A Game of Growr


 * Main Hall 


 * The Southern Cross is what one might describe as a 'traditional' tavern within Crown's Refuge. Though constructed via magical means like most of the freehold, it seems clear that the architect of this inn must have been a former Imperial of Fastheld, for much of the establishment's personality can be clearly traced back to the idea of such buildings being filled with subdued lighting and as many shadowy areas as possible from which one can brood within.


 * The building itself is "L" shaped, with the main polished-oak bar being in the corner in which horizontal and vertical meet, pushed up against the back wall so that the Innkeeper can keep watch over all of his establishment. Circular tables and high-backed wooden chairs fill the floor space while "U" shaped booths line the walls beneath stained-glass windows and a myriad of trophies and ornamentation.


 * It is a tavern that has been clearly designed for the Wildlanders of Crown's Refuge, and whatever visiting Imperials may be in the freehold at any given time, having little in the way of consideration for the Syladris but not excluding them from the premises should they wish to try and navigate the floor. The lighting remains dull and subtle - be it day or night - with candles that burn a dark blue flame providing the only means of light other than that which manages to stream through the stained glass windows.


 * Stairs at the top of the "|" of the inn lead upstairs to the second level, while a trapdoor near the well-stocked bar leads into a basement below, as well as an alchemy lab, oddly enough. The door leading back out into Wolfsbane's row remains at the '-' end of the "L".

Taran is seated quietly at a table with Naoi; Brand is doing flips along the floor. Brand is actually standing now - flips are over for the moment. Instead, he's at the counter. "So, uh, what's good today?"

Duhnen descends from the upper floow, rubbing at his forehead lightly with his palm. Distractedly, he peers at a bit of parchment grasped in his free hand, steps thudding softly.

Into the tavern slithers a goldscale! Mysra seems to be in good spirits as she makes towards the bar. "Hello, Erina!" she greets brightly, "Can Mysssra ssspeak with your cooksss today?" Before the barkeep can answer her, though, the Syladris is grinning brightly, "Oh, hello Brand! Mysssra hasss not ssseen you in a while. How are you?" For the moment, the quiet peoplies at the table are unnoticed.

Taran notices *them*, however, smiling a bit into his tea. "Mysra," he calls quietly. "I saved you a letter, Mysra."

"I am afraid that I cannot read minds," Naoi responds in a dry tone. "I was told, when I was a little girl, that I have a particular talent at guessing. If I must, I will. You are still concerned that Celeste will come, and push you into a frenzy. That you will strike out at her, and that I will pull back my judgement and thus, the hunt will begin. Or perhaps, none of these concerns touch you, as you are still fresh of mind and spirit. If you want my opinion, the meeting between you and your obsession will have to come one day. Otherwise, no matter how much you fight it, she will remain a sword over your head. A heavy doom that you cannot shake, an itch you cannot scratch."

The tea rises to her lips, wetting it with the herbal brew, tongue slipping out and drying it of the drink. "Am I correct in any of that?" Gray eyes rise to study the Bard settled across from her, though they shift for a second as Brand passes them.

The gold syladris draws Duhnen's attention, and after another look at the parchment, he stuffs it into his pocket before making his way across the room to her. Brand blinks and looks aside at Mysra. "Oh, hello Mysra," he says cheerfully. "Been great! Couldn't make it to your party, though. Too busy providing the entertainment elsewhere."

"That isss okay," Mysra says to Brand, before looking to the tall scarecrow at the table, "Oh, hello again Taran! You have?" Ah, but before any of her paths of thought can really be turned into an endless string of Syladris-chatter, she noteices the new face. "Oh, Mysssra hasss not met you," she remarks, approaching to meet Duhnen halfway. She seems to be containing emotions, as her hands are clasped in front of her and she is rising and lowering on her coils a little bit in a sort of hopping motion, "Hello! What isss your name? Where are you from? Can Mysssra hug you? Mysssra alwaysss asssksss firssst, becaussse people do not alwaysss liek her hugsss, and sssometimesss they do not mind hugsss but they do not like her tail, and sssometimesss they do not mind that either, and Mysssra doesss not know you ssso ssshe doesss not know if it would be okay to hug you."

Taran grins. Just a touch wickedly? It might be so; *something* is amusing him. "He is your escort and your aide, Mysra. I passed along your request to Norran, since he happened to be in town, and he mentioned setting Duhnen here to help you make everything happen." Which seems to cause the bard no small amount of personal joy, but it gets under control quickly as he returns his attention to Naoi. "Something like that. Blackfox is still quite angry?"

"Quite." Naoi responds, looking back to her book. "I believe, anyway."

Amusement blossoms across Duhnen's features at that, and he nods to Mysra. "My name is Duhnen Driscol. As Taran said, I'm going to help you on your goodwill effort. Yes, you may hug me." He nods to the others. "Hello again, Taran. I trust you're well. Ordinator Cloth, good afternoon. Master."

Brand blinks as he turns to look up at Duhnen, then bows his head. "Oh, good afternoon, my Lord."

The words 'hug me' aren't quite out of Duhnen's lips before Mysra has latched onto the knight with arms and tail. "Mysssra isss very pleasssed to meet you, Duhnen Drisscol! And thank you for helping her, that makesss Mysssra very happy! And thank you, Taran, for talking to Norran for Mysssra!" She detaches from Duhnen and slithers over to hug Taran next.

Taran nods to Naoi. "I suppose I could only expect that," he says, getting to his feet. "Well, thank you at least for not reversing it today. I think I will go get some air, though." He accepts Mysra's hug, then, and says, "I did say I would help. I hardly expected Norran to start cuddling my kinsmen. Duhnen will help you get all the proprietary tangles sorted out; good luck." And with that he lets go, and heads for the door.

"Yes, well, it's a very noble thing you're doing. I couldn't let you do so without help, after all," Duhnen answers Mysra with a friendly return hug. He seems fairly used to the whole syladris dealie. "We'll have to sit and talk more about this, at a later time, for all the details."

Naoi hardly reacts to Taran leaving, other then a faint nod, turning the page of her 'Stories'.

Indeed a wolf /has/ entered the inn, a big black beast who pads her way over to the hearth and stretches out to make herself comfortable. At her side for half that distance, Blackfox walks, a brace of hares slung over her shoulder which she promptly delivers to the innkeeper with a nod.

"Detailsss?" Mysra asks, "What kindsss of detailsss?" And then enters a timber wolf, and the Syladris grins. "Hello," she says to the wolf, abandoning Duhnen to approach Velvel slowly in an attempt to gently pet the beast. Much calmer with wolves than humans.

Leaving her to it, Duhnen draws a seat at the table where Naoi rests, considering her reading material. "What's the book contain?" he asks her, leaning back and lifting an eyebrow curiously.

"Parables, religious notes, memorization techniques, pickup lines, maps, chapel details." Naoi says, so smoothly and in sync that one could almost miss the joke placed in the middle of it. "How can I be of assistance to you, m'lord?" She looks up, an eyebrow arching up.

Blackfox accepts a tray full of food from the innkeeper with a smile, turning to watch as Velvel half rolls onto her back, tail wagging as Mysra approaches. "I am thinking I should keep her from Syladris," Blackfox says with a grin, "You are all turning her into a kitten."

"Pickup lines?" Duhnen replies, quirking a smile at Naoi. "You aren't Shadow Touched, are you? Because I can Sunkiss it away."

Naoi just tilts her gray gaze at the man, no humour apparent. No answer forthcoming.

"A kitten?" Mysra asks, "How isss Mysssra turning a wolf into a kitten? Ssshe isss not magical." The goldscale happily continues to give Velvel attention, petting the wolf with both hands and the end of her tail.

Duhnen thinks some more, considering the book. "Have any wildlander in you? Do you want some?" Crossing his arms at his chest, he leans back in his seat.

"Velvel is a hunter," Fox explains, putting her food down and moving towards Syladris and wolf. "But with all the attention she gets from Syladris, she is becoming more /like/ a kitten."

Naoi brings the tea to her lip, studying the lord over the brim of the cup. Then it clinks down, closing the book and laying her hands over it's pebbled leather sheath that protects it.

"Lets see," Duhnen muses, the knight taking his time with thinking of the next one. "That's a nice set of legs. What time do they open?" He grimaces a bit at that, though seems darkly amused.

Naoi's slow smile bares short teeth, glistenining in the faint light of the Inn's candle. The gray eyes are utterly hard and flinty at this point, staring at the Knight-Errant across the table from her.

"Ohh," the goldscale nods, "Huntersss can relaxsss from time to time. Rolan relaxssesss very much when he comesss to the Refuge, but he ssstill sssurvivesss well outssside in the Wildsss." Mysra looks over to the table and rises up a bit, leaving the pettings for just her tail. She slithers a bit closer to the table and says, "Mysssra hasss heard many of thessse thingsss. Men like to sssay them to her. Taran sssaysss they are called pickup linesss? Mysssra likesss: Rosssesss are red, violetsss are blue, how would you like it if 'I' came home with you?"

Duhnen simply smirks back at Naoi, eyes glowing their usual fiery red. "Why so serious? I can probably think of..." He looks to Mysra as she returns, before laughing delightedly. "Apparently your book, Mistress Cloth, has made it's way around."

Blackfox settles back down at the table, chuckling at the conversation but staying out of it for now.

Naoi's stare does not break from the Knight-Errant, hands still on her book. She has not an eye for the Syladris who slithers near the pair, and the smile could hardly be considered fond and warm. "Are you done, m'lord? Or would you prefer that we test how far you will go, and how much I will accept?" One could switch the words and the meaning about to something sexual there, but that is often the case with anything.

Mysra looks between Naoi and Duhnen for a moment, tilting her head. "One time a man sssaid that Mysssra looked like hisss firssst wife. When ssshe asssked how many he had, he told her he hadn't had any." She settles into her coils at the table, "Mysssra did not underssstand that one."

Duhnen clicks his tongue at the Ordinator. "Now, now, Mistress Cloth. You made the jest, after all. You've no one to blame but yourself for believe it to be personal. Part of the fun is how terrible they are, after all. Why don't you try one?" He turns a bright smile to Mysra as she joins them. "I'm sure it was just made up. Best to not take them seriously."

"Fine, m'lord." Naoi says, apparently relaxing and leaning back in her seat. "I have been told that this can theraupatic. That I can forget to enjoy simple things. I will try, this once. You can fall off a horse, you can fall out of a carriage, but the best place to fall would be into my covers." The Ordinator looks to Mysra, "He means... well, I am not sure honestly."

"Mysssra hasss heard that one, too," the goldscale remarks, "What about 'Apart from being beautiful, what isss it that you do for a living?'"

"Very nice," Duhnen praises, flashing a wide smile at Naoi. "How about...Screw me if I'm wrong, but have we met before?" Another grin to Mysra, and he shrugs. "I've never heard that one, actually."

"I think you have found a new player," Naoi responds with a wry look at Mysra. The girl-priest turns to her tea, rising it to take a sip.

"Ohh, Mysssra hasss heard that one, too," the Syladris remarks to Duhnen, "Mysssra hasss heard very many pickup lines. Men like to play that game with Mysssra. Hm..." Mysra thinks for a moment, before saying, "'I' have never had a dream come true until the day that 'I' met you." It may be worth nothing that the 'I's don't sound natural at all coming from the goldscale, but she is making an effort at exact quotes.

The Driscol knight smirks at Mysra, nodding his head. "If you'll both pardon me for a moment...I'll perhaps see you when I return, hm? Mysra, I'll keep an eye out for you, otherwise."

Naoi lifts the cup of tea to her lips again, emptying the small glass. It settles down with a soft clink.

"Okay, bye Duhnen!" Mysra says, before looking back to Naoi with a smile, "You lightened up a little bit. That isss good to sssee. People who are ssseriousss all of the time ssseem to get too much ssstressss."

"I suppose. I was tempted to hit the man, but there is much to be said for patience and thinking things through." Naoi responds, shaking her head. "People who are too lighthearted rarely get things done. There is a balance there, and I can but work and hope I someday reach it."

"Why did you want to hit him?" Mysra asks curiously, "He wasss jussst having fun."

Naoi just shakes her head at Mysra, "No, I am all out of metaphors, analogies, and ability to explain right now. Excuse me, Mysra. I'm going to step out for a bit." The woman rises to her feet, taking her book with her to head to the stairs.

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