but it seems he's, ah, occupied. I suppose we could wait, b-" The golden haired woman was interrupted quite abruptly.

The drunk dwarf barged into the room, kicking the door open and turning around the heads of pratically everyone in the inn to eye him. (Well, pratically everyone that wasn't in an alcaholic coma, that is. The inn was well stocked, and the peasants were not, at least with wisdom. Honestly!)

Marchesa finished her drink, pleased with the night's unrolling events. So the notice signs, contrary to her initial beliefs, were actually proving to be useful.
A dwarf knight, or at least a dwarf calling himself one, armed with an axe and shield. Perhaps he would also be.

With the dwarf looking the other way, Marchesa took the oppurtunity to lean backwards and eye Baen, who had been preparing to sit at a table with the girl. Yours or mine? She mouthed, raising an eyebrow. Her ever so slightly incredulous expression, on the other hand, clearly had something to do with losing a bet.

Mine. The bard replied, grinning smugly.

The bard watched the dwarf enter the inn with smug satisfaction. From his place in the room, Baen could see him more clearly than than Marchesa, but both of them (or any person in the inn, really...) could easily hear the dwarf knight's ramblings.

"And so there's another contender!" Baen commented breezily to Brittan. "Would you mind sitting at that table in the corner, m'lady Brit, while I go and introduce myself to this new gentleman?" Baen asked mischeviously, flourishing a bow and heading towards the dwarf, oaken lutecase in hand.

Baen could recognize him as the one* who had previously been with the blue haired elf and the unnatural girl, and who had taken upon himself to talk the "blue witch" down. He called himself a knight, but what would be a knight be doing with an elf and a woman who reeked of death? The axe, however, looked sharp. So did the chainmail and armor.

"Why, it's me, good sir!" The bard exclaimed, pushing through the crowd without stepping on too many feet (not that he cared). "I assume you've looked at the noticeboards we put up?"

Now that he was closer, Baen could smell the alcohol in the dwarf's breath. Maybe Marchesa should have been the one introducing him to their enterprise. (They could talk about exotic liquors while they were at it.)

*Well, it's not like there were more dwarves in the inn at the time, were there?

Like most in the tavern, Brit's gaze turned to the dwarf as he burst back into the room and called out. From the little Baen had said, she immediately knew he was referring to the same notices that Baen had hinted he'd put up. So she wasn't at all surprised when he brushed her off towards a table in order to speak to the little man, if a little annoyed - she'd been so enjoying the attention.

A little reluctantly, she headed off to the table he'd gestured towards and slumped into a seat, leaning forward with her elbow resting on her table, and her chin resting in her palm. With her other hand, she casually - not with true annoyance - drummed her fingers on the table. Her eyes lingered on Baen from a distance for a few moments before they began to roam around the room and take notice of some of the other interesting characters surrounding her.

Annani had said her piece. The priestess shrank back into silence. The way she proceeded to look around Marchesa may as well have ceased to exist. Once this Marchesa and her colleague, apparently the bard, had settled down to discuss things Annani would follow. Surely they intended to move to a more private place to discuss after all.

Valder saw the bard coming. Immediately he was wary. Bards tended to make things sound more amazing and romantic than they actually were. Immediately the Dwarf decided to take everything he said with a grain of salt."Aye, aren't you the sharpest tool in the shed?" The Dwarf mused at the Bard's obvious question.

"Come on! Let's not stand around here with our hands down our trousers! Invite your new travelling companion for a drink already!" He said as he sheathed his axe and walked over to the table where Brittan was sitting."Something for her and yourself as well while you're at it. Drinking alone is like taking a dump in company." He laughed as he sat himself down.

"What?!"Isabelle yelped, staring wide eyed at Skylar. "You've been in WARS?!"She repeated, apparently un aware of how many warriors were out there, those who used magic included. "What is wrong with everybody?!"She whined, burying her head in her arms. "I guess I might go with you... if only to make sure you don't kill anybody else...."Isabelle said, hoping to be able to keep Skylar, and by extension who ever else joins in on the journey, from killing others.

At first Yester wasn't sure of who had caused the ruckus, but it didn't take her long to notice that quite a few of their patron's eyes were now pointed at one table in the corner of the hall. The table was occupied by the rather rather handsome, redhaired bard she'd seen playing before, a pretty, sunkissed young woman, maybe around her own age and a certain heavily armoured dwarf. It didn't take her long to set together two and two, and assume that it had been the familiar dwarf who was responsible for the banging noises, exactly how she wasn't sure tough. The waitress had seen some other armoured figures banging at their chest plates, shields or weaponery as if to announce themselves or challenge someone before, but... It wasn't really important, was it? The the man was relatively quiet now and she was merely wasting time on trying to figure out the details of a now irrelevant situation... As alway she just had to overthink stuff.

Yester sighs and gets back to work, considering what table to start from. But before she really get's much of a chance to decide another, rather busty, thirty something blonde waitress, Marina, walks up to the dwarves table, so Yester simply ends up heading for the table of the woman who had ordered the elderberry-wine before, for now ignoring any other ones. Curiously enough, the exotic looking woman Yester had eyed a while back seemed to share it with her now...Maybe this evening wasn't as bad as it ha- Nope the moment the youth went up closer to them she noticed that the exotic redhead was as stoic as ever. Regardless Yester put on a smile, almost out of habit by now, and asked "May I help you with anything else ladies? We have some hot chicken stew brewing up, but if you're up for a lighter meal we have some fresh apple pie...-Or if you're of more refined tastes we just had some very peculiar looking dried fruits from east brought in this morning."

Baen, who was not completely oblivious to sarcasm, cheerfully ignored the dwarf's words* and sat down with him and the young woman. "Very well, Master Dwarf! I suppose all of us could us a drink." Or yet another one, judging by your breath, Baen thought to himself as he raised a hand to call one of the waitresses.

"Drinks for all, love!" The bard shouted, winking at the slightly plump waitress that was approaching. "It's on me." He turned to look at the dwarf and the woman. "Although I do suppose that there could be better places for us to talk in. I rented a room in this inn: perhaps we should move there so I can discuss the details of this adventure more explicitly. Before that, though, lets introduce ourselves." The bard declared flippantly, amusement shining in his eyes. "I'm known as Baen, master dwarf, and my hopefully future and certainly lovely companion's name is Brit, Brit McCrae. May I inquire yours?"

He watched the attractive half elven waitress approach the sorceress and his partner in crime out of the corner of his eye. Now would be the time to head over to this table. Any moment now...
The bard also noticed the blue elf and the witch in blue, who were in some sort of argument .

"Companion of yours, is he?" The bard nodded in their direction.

*Interesting enough, there had been a few other notices on the wall, related to a quest of some sort to save a young woman from terrible danger, but Baen couldn't bother with such trivialities getting in the way and removed it. It wasn't as if some hero wouldn't show up at the nick of time. Probably. Then again, who cared, really?

Marchesa glanced at the approaching half elven waitress who had fulfilled their requests before. "We won't be staying in this table long, I'm afraid." She commented as she started to roll up her maps and scrolls, store away a inkpot and a quill and place back the various books about that she had been reading in her bag*.

"I think it's high time for us to join my companion before he leaves without us, don't you think?" The woman in red asked Annani, slightly cheekily. Then she turned back to the waitress. "I've seen you have some knowledge of the area, and me and my fellow adventurers still need to trace a travelling plan. Please, do join us at the table. I'll buy us a round of wine if you do."

The blonde woman stood up, slinging the map and a velvet bag filled with scrolls and books over her shoulder, attaching a pouch filled with the quills and inkpot to her belt, and carrying a certain leather bag with her right hand.

"Shall we go and introduce ourselves?" She asked the exotic-looking sorceress near her.

*Another one, mind. The first one was quite, ah, occupied.

Valder liked the sound of more booze. Especially if he didn't need to pay for it. He did not like the prospect of getting crammed in a small inn's room with a bunch of people, though. But he decided not to voice that complaint."You may, 'Master Human', the Dwarf said mockingly, pointing out the slight racism in Baen's words."My name is Sir Valder the Stout, of House Odanar, also known as the Envoys of the Jackalope back in Ironfang. Back then I was also known as the Bane of Goblins and the Breaker of Sieges. I'll give you two guesses as to why that is." He laughed.

"Regardless, a pleasure to meet you both." He said as he nodded towards Brittan. When he was pointed out towards his 'companion', he raised a brow."Not companion, really. More like a temporary travel partner. Same for the woman with him. The witch, I don't bloody well know what she's all about."

"Now where's that drink? My throat's getting parched."

Brit wouldn't have minded moving to another room, but she also didn't mind staying here. She rather liked the atmosphere of the bar - largely because it was exactly the opposite of the sort of environment her parents would want to see her in. But going on an adventure - well, she'd choose that over enjoying the entertainment here any day.

The dwarf was mostly amusing to her as he spoke, and she felt her lips curve into a very slight smirk at all the ways he introduced himself. 'Envoys of the Jackalope' seemed to stand out to her for some reason, and her smirk turned into a slightly amused grin. "A pleasure to meet you, Val," she said in a manner that was facetious but hopefully also friendly. Her eyes then roamed back to the bard seated at the table with them. "Are you looking for more adventurers?" she asked, assuming that was why he'd asked if the elf and the others at his table were companions of Valder's.

"Your companion?" Yester comments as she tries remembering any people the woman had sat with besides miss exotic. Hadn't the redheaded bard at some point been sharing her table? A weird, almost polar, combination to say the least, but when she gave the bard a slight glance she had to admit that there was something similar about the two of them, a certain confidence she'd seen very few bare.

"Very well m'lady, I'm sure I can be of some help." The waitress humbly declares as she smiles over the premise of maybe catching back some of the business a certain bluecloacked sorceress had scared away earlier. If she was right, and the bard was said companion the lady agreed to buy a round of wine for at least five people, though she had to admitt that she wasn't sure if she wanted to give the dwarf any more alcohol... Hadn't he at least drunk four big mugs of dark ale already?

It seemed this elf didn't believe her, who'd blame him tho, even she was counting her luck. Many times was she knocking on death's door... talk about cutting it close, if death was a blade, she's put her own neck against it's sharp edge more than she could count.

*Thwack* "ow" she said silently rubbing her head, pouting at the elf "What were that for?" If it weren't for her easy personality, he'd be ash before the slap had landed. "This world is corrupt darling, you have to fight when you don't want to, just for what you believe is right, even if others see different" she spoke to Isabelle softly like she would an innocent child "But don't worry! you'll be safe with mister dwarf" she motioned her head at the dwarf they were to travel with.

Isabelle frowned. "Yeah I know that, but you don't have to go around killing everyone who disagrees with you! I swear.... everyone in this country doesn't ever make any sense..."Isabelle grumbled. "And I don't need him to keep me safe either...."She added, crossing her arms across her chest.

The elf did not answer; he merely stared icily at the woman, even as she focused her attention elsewhere again. She was a strange one, certainly, and surely not worth the hassle.

In fact, this whole situation that seemed to be building up was surely not worth the hassle. Oh, he may have been focused on the blue sorceress, but he was not unaware that he had been referred to elsewhere, for whatever reason; just as he could tell something was happening, people were gathering. It would have been best to return to his meal, eat in silence, and leave. Perhaps it would have been even better to skip the meal and simply leave before he got pulled into something.

Elodar did not leave. He did finally cease his empty glaring, at least, and he did return to the previously abandoned food - but he could not yet make himself leave.

Me just sitting there looking suspicious

Baen snorted, leaning backwards in his chair to absently but appreciatively look at a certain waitress who should have gotten to their table by now. "You'd be surprised, Valder. Can I call you Valder? I believe it's better than "master dwarf"." He turned his gaze away from the attractive, even if slightly plump, approaching tavern wench to face the dwarf. "So you are a knight!" Baen liked knights. Besides, it was always enjoyable to make fun out of their exploits. "Our little group could not possibly be complete without one." He decided he'd ask the dwarf about the jackalopes later.

The bard then turned to the sorceress, leaning on the table with one shoulder. "You could say that. This is not exactly going to be an adventure devoid of risks or trouble." He shrugged lightly, flashing her a smile. "Me and my original companion decided that we'd need at least six people, really. "

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the said companion stand up with the exotic looking woman and another tavern wench, this one with...was that the one with the pointy ears? Interesting game you're playing, Marchesa.

And so it was that when the other plump but attractive tavern wench finally got to their table, Baen shooed her away with a nod in the other woman's direction. "Nevermind, darling."

Baen grinned in the trio's direction as they approached. "Ladies!"
"Baen." The blonde woman replied dryly as she took a seat on the right of the other Other, eyeing the dwarf and the sorceress with a small smile and placing her bags on the ground. "Good afternoon. My name is Marchesa. I'm one of the..."
"Organizers." The red headed bard suggested.
"Yes, organizers of this quest."

"Oh, but six is such a crowd," Brittan said in a flirtatious tone as she leaned in to Baen, her lips splitting into a wide smile as she did so. She was being facetious, of course - it didn't matter how many people came along, to her, as long as she herself had the opportunity to go on this ... quest, adventure, whatever they were calling it.

As the other women approached, she followed the bard's gaze and looked up at them, immediately struck by both of their appearances. And ... yes, there was magic there, powerful magic. This is getting more interesting by the minute ...

"Pleasure to meet you, Marchesa," she said in a somewhat-aloof tone of voice. The woman reminded her of ... well, her parents and their friends. Though, of course none of them would have been caught dead in this place, so she at least had that to her credit.

This looked like a disaster in the making more and more. Annani remained deeply wary of the "organizers" and the additions she was noting were no help.

A loud, drunken dwarf. A tendency toward violence and brash behavior seemed his most likely issues. Otherwise, he might be the least problematic. The woman in blue appeared to have similar brash and violent tendencies. Her behavior was curious. She was not to be trusted. There was the flirty woman with the bard who seemed to be mostly passing herself as an average whore so far. That one was certain to be trouble.

The priestess had to remind herself that this was an important matter. There would be stress. There would be trouble. But surely it was not in vain. For now she continued to linger near and observe, keeping quiet.