The Dizzy Drake Tavern/Inn

[Decorera]

'Well, the fairy was quick. Definitely clever.' Jared felt more at ease with her than with many others. He decided to risk a little more. "Indeed, my studies have been long. Engineering and crafting has always been my first love, but…" Jarad looked away and stroked his coat absently, "For a time, my service was required by my country. My land and Queen has many enemies. When I was younger, I was trained in many things. I enjoyed my work and I learned much, including how to defend myself."

Jarad returned his gaze to the two before him, "I promise you, though, that you are safe with me. In fact," Jared sent a glare at the fireplace, "I have much reason to dislike the Unseelie court." Jared took a breath and then committed himself. "You can count on my help in the coming days, if you want it."  

[Katilys Heartsong]

Katily listened quietly and smiled as he subconciously petted his coat. "What dealings have you had with the unseelie? If we are to be of assistance I think it would be benefitial to us all if we know a little more of each other." Katily turned her eyes to Lyran briefly, he was still quiet and seemed lost in thought. Satisfied that he would speak up when the time was right she looked back into Jarad's eyes and then stared at her fingers hoping he would share more of his background.  

[Decorera]

Jarad stood and faced the fire, "That was another life," he said, "Precautions have been taken that no Unseelie will know me as I was." He turned to face her, his eyes slightly pained, "And no Seelie either." He paused, "Unless things of my past come to harm us in the future, I must ask that you never ask me of my history again. Things might be revealed that would be dangerous to more than just myself."

Then he smiled the bright warm smile of the tinker, "So please, just think of me as that friendly, slightly absent minded inventor you met this evening and only sometimes will I have to be more that that." He sat again and took her hand, "Tell me my friend, what stories can you tell of your past."  

[Katilys Heartsong]

Katily was saddened a little at necessity of continuing the mystery in Jarad's past but she knew all to well the comforts on annonimity. She nodded at his request to refrain from asking more details.

Suddenly he sat near to her again and took her hand in his. She could feel her cheeks glowing but she tried to ignore it and stared at his fingers.

"Unfortunately I am still searching out the reasons behind the dominate story in my past. My father was a member of the seelie as I was supposed to be." She turned her palm over in his hand revealing the familiar symbol that she used to trace on her fathers weathered hand. Closing her hand around it, she sadly turned her hand palm down again. "There is not much to tell, I had a common childhood. Father kept the business of the courts to himself only saying that he hoped that Nieelyn and I could serve in that way one day. I remember the worrylines on his face began to show more and then mother sent me to collect fathers favorite berries, I dawdled and daydreamed in the forest untill I heard the screams. The unseelie had found our home and killed my family."

Katily sat quietly but her mind replayed that afternoon in breathtaking clarity.  

[FireSpark]

Lyran sat upon the edge of the small bed, his breath shallow and soft, though he had done little except be protected. The dream he had awoken from had stirred the fog that his memories had become, and the sight of an unseelie and the ensuing melee, only served to push them towards a point of focus. As he sat there, Lyran heard Katily and the Tinker speaking, though he did not take in what they said. His eyes were seeing things that had transpired long ago, though not so dissimilar to events of the present.

Before his gaze, Tasha Razorleaf loosed another arrow, the string of her bow practically silent in the doing. An ogre charging up the hill took the arrow in his knee and tumbled to the ground, but began rising the moment he stopped rolling. Tasha turned her head, her long elfin ears swaying ever so slightly as she did.

“Korbin! Kale! How are you two doing over there?”

Lyran spun and spied two men behind him, one of them much larger than the other. The bulky warrior wielded an oversized halberd in his hands, striking and parrying as good as any weapon’s master could be expected. Just behind him stood a slighter man, and perhaps a few years older, but otherwise bearing a striking resemblance. He held a short sword in one hand, with a wickedly serrated blade, while the other hand small pole of ivory and gold. Occasionally, bolts of blue-green energy would leap from the rod of ivory, striking a troll or goblin down where they came. Lyran knew these men’s faces, but could not remember who they were, nor which was Korbin, and which one Kale. The elder of the two spoke when he finally had a moment.

“Fine! Fine! Let’s just not stay here much longer.”

Lyran turned back to Tasha loosed three more arrows in quick succession, dropping a line of redcaps that had tried coming in from their flanks. She looked tired, a strange emotion to show upon an elven countenance, and he could see that her remaining arrows were dwindling. Tasha turned to him with a grim determination.

“Whatever you intend to do, now would be the time to do it.”

And then she spun back to the fight, as the scene faded from Lyran’s sight.

Seeing the fireplace once more, Lyran slowly lifted himself to his feet, and wandered to the window, gazing out at the early morning light. The moon was setting, and the last of the stars were being pushed back by the glow of dawn. Many things came to Lyran’s mind then. Ideas and memories, both recent and long since past, courses of action could be taken, and others that must be done. But under them all was a single thread, connecting everything that he was to single great purpose, a single urge. And this urge told Lyran now what it was that he had to do. Laying a hand upon the window sill, his eyes drifted shut.

“I must return.”  

[Decorera]

Jarad cast his eyes down in respect after hearing Katily's tale. When he looked up he squeezed Katily's hand comfortingly. During the silence that followed, Lyran stood almost in a daze and wandered to the window. At his words Jarad replied quietly, "I know not where you mean, good sir, but I have pledged my help to your cause." Jarad glanced aside to Katily then to Lyran, "To where must you return?"  

[Katilys Heartsong]

Katily nodded in agreement with Jarad's pledge. She could tell that he was being called and she was fairly certain it had much to do with the Seelie, Tosse that had visited. I too will go with you, Lyran, where are you drawn to?  

[FireSpark]

Lyran opened his eyes, and turned to face his companions, for that was truly what they were quickly becoming, if they hadn't qualified already. Asides from their most recent actions in saving him from a would be assassin, they had also begun stirring his memories, waking him to what he had become, and possibly what he had once been. Especially little Katily, her fae nature aside, whose presence had no doubt been the catalyst to everything that had happened the last several hours. Nodding slightly, Lyran took up his walking stick, and strode over to the other empty chair in the room, and sat down gingerly.

"I welcome your help, though I cannot in all honesty vouch for what dangers or perils that may place you within. But I promise that I will endeavor to keep you appraised as I can."

Fumbling with his stick in one hand, and teasing at his beard with the fingers of his other hand, Lyran tried to frame into words everything that was running through his head. At least, that which he could grasp and hold on to for more than a few fleeting moments. Some of it was from the dream, which he still had not been able to sort out as inspired by events, or wholly fantasy invented by his own imaginations.

"Hmm. As with all things, beginnings are often the most difficult thing overcome. Made even more so when one cannot faithfully discern a beginning from a middle from an end. I shall do what I can, none the less. You deserve nothing less."

Leaning back in the chair, Lyran let his stick rest against one knee, only occasionally tapping with a finger or two, his indecision clearly resolved. Licking his lips, he began best he could.

"There are things that I know. And then there are things that I think I know. Likewise, there are things that I do not know, or simply do not realize that I do know it. There are three things that I know to be absolute certain. First, I know now that I have been given a very important mission, one that I am currently acting on. What that mission may be though, is still lost to me. My other certainty, is that I must go to where my sojourn once began. Though the why and where of this matter, are again, yet to be held firmly in my mind."

Lyran paused, not sure how to continue. The final piece of the information was of a more personal note. But seeing as he was intimately tied into the events unfolding around them, his new friends were undoubtedly entitled to the final piece as they were to the first two. Lyran's confidence as to how they would react to his newly recalled knowledge was in question though. So he rolled his cane back and forth in his fingers, and stroked his beard, thinking of how to face the issue. Or perhaps avoid it.  

[Decorera]

Jarad listened closely to Lyran's explanation, 'Difficult,' Jarad thought, 'One large problem with too many unknown variables.' Jarad quickly analyzed Lyran's explanation.

[What: very important mission: details unknown
Who's doing the What: Lyran
When: currently
Where: unknown (Begin: "go where his sojourn once began")
Why: unknown
How do the What: unknown]

'The only part we can logically work on is the where.' Jarad concluded, nodding silently.

[What: to go where Lyran's sojourn once began
Who's doing the What: All of us
When: currently
Where: unknown
Why: unknown
How: …]

'How… How we can work with! How has Lyran been traveling and how long? That can give us a rough estimate of options. It may reveal places that he has been unconsciously drawn to; places where we may be able to get more information!' Jarad seemed visibly pleased but quickly sobered when he realized that Lyran seemed to have more to tell.  

[bandaidd]

A huge, barrel-chested man burst through the doors, veins standing out on his reddened face. He glared at the occupants of the room as though daring them to stop him before striding to the bar. He banged on it with an oaken fist. "Barkeep! RUM!" His voice thundered angrily. He paced threateningly, waiting for service.  

[Decorera]

"Well Lyran, this seems like a difficult journey we may be embarking on. It seems we have more questions than answers. Do we have anything at all that can lead us forward? A particular question that needs answering first, perhaps?" Jarad hoped Lyran had some idea or this whole 'quest' was going to fall apart.  

[FireSpark]

Lyran sighed as he raised a wrinkled knuckle to dry lips. There were hints, barely whispers, running through his mind with regards of where to go or what to do, but there was nothing of certainty. There was only one thought now firmly held in his mind, asides from his need to be on his way. With the recent pledges of aid from both the tinker and the sidhe, he felt it only proper to be fully honest with them. Facing them as best he could, Lyran drew a breath and cleared his throat.

"I do have some hints and inklings as to where we might head. However, I have no way of knowing they are the places we should be going. They are merely my hunches and instincts. However, there is the matter of the third thing that you should be aware of, before any such undertaking is made."

Lyran paused, somewhat uncomfortable to broach the subject. Not for himself, but rather for those he spoke to. He had no desire to put undue fear into. With a final bit of thought on the matter, he drew himself up to the point of the matter.

"By setting out on this journey, we place ourselves in great danger. But should we reach the journey's end, there too shall we find my beginning and my end."

He waved a hand dismissively to one side as he leaned back carefully into the chair. His eyes taking on the familiar light hearted gleam from the previous evening.

"I know it doesn't exactly make sense, but neither did I purport that it did. It is simply something that I know to be certain. And for that much, strangely enough, I am grateful."

{{Edited: Typed so damn fast it was full of mess.}}  

[Decorera]

Jarad looked aside to Katily to see how the little fairy was taking Lyran’s cryptic announcement. The fairy woman seemed to have interpreted it as Jarad had, if her teary eyes were anything to go by. Jarad slipped a hand into one of his coat numerous pockets and withdrew a brass pocket watch. He consulted it gravely and silently.

“Journeys are funny things. It is good to have a clear destination, no matter how grim or how welcome.” Jarad lifted understanding eyes to Lyran’s, “I’m sure we’ll muddle out our path as we go along, my friend. As for danger…” The others could see a rueful gleam enter Jarad’s eyes before his gaze fell back to his watch, “Well, we’ll deal with that as it comes too.” Jarad closed his pocket watch gently, giving it a brisk rub before slipping it back in his pocket.

“Well, dawn has graced the sky and we have a road before us. If it please you Lyran, I think I will request the aid of the tavern owners in provisioning us for our journey.”  

[bandaidd]

"BARKEEP!!" he roared thunderously, disturbing the other patrons. Datan towered over the bar and jerked his head, looking around angrily before reaching over and grabbing the nearest bottle at hand. "I'll kill him. I'll kill them both, better than they deserve," he muttered as he ripped out the cork. Datan trembled in frustration as he poured the bitter concoction down his throat, careless of spilling. He wiped his mouth with the back of his blackened hand, leaving a coal smudge and threw the empty bottle at a wall. He turned and strode behind the bar, throwing stools out of the way and cursing under his breath. "Under me own roof, by all the gods!"  

[damecharlie]

“M’son!! M’son!!” Shiandra busts into the bar, shrieking, “They took m’son!” She is hysterical, frantic in her movements, tears streaming down her flushed face. Her clothing and hair frazzled. “The bastids took me son!” she cries, falling to her knees, burying her head in her hands, sobbing, breaking down. Her red wavy curls fly around her body, shimmering in the light, highlights flickering like an inferno – orange, red, yellow.