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When Macey asked how her father fared, Brenna almost immediately wished she had not used the name, questioning her own motives for doing so. It had only been a few months, so it was understandable the merchant would not know of his death. But she still had to force down a lump that suddenly formed in her throat when he asked how Lord Collins was keeping.

"He passed away at the end of summer..." she said, her slightly abrasive attitude from earlier gone as she gave Macey and Caitlin a half-smile to show there were no hard feelings over them not knowing. "Did... did you know him well?" she asked, curious to hear stories of her father that she may not know.

She shook her head to Caitlin's question about ever being to court. "His wife and my half brother might have died of embarrassment had he brought me there," she half-laughed at the idea, then cast her eyes down, not ashamed of her heritage, but of the stupid tears that kept threatening.

"An ale for me too, please," she said, polishing off her first one faster than she'd intended.



((Roughly how old does Caitlin appear?))

"Sorry to hear that about your father" says Macey, "he was a customer of mine. Bought nutmeg".

"Being illegitimate is nothing to be ashamed of" says Caitlin, "So is Henry Fitzroy. Oh, you don't know who Henry Fitzroy is? Oh Brenna. He's King Duncan's son. He's a big noise about court. Anyway, he's one of my father's customers, and we saw him, and he invited us to a masked ball. It was such fun. I went as a rabbit. He was dressed as a fox, and he danced with me, at least I'm sure it was him, you can't see because of the mask. We're going to see him again."

"He certainly buys a lot of spices" says Macey.

Rosalind comes over. "We'd be interested in buying some spices for the kitchen" she's says to Macey.

"We have lots of supplies" says Macey, "Nutmeg, coriander, tumeric, sweet and bitter almonds, just tell me what you want and we'll negotiate a price".
"Come through to the kitchen" says Rosalind, "I'll discuss it with Alfonce".
Macey and one of the servants, carrying a wooden case, go with Rosalind into the kitchen.

Caitlin as about sixteen to eighteen years of age. She is earnest and gushing, a typical well brought up teenager. "I do so love going to the court at Great Whiteminster," she says "if only Papa had a noble title. However much money you have, it's never the same as being a Lord. Your brother must be Lord Collins now, Brenna. He is so lucky - the banquets, the parties, the intrigue, the love affairs lict and illicit, I love it all. But we hardly ever go, just when Papa has business there."

Brenna managed not to roll her eyes when Caitlan gushed about how lucky her brother was to be 'Lord Collins'.

"His name is Geoffrey. If you ever meet him, tell him his sister sends her regards," Brenna said, hoping it came up in front of a large group of people and the mere mention of her existence embarrassed him.

As the merchant follows who she assumes to be Mick's wife into the kitchen, Brenna tries to steer the conversation away from matters of court. That life, she assumed, was closed to her. "Want to play a game of backgammon while we wait for dinner?"

He shrugged when the barmaid asked the question, not entirely sure how to respond. "Actually, most people I meet say I talk too much. That or im a suicidal idiot who'll get myself killed some day." He thought for a moment before answering her second question. "And no, I've traveled a lot, just not the way most people do.

The barmaid is really making up to Nakon. She puts her arm around him and says, "You've got a dark and reserved air to you". She wearing trashy jewellery, a pair of oversized hooped earrings, and a large gold cross with the word "Love" picked out in rubies.
Caitlin and Brenna are embarrassed.
Martha comes down and stares daggers at her. She collects empty tankards.
"Buxom Betty will sleep with anything" she says to Caitlin and Brenna softly, "even half-orcs".

He raised an eyebrow at them, then shrugged and pulled a dagger from a sheath strapped to his leg, picking his teeth with the blade.

Akuma looked at her drawing and handed it to the Captain "Finished and no need to pay me I do it for free" she said with a kind smile and then she just relaxed in her seat and watched as Nakon was flirted at by a barmaid and she snickered a little at Martha's joke

That quip by Martha seemed to confirm Brenna's earlier suspicions about Hoggins and Thugley. And now it seemed suddenly clear what they'd be doing when they returned later. Her nose wrinkled a bit at that thought of how dirty the room she was sharing with Akuma and Meyeira was and what might have happened on those mattresses since the last time they were cleaned.

Maybe she'd be sleeping her bedroll on the floor same as Pint.

That tall fellow at the bar seemed a little sketchy too, she thought, catching site of his odd yellow eyes. And who picks their teeth with a knife anyway?

"Ooh you tough dark horse" says Buxom Betty to Nakon, "cleaning your teeth with a knife."

"That's a very nice drawing of a sword." says Captain Baring to Akuma, "I have a collection of weapons in my room, maybe you would like to see them".
Brenna looks at Buxom Betty and thinks of half-orcs and the dirty room.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" she says, suddenly. It's unclear whether Brenna or Caitlin are intended.
Martha is still with you, pretending to be wiping a table.

He shrugged, pulling out the knife with a piece of steak on the tip. "I mean, I don't really have anything else to use." He ate the little bit of steak and shrugged.

She shrugged "Maybe later" She said with a sly smile towards the Captain and shrugs "Plus I promised my Dwarf friend here I would draw his axe" she said pointing to Pint "Even thought he threatened to put a leash on me"

Realizing she'd been staring a bit, Brenna gives Betty a warm smile, trying to downplay anything the woman might have been offended by. No sense in aggravating those that might handle her food. "Sorry... was just looking at your necklace. I've never seen one like that before and I was just wondering if you had a jeweler make it for you."

Betty warms to Brenna. "No love" she says, "It was given me by a guest. The rubies aren't real, they're just red glass. But it's nice, isn't it?"
Martha scowls and rubs the table. "I think the gentleman is uncomfortable" she says, looking at Nakon.
"Oh don't uncomfortable me" says Betty.
"I'm sorry" says Captain Baring to Akuma, "They do fall out sometimes. Is it bothering you?"

"Do you want to know about her [looking at Martha]?" Betty asks Brenna and the room in general.

"It is," Brenna agrees, hoping that was the end of it. Unfortunately it was not.

Is he just bored?, Brenna wondered, as Captain Baring asked if the bickering bothered Akuma. It was like the Captain was looking for a reason to assert his authority. Like he needed one of them to be a damsel in distress so he could save them from the uncomfortableness of foul language and catty women.

She manages not to roll her eyes and turns back to Caitlin, trying to pretend she hadn't heard Betty's prodding question. "How about that game of backgammon?"

((wolfydere has been stopped from playing by his father. ))

Brenna is coming to the conclusion that she doesn't really like Captain Baring. He's domineering, which probably masks an inner insecurity.

You settle to a game of backgammon with Caitlin. Caitlin knows the rules, but her strategy is awful, she has no understanding of how to move her pieces to best advantage.

"The court isn't prudish, you know" she says to Brenna, "people have this image of nobles as very respectable. But it's not like that. The women are very flirty. These barmaids are more moralistic."

You see Rosalind, the landlady, bald Mick, Betty, Martha and KItty fussing around. Betty and Martha are still staring daggers at each other, but there is no open dispute. There are one or two soldiers, and the elderly man, sat quietly in a corner. Everything seems peaceful and normal as Caitlin loses at backgammon, watched by her father.

"Here, can I advise you?" Captain Baring asks her.

Pint made a remarkable attempt at staying sober whilst Brenna did the talking. Perhaps traveling with companions wasn't such a bad idea since this roguish woman seemed more inclined at interacting with people than him. She could suffer talking to this braggart of a captain whilst Pint analyses all the details. Yep, seems like he's a jerk alright, Pint kind of figured.

For the moment he's still waiting for backgammon to start. "So are we playin' or wot?"

Brenna raised an eyebrow at Caitlin's comment about nobles. She considered her half-brother Geoffrey one of the most stuck-up people she knew. Maybe not prudish, though she didn't really know. She'd had little to do with him these past few years and the death of their father seemed to have severed ties almost completely. Brenna hadn't even been permitted to attend the funeral.

"Is that where you're headed when you get to the capital?" she asked Caitlin.

"Yeah, you want a turn, Pint? You can take my place for a game or two." Brenna offered.

((Kitty is the reserved, delicate maid, right?))

(( Kitty is the reserved delicate maid. I forgot I didn't give you her name, but you will have overheard it by now ))

"The secret to the game is to create doubles" says Captain Baring, "then you occupy the point and the opponent cannot have it." His advice is sound, but it spoils Caitlin's enjoyment of the game.

"Would you like me to bring another board, Sir?" Kitty asks Pint tactfully.

"We're going to meet Henry Fitzroy at court" says Caitlin, "my father has some magical spice that you set alight, then once you've had a bit, you always want more. You can never stop burning it or you die. He's selling that to Henry Fitzroy - it's quite a craze with the younger nobles."
Macey smiles. "That's a bit of an exaggeration" he says, "It comes from the furthest islands, so supplies are very limited. If you genuinely needed it after a taste, we'd have a lot of dead nobles. But it is one of my best sellers."
"Henry Fitzroy said he'd look forwards to seeing me again" Caitlin continues, "so let's hope he invites me something again, maybe a ball or a banquet."

((oops, I thought you guys hadn't start playing dice yet))

"Eh? Nah, I'll just wait me turn." Pint answers to both Brenna and Kitty, satisfied for now to just watch the game. Now that the two half-orcs are gone he's a lot less anxious. Though he's still keeping a wary eye and ear for trouble-- as he always does-- he's more focused on hearing about Brenna's past and spend the evening watching a game of dice. Can't always fight all the time-- he's tried in the past!

He does make a disgusted face at the mention of drugs though. These nobles and flaunting their addictions like they're a badge of honor or something... for shame.