[IC] Nomadium - The Nomad's Respite

Southpaw

Southpaw

*pulls the wrong lever*
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Tucked away in the lesser alleys of Calary's shopping district, behind all the stalls and marketplaces, lies a quiet, unassuming building. Nothing gives away the purpose behind the limestone walls, save for the gentle smoke rising out of chimney and a small sign reading:

The Nomad's Respite: Center for Guild of the Arcane Nomads - Calary Chapter
​
Although this building seems calm and innocent, if one were to open the door, they would be surprised, to say the least.The tavern is lively, filled with adventurers and commoner patrons alike. A massive message board stands on the farthest wall, posted with bounties and job listings that are updated by the hour. Tables and benches lay scattered across the rug-filled floor, and a massive fireplace roars in the corner. Upstairs, you can see patrons lazily thumping down the stairs, just waking from their slumbers. Various smithies and mages compare weapons, and toss them towards dartboards. The flipping of cards and eager discussion fills the halls, and you feel safe. The Bartender, who is known only by that name, smiles and nods.

"Pick your poison, traveler."

Welcome to your new home.
 
For every kingdom, there must be a king. Someone to govern, to ensure that no detail goes unnoticed, no tower left in disrepair. For the Nomads, that king was Tyner. And he was bloody good at his job.

He wasn't a loud king, nor a boastful one. In fact, he didn't fancy himself a king at all. King were clients, either providing coin or accommodations to his humble little group. Tyner saw himself more as a babysitter: making sure his guild of adventurers didn't burn down the tavern (or the city, for that matter) in excitement. He still would run the occasional contract, sure, but at 35, his glory days of treasure-hunting were rapidly reaching their resolution. His hair, once a dark mane stretching down his neck, now was quietly combed back, basking in the maturity of its salt-and-pepper color. His bones would occasionally ache if he stood up too fast, and the ever-present feeling of an inner burning when he was angry had caused him more than enough pain. Now he knew to keep his emotions in check. His guildmates realized quickly when they joined that Master Derroga had two expressions: Sarcastic and Serious. Gods help the poor soul that ended up confusing the two.

Today was a late morning, just like any other. Tyner liked mornings; they always gave him time to enjoy the quiet of the tavern before engaging with others. As he sat at a small, four-seat table, he sipped a small cup of tea quietly. He knew some of his more prominent guildmates would emerge soon, most likely eager to begin the day. He smiled absentmidedly at the thought, and continued to enjoy his drink.
 
Mornings were a pain for Tyn, though a relief for other patrons that knew her well enough. The crimson haired mage would usually be situated in the corner with the eyes of someone who rolled off of the bed and allowed their face to tackle the floor for the fifth time, with no one around who she'd usually rile up or yell with (Some say her wretched laugh could shatter glass), the only company a headache that begged her to go back to sleep. But, no one gets far in life from sleeping through job opportunities, even the stinking rich... She just needed to sit for a few more minutes before going towards the job board. Maybe ten.

A small squeak brought her attention back to her table, where currently a small squirrel wrapped up in chocolate brown fur sat gazing up at her, innocently. "Hey, little guy. What are you after?" Instinctively her right hand reached out, pushing her middle finger to pet the small creature's head, instead of playfuly nuzzling her finger, the squirrel saw fit to bite the finger reaching out to him; before of course darting towards the plate that held Tyvin's breakfast and take off with the half piece of bread.

"You little- RODENT BASTARD!" With a start she took off out of her chair, almost pushing over the table in the process, in pursuit of the bread theif. Many patrons found themselves confused when a squirrel dashed by them and a 'raving nutter' almost hits them trying to grab it. This chase eventually led to the Grandmaster's table, where the squirrel hopped on, joyfully dancing around Tyvin's every attempt to slam her hand down on it, instead hitting the table and giving it a bit of a shake. "Give it back, you flea-bitten mongrel. I hunted bigger than you when I was fifthteen!"
 
Elin was still slightly surprised that he lived here now. He had been sleeping in this bed for over a month now, but still it surprised him when he woke up to see the walls safe and secure around him. He still usually woke with the sun, but being able to linger meant that he had woken later these last few weeks, though he still liked to be downstairs early enough to help out with breakfast. He wasn’t able to pay for his bed and walls, the wardrobe and the sink, or even the food he had been so graciously given, so he thought it was only fair that he helped out around the place. That was why that morning found him hauling water for the kitchens and helping stir pots of porridge for the early risers. Eventually taking his own bowl of porridge when the cook shoved it into his hands and shooed him out, he loaded it with pieces of fruit and found a spoon before exiting to the common room.

There weren't that many who woke early, and the majority of them kept to themselves, like Tyvin in the corner, who looked as though she hadn’t actually woken up yet. Elin knew the big characters in this place, and he'd even run errands for some of them, and he would often sit with them for meals if they didn’t mind his being there, listening to tales of their adventures as Nomads. But there were very rarely stories in the morning. It seemed like Tyvin especially wanted to be left alone in the mornings.

Elin let his gaze move past Tyvin, who had just met a squirrel on her table, and quickly found Tyner sitting alone at a table, just watching. Elin's eyes lit up. He loved all the heroes he had found himself surrounded with-what kind of dream had he walked into that he was allowed to speak and learn from and even go on missions with these people?-but Tyner had given him this place. When Elin had been brought in, clueless and confused, Tyner had given him something to eat and somewhere to sleep and a promise that he could stay. And Tyner had some amazing stories.

Elin quickly made a beeline for his table, but Tyvin beat him there, roaring and cursing the squirrel that had been on her table just a second ago. Elin frowned. What had happened? They'd been getting along just fine. Natural instinct nade him hug his bowl of porridge close so he wouldn’t lose it if Tyvin accidentally hit him. He gave the squirrel a burst of speed that allowed it to dart away through the door and escape Tyvin's early morning wrath. He was sure she didn’t mean it after all. He smiled shyly at Tyner and kept his speed humming just in case he needed to make a quick escape, but he didn’t think Tyvin would mind his trick even if she noticed it.
 
Tyner watched the rodent dance past Tyvin's more...brutish adavances with ease. Too much ease, in fact. His eyes flicked over to Elin, a young apprentice that stood nearby, clutching a small bowl for dear life. Elin was practically an infant by the guild's standards, yet Tyner saw great potential in him. It was partially the reason he had given him solace in the organization. The other reason, as displayed by the pest's sudden burst of motivation, was simple: Tyner needed a little blind positivity around this pisshole.

Nocking one eyebrow, he brought the cup to the corners of his mouth. "Practicing on your siblings, I see. Best be careful, eh?" His eyes seemed to smirk gleefully at the joke. Without breaking his gaze of the boy, he remarked towards Tyvin, "And you lost those hunts just as clumsily, Tyvin!"
 
Every time Tyvin thought she'd managed to get ahold of the all-powerful squirrel, it just managed to dance out of her grip in it's taunting manner, it was as if the creature was magically enhanced or something. Upon the Grandmasters words, Tyvin assumed he was comparing her to the squirrel, not noticing the boy behind her. "This isn't practice, this is war! Between me and an army of bread stealing, furry abominations" And after leaving one final bite into Tyvin's finger, the rodent successfully jumped off the table and disappeared out the window. "Boss, we're being infiltrated by super enhanced demonic squirrels"

Accepting defeat, the woman slumped down on top of the table, finally catching sight of the young lad. "Hey, Kid. Getting into any trouble today?" Her expresison of pain and anguish over her now lost breakfast dissolved fast, she would get revenge on that furry bastard later. "I'm gonna put squirrels on the menu one day"
 
Amorra yawned as she walked along the city of Calary heading on back to the guild as she just got done doing a contract. The contract was not anything difficult but the fact that she did not get any sleep along had affected her. The streets of the city was not crowded yet as it was still morning but the people who did happen to be there stopped to look at her briefly before scurrying away as if avoiding the plague. Amorra had taken notice of it but she was so tired she didn't have the energy to deal with it today. It was the same thing over and over each day but at least they were not violent about it due to the fact of the guild being located nearby.

Behind the marketplace in the shopping district was the same old building that Amorra has seen most likely over 1,000 times if not more and she sighed softly as she was finally going to be able to relax...maybe. She adjusted the pack she had on her shoulder before walking down the allyway that lead to The Nomad's Respite. Along the way in the corner of her eye she saw a small creature run past her and simply shrugged her shoulders as she continued walking. She stopped at the door looking at the sign that hung above before pushing the door open. A couple of people turned to look who showed up and she smiled slightly as her gaze came acrossed the old man who ran the place. "Oh? Are you not dead yet old man?" Amorra said in a slightly tired voice but tried to sound mocking. This is something that usually happened every time Amorra came back from a long trip and would spot Tyvin sitting somewhere in the place. She didn't wait for his response and headed over to the bar in hopes of getting something strong to drink even though it was morning. She should have headed up stairs to get some sleep but all she really wanted right now was a drink and something to eat.
 
Elin grinned at Tyner, ducking his head a little to hide his smile. Tyvin hadn’t even noticed his little push, but of course Tyner had. His stomach bubbled a little gleefully at having made Tyner smile, but he didn't sit. Tyvin looked as though she might have lost her breakfast to the critter, especially given her rant. Elin felt another warm glow at being addressed directly as Tyvin recovered from the morning's disappointment. Feeling a little bad, Elin shrugged and put his bowl in front of Tyvin. "Not much trouble to get into today, miss. Not unless Mr Tyner has any jobs for me. Do you think you could tell me about your last mission?" He'd heard enough of Tyvin's stories to know he wanted to hear more and hopefully she would be willing to oblige but most people tended to brush him off until a later date. Elin didn’t mind. There were plenty of days and plenty of stories. "Sorry the squirrel ate your breakfast. Here, eat this. I'll go get another bowl."

Elin darted away without waiting for an answer, forgetting he still had his speed turned up. He was at the kitchens in a flash, and decided to turn it back to normal for his return trip in case he fell over or didn’t give himself enough time to stop. Tyvin had had a hard enough morning without him throwing a bowl of porridge over her.

On his way back fo Tyner's table a strange voice called out from the door, and Elin stopped in his tracks. He knew it was rude to stare but the newcomer was covered with scales and greeted Tyner like an old friend. It was terribly difficult for him to politely turn his gaze back to his final few steps to the table as the woman with the scales went to the bar. His mind buzzed with questions and he wondered if she would answer any of them. Later. He'd let her settle in first. Instead, he could ask Tyner about her.

Shovelling a spoonful of porridge into his mouth, and giving Tyvin new bread, Elin swallowed and asked, "Who is that woman? Is she from here?"
 
Tyvin raised her hand up to stroke her chin thoughtfully while stifling a yawn, glancing at the job board before replying "I'm sure I got a story or two, Kid. Last missions was plenty strange" She didn't know why Elin liked hearing of her missions, maybe he hoped for more experience for when he goes out on a mission (Admittedly, she was the worst person to take advice from), either way she did like being listened too a lot. It felt like she was an old man who was having that one person who didn't realise they were senile yet.

Before she could answer the boy's statement, her stomach already let out a great roar of approval. At his burst of speed dashing inside the kitchen she still called after him "Kid, slow down or you'll become the next wall porridge!" When he returned at a much slower pace, she noticed his eyes wonder over to Amorra. Amorra had a tendency to take long missions, so Tyvin wasn't surprised that the boy hadn't met her yet. "It's rude to stare, especially at someone with claws" Tyvin's feet came out to poke Elin's side. "That's Amorra, lizard lady. I think she's been here longer than me"
 
Shiori stood in the corner as she watched the battle between Tyven and squirrel backed by Elin. Elin was the closest to her age, but she dare not approach anyone for fear of ambarassment. Her eyes glanced around the room as she clutched her book.
 
It wasn't hard for Tyner to notice Amorra enter the Respite; her skin, stance, and general atmosphere about her was easily detectable as the years went by. Her greeting was the standard one, always biting, yet never in anger. He nodded, and confirmed Tyvin's statement. "She's one of the ones from the first days of my stead as Guildmaster. She's one of our more active members." He finished his tea, and collected the cup and saucer. Noticing Shiori, he beckoned her over. She was a quiet gal, and tended to shy away from the others. However, if there was one thing Tyner knew, it was that solitude in this business tends to lead to a scuffle...or worse.

"Shiori! Good morning, lass," He said, a smile on his face. "You, Elin, and Tyvin are acquainted. Tyvin, be capable for once and share with these whelps the details of your last mission. Let them ask questions, and such. Children, listen well: You may learn much from her. Tyvin is a champion, albeit a crass one....excuse me." With that, he carefully sidestepped away from the table, heading towards the bar.

Sliding his teacup across the bar to be cleaned, he grabbed the empty stool next to Amorra. "A drink this early? Have you given up all basic ability to function, or are you too used to the wilds?" He smiled deviously, enjoying the back-and-forth. The older ones understood him best, and they knew that he could give a joke just as much as he could take one.
 
Shiori tensed but walked over, she knew not to cross Tyner. She took a seat near Tyvin, and waited to hear the stories that most likely consisted of over exaggerated details. She smiled slightly as she clutched her book and said "Just woke up, but wasn't really sleeping. You know how it is with me." She joked nervously motioning at her book.
 
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The bartender simply nodded at her as she told him the usual would be fine. For the most part Amorra got the same drink every time she would come back from her missions. While she was waiting she glanced over at where Tyner was sitting and saw a familiar face or rather should she say a familiar iconic arm? Tyvin was her name and she seemed energetic like always but there was two more members that were seated next to Tyner and they were very young and this made her think about when she first came here. She snapped out of it when the bartender gave her the drink she ordered and said that her food would be ready soon as well. "As long as it is meat of some kind,"she responded knowing full well she was not going to eat that slop even if it was the only thing the guild had left to eat. She would much rather go back out there and kill a boar or something then eat anything that looked like what pigs would eat.

She took a sip of her drink when Tyner sat next to her and made a comment on her drinking so early. She returned that smirk of his before she replied. "I wonder... maybe a little bit of both..." she said musing it over. She took another drink before setting down her glass. Before she even begun to drink she was already losing the function to really do anything today other than take it easy. Her body was starting to ache again she couldn't tell if it was from the journey or simply because the beast was taking a toll on her again. Could be a little bit of both and the smile she had faded into a serious expression. It worried her from time to time especially since Alexander her mentor was no longer here. Before coming back to the guild after completing her contract Amorra had looked for him again and tried to get any information she could and yet again it was a bust.

Amorra looked back over at Tyner asking him a question to keep her mind busy in not thinking about her mentor. "I saw a couple of new faces that were around ya." "Pretty young don't ya think?" As she said that the bartender came back and brought her a plate that had a medium sized piece of what looked like ham on it. She was glad it was not the slop that seemed to go around and was happy the staff here still remember what she liked to eat and also what gave her the most energy as her way of eating changed ever since the change she went through.
 
Overhearing the new arrival, Amorra, mention her and Elin's age, made Shiori cast her gaze down. Her age made her feel unsure about her abilities. She had had her magic item for 5 years now yet she still felt very unsure at her abilities. It was to be expected she guessed after her years
 
Tyner responded with a terse smile. "Aye, well, they get younger every year, don't they? Perhaps we're just getting older." he laughed, but there was a dryness to his voice. Lowering his tone, he leaned in, his face growing slightly more serious.

"You seem on edge. Is something bothering you? Or is it just fatigue?" he asked, the way a concerned older brother would. He had known Amorra for some time, and while she was usually gruff, he could feel if something other than the thrill of her conquering was occupying her time.
 
Suddenly, the doors of the guild opened. It was with such force as if to make a statement, and sure enough a young man walked in. He didn’t look anything like a mage, but his eyes sparkled as if he was home. With a worn notebook in his hand and a big grin on his face, he yelled. "I'M BACK!"

Cato has always considered the guild his home. After travelling and trying to see more of the world, he thought it was time to come back, maybe settle in a year or two before going off again and continuing his father’s work. His green eyes scanned the place with fondness. How long has it been? Two, three years? He won't be surprised if the guild has changed a lot since he's been gone, but apparently the layout of the place was just as he remembered it. There are a couple of new faces though, but there are familiar ones as well, especially by the bar where two of his favorite people were sitting and chatting like old friends. There's the old man Tyner, as well as Amorra, the lizard lady as some people call her. He preferred "Miss Grumpy." What is she doing, drinking at such a wonderful early morning, anyway? She looks quite tense. he noted. Maybe I can change that.

He walked toward them casually, never minding other people, who might have been interrupted by his sudden yelling. He could see two new kids and a woman with a part of her face crystallized, but decided he’ll approach them later. He first addressed Tyner with a small punch on the arm, before sitting down and remarking good-naturedly. "You're still alive, old man? It's been a while. I thought you'd be dead by now."

And of course, how can he resist messing with her? With a flick of his wrist, a gust of wind made Amorra’s entire breakfast suddenly slide on the table towards him. He made an exaggerated gasp, “For me?” and smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Amorra. I really appreciate it. You must have missed me.” He took the spoon and dug in.
 
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"You have no business talking about capability, geezer. How's that hip of yours?" Tyvin called after in jest as Tyner moved away from the table to go great the great scaly one, while many would probably find calling Tyner old a tad odd, but when you're lucky you get to fifty your 30's are your 60's. With that she placed her bowl back on the table and jumped up onto her feet to face her two forced audience members. "Sit down, kiddos. I'm about to impart some wisdom on all of you. First piece, brush your teeth before going out on a mission, your mouth gets itchy out there... Or that could just be the side affect of the crystal for me..." Her gaze swept over the two, gauging their reactions to see if either liked her 'opening joke' (If you could call it that). "Right, right. Mission and all. So, imagine this. Blistering heat, grass that reached up to your thighs, no evil squirrels in sight. For miles it only seems like a grassy, depressing blanket that only seems to freeze you more on the inside. Contract was simple, some ugly son of a hag was dragging a villages's cattle off into the night, and they didn't have sharp enough sticks. So, go to the village, get drunk, find the sheep, get drunk and maybe grind the perpetrator into paint"

Tyvin began to get more active as she continued on with the story, telling of how she arrived at the village (With a lot of fearful glances following her) and stressed keeping a low profile. "Even though they know we're there to help, you gotta remember not to draw too much attention. Yeah, you're getting a few coins. Yeah, you're the biggest baddest cowboy in the town. But these people are still afraid and cautious, as they have every right to be. I mean, look what magic did to me" She'd indicate to what could be seen of the crystal curse on her face, though she offered a lopsided grin. "It made me even more beautiful, so beautiful it hurts!" Ego, my name is Tyvin the Squirrel Bitch.
"An odd gesture here, a few sparks shot there. These people can turn on you without notice"

She moved on to explain the strange patrons of the bar she visited while gathering details on the abductions (When telling of a man who tried to impress the ladies in the bar, she slammed her foot on the table and pulled up the clothing to reveal her leg. "'Do you like what you see ladies?' He bellowed, and all I could notice was how hairy that leg was. It was like a bloody jungle!"), and then to the site of the abductions, looking over the tracks and evidence sloppily left behind by the one responsible. "Now, I grew up as a hunter,s o I know my stuff when it comes to those that go bump in the night. And I could tell already, there wasn't a human involved in this. The sloppy work, large than life foot tracks and the smell? No way it was done by a human. Which left my keen expertise only one option..." With that she picked up her bread and jumped up on the table, squatting down to hold the bread next to her face while she made her silliest interpretation for an 'evil sneer'. "A troll!"

After that she stressed the importance of planning and cautious, detailing her finding the Troll's resting ground and scouting his movements for a whole day. Fortunately for her, it seemed like the troll was one of the less competent of his breed. With each mention, she gestured with the bread as if puppeteering the story. "At this point, an idiot would have all they need and rush in to slay the mighty beas-" Briefly interrupted by Cato's entrance, Tyvin gestured to him and continued ''An idiot like that dumb-ass. But not me, while incompetent, I still knew that the bastard still packed quite a punch and could leave me a stain on the floor" So, she moved out and scouted around the area, finding a large, but fragile looking cave. And so her plan was born. She gathered up barrels of gun powder, rolled them up and int the cave, placing them around various points (Indicating this by sticking spare spoons in her porridge bowl). Now, all she had to do was lure the Troll from it's home. Naturally, this had her putting on a sheep costume. "-Hey, stop laughing, this is some serious science!"

Now she stood atop the table, a porridge bowl cave in one hand, and a bread troll in the other. Her plan went on well, she lured the troll up to the cave (Though he proved much faster than he had ANY right to be), before lunging back and preparing a glyph. Indicated by he placing the bread inside the empty bowl. "I only had a few seconds to spare or the Troll would get out and swallow me whole. Trolls aren't really chewers, unless it's small children. My magic is one that require concentration and time, so each second was precious and tense." It wasn't until the last second that she was able to fire off small barrage of flames, which ignited the gunpowder inside the barrels and let off their own mini-explosion. It was enough to send the Troll stumbling and collapse the cave on him. Tyvin ended this with pouring the porridge from the other bowl on top of the bread o simulate the Troll getting buried, before falling backwards off of the table, and rolling back into a sitting position to signify herself tripping on a tree bran- Being knocked on the ground by the force of such a magnificent explosion!

"And then I got drunk... And lost on the way back... More wisdom: Don't. Forget. Your. Map."
 
Shiori giggled a bit at Tyvins crazy story of the cow eating troll. Very vivid screenplay using her food, and some side stories of the pub at the village. No doubt part of it was real, but some might be a bit exaggerated. "Don't worry, seeing as my only source of power is my 'map'" referring to her book, "I'll probably be safe. And I'm used to stares, glares, and murmurs of 'beware' from people." Shiori felt sad a bit at the last one since it cost her much of her childhood, but she knew better than to complain. She knew most people here shared a similar fate. She also noticed another new arrival, who's appearance was no short of sudden and loud. He sat next Amorra, playing with her bowl. She guessed they were friends or acquaintances at least.
 
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"I think the only one who is getting older around here is you" she said smiling back at him before the atmosphere seemed to change to that of a serious one. She knew what he was going to ask her now and she quickly looked away as she has never been able to lie to this man while looking him straight in the eyes. Tyner had been worried about her ever since Alexander left two years ago and has not been heard of since then. It was bothersome at times but she was happy that he cared about her and to be honest he has always taken care of her even when she first came to live here but of course she had Alexander here at that time and so the workload was shared.

"Nothing is wrong Tyner just the the usual magical bullshit we face everyday." she said hinting at the fact that the magic they are cursed with can cause issues with their body. Amorra's situation was a different one however since it seemed her body was always sore or hurting if she was not in combat or drowning the pain away in alcohol. Although she always had a feeling Tyner understood what she goes through. Before she could even bring up the subject about her mentor Alexander her train of thought was broken as she heard a familiar voice ring out that he was home. If she was tired now she would be even more so just by hearing his voice... She slowly turned her gaze over to who just came in and cringed as if she was staring at someone who caused her great pain. It is simply too early to deal with him right now... and as if on cue he caught her looking over at him and smiled back at her heading towards her and Tyner. One thought came to her mind and that was.. the simple thought of wanting to have the power to be invisible right about now.

Cato sat down next to her and now she was in the middle of a sammich filled with many memories and let out an aggravated groan. Tyner was okay to deal with but having both Cato and Tyner? That was a different story altogether and she signaled the bartender to keep the drinks coming. When she first arrived in the guild respite at the age of 15 almost 16 the first person to have greeted her was Cato. He was the only one who did not seem bothered by her appearance and it always made her upset as she had accepted the idea of no one growing close to her accept her mentor Alexander. They were childhood friends if that is what you could call someone who had always angered you and poked at you for fun. There were times were Amorra was very violent towards Cato and had lost every single time due to his annoying talent if you can call it that. Sometimes however she would lose control because of how loud his ability could be sometimes especially the sharp noises he could make her hear that would just destroy her ears. There was a couple of times where she could have seriously enjoyed him but Alexander or Tyner would stop in and get her to calm down. Now that she thought about it... she was such a pain to deal with and she wondered how Tyner had the patience to keep letting her live here.

While Amorra was thinking about the past she was distracted and due to that Cato got away with stealing her food and that snapped her back to reality fairly quickly. She had her left hand gripped around her glass and then he teased her and it made her angry and her grip tightened around the glass breaking it and she quickly turned to Cato with an angry expression. What probably made her even more angry was the fact he was eating her ham with a spoon! Who the hell eats meat with a spoon?! What a weirdo!? "Dammit Cato I did not miss you! No one here misses you, you loud-ear breaking freak!" she yelled while trying to grab her plate back but only failing as he was always faster than her thanks to his magical ability.
 
Elin listened to Tyvin's tale with wide eyes. He sat enraptured, his porridge forgotten on the edge of the table. She put su check detail into her re-telling, climbing onto chairs and tables, finding props and revelling in the memories. Elin forgot hos disappointment that Tyner had left, the brief flitting emotion engulfed in anticipation of Tyvin's tale. He even forgot the girl sitting next to him fo a while, but he remembered her at the end when he nearly applauded their entertainer.

Elin wanted so badly to go on missions but it was rare that one came about that he was properly equipped to deal with. He'd found the odd artifact and recovered the occasional stolen item, but nothing like the tales Tyvin told. The most interesting thing that happened to him was people offering him often quite shady deals to help them win races or paying him to keep them concentrating for longer or making them stronger for a night. There were many little odd jobs even for someone with his moral code-he did have to turn people down quite ofen because they were trying to use him to cheat. But nothing he did was like what was in the stories. He never fought any villains or travelled the great distance to battle wits with a lord, and he'd certainly never wooed any women with his non-existent great deeds.

Looking over at Shiori beside him, he wondered if her situation was any better. She was even younger than he was and they had never spoken much oast a couple of words. She seemed noce enough but very quiet. Elin didn’t quite know how to approach her. He was glad when she spoke first.
"What's in your book?" he asked immediately, curious about her magic and eager to make conversation. He desperately wanted to be friends with someone closer to his age, and Shiori was all there was.

Everything stopped when Cato walked in. Elin stared, eyes saucers, excitement rising in his chest. The image of his dreams of himself in the future, the shy fantasies of heroism, of being the biggest man in the room with the charm and dashing looks and rogueish, travel worn airs had just walked straight into the Respite.

"Who is that?" Elin demanded of Tyvin and Shiori as the man waltzed over to Tyner and started teasing Amorra. He even had the nerve to tease Amorra!
 
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