MRP: Side Conversations

[Daemon Solivagus]

Daemon simply smiled wryly. He finished his drink and spoke, "Shall we find the nearest cartographer then?"  

[mourn_of_blades]

"Very well." She set down her glass and stood, collecting her tome. "Did anybody you spoke to earlier happen to point you toward the mapmakers guild?" she asked as they left the tavern.  

[Daemon Solivagus]

Daemon stood as she did, checking his that his bag was still at his waist, you could never be too careful. "No, but I believe we passed a market district on our way here, it shouldn't be too hard to find."  

[Daemon Solivagus]

Kryptis walked ahead of Daemon out of the tavern. She looked down the street one way, then the other before turning back to him and asking, "...And where was this market district of yours?"

Daemon watched her move, she was very graceful and he couldn't help but feel drawn by her. This feeling was quite rare for him, as the only attractive things in Cania threatened to suck the life out of you with their touch. At the very least it was the only thread of true amusement that he had had in this new world. "It's only a little ways from here," he said smoothly, pointing down the street towards the southern end of the city "in that direction."

"Well then, let's be off," she said and started walking in the direction he pointed.

They made it to the market district and began looking for a mapmaker. They didn't have to look long as a rather worried looking man pointed them in the right direction at Daemon's request. Once found the cartographer was more than helpful, Daemon bought the man's most comprehensive map of the continent they were on and otherwise let him be. He wasn't particularly in the mood for terrorizing the common folk at that moment. He turned to Kryptis and smiled saying, "Well, we've eaten and found our map, what say you to finding a place to discuss these matters, as well as a place to rest for the night?" His tone was smooth as silk, with just a hint of playful insinuation at the end.

"If by 'find a place to rest for the night' you mean 'track down the inn we stayed at last night', sounds like a plan. I've gotten all sorts of turned around wandering these streets all day," she answered, giving a small smile of her own.

Daemon looked about, confirming a few landmarks he recognized "Shouldn't be difficult, though we could always stay in a closer inn if you don't wish to walk across the city."

She crossed her arms over her chest, holding her tome under one arm, and gave Daemon a slightly petulant look. She raised her free arm to point at her bare shoulder. "Wish it or not, we have to go back. I left all of my possessions where we stayed last night, if you hadn't noticed."

"Of course, my apologies, it had slipped my mind for a moment. Come," he motioned with an open hand and gently placed the other on the small of her back, "I know the way."  

[Daemon Solivagus]

Daemon and Kryptis made their way to the Siren's Song Inn, arriving about two hours after the sun had set. They looked over the map once they had purchased a room, however there was no Bogtown mentioned on the continental map. Kryptis, surmising that 'Bogtown' was named for its surroundings, then looked for any bogs, swamps or marshes near to the city they were in. There were a few such places concentrated to the south of the city and they agreed that they would travel there in the morning to investigate what the man who had attacked them was so adamant about.
They also discussed where Kryptis was from, they could not however find it on the map they had purchased. As she had been transported by an unknown gate it wasn't difficult to imagine that she was no longer even on the same continent as her homeland. After a little more discussion they went to sleep, Daemon had subtly convinced her to allow him to stay in the same room for the sake of convenience, though he voluntarily slept on the floor leaving the bed for Kryptis. He new that through time he would be able to maneuver himself closer to the woman, but he was also cautious as he did not wish to burn the only bridge he had made in this new world.  

[Greoats]

Mercifully, Eliae had been transported without her chains and blindfold, but of course she was still naked and without any possessions in the Abyss.
Looking around, she would find that the sky above was black but twinkling with stars that blinked in and out of existance in moments...Or so it appeared. The sky above was shining brightly, with sun that would approximate the strength on most places on Earth but was littered with so many demons in flight that they completely blotted out the sun. What appeared to be stars were the only momentary gaps between their bodies in the varying levels that they had taken.
In the ambient light cast by the countless portals to the other layers of the Abyss, she would be able to clearly see that the symbol placed indelibly (until the curse had taken effect) on her bare chest was that of the holy symbol of Heironeous.  

[CurioHeart]

The last thing she saw of the material plane were faint outlines in the light, only to watch them fade away before she could focus on anyone. By the time her eyes finally readjusted, she found herself amidst a land that, aside from scattered portals, was virtually barren. It wasn't long before she looked down, rubbing vigorously at her chest where the priest had painted the symbol.

She screeched when she saw it, starting to claw a bit at her chest, only to find that nothing she could do was going to get rid of it. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to kill the priest who placed that mark on her chest, but... If he was going to mark her like this, then she will have him, too, marked. But first, she had to figure out a way back- and to get rid of that cruel joke of a mark.

However, she also desperately needed to finish healing, as she had few doubts in her mind that she would be attacked simply for bearing the symbol on her chest if another demon saw it. Gritting her teeth, she looked around the layer and tried to decide what, exactly, her next move would be.

She stood there, dwelling on her frustrations for a moment, though she kept a sharp eye out for anyone who may be approaching. The first thing that she knew she would need- provided she could find any- were some clothes, though she only wanted a bit more than would be necessary to cover that damn marking. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have that priest tied up and helpless before her...

 

[tinuviel_nyx]

Continuing the events involving Kromli and Tinuviel on page 21

As she was rather hungry, she quickly agreed to the restaurant, despite being a rather finicky eater. Approaching the counter, she turned to Kromli and asked what he wanted, intending to purchase it as a means of repaying him for his generous act earlier.

He had been considering this just as she asked. Honestly, what he would eat was about the last thing on his mind, as he was dining with a considerably attractive girl and preparing to meet his childhood friend and life-long idol soon after.
"I suppose I'll just have some...eggs and sausage, please," he said more to the man behind the bar than to Tinuviel. "How about you?" he asked her.

Ignoring his comment, she told the man, "Add a meat pie to the order." As she waited for the man to tell her the total so that she might pay, she gestured for Kromli to go find a table, believing he would try to pay if she didn't shoo him away for a moment.

"Alright," he said, sticking his hand in his pocket and leaving a rough approximation of the coins he thought would be needed on the counter top, erring on the side of excess rather than sufficiency. In the same motion of leaving them there, he walked off to find a table.
He wasn't trying to be obstinate. What he had been told his entire life was in full support of what he expected of her. She was being charitable enough to spend some time with him, perhaps because she felt sorry for him. That didn't mean that she wanted everyone in the lobby to think that she had lowered herself into some sort of relationship with a half-goblin. He expected that paying and then giving her a moment away was exactly what she wanted, and he expected nothing less.

Sighing, she gathered the coins he had placed on the counter and placed them in a different pocket than her own coins, meaning to return them once she reached the table. She paid the man, thanked him, and carried the food over to the table after a few minutes of waiting for it to be prepared.
Once at the table, she handed Kromli his plate, then returned the coins. "You left these," she said simply, not wanting to make an issue out of it. She then bit into her meat pie, which she devoured somewhat more ravenously than she would have liked.

Kromli was quite perplexed by her actions at this point. She wasn't acting towards him the way anyone else had, with the sole exceptions of his mother and Matasoga. He picked up his fork and started eating his eggs, eying her quizzically, as he slowly accepted the coins, putting them back into his pouch.

Her meat pie completed, Tinuviel tried to keep the conversation alive without prying. She had many questions she wanted to ask: why he had befriended Matasoga, what he had been doing here, etc. But she felt like those were things to ask someone she had known for more than an hour's time. She hoped that the situation wasn't too awkward for him and that she wasn't too boring to spend time with until the meeting.

When it became evident that Tinuviel didn't have much in particular to say, he began to talk more for the sake of alleviating any awkwardness rather than anything of any real conversational value or anything that, in and of itself, allowed for any deeper familiarity, though it was light and superficial enough that changing the topic was especially easy.
"It's been rather nice weather lately, though I hear that Obsidia is always rather nice that way. It's easy to see why Matasoga set up his base in such a location," he said, bringing the topic to the city. He had had a chance to have heard a good deal about it, as it was the largest city nearby, and a much better topic, in his opinion, than talking about himself. He wasn't trying to be elusive, but he was trying not to bore her and gave her the opportunity to choose the topic.

After listening to Kromli prattle on about the weather and other mundane topics, Tinuviel was relieved when he changed the topic to the city itself. It wasn't -that- interesting to be sure, but it was a start, and as she had never been to Obsidia, it was of interest to her.

"If you were childhood friends with Matasoga," she asked, "why haven't you joined him sooner? And why join him now? Aren't you happy on your own?" She realized it was probably rude of her to pry, but her curiosity was getting the better of her, as she felt he may hold some keys to understanding Matasoga.

"Not really," he said, answering her last question first. "I would have gone with him when he first left, but there wasn't enough put away for both of us and, more importantly, I think that I needed time to grow. He never said anything, but I knew full well that I was and had always been a burden. He had always looked out for me and that wasn't really good for both of us. I've finally gotten better at what I do and can take care of myself and can be of use to him now."  

[tinuviel_nyx]

Tinuviel was quite used to being a burden. She had burdened her mother until she was old enough to leave, at which point she became a burden to the troupe she traveled with. More recently, she had left her employer, as it became increasingly apparent how difficult it was for her to remain. But, what confused her was why anyone would willingly seek out a person who had found him to be a burden.
She could not help but voice this concern. "If he found you to be a burden, why would you search for him? A real friend would never think of you like that."

Kromli began by saying, "A burden isn't automatically a wholly negative thing, is it? I mean when one has a child, he must leave a big part of his life to take care of it. One really cannot say that a child is not a burden, but many people want to have one all the same."
"He wouldn't have looked out for me if he hadn't wanted to," he continued. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are many worse things to be thought of than a burden."

"Anyone who feels that a child is a burden, or worse, actually tells the child so doesn't deserve to have one. You're welcome to your opinion, but being a burden is a negative thing. It's not as though you're the only person who's ever been thought of that way." She had blurted it out without thinking and immediately regretted it. She hoped he would ignore it, but she knew better than to expect that he would.

"What I'm saying is that to be a burden, someone must care enough about you to spend the time and energy to help you. But what would someone like you know about the more negative aspects of being a burden? Are you telling me that someone considered you a burden?" he asked.

She hesitated a moment, then sighed, knowing she had to give some sort of answer. She said vaguely, "I don't know that there's been a time when I haven't been thought of as such, but I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind. It's not exactly something I want to discuss with someone I barely know." She rose from her chair and brushed a few crumbs from her clothes. "I've ruined your meal. I should probably go before your whole day is ruined," she added, momentarily forgetting that he was to follow her to the meeting.

"Wait," he said getting up, before forcing himself to calm down with his usual mantra.
She clearly didn't want to talk about this, so it was obvious that it was time to steer the conversation away from this topic and onto something, anything, else.
"I mean...wait," he said evenly, taking his seat. "Just forget that I asked and we'll talk about something different."

She stopped, perplexed by the sound of urgency in his voice. She did not sit down yet, as she could not imagine why he would want her to stay. She was a burden, after all. A look of confusion on her face and one hand upon the chair, she asked, "You want me...to stay? I'm just causing you trouble..." Like everyone else.

The mantra What would Matasoga do? was tricky in that one could not blindly mimic Matasoga and hope to succeed. One must always acknowledge his limits. Here, Matasoga might say something like, "You may be a burden, but you're my burden" except word it quite differently in such a way that it was neither contrived nor corny as it was the way he had thought of it. Besides, he had already failed to convince her that it wasn't an entirely negative thing to be a burden.
He wasn't sure of exactly what to say to her, so he just said, "I don't think that'll happen, but if it does, we'll take care of it. Knowing Matasoga, he's assembled a great team that has the balance and skill to deal with any problem."

Tinuviel had hoped that Kromli had wanted her to stay because he had somehow enjoyed her company or found her to be engaging in some way, but she knew now that she had been expecting too much. It seemed she was just a cog in the wheel to him. Sighing, she explained, "I am not considered to be a part of his team, and since being asked to aid him, none of his group has spoken to me, and he has been less than kind."
"I probably seem quarrelsome, and I apologize. It's been a rather rough week. Let's just put this behind us, okay?"

"It's alright," he said.
Noting that she was still standing, it was pretty obvious that she meant to leave soon, so he scooped up his last bit of eggs and sausage, quickly chewed them and swallowed them in larger portions than he'd have otherwise liked, and stood, as well.
"Where would you like to go now?" he asked.  

[tinuviel_nyx]

Noticing that she had apparently forced him to rush his meal, she shook her head. "See? I'm causing trouble for you again. Please, do whatever you'd like. I would hate to cause you any inconvenience. I have nothing to do until the meeting anyway." It seemed the harder she tried to set things right, the more awkward the situation became.

Kromli chuckled quietly, thinking of the beatings he had taken back in his home town. The reasons ranged from the legitimate, such as being caught picking pockets, to the illegitimate, such as looking at someone "cross-ways" or being part goblin.
"Please believe me when I tell you this, but I know what trouble is and having to finish a meal quickly isn't it. What I want to do is to follow you until we both meet up with Matasoga," he said. "So, where to next? Any supplies to pick up?"

Glad to hear that she wasn't being a bother, she paused for a moment to think if she needed anything. Realizing that the weapons she had would not do much good if she was to accompany Matasoga's group any farther, she stated, "I could probably do to upgrade my weapons. Aside from that, I can't think of anything I might need. What about you?"

"I've got what I need, but I'd be happy to walk with you," he said simply.

Tinuviel nodded her assent, and the two left the restaurant to find a weapon shop. It wasn't long before they encountered one and Tinuviel traded her dagger and sling for those of higher quality. Being an archivist, she did not take fighting seriously at all and had only carried weapons for protection before. But after the attack in the last town, she imagined she would need to be more prepared.
Her purchase complete, she turned to Kromli, somewhat at a loss, and inquired, "What now?" There was still quite some time before the noon meeting, and she didn't want to go to the library prior to that, as she would likely lose all track of time.

Kromli took his chin between his thumb and forefinger in thought. It, like many other of his gestures and mannerisms, would remind those familiar with him of Matasoga, which was indeed the very source from which Kromli adopted them.
After briefly considering it, he said, "We could explore the city a bit."

Nodding in agreement, Tinuviel followed Kromli, She usually enjoyed wandering around cities, but somehow she couldn't relax this time. It almost felt as though she had something to prove, and she wasn't sure why.

Kromli supposed that since it was he that came up with the idea, he would be expected to lead. He left the restaurant they had chosen and then proceeded to take her hither and yon, through the city. There was no real direction to his wandering, but he always stopped to watch the street performers and window shopped many of the curiosities near the arcane district.
Remembering her strong reaction against his last attempt at small talk, he initiated just enough conversation so that it wouldn't seem awkward, but given that they only stopped at areas of strong, visual interest, this did not necessitate much. Of course, this time Kromli did not pick pockets, as was his habit, though he was tempted twice by the appearance of very fat, ostentatious, oblivious-looking humans.
Kromli was ever conscious of the sky and the sun's place in it, so as not to miss the time that he was supposed to meet Matasoga. Although he did not discuss it, this was foremost in his mind.
Kromli found a tower with a large waterclock on display and found areas of interest in the vicinity so that he could keep it in his peripheral vision, looking up subtly only when he was sure he wouldn't be caught.
When it got to be a half hour away, he asked if they should go.

Letting Kromli lead the way, Tinuviel found the city to be rather enchanting, especially its large number of street performers. It was entirely different than the desert bazaars she had become accustomed to in the past few months, where merchants hawked their wares and consumers haggled for the best deal. Here, it seemed like each store had its own window display. She had somehow forgotten the finer details of western culture, despite having grown up a part of it herself.
Eventually, the midday sun signaled that they should make their way to the meeting place. If there was still no actual work for her within the group, she planned to head to the library immediately following.  

[tinuviel_nyx]

Continuing the conversation between Kromli and Tinuviel on page 23

"I agree. We do need to attempt to get along. I'll continue to try, but I would suggest letting 'his lordship' know the peasants have feelings, as he seems to be unaware." She bit her lip, as she knew she had probably said the wrong thing. But, she knew if Kromli had been there to see how Matasoga had treated her when she tried to mend things, how he had made her cry, he would not think so highly of him.
"I thought the world was an empty, friendless place, too... But I've met decent people. People who felt the world was better for having me in it and whom I thought the same of. Such people are rare, but that's why they're valuable..."
She paused for a moment, her thoughts turning briefly toward those she had left behind, but she forced herself to cease as soon as she realized she had begun.

Kromli realized that Tinuviel probably had more to say, but he was no longer in the mood to coax it out of her. It was clear that she wasn't interested in trying to fix things with Matasoga. One big group of friends traveling about and going on adventures was just pure fiction.

The two walked together in silence for several minutes. Tinuviel knew that he was upset with her, and she didn't want to make things worse, which she was almost certain she would do. But she couldn't stand the awkward silence between them.
Hesitantly, she added, "...It's fine if you're upset with me. I know Matasoga is a good friend of yours, and I won't try to change that. I just thought I might become a friend, as well..."

Kromli looked up from the ground to meet her eyes, never having looked more like a puppy and said, "I want that, too. I wanted all of us to be friends," silently adding, "Except maybe Daemon."
He wasn't yet willing to give up on the idea of fixing things. He'd ask later how long she'd known him. Maybe it wasn't too late.

She smiled, genuinely happy that she hadn't destroyed her chances of having a companion on this journey. Unsure of what else to talk about, however, without seeming boring or pathetically lonely, she walked onward in silence.

He had nothing further to contribute either, considering all the things that he'd discuss with Matasoga when they got a chance to be alone. He wondered when that would be, given that they'd be at a campsite, rather than a series of inn rooms. He realized that he may have to wait a few days.
They traveled the short, remaining distance to the library in silence.

Upon reaching the library, which was a massive gothic structure, Tinuviel quickly maneuvered toward the reference section, hoping to obtain a new bestiary with which to conclude her research on vampires. Now that she was back in her native country, she also wanted to find a book or two written in her own language that detailed the enemy Ty'Mish and their history.
Finding several books with relative ease, she took a seat at a table and stacked her books beside her, so as not to suggest to Kromli that she was too busy to deal with him. Placing her satchel near the stack, as well, she pulled out a well-loved book and handed it to him.
"I know you said you liked adventure stories best, but you might like this book of fairy tales. But you can read what you like, "she added, "Maybe this stuff is too feminine for you..." She then set to work skimming through the bestiaries for any new information on their quarry.

"I'm sure that I'll enjoy it," he said under his breath. The rule of silence in a library, just like all other rules, were likely to be especially harshly enforced were he to be found in violation.
He opened the book to leaf through it and found, to his horror, that it was in Elven. What was he supposed to do now? The stories were beautifully illustrated, but in no way were they informative enough for him to draw the whole stories out of... And what if he were to admit that he didn't know Elven? She'd surely think him an illiterate fool.
He swallowed hard and began to sweat. He decided that he'd try and check out a book that taught Elven when she wasn't looking. He put on his most convincing smile and promised her that he'd be sure to read it later.  

[tinuviel_nyx]

[Knowledge local 17 +4 = 21]

She smiled as he began to look through her dear book. It had not even occurred to her that he might not be able to read it, as she was so used to being around scholars. Granted, no one in Kuzoth had known the language, but she had known that to begin with and told the stories instead. Leaving him to enjoy the stories, she rifled through the bestiaries for a time, but was unable to garner any new information. She then put them aside, choosing to spend her time researching the Ty'Mish instead, hoping it would prove more fruitful.

While she was distracted, he quietly slunk off to find the book that he was looking for. He quickly went to check it out, surprised to notice that the librarian barely gave him a scrutinizing look before allowing him to check out the book. In case she had noticed, he picked up a few books on undead, after hiding the book he'd checked out in his bag.
He briefly considered that perhaps his life was easier when he knew that no one liked him.

Although she was able to learn a good deal about the history of the Ty'Mish and their previous military exploits, very little was divulged about their current state. She sighed and closed the last of the books she had gathered. Glancing up from her stack of books, she noticed Kromli seemingly engrossed in another book. She didn't want to disturb him, but at the same time, she was a bit tired from her research and didn't want to start anything new, for fear of losing track of time.

She glanced out the window, trying to see the town clock, which told her they had approximately twenty odd minutes to reach the south gate. Clearing her throat, she stated, "We should probably leave if we want to reach the gate in time..." She placed the Elven book in her satchel, rose, and gathered her stack of books to return to the circulation desk.  

[Matasoga]

D20: Knowledge (Religion) untrained.

Though he was sure that he wouldn't be able to find any information that a veteran vampire hunter like Matasoga didn't already know, Kromli studied all the same. The less he had to have explained to him, the more useful he would seem to Matasoga. Although for his efforts, he had learned nearly nothing of any real worth, at all.
He had been reading for some time, when Tinuviel noticed the time. He had been looking back over his shoulder every so often to keep track himself and she was quite right.
He took up the books that he had been reading and followed her to the circulation counter.
After they were outside, he turned to her. "Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked.

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, I'm afraid I didn't. Everything I could find was historical information, rather than that of the current regime in Ty'Mish. What about you? You seemed rather engrossed."

This was a surprise to him. He thought that she had been looking up information on the matter at hand, but he supposed that there was merit to planning ahead, particularly when an expert on the matter was already among those participating.
"Eh..." he began. "No, not really. It's all right, though. I'm sure that Matasoga can tell us what we need to know to take care of it. He slew, or rather destroyed many such things before."

"Oh... Well, if it's just vampires you were interested in, I could tell you about them." She wasn't sure why he hadn't heard her discussing them earlier, as she was quite sure he had been present, but she didn't mind.

"I was thinking that Matasoga could brief us all on the way and that we could discuss something else for now," he said. He hoped that she wouldn't be offended, but as long as it was just the two of them, he wanted to discuss something more fun.
"Have you ever ridden in a stagecoach?" he asked. "I haven't ever done anything like that, and I always thought it would be fun to see the landscape going by while sitting comfortably inside and talking with all of you. I'm really looking forward to it."

Fine, she thought. If he wanted to hear the information from Matasoga, he could. Answering his question, she replied, "Yes, I've ridden in a coach before, though not for a long distance. It was just from one point in town to another when my employer was visiting a town to give a speech..." She trailed off, thinking of that day when they had met and how he had embarrassed her by kissing her hand. It seemed trivial now, considering what their relationship had become.
Turning back to the conversation at hand, she continued, "It will be nice traveling such a long distance by coach. I'm not particularly fond of riding, or particularly good at it."

"Yeah, me neither. I guess horses are kind of like people. I like them well enough, but they don't seem to much care for me," he said. He decided not to mention Matasoga's difficulty riding. She didn't seem to want to hear any more about him right now and he didn't want to hurt their chances of getting along later.

"I don't see why you put yourself down so much," she said. "You're the first kind person I've met since coming back here." She meant it quite sincerely, but she was afraid he would think she was saying so just to be nice. "I know that people have judged you because of your race, but their folly shouldn't affect your view of yourself."

What a nice thing to say, he thought. "View of myself, huh?" he pondered aloud. "I... Guess I never really considered it before. It was always more of a foregone conclusion. No one else liked me, so why should I? Well, no one except Matasoga and my own mother," he was quick to add.  

[tinuviel_nyx]

She somehow doubted that they were the only two who could have thought that, but she felt it would be rude to verbalize it, as short a time as they had known each other. "If it makes you feel any better, my mother couldn't stand having me around. Few people have really. I wouldn't say I had any real friends until recently..." She hated how the conversation kept leading back to Apollo in one way or another. She wanted to avoid thinking of him if possible, as it still hurt too much to be parted.

"Maybe that's why we get along, and why you seem to understand me... And tolerate me," he said, having missed the implication that there could be anyone else that she may want to talk about. He believed that she meant himself and perhaps someone else in the party.

She found herself smiling at his words again. "Perhaps... " When she was talking with him, she found that her sadness seemed to subside, at least in part.

It seemed to him like she had some thoughts that she'd rather be left with, so they made it the rest of the way to the south gate in silence. They were the first ones there. He took a seat out of the way to wait for the others.  

[Torzeh]

(Events and conversation continuing those on page 22 of Matasoga's RP)

Nodding a goodbye, Torzeh headed quickly towards the shop Matasoga had directed her to. Figuring it wouldn't take Matasoga long to buy the arrows he'd gone for, she tried to be quick with her purchases, while still managing to acquire everything she needed to replenish her stores, and a few ingredients for potions she had a mind to brew on top of that. Having bought all that was necessary and double checked that she had indeed done so, she left the store and walked briskly back to the spot where (she was fairly certain) they had parted.

Matasoga was quite pleased with the bit of fortune that had allowed him to complete his party. Now all primary strategic roles were quite well filled (in fact some veritably overflowing), and Torzeh would be the first to know.
He walked quickly to the appointed place and waited for a short time before she walked into sight. He didn't wave or do anything else that one might do to get noticed. A six-foot tall man with blue scales, a cape, and a spear hardly had any trouble standing out. Instead, he simply gave a nod and a smile when she drew near and walked her in.
The restaurant was called the Murderous Rueful Morgh, though the sign bore only the letters MRM. Being a frequent customer meant knowing what the abbreviation stood for. Being a very frequent customer meant that you were aware that the owner who gave it the name intended it to be a literary joke, based on incredibly esoteric works. Being the best customer meant pretending to understand the joke whilst truly understanding that no one did, except perhaps the owner.
The walls were stone on the outside, but wood stained a dark shade of a warm brown, perhaps cherry wood, that seemed to absorb much of the light. The windows were few, small, and heavily curtained. There were candles and tindertwigs at each table for further ambiance, as well as convenience for those not born with the ability to easily discern the lettering on the menus in dim lighting.
The place was about half full, but rather sleepy in terms of the volume, and seeming level of energy of the patrons. Matasoga was used to attending after dark when it was much busier. Even then, it wasn't very rowdy. Usually in places that were dimly lit and fairly priced there was a great deal of smoke and a daily knife fight, but this place was known for being a far more sedate and upstanding establishment, which is why Matasoga not only favored it over every other restaurant in the city, but also why he felt comfortable taking Torzeh there to dine.
He took a seat across from her, struck a tindertwig and lit most of the candles in the candelabra for her, watching her closely. The lights reflected brightly in her eyes and the soft shadows danced over her face in the flickering light. He also couldn't help but notice how flattering this particular level of light was to her, and not because it hid any faults, particularly from Matasoga's eyes. The way it accentuated the softness of her skin and highlighted the wave in her hair was rather difficult to ignore. Her skin almost seemed to have a faint glow, as close as she was to the candles.
He continued to allow his gaze to rest upon her, his mind wandering until her big brown eyes met his. Thinking quickly, he acted as though he had been waiting for her, asking if she had any trouble reading the menu with the lighting being what it was.

Spotting Matasoga across the street, she headed towards him, returning the smile he gave her. The place looked nice enough from the outside, she thought. Following him inside, she was first met with how dim it was inside, but her eyes adjusted fairly quickly. Taking her seat, she looked around at the few other patrons around them, and the interior of the establishment itself, before picking up and eyeing the menu in front of her. A while later, she peered over the top of it at Matasoga, only to find him looking back at her. Surprised, she blushed slightly, looked down at the table, before reminding herself to not be so shy, and so looking back up as he spoke. Answering with something about how the light was adequate, she bit her lip lightly and hid partially behind the menu again.

He permitted himself only a slight, brief chuckle at her adorable actions taken and the childlike innocence behind them, before turning his eyes back to the menu.
Matasoga momentarily redirected his attention to the menu. He was quite certain that he'd have his usual, which was mutton, wishing once again that he could find a place in town that served camel. He had only been fortunate enough to sample the delicacy once, but had desired it again ever since.
The server came by very soon after, given how slow business was, and asked for their order. Since Matasoga knew what he was having and thought that Torzeh might not, he placed his order first, asking for a haunch of mutton and a glass of meade. To be honest, he didn't much care for the meade there (as he had his suspicions that it was watered down), usually ordering a stein instead of a glass and usually preferring a headier drink, but all of these things were more advantageous to keeping a clear head for addressing the party, as he'd soon be doing.
He looked to Torzeh, when he was finished.

Having decided upon something that took her fancy, she waited until Matasoga had finished before ordering herself only a small meal, as she was not terribly hungry. Having placed her order, she looked around once more, before turning back to Matasoga, and deciding to comment. "Seems like a nice place. I take it you've been here fairly often?"

"Quite often." he said. "This is probably my favorite place to eat in the city. It's close to my base and I love the atmosphere," he said.
"I should tell you," he said, cutting back to the business at hand, "That there will be an additional party member waiting for us when we get back to the stagecoach. She's a woman in plate armor who, by the looks of her, will be the front-line fighter that most of the party has the training to support."
He liked getting business out of the way first so that they could discuss more leisurely things as they ate. He didn't even bring up strategizing yet, as that was something to discuss at such a time when everyone was involved and Torzeh never seemed much interested in talk of such things. Besides, it was a task that Matasoga was not only well suited to by nature, but also responsible for as leader.
For the time being, though, he'd rather focus on the meal and pleasant, relaxed conversation. He waited to hear how Torzeh would take the news.

"Oh, alright then. It'll be helpful to have a fighter, I suppose...but she agreed to come along on such short notice?" she frowned slightly, puzzling over that. "That's interesting. What was she doing here, then, that she could drop everything to come with us? Hm...well, I suppose it doesn't matter." Shrugging, she decided to ponder that particular item later. It didn't seem like it really was the kind of thing to talk about over a meal, and maybe it wasn't interesting to anyone but her, anyway.

"Honestly, she really say and I didn't ask," he confessed "But we've plenty of time to get to know her on the way there," he said.
"I was wondering, though," he said, redirecting the flow of conversation "What do you think of Kromli?"
It was important to him that his few remaining capable soldiers got along with one another, but it was more that he was simply curious. After all, even without his personal bias, he felt that Kromli would be a rather difficult person to hate.

"Kromli? Well, he certainly seems friendly enough...kind of cute, in his own odd little way. I think he'll be fun to travel with, certainly interesting. Just how stealthy he can be is rather remarkable, too. He's an old friend of yours?" she asked, wondering to herself how the two had met and become close.

"Oh yes," he said. "We met in Harne and we were both quite universally reviled because we were descended from races known for being evil... Really, I think they might have hated us even if we were all human. Yes, they hated my scales and Kromli's goblin traits, but I think that they really hated us because we were different, outside and within."
He paused, waiting to see if recognition of such a situation would appear on her face. He knew that she also came from a small town.