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SOME BACK ALLEY - EARLY EVENING
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Strix: Strix was back at work again. People had been complaining about him 'blowing everything up' and 'setting everything on fire' and 'Oh God, the Ants! The Ants!' (Apparently if you leave a chocolate muffin out, you get ants). He has a solid steel globe attached to a bunch of wires, with further crystals taped to the bottom of it. There was a funnel at the top, and some sort of outlet at the bottom, with a little step ladder so he can reach the top of the funnel. He mutters to himself constantly throughout, eventually stopping, stepping back, and admiring his handiwork.
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JUST NORTH OF THE MARKET SQUARE - EARLY EVENING
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Froge finds himself wandering down the lane, somewhat unsure of where he was planning to go. The elephant guard had said there were more places to get a meal than just the Minnow, where the little fox had headed off to, so he is determined not to go there and cause her more trouble. Reaching the edge of a marketplace, Froge looks about, spotting the sign for the Thirsty Minnow nearby. He hesitates, just staring absently at the sign.
Nesseth wanders up a path leading out of the market square, having just finished a later shift patrolling the walls. He's currently wearing some lightly padded clothing that offers a modicum of protection while still leaving him capable of moving quickly. He stops in the light of a nearby lamppost and retrieves a small pocketwatch from his vest, then takes a moment to check the time.
Froge lets out a low croaking sigh, kneading the strap of his satchel nervously with one hand while the other reaches up to his face to scratch at the itchy, dry dirt where some mud fell free. Turning away from the Minnow, Froge looks around for any other signs of an inn, wondering if he could head back to the clinic and immediately barring the thought. Froge does spot someone in similar looking clothing to that of the gate guard, though, and his mood perks up as he moves to approach them.
Nesseth stretches a bit as he sighs and shuts the cover of his pocketwatch, then tucks it back into his vest. He turns and is about to make his way home, when he notices Froge approaching. He raises a scaly hand in greeting. "Hey there, can I help you?"
Froge lets out a throaty "Hello!" as he mirrors the greeting. "Yes, I'm a bit lost and confused. Hungry, too. Do you have a moment to lead me to someplace to eat and sleep?" He tilts his head a bit, another chunk of dried mud breaking free and hitting the ground with a soft *plop*. Not a good look in the relatively dim light of the street lamp.
Nesseth raises an eyebrow as he catches sight of the mud falling off of Froge. He casts another look over the person standing before him, noting that they seem pretty well covered in the stuff. "Sure, I can point out a place or two for food and a bed, but... are you sure you don't need the doctor? You look like you got into a bit of a scuffle, or something..."
Froge blinks at Nesseth, a curious croak escaping his throat. He thinks for a moment too long before realizing the issue. "Oh! No, I'm okay, I don't need to bother the doctor again today! Plume actually helped me find good mud already!" Froge lets out a little croaking chuckle, his mood easily refreshing when he thinks about how terribly dry he used to be.
Nesseth seems a bit confused for a moment. "Good... mud?" He gestures for Froge to step closer, more into the light of the lamppost, "Could you step a bit closer, please?"
Froge brings his attention back to Nesseth, nodding as he steps forward. "Of course, sir." Entering the light shows the dark, smooth mud covering Froge, spots of pale green and rich orange showing through where the wonderful coating had let loose. He kneads at the strap of his satchel again, wondering if he was in some kind of trouble.
Nesseth hums and tilts his head a bit as he gets a better look at the person standing in front of him. After a few seconds, he nods, thinking he understands. "Ahh, I'm sorry. I'm guessing you're... an amphibian? I've not seen your race before, so... I'm super unfamiliar with pretty much everything about you."
Froge feels a bit of relief, his posture visibly settling. "Oh, is that so? I guess that's because we don't like to leave home very much!" He looks over Nesseth with a casual eye, "I have heard stories about people from outside, but only met a few. Some of them were reptile."
Nesseth chuckles a bit. "Well, I'd be just such a reptile, then. So, I guess the mud was to keep you from drying out?"
Froge nods "Yup! It's so different here, at home it's either raining or humid. Paradise~" Froge becomes wistful for a moment, thinking about home briefly driving every uncomfortable thought from his mind before he feels his stomach tighten, snapping him back to reality. "I don't mean to be rude, sir. I am Froge, and also hungry. Could I have your name, and an escort to the nearest inn?"
Nesseth smiles a bit of a sharp-toothed smile and nods. "Oh, of course! I'm Nesseth, and there's the Thirsty Minnow right over here. It has some really good food, and caters to all appetites, too. You could rent a bed there as well, if you need a place to stay."
Froge recalls the name of the inn after a moment, and hesitates before asking: "Oh... I hear a lot about that place, is it really the best inn here?" His stomach immediately protests his hesitation.
Nesseth shrugs. "Depends on what you're aiming for, I guess. It's got good food, but I suppose if you're looking for a good bed, there might be better options."
Froge sighs a low croak, looking away from Nesseth and toward the inn in question. "Okay, I suppose I should trust the general good word." Turning back to Nesseth and gripping the strap of his satchel. "I may have upset somebody earlier... They mentioned it... Would it be much bother to... Well, in case they're still upset, could you..."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit, blinking as a thought comes to mind. "You upset someone earlier? Uh... by chance, was that someone a shy fox about... so high?" He holds a hand up at about shoulder height relative to himself.
Froge nods slowly, wondering if she had reported to the guard. "At the North gate, I met her and the elephant guard." Well, met in the loosest sense. "Do you know her?"
Nesseth nods. "I do, yeah. We kind of ran into each other pretty literally not too long ago, too. She seemed kind of scared about meeting someone, though her description was pretty vague." He shrugs again, "Though, 'fleshy' does narrow it down a bit. What happened while you were chatting with Brunilda?"
Froge shakes his head, transplanting more river mud to the street, "Nothing, Broanelta-" that is going to take some work to get right "-made sure I wasn't up to no good, the fox and I never spoke!"
Nesseth rubs his chin. "Hm... well, she did say that she was just kind of scared of how you looked. But I mean, Brunilda found nothing wrong, so, it's all just a misunderstanding at this point." He nods towards the bar, "Anyway, you said you were hungry, so let's get you settled in with some food. I can clear up any troubles the next time I run into Annika."
Froge feels relief that Nesseth isn't upset with him for scaring his friend. Froge nods in agreement and turns to face the inn down the lane. He would have to try and clear up the misunderstanding at some point anyways, since he planned on making some good trade agreements here. "Alright, you're helping me feel better about that poor fox, I'll treat you to something if you like."
Nesseth shakes his head a bit as he starts heading towards the Minnow. "No, it's fine, Froge. Thank you, though." He pauses for a moment, then continues, "So, what brings you to Respite Falls?"
Froge matches Nesseth's pace, scratching some more dried dirt off his forehead along the way. "Well, we have no trader any more, so I was given the title. We have all the firegas you could ever need!" He grows more and more excited with each word, though after one quiet moment he somberly finishes: "Though I haven't got any left to show you."
Nesseth steps into the bar and waits for Froge to follow suit. "Firegas? Sounds like that stuff could be useful for combustion engines or whatever steamworks we've got around town, maybe." He chuckles and shakes his head, "Not that I'd really know, myself. I just hunt things."
Froge follows Nesseth through the door, looking around the inside of the inn. Scanning for any excitable foxes, Froge picks out a corner table for later. "Mhm, we catch it in glass, and it lights up with just a little spark. Doctor Plume seems interested in it. oh, and a funny little lizard that calls himself Strix. I'm sure he'll want to buy lots!"
Nesseth raises an eyebrow as he makes his way to the bar counter. "I could see Strix wanting something explosive, yeah... but what might the Doc want with firegas? I doubt they'd get much mileage out of blowing things up as a doctor."
Froge follows Nesseth to the bar, unsure of what he's supposed to do to actually get food, now that he's finally inside. "He mentioned making tea with what he has now, so... More tea, maybe? Um... How does this work, if you don't mind."
Nesseth gestures across the counter. "Just catch the barkeep's attention, and feel free to order something. There should be some menus nearby if you want to see what's on offer, but you should be able to order most anything, best as I can tell."
Froge looks around for the menu, finding one and holding it under the nearest light. After a minute of staring at the book, Froge turns to face Nesseth, focusing straight on the lizard, making him look somewhat cross-eyed. "I can't read."
Damina enters the bar through the front door, but instead of walking in like a normal person, she swoops in from the top of said door.
Nesseth blinks in surprise. "You... can't? Like... the language in the menu, or... just in general?"
Froge shakes his head, putting the menu down. "Not at all, we don't have a written language like outsiders." Froge doesn't seem bothered at all, turning his attention to behind the counter to look for the barkeep. "I'll show you something in a moment- Ah, barkeep! Two cold fish please~"
Damina: "Oh, what timing."
Nesseth hums softly, then looks around. "Oh, hey there Damina. Any luck finding Vix yet?"
Froge turns to the new voice, seeing Damina, but choosing to keep to himself for the time being.
Damina: "Nah, not really. I've just been hanging about on the rooftops, but haven't really... seen anything. Ah well, I'm thirsty anyway."
Froge looks back around to the barkeep, realizing that he's expected to show some coin before being served. Froge swings the satchel around to his front and rummages around, pulling his two empty vials out and placing them on the counter while searching for a few coins.
Nesseth smiles a bit and waves Damina over. "Well, feel free to come over and join us. I was just helping Froge here get settled in a bit. He's a new arrival in town."
Damina nods and takes a seat next to the two.
Froge carefully sets his payment on the counter and turns to properly greet Damina. "Hello!"
Damina: "Hey there. Don't think I've met you before."
Froge shakes his head, holding out a webbed hand toward her. "Nope, not at all! I am Froge, nice to meet you!"
Damina takes his hand and shakes it, nodding in response.
Nesseth stretches a little and orders himself a glass of ice water.
Froge perks up, looking at Nesseth with maybe just a little too much excitement. "They have water here, too!? How much does it cost?"
Nesseth blinks at Froge's excitement and nods after a moment. "Oh, uh... yeah. It's like... two gold a glass or something? We're not exactly hurting for water out here."
Damina tilts her head. "You thirsty?"
Froge collects himself a little, "Of course... I did go to the waterfall today, but that is a bit away." He looks toward Damina, "It's so dry here, the doctor helped me out earlier, but I thought that was just because he's the doctor."
Nesseth shakes his head. "No, we've got some decent running water all throughout town. I think Doc's just got more gear for it because they need it for sanitation and such, due to their work."
Damina: "Huh. I never really noticed any dehydration around here..."
Froge nods in understanding, receiving his food from the barkeep with a happy, croak filled "Thank you~". He ponders the two fish for a moment, turning the plate to admire the way their scales glimmer in the tavern light. Then with a noise like a wet snap, Froge's head tips back as his mouth opens wide, a sticky pink tongue lashing out and yanking one whole fish into his maw in the blink of an eye.
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, dehydration's only a real issue out beyond the walls, I think. Unless you've got a good water--" He pauses at the strange sound, then looks over at Froge just one of the fish vanishes from the plate, "...Huh. Must be good."
Damina: "Wouldn't be the weirdest way I've seen someone eat a fish."
Froge gulps down his second fish with the same gusto, letting out a high pitched croak of satisfaction before turning back to the other two. "Thank you, Nesseth, for leading me here!"
Nesseth smiles after a moment. "No problem, Froge. Welcome to town, and hopefully you can get some good trading going in the marketplace."
Froge lets out a chorus of croaks in an excited chuckle. looking down at the vials still lying on the counter. "I will have to bring a lot more next time." He places the two glass tubes back into his satchel, safely wrapped up. "So what do you two get up to in your off hours?"
Nesseth takes a sip of his water and sighs appreciatively before answering. "I mostly just spend time wandering the town, or relaxing with friends. My job has me wandering the town anyway, so I just keep doing that until I feel like heading back home."
Froge nods, "Not much danger around here, then, that's good to know. Did you grow up here?"
Nesseth shakes his head. "Nope. I'm from Embercoast, one of the towns in the Orelan archipelago."
Froge sits up a little straighter, a little excited to learn he's in similar company. "Oh, I've never heard of Embercoast before, what is it like there?"
Nesseth hums softly as he thinks back to his hometown. "Hmm... pretty humid, since it's along the coast, but further inland it starts getting rather dry, which suits me better, overall. The island isn't large, but it's big enough for Embercoast and another small town or two."
Froge can't help being interested, but isn't sure how many questions would be too many. He rather likes Nesseth, pausing while he tries to come up with an appropriate question. "Were you unhappy, so you left home?"
Nesseth shakes his head again. "No, actually. I rather liked it over in Embercoast. But the call of exploration was a bit stronger, so I joined up with the Explorers Guild as soon as I was old enough to do so."
Damina is drinking water, just listening in on the conversation...
Froge blinks, unable to keep an excited croak from underlining his words; "There's a whole guild for explorers?" but after a brief moment, he leans forward a bit. "But staying in a town as a guard isn't exploring, is it?"
Nesseth laughs a bit. "You'd be right. I decided to break away from the Guild when our expedition arrived here. It's pretty common for some guild members to settle in frontier towns that suit their tastes." He pauses, "Technically, we're still affiliated with the Guild, but mostly just as a point of contact."
Froge leans back again, satisfied. "You do what makes you happy, yep!" Froge glances toward the door, the talk of home bringing him to decide. "You give me a lot to think about, Nesseth. This talk of home, and... Well, most of the day today has definitely made me feel the pull of home. Perhaps I should start on my way back tonight."
Nesseth tilts his head a bit. "Not planning on getting a night's rest before heading back out, then?"
Damina: "Yeah, it's probably worth staying the night. Don't wanna pass out on the way to wherever, it kinda sucks."
Froge pats the front of his leather jerkin, chuckling his frogsong. "Hm, no, I slept for most of the afternoon in the mud. My people enjoy the night more than the bright of the burning sun."
Nesseth nods. "Fair enough. In that case, I hope you've a safe trip back home. And, again, here's hoping you'll find some good success as a trader here in town, once you come back."
Froge gives Nesseth a small bow; "Thank you, and thank you for all your help and company. I hope we run into each other again!" He turns to Damina, giving her a similar bow, "It was nice to meet you, as well, good night!" Froge turned toward the door, making his way out of the Minnow and into the cool night air. With a deep breath and an air of satisfaction, the frog made his way out of town and started his trek home. Hopefully, it would be pouring rain when he got there.
Nesseth gives Froge a bit of a salute as the amphibian goes to leave. After the door shuts, he stretches again and turns back towards Damina. "So, anything interesting happen for you today?"
Damina: "I wouldn't particularly know, I've been mostly staring at rooftops and the sky."
Nesseth smiles a bit. "Still keeping an eye out for Vix, and just enjoying the day otherwise, huh? Sounds like a pretty easygoing day for you."
Damina offhandedly glances to the side. "Any day I can relax is a decent day for me. What about you?"
Nesseth shrugs a bit and leans back comfortably in his seat. "Similar, I'd say, just different in that I was doing it as part of work. There's not much that goes on at the walls, nowadays."
Damina: "Almost wish there was... but then it wouldn't be so easy, would it?"
Nesseth shakes his head. "No, it'd be a bit more challenging, but at least it'd also be a little more exciting at the same time. Of course, if it's excitement we're looking for, we just need to head a little further out into the wilds."
Vix quietly slips into the bar through the window and ducks out of sight under a table.
Damina: "Did you hear something?"
Nesseth blinks and idly looks around the (seemingly) empty bar. "Uh... not that I noticed. What'd it sound like?"
Damina looks around suspiciously. "It sounds like someone is trying to SELL ME SOMETHING!"
Narrator: The barkeep delivers a basket of fish and chips and a club soda to an empty table.
Damina: "Ok who the hell is there."
Nesseth blinks at the food and drink being delivered. "Okay, that's... suspicious, alright."
Damina gets off her seat and approaches the table.
Vix darts between blind spots out of sight.
Nesseth slides out of his seat and follows Damina, glass of water in hand.
Damina: "Ok seriously, whoever's playing ninja around here, please stop. It's putting me on edge."
Vix touches Damina's butt from under a table.
Nesseth sets his glass of water down and leans lightly against the table. "I'm trusting whoever it is doesn't have bad intentions in mind. I'd hate to have to unsling my crossbow in a nice place like this."
Damina squeaks. "Aagh! Alright, I know only one person who has the guts to do that."
Nesseth jumps and steps back from Damina in surprise. His hands snap to the strap holding his crossbow against his back. "W-woah! What?? Do what??"
Damina then quickly thinks up a plan... and sits at the table with the food.
Vix slips around behind Nesseth and squeezes his tail.
Damina is now looking EXTREMELY HARD for this sneaky fellow.
Nesseth lets out a gasp and launches forward a few feet. "Gaah! O-okay, now I see...!" He takes a deep breath and pats his chest a bit, trying to relax himself, "Jeez..."
Vix hides behind the bar, receiving an annoyed look from the barkeeper.
Damina squints her eyes and looks at the counter
Nesseth notices the barkeeper's reaction, then sighs as he stalks over to the bar counter from a hidden angle.
Vix wiggles her ears, checking the room for any suspicious sounds.
Nesseth adjusts his stance, now clearly looking like he's stalking a target during a hunt. Quietly, he climbs over the counter from the far side, gesturing at the barkeeper to stay quiet as he moves.
Damina sneaks a bite off the conveniently-placed fish and chips
Vix 's ears dip out of sight as she changes position once again.
Damina muses to herself. "Well, if she's gonna do that, I guess nothing's stopping me from just..." and she takes another bite.
Nesseth pauses, then quickens his pace a bit once Vix's ears vanish from view, though he still takes care to keep quiet.
Vix darts back toward the table with the food.
Nesseth peers around the far end of the counter a second or so after Vix moves, then sighs again as he stands up straighter and makes his way back to the table. "I mean, sure. Might as well enjoy the food since it's just sitting there. It'll just go to waste otherwise."
Vix freezes in plain sight and stares at Nesseth and Damina.
Damina: "Hi! Was wondering when you'd show up!"
Nesseth chuckles. "Well, well. Look who it is." He smiles, "Hey there, Vix."
Vix pounces on Damina. "Don't touch my fooood!"
Damina: "Don't touch my butt- argh!"
Nesseth stops in place a few steps from the table as Vix jumps Damina. He looks between the two, obviously uncertain if he should interfere or just watch.
Vix tumbles to the floor with Damina as she tries to reclaim her stolen fish.
Damina is a lot stronger than she looks! You don't know who you've decided to wrassle with, Vix!
Vix goes for another butt grope out of spite. "Well, I ain't fightin fair!"
Damina: "Argh- just tell me what you want!"
Vix digs her claws in. "Keep your paws off my food! I paid for that!"
Damina: "AGH- ok I deserve that! Just- why are you acting so sneaky?"
Vix: Because you two are just gonna tease me some more if I enter normally!
Damina: "What? No!"
Nesseth sighs and moves forward, then bends over and tries to separate the two. "Alright, alright, that's quite enough...! Relax, Vix."
Damina isn't even trying to fight back, but you wouldn't be able to tell.
Vix un-tangles herself from Damina and sits back. "Hmph..."
Nesseth shakes his head. "We weren't intending to tease you. I actually wanted to apologize for it when you ran off last time. We would have, but well, you managed to elude both of us."
Vix pouts a bit as she munches on her fish. "Well...looks like I got both of you back, so we're even now!"
Damina looks at Vix sternly. "Now if you would be so kind as to explain why you were in such a hurry to get lost?"
Vix blushes a bit. "I needed to be alone for a while, okay? You're making such a big deal out of it!"
Damina feels suddenly pretty awkward. "Uh, uhm, okay?"
Nesseth shrugs. "Well, we were just kind of worried, is all. You took off so suddenly, we just wanted to make sure we didn't go overboard."
Vix munches on her fish and hums a bit. "Ish fine~"
Nesseth flashes a grin and glances at Damina. "Oh, good. So we can keep teasing you, then?"
Damina rubs the back of her head. "Hey, uhm, sorry for munching on your fish. I'll pay you back."
Vix flails a bit. "N-no! No more teasing! You'll make me lose more sleep!"
Nesseth holds his hands up in a placating manner, though he's still smiling a bit. "Alright, okay, okay... We won't tease you anymore. I didn't know you lost sleep over it all..."
Vix sighs a bit. "Don't worry about me too much. I'm just a street cat, you know?"
Damina flicks her tail. "I'm kinda one too, so..."
Nesseth takes a seat. "Maybe so, but we're all just trying to make our way in this town, right? Gotta support each other and all that."
Vix sips her drink. "Yeah, that's one way to put it. I had to come here to eat because I remembered I can't cook~!"
Nesseth chuckles a bit. "Well, don't worry. I still haven't forgotten that promise to cook something for you two. I just need to gather together a few more ingredients, and then I'll be good to go."
Damina: "Ooh, yeah, looking forward to that!"
Vix drools a bit as her mind wanders
Nesseth thinks for a few moments, snagging his cup for a quick sip. "Hmm... if anything, maybe tomorrow or the day after?"
Vix grins, her mood lifted by thoughts of food. "Perfect! Need help finding any ingredients?"
Nesseth hums quietly, glancing between Vix and Damina. "Well, if you two have any extras you want to add in, feel free to help. I've got the general things gathered together, so it's mostly just whatever extra we want to add to the meal."
Damina: "I'll keep that in mind."
Vix shrugs. "I mean, I found some weird cacti outside town that I think are edible? None of us like veggies, though."
Nesseth nods. "Yeah, I'm making sure to keep veggies to a minimum for this."
Damina thinks. "Should we go hunting for stuff maybe?"
Nesseth chuckles. "We could, sure. There's usually some good game out past the walls to the south."
Vix sticks out her tongue. "I'll pass. I don't like killing stuff..."
Damina: "Well, lucky you. I couldn't care less."
Nesseth shrugs a little. "That's fine, Vix. You could go searching for ingredients in the marketplace while Damina and I go hunting. Though, depending on how much we hunt, having the meal the day after tomorrow might be better, so we have time to prepare the meat."
Vix grins. "Just give me a list and I'll get what you need~"
Nesseth smiles at Vix. "Sure thing. Damina and I can take care of any extra meats, and you'll pick up seasonings and anything else you two might want."
Damina wiggles from side to side a little bit, like a cat ready to pounce. "I haven't had a good opportunity to use Ol' Repentance in a while. This might be the chance...!"
Nesseth nods. "If you want to de-rust a bit, by all means, feel free. It shouldn't be too rough of a day hunting something down."
Vix raises an eyebrow. "Repentance? Is that the siege weapon you were waving around yesterday? Will there be anything left to eat after you shoot something with that?"
Damina laughs out loud. "Of course! Don't worry, those things just pin whatever they land on to the nearest surface. It wouldn't cause any particularly devastating damage unless you misfired it, and I ain't letting any of us do that!"
Nesseth chuckles. "So it functions like a regular crossbow bolt would, just a bit stronger as expected for its size." He shakes his head a bit, smiling, "Well, I trust your skill with a crossbow, Damina. Likewise, you don't need to worry about misfires on my end."
Vix finishes the last of her food and stretches out. "Myaa~...I need another nap..."
Damina: "Heh, well, alright then. But don't go running off without at least letting us say goodbye!"
Nesseth idly pulls out his pocket-watch and takes a look at the time. "It is getting a little late, yeah." He blinks and gives Damina a curious look.
Damina notices the odd look Nesseth's giving her. "What?"
Nesseth shrugs as he puts his watch away again. "I dunno, nothing?"
Damina: "Well, okay then."*
Vix has already made her way up into the rafters, where she has stashed a couple of convenient pillows.
Damina: "Oi! Come down here so I can kiss ya goodnight!"
Nesseth stifles a bit of a snicker as he looks up towards Vix.
Vix makes a face at Damina. "Nah, I'll pass this time!"
Nesseth crosses his arms with a look of amusement. "Even if it was a kiss good night from both of us?"
Vix covers her ears with her paws. "Wow, I suddenly can't hear a word you said!"
Vix sticks her tongue out and returns to her nap preparations
Nesseth chuckles and shakes his head, turning his attention back to Damina. "Well, anyway, I guess we'll meet up somewhere tomorrow morning to do a bit of hunting, then?"
Damina nods. "Sure thing! Just don't go off somewhere without me, okay?"
Nesseth grins. "Don't worry, Damina, I'll wait for you. I'm eager to see what you can do with that crossbow."
Damina walks out, slowly cackling like a madwoman. "Oh, I got all kinds of things to show you..."
Nesseth hums curiously as Damina's laughter floats back towards him, then shrugs and makes his way out as well a short while afterwards. He casts a glance back towards Vix's nap spot, only for a thought to occur to him as he steps out into the night air. "...Wait... if Vix's nap spot is in the bar... where the heck did she run off to last time...?"
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RESPITE FALLS MARKETPLACE - EVENING
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Brunilda is standing at the edge of the marketplace, watching as the last of the merchants pack up their wares for the night. The tall elephant guard idly runs a hand through her short red hair and attempts to stifle a yawn. Another long and incredibly non-eventful day.
Yengrisk wanders through the marketplace, the large, shaggy yak looking down every pathway, at every sign and route, seemingly looking for something.
Brunilda notices the Yak some distance away, but doesn't call out until they are closer: "Evening... Yengrisk, was it?"
Yengrisk looks up from their search, and smiles up at Brunilda. "Ah yes! Yak is Yengrisk, yes! How is Brunilda doing?"
Brunilda shrugs, glancing at the emptying marketplace then back to the Yak: "Guess I can't complain. Nothing of note today, really."
Yengrisk nods softly, causing their ever-present glasses to wobble a bit in the mount. "Yak wanted to ask guards a question, yes?"
Brunilda considers Yengrisk with a small smile: "That's why I am here, I imagine. Go ahead."
Yengrisk looks about the market one more time. "Where can yak sleep? Yak is not used to this town yet, cannot find lodgings, yes?"
Brunilda blinks, then nods: "Oh! There are a few places, though the easiest no-questions-asked is likely the Thirsty Minnow." She points with her trunk down the street where the Inn/Bar is.
Yengrisk tilts their head a bit in confusion. "Oh? Yak could have stayed at the bar from other night, yes? Yak did not think to ask!"
Brunilda gives Yengrisk a bit of an odd look: "...well, now you know, I suppose." She is quiet for a bit as a thought occurs to her. "Say... how did you learn the magic that you do?"
Yengrisk ahhhs, and thinks a moment, trying to decide how best to explain. "Well, yak could always feel something in the air, yes? Something yak could tug at in certain ways to make things happen. But no other yaks seem to know what Yengrisk was talking about."
Brunilda nods with a frown: "...I thought it was something like that, but... well, wanted to ask." She lets out a small sigh.
Yengrisk nods a little. "What little yak has heard of magic, sounds like what yak can do, but so far.. no luck finding any real information, yes?"
Brunilda nods absently, fiddling her fingers around the shaft of her halberd as she ponders: "Yeah... guess it would be impossible for someone like me."
Yengrisk reaches up and rubs their chin a bit, running stubby fingers through their beard. "Yak could not say! Magic is too secret. Who knows how it really works, yes? Yak has had to stumble around on own."
Brunilda nods with a sigh: "Yeah..." She then shakes her head and nods towards the Thirsty Minnow: "...anyway, you were looking for the Inn? It's up that way, can't really miss it."
Yengrisk nods again with a smile. "Thank you, friend Brunilda! Yak will let you know when finds more information on magic, yes?" At this, they give Brunilda another of their unsolicited hugs before they start walking in the direction of the bar.
Brunilda blinks several times at the hug again, but gives a bit of a nod after: "Y-yeah... fair enough. Be seeing you."
Brunilda sighs after Yengrisk disappears behind a street corner. She looks about the now-empty marketplace for a bit, then sticks her halberd to the ground with enough frustration that it stays standing as the miffed elephant snorts at no one in particular. "Another dead end. Great going, you big idiot."
Brunilda sighs deeply after a long moment, picking up her halberd and starts heading home, not feeling like going to the bar at all tonight.