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Astra's lost heir

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Lightning heard the outburst from the doorway and as soon as she was pointed out she heard his snide comment and sighed. He was not the first nor the last to make a jest out of her armor, but she would never get used to such rudeness and blatant sexism. Lightning had to work extremely hard to prove herself worthy to fight alongside her fellow soldiers as a Paladin. Not a cleric, not a mage, not anything that would be considered more fitting for a woman. Looking at the the other three, she realized that there was no point in staying in the tavern. She had gotten all that she needed. "When you all are finished here, go ahead and join me outside." She then turned to the door and exited the building, feeling the chill of the winter air sink into the crevices of her clothing and armor.

She immediately saw this new stranger. Mercenaries truly did have unpleasant attitudes, with maybe the exception of Avery, though he was a bit off in the head. Then again, Lightning wasn't the most sociable either. "So, you need coin and a place to stay. Well, here's what I will require in exchange..." Lightning explained to him the mission, though her explanation was a bit shorter than before. "I need to clear our trading route from a bunch of filthy bandits and sellswords, and hold until the reinforcement soldiers arrive. There are fifty gold pieces in it for you. Will you accept?"
 
Morgan sighed as she leaned back in her chair, staring into her glass. The bar was crowded and loud with little sign of settling down. For now, however this is where she would stay until she could find a good plot of land for sale at an affordable price. She had snatched a couple bags of loot when she'd ran but it wasn't quite enough for most plots of property. She needed work and as much as she hated the idea, the sooner the better. She glanced back to the corner behind her chair looking over the blades on her naginata, the needed sharpened which meant going to a smith. That meant expensive. Sighing she decided not to think on it for the night and instead attempt to enjoy her new found freedom.

Downing the rest of her drink, leaving a few coins on the table, Morgan rose, pulling her weapon onto her back and made way for the door. When she reached it she was met with a small group of others looking to leave. Not needing extra hassle she let them exit first before heading out into the evening. Taking in the crisp air, Morgan felt her spirit rise. Being huddle in that over crowded room hand seemed like a cage, too similar to when she had only so recently escaped. Maybe she would hold off on a house and travel some before laying her roots. She deserved to enjoy her freedom after all didn't she? Choosing no destination in particular she started off down the main street in no particular direction.
 
Cold air never truly bothered Jin, especially since the monastery he grew up in was high in the mountains. Rare occurrences would arise where winter seasons reminded him of home. Slowly lifting his hat making a polite gesture of greetings, Jin responds to Lightning.

“Who else will attend? Surely you don't think I alone, or us alone could change the fate of these trade routes? Are you the leader of this mission as well?”

Faintly Jin's eyes wandered back and forth, examining all around himself. Despite looking lackadaisical Jin prefers to remain on-guard. Yet his main focus was Raquel Lightning, in particular her one yellow and one green eye. Patiently he awaited her response....
 
Nabriel fell back from the blow with a grunt, knocking over the table and what remained of Avery's dinner. As Lightning knelt next to Nabriel she could see that while his nose was already swelling up from ruptured blood tendrils seeping into the tissue. As she pressed her hand to his cheek to heal him, Nabriel nuzzled into the hold, grabbing her hand once the healing was done. "I am in your debt my Goddess." He said, standing up and flicking his hand at the table for it to right itself.
Nabriel stared at Lara for a long moment, looking her up and down once more before speaking. "You are certainly beautiful, but you should be more flexible for when you become one of my wives." He said before quickly following Lightning outside and directly into another confrontation. "Now hold on a moment chap. There is no reason to be rude to the beautiful woman by criticizing her dress and doubting her desires. I am sure she is not wearing those heavy plates for accentuating her figure, although you still manage to look amazing in it." He said, directing the last part towards lighting.
 
Lara sipped her drink and watched as yet another straggler wandered in to inquire about Lightening's mission. His rapid appearance and abrupt departure brought most of the assembled group outside. Nabriel couldn't resist another obnoxious comment before following the solider, though Lara simply ignored him. The Druid waited until most of them departed finishing her drink before rising to her feet. In the space of a heartbeat she was no longer a tall lithe Drow, but a broad shouldered, dark furred wolf. Some of the patrons gave shouts of alarm while the more regular visitors tried to assure them she was harmless...strictly speaking.

The wolf darted forward and out the door silently stalking after her new employer and keeping an eye on the arrogant new arrival.
 
"No...everyone you saw me with earlier will be joining us...They should be out momentarily..." Lightning sensed something behind her and saw a wolf. Huh..no it wasn't a wolf. Magic surrounded it. Oh, so that's how it was. So a druid was among their ranks? That would have been very helpful. "At any rate, with you we'll have the right numbers. As soon as the rest of them join us outside we can leave towards the castle and rest. Come dawn, we will set out on our journey, on foot. We lost nearly half of our horses in the attack..." Lightning folded her arms and sighed. If she came back from this mission alive, she'd be surprised. If the bandits didn't kill her, one of these people would. Maybe Nabriel with his odd affection toward every woman he saw.

"Anyways...Raquel Lightning. What is your name, stranger?" She reached her hand out and realized she didn't know the Drow's name either...and she couldn't just call her wolf. Once she was in human form she'd attempt to communicate with her.

Meanwhile, slinking in the shadows of the night, there were eyes on the group that was assembling at the front of the tavern. The lurker would be nearly undetectable to most as it listened from the alleyway.
 
Morgan's mind had drifted as she walked having stepped into the main square of the city she could still see the lights of the tavern flooding the street only a block behind her. Back among the shadows she could see a large group forming. Curiosity consumed her and she searched around until it caught her eye. A large tree in a nearby plot. The limbs although weak looking, reach out over a rooftop. Making her way quickly up the limbs and onto the shingled roofs before making her way unseen and unheard back down the street until she sat just above the group listening in with eager ears and light breath.
 
A faint orange glow on the horizon was all that remained of the sun as the chill of night began to set in across the town. Torch lights twinkled in the distance as footsteps crunched on the refrozen slush and mud that made up the roadway as a lone man marched toward the town. His face was covered in shadow from his hood being up and the rest of his cloak was held tightly against his body to prevent any heat from escaping. After a few minutes, he approached what used to be a tavern, but now was more of a refugee camp. People were huddled in whatever shelter they could find, be it stables or each other. A few people even had some tents set up. Despite the cold, the area was still quite lively with crowds of people walking and talking about outside.

One particular group of people stood in front of the doorway to the tavern. It was a group of five, a group of oddities if the man was inclined to pay more attention to details. For now though, they were nothing more but obstacles between him and the door to warmth, light, and food. Without breaking pace, nor expending additional effort to walk around, the man pushed his way through the middle of the group making a b-line for the door. It wasn’t his intention to be rude or bump into anyone, but if he happened to knock anyone out of the way he didn’t care. With a final tap he pushed the shoddy wooden door of the tavern open and made his way to the bar counter.

Once inside the building, the hooded man took a sigh of relief as he felt a rush of warm air wash over his face easing the sting of walking through the cold. Taking a seat on the stool, the man announced, “Barkeep, a mug of warm mead and a hearty stew!” His voice was loud and firm to drown out the surrounding chatter of the tavern’s back ground. Moving his cloak to the side, the man revealed his arm, a few silver coins pinched between his finger tips. The tips of his fingers were dirty, stained with something that had long dried to a crusty dark red. Any seasoned adventurer would be able to tell that it was blood that had dried on the hooded man’s fingertips.
 
Gently shaking Raquel's hand, the man speaks lightly. "My name is Jin, pleasure to make your acquaintance. As far as horses go, I'll be the last one you see complaining about walking." Truth is Jin has traveled on foot ever since leaving his monastery at age 18. Motioning forward in no particular direction, he speaks again. "Take lead and I shall follow."

However before Jin proceeded to follow Raquel Lightning anywhere, he felt a matter should be solved. Focus narrowing onto Nabriel, Jin speaks a final time. "I'm not sure who you are, however my demeanor is not your concern. I also believe a woman adorned in armor, can not only stand up for herself, but can tell me herself if there is a problem with the words I've spoken." Jin's focus redirected to Raquel Lightning as he awaited to follow her lead to their next destination. While he waited, Jin couldn't help but occasionally glance at the newly arrived wolf. Jin did not notice the group of people Lightning was discussing with earlier, hell he hardly waited long enough to finish talking.....
 
"My blade stands up for me." Lightning sad as she put a single hand on her hip, her green and yellow eyes staring at him as she gripped his hand tightly and shook. Then she pulled it back and let it fall to her side. She then couldn't help the feeling of being watched, and she knew she didn't just get those feelings for no reason. Her eyes went to the alley behind Jin and she started walking towards it. Before she could get close enough, a man in a chainshirt, a gray short sleeve tunic and black pant stepped into the moonlight. His skin was pale from the nipping cold, his strawberry blonde hair looking as if it was frozen in place, icicles clinging here and there to his strands of hair. "Great Gods! What are you doing out here dressed like that, Aaron?!"

"Following you..." The man spoke, though his body began to shiver now that he wasn't trying to hide himself from her. He liked to watch Lightning from afar. However this time he actually had a purpose. "I need to take some of your recruits..." Lightning frowned and looked back at those who were already outside with her at the tavern. It was at this point she saw some cloaked traveler push passed the group, not seeming to care who was in his way.

"Well, it's true that I did originally find more people than I thought possible, but...why?" She asked him, though her feeling of being watched did not go away. There was someone else eavesdropping around here.

"The King...he's getting worse. He wants to see his last living child before he passes, and I've been sent to investigate our first lead right now. Since it's still dangerous to travel because of Wyndia, I need some people to accompany me. The job pays the same as yours, since we're going into enemy territory here." Aaron looked at Jin and then the wolf that stood outside with them. "Look, I'll let you decide who comes with me. I need to get out of this cold before my blood freezes inside of my veins." With that, Aaron looked up directly up, noticing the woman in the tree. He smiled at her, but he didn't say anything else as he turned and then head back in the tavern to get himself something hot to drink. Lightning just shook her head and waited for the rest of her group to join her outside. If there were any other stragglers, Aaron would bring them to the castle. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor freezing man though. Did he not have anything suitable for this weather? He'd die going on a journey wearing something like that.

"We'll figure this out later. Follow me to the castle." Lightning told her original group and then started for the castle. So, there was Avery, Nabriel, the Drow, and Jin. She needed those four, truly. She might have been able to spare one of them, but even so....that would bring down the chances of her own mission being a success. Hopefully Aaron found his own people while he was there.
 
Lara trotted silently along behind Lightening, her paws barely making any noise on the cold ground. The cold barely fazed, the thick fur of her wolf kept her nice and warm. The man Lightening had spoken to looked like he could have used some fur himself. Human's were so foolish sometimes. Lara hoped she would not be sent to aid that man, his mission meant little to her, appeasing a dying king's wish was not going to help her stop the bandits from harassing the Druid caravan. As they walked towards the castle Lara kept her ears perked, listening for any potential threats. Too often small groups like this were attacked by bandits and thieves and even though they were relatively well armed and hopefully capable group Lara wasn't ready to put her life in these strangers hands just yet.
 
The overturned table and the commotion in the inn had served Avery well. He was consciously intent on following the lovely Lightning to the castle, since food and a warm place to sleep were things that he had not had in a handful of days. He jostled into several patrons in the tavern in his attempt to keep close to the lady in silver, and by the time he exited the building and spotted her again his pouches were fuller and his pockets were filled with rolls of soft bread, trinkets, and small things of interest.

It was rather easy to stay in the background and allow the others to talk. One tended to learn more by keeping their mouth shut and their ears open, and Avery felt as if being quiet and observing was a normal part of his life. As he followed the steadily growing group, his fingers examined the new items in his pockets.

A ring, much too big for the finger it had previously graced... Hm, felt solid. A few coins that he hoped would be welcome when it came time to buy another meal were counted by nimble fingers. A hard hairy thing...

He frowned. What in the world was that?

Avery pulled the thing out of his pocket and looked at it. A rabbit's foot? Really? Who in their right mind would keep a piece of a long-dead animal in their pocket?

He tossed it aside and then continued rummaging through his things as they walked. It never occurred to him to wonder why a soldier (which he assumed he had been) would find it second nature to relieve people of the things they were obviously not too fond of.

If they were fond of those things they would have secured them better, right?
 
Morgan had made her way swiftly but still the man had spotted her as she leaped onto the rooftop. Looking down she gained much information. Two groups were forming under the castle's command to clear trades routes and regain the King's heir. From the sound of everything the pay would be more than sufficient. Hm, an interesting concept. She was faced with a choice now. Although the woman's mission seemed the simpler of the two, the man intrigued her.

Curiosity got the better of her and as the group left, separating ways, Morgan made her way back towards the ground, slipping into the shadows of the tavern. As a group of men made their way inside she slipped in with them unnoticed, spotting the blonde man from earlier. Still far behind him as he made his way through the room she found herself a place in the corner with low lighting and the best view.
 
The barkeep took the coins without much hesitation, though he did wipe the silver with a rag to make sure they were clean before running off to the back. After a few minutes the bar keep returned and set a mug half full of mead and a bowl of stew in front of the hooded stranger. Taking a hold of the mug, the man took a deep swig of the mead before sighing in relief. Though he had been slighted in quantity by half a mug, the honeyed brew was already warming up his body. With spoon in hand, he then tried his stew. From one taste, the man knew that this particular meal was inexcusable. It had been watered down and was scarce on the potatoes and vegetables. The only meat in it was just the bone stock that was used to make the broth. “Barkeep, I ordered the stew, not a bowl of soup!” the hooded man complained.

“You ordered the stew, I gave you the stew,” the barkeep replied calmly as if he had heard this complaint before. “You gave me a silver coin for it. The good stew with meat costs one gold piece. Perhaps that is what you are looking for?”

It was common knowledge that since the invasion food prices had sky rocketed. Being tired from the cold and hunger, the man gave in and tossed a gold coin onto the counter. The barkeep’s grubby hands snatched the coin up and he taunted, “Good choice sir,” before returning to the kitchen with a smirk.

While waiting for his second dinner, the man noticed another man in a chain shirt enter the tavern looking colder than he was. It was quite dumb to be out in this weather without at least a cloak. Taking another deep swig of his mead he lifted the tankard and finished the beverage off, before slamming it down on the counter with a clank. During the action, the hood of his cloak fell from his head to reveal his ruddy hair. By now the barkeep had returned with the stew and with haste, the man dipped his spoon into the bowl and pulled out a hunk of meat, carrots, and potatoes before making it disappear inside his mouth. This meal was far more satisfactory as the sauce was thick and the rabbit meat was rich. After taking a few more bites, he threw another silver coin onto the counter and raised his mug to inform the barkeep he wanted more mead. Hearty food and warm mead was by far the best way to warm yourself up on a cold day.
 
Jin merely followed the lead of Raquel Lightning, movement may have been slow compared to others as he somberly walked. Mind going over the missions at hand, Jin wondered which mission struck interest more. By far the trade route clearing seemed better, Jin seemed to fail to understand how to act in front of royalty. In fact, Jin could rather easily offend anyone without even realizing it.

Exhaling he notices his breath could be seen, only things like this reminded him how cold it really was, unless he's in the mountains or surrounded by snow. Despite only wearing monks robes, Jin still managed to keep warm, he figured it was due to being raised at high altitudes in his mountain monk monastery. While walking he couldn't refrain from continuing some form of conversation with those around him.

"How many of you have actually fought against bandits or sell-swords?" Jin had not faced the latter, bandits posed as a common problem while traveling, especially long distances. Several occasions led Jin into encountered bandits, once he almost didn't survive, luckily held enough arrogance to fight him one after another. Despite winning he may still hold scars from that battle, in fact if it were not for a nearby villager who stumbled across his limp body, he would of never received required to survive.
 
It was a bit of a walk from the tavern that was in the lower level district, where most of the common dwellers lived, to he castle. Lightning hadn't really said anything since they started their march, mainly because she had absolutely nothing to say. Jin's question even slipped through her ears and she hadn't even registered in her head. These people agreed to go with her, so she had nothing else to convince them about. She was, however, worried about the King. Her eyebrows were furrowed as the fact that he was dying hit her. If he died before they found his child, then the kingdom would fall into disarray. Lords would bicker on why their family should be the ones who ruled the kingdom, but if it wasn't a Phoenix who sat on that throne, Lightning would never agree to it. She would sooner find the true successor and come back and take the throne by force so she could place them there.

The group arrived at the gates of the castle, which at this point wasn't really a gate, but two huge walls with a gap in the center since the doors had been broken down during the attack. There were at least six guards who stood watch around there, and once they saw Lightning, they stopped her for a moment and directed her to the west wing of the castle after she asked them where her new found mercenaries could stay for the night. She then gestured towards the group, and they would feel stares coming from the guards. Angry, distrustful stares. Everyone was tense and on edge, they didn't want any Wyndian assassins coming back to try to finish the job on the king.

As they walked towards the west wing, they would soon realize how big this castle was considering it took at least ten minutes of walking to get to the west wing. It was separated from the main building but was still a very large structure in itself. There were less guards stationed in the area. Perhaps one or two that sat in the watch towers that were built around the entire castle. Lightning opened the doors and then stepped to the side. "In here there are empty, private rooms. Unwind, relax, do whatever. Just make sure you go to sleep soon." She leaned her back on the wall behind her and folded her arms, watching them to see what they would do. These rooms were actually much nicer than what they would have found at the tavern.

* * * * *

Aaron shivered and sat next to the hooded man who was complaining about his stew being soup. He laughed a bit when the barkeep told him if he wanted stew, he'd need to pay another gold piece. What a sneaky man, taking not only the silvers for the soup but also the gold piece for the stew. Well, at least he'd eat good tonight. As he sat there he noticed the woman from earlier sneak in with a group of men. Nothing really got passed Aaron. He was almost just as good as spotting someone the way Lightning did, sometimes better in certain circumstances. Like earlier, the woman had obviously been bothered about the news about the King, so she hadn't even noticed the girl. He wondered exactly what she was doing lurking around here and decided to make a note to find her...just as soon as he warmed himself up with a bowl of stew himself.

Once the barkeep returned with his meal, and once again with his drink, He slid two gold pieces over to the man and asked for two helpings of stew, which the barkeep gladly accepted. He was doing well even despite the food shortage. He would probably be sad to hear the news of Lightning being successful in her mission of taking their major trade route back. Aaron slowly partook in his meal, the stew feeling like liquid heat that warmed him to the fingertips from the inside out. Before he knew it the bowl was gone, and he was awaiting his second one. He turned to the man and looked him up and down, quite rudely. He looked like someone who could fight, and he'd truly hate to take away Lightning's spoils tonight. If he could get at least two people on his own he knew that would make her quite happy and slightly less worried about her own mission. "You..look like a man who works hard for his gold. How would you like to come with me on a job? Fifty gold pieces are involved, and all you have to do is escort me to Wyndia and back here."
 
Avery considered the monk's question. Had he fought? Yes... but what was the difference between fighting bandits and fighting sell-swords? Weren't they all trying to kill you?

He pulled his collar up to cover his neck and the bottoms of his ears. The breeze had picked up and he could feel the cool air fingering its way into his clothing. He shook his head at the monk and replied quietly. "I think that most of the people who have fought don't like to talk about it."

The appearance of the castle brought silence to his lips though. It was like a huge, damaged dragon sprawled across his vision. The broken gates bespoke of the violence of the war, and signs of battle still lingered in charred stone and old bloodstains that had not been cleansed completely. The whole place gave him the shivers.

He found himself unconsciously walking closer to their knight lady boss. When she opened the doors to the private west wing he peered inside. The long hallway was lined with doors on either side and a window at the end. Avery's mental map figured out which door would lead to the room with the most southern exposure; hopefully the warmest room in the coming winter. He eyed her briefly as if to say 'really? Any room?', and then he practically sprinted to the door and flung it open.

Space. Glorious space... and it was all his.

There was lots of space in the room. A window with curtains - ACTUAL curtains! - and a tidy narrow bed, a trunk, a small table and chair. Pegs on the wall were obviously for his cloak and belt. He inhaled deeply; the scent of a burning beeswax candle inside the room greeted him. It was warm and lightly mellow. Safe... clean...

Turning his face back to where his commander stood he grinned. "Where do you want us to meet you in the morning Sir?" Once he got his answer he was going to go inside, prop the chair behind the doorknob to lock it the best he could, and sleep.

Glorious sleep. In a place where rats didn't run across your face at night and you didn't have to worry about being stabbed in your sleep (probably). Avery had found his heaven.
 
"Ah, such grandeur. Fitting of someone such as myself." Nabriel state as they were guided to the rooms. "Although it seems to be lacking something quite important. Would My Goddess or My lady like to remedy that oversight?" He asked the two women, Lighting and Lara respectively.
 
While finishing off his current mug of mead, the man could feel someone staring at him. He was used to this because he was not the most subtle of presences. Sometimes though, the eyes belonged to a thief who was able to appraise the value of the few minor class wondrous items on his person*. Shifting his gaze to the man who was staring at him, he was surprised to find the half frozen guard that had walked in earlier. It seemed he had thawed out some as the guard requested his aid for 50 gold.

50 gold pieces was quite a hefty sum for what seemed like a simple escort task, even considering it would take place in enemy territory. The guard must have been really desperate for help, or there was a catch to this proposition. Killing the last bit of mead in his tankard, he replied to the man, “What’s the catch? Tell me more about the details. Is the extra pay for the mission being dangerous? If so I would be more interested, because at least it wouldn’t be boring. By the way, what name do you go by so I don’t have to refer to you as Guard B? Mine is Kendovsekro [Ken-dohv-se-krō], but you may call me Kendov.” When he announces his name, Kendov made sure to pronounce the syllables with his accent to make it clear to the guard.

*Descriptions of those wondrous items can be found in the description of his appearance. There are four of them and they are all minor items. If you can figure out what they are, you get bonus points or something.
 
Once Raquel Lightning finished speaking, Jin heard well enough. Tilting his hat towards Raquel and the others, he speaks. "Enjoy the rest of your evenings, get plenty of sleep, it could be your last." Jin never took scenarios lightly, especially those which blatantly expected danger. Jin held no concern if they considered him rude, he wanted to be realistic. Jin's life wasn't sugar coated to make it easier, why should others get such sympathy?

Before fully leaving the situation and closing the door of his room, he spoke one final time. "If any of you require solace for the adventure ahead. I could surely use someone to converse with." On that note he closed the door, stretching his limbs and body, bones pop and crack in relief. Slumping onto the rather comfortable bed, he takes in his surroundings.

Rooms didn't look this good just anywhere, in fact being a wandering monk, Jin has never been in such an extravagant room. Sitting on his bed, he removed his shoes and hat, placing them nearby. Running his hands through his hair, he sighs heavily. Not able to refrain from thinking to himself. 'Is this truly a wise idea?' Some of these individuals looked to hold more concern over their own health, rather then being a contributing member to a team of fighters. Hell, Jin was no saint when it came to this either, yet knew he couldn't leave behind an ally who fell into critical condition during combat. Such a trait he isn't sure all his other allies possessed.

Jin's mind continued to wander over events leading up to this point in life, focus dead set on the door which held the exit of the room. Simply in case anyone tried to enter, or knock to get attention. Which he terribly doubted anyone would, but habit forced him to be alert of such possibilities.
 
Lara walked along silently behind the group, an almost forgotten shadow. She like Lightening had heard the monk's attempt at conversation but was unable to respond being in the form she was. Though it was unlikely she would respond at all were she not. As they neared the shattered gate's of the castle, the Drow shifted back to a less intimidating form...well, if one considered a Drow in hide and fur less intimidating than a wolf. The guards eyed her warily like she may snap at any moment but she ignored them as she did most people. The moment she stepped through the gates she shivered, the deeper they went into the castle the less she could feel her connection with nature. It made her incredibly uncomfortable to be surrounded by carved stone and wood of human dwellings and a castle this size was positively oppressive.

She barely saw the lavish decor as Lightening led them to the private wing where they would reside for the night. She was focusing as hard as she could on any form of nature she could sense. As she entered the hall she could tell from this sense that one side of the hall faced a court yard of a kind, like an inner park. It was as close as she could get to comfort here. As her new companions picked rooms she beelined for one of the rooms facing the inner yard, without pausing to even look at the furnishings around the room she went out the balcony door and let out a sigh of relief.

Below her was a surprisingly large courtyard and it had been styled to appear as natural as possible. Small ponds, groves of trees, sprawling beds of wildflowers...wildflowers? Well that was even more surprising, some kind of Druidic magic was keeping the small park green year round. The king here must have done something to earn the respect of the Druids, they would never bestow such a gift. Lara stared pensively at the lush gardens. Someone was caring for this garden quite seriously as well.

Lara wandered down the small set of stairs connecting the rooms to the court yard and walked among the trees. They made her feel much more at home, much calmer. Settling down under one of the larger trees, she braced her back against it and relaxed. Being Drow meant sleep was not required, instead she would meditate and add a bit of her own power to this place to keep it strong and healthy.
 
Lightning just shook her head no at Nabriel when asked her to join him in his room. She wouldn't be sleeping much tonight considering she would also be helping the night watch out for this particular area. Though she would attempt to sleep lightly at the very least so that she wouldn't be too tired before they set off. She watched all of them go in and she said goodnight to Jin, seemingly surprised that he had such good mannerisms. Once they were all inside, she sat down upon a bench that was just outside the structure and folded her arms. The cold wind stung at her face, though by now she had gotten used to this weather. That didn't mean she liked it, of course. Some winters ago, Lightning succumbed to a sickness that nearly killed her and ever since, she always dreaded these cold nights.

She decided to stay up at least until Aaron came back, hopefully with another recruit. She knew that she'd definitely could not ask the Drow, whom she really needed to learn her name, to go with him. She wouldn't care anything about his mission. She just wanted to take care of the bandit problem. Nabriel? Well something told her that he wouldn't want to follow a male leader. Avery? Maybe. He was so simple to deal with, just a traveler who needed money. Jin was also on her mind, though she needed a bit more muscle than a druid or a spellcaster could provide.

***

Aaron seemed to find amusement in Kendov's pronunciation, but he didn't say a word. He just let him finish with his questions as the barkeep returned with his next bowl of stew and he cleared his throat. He was never good at the specifics. "My name is Aaron Firebrand. As far as the mission goes, I suppose it's dangerous, but it's also just a very important task as we're looking for someone important. I'll handle all the specifics, I just need to make sure that if I run into trouble I make it back here alive. And that's where you come in." He stood up after finishing his stew, looking back towards the woman from before. Wait, where was she? Ah well. If she was still here she'd probably follow them. "Come with me if your interested." He said before finishing his drink as fast as possible and then leaving the tavern, heading towards the castle. Oh man, fuck this cold...he probably should find a cloak before the morrow.
 
As Moran listened she heard why he was looking for aid. And the pay. She even got enough detail to add to her earlier notes and put them together. As the man, Aaron Firebrand, finished his meal and headed out of the bar, Morgan watched a plan forming in her head. She slide her way through the tavern unseen, even snatching a thick winter cloak off the chair of a sleeping drunkard. Unseen and unheard she made it out the door, spotting the man not far ahead. Moving up behind him she could watch him shiver. Sliding the extra cloak around his shoulders watching him turn his head to see who had done it, she slipped into a stride beside him on his other side. "You're looking for the King's Heir. He's dyeing and the son is in Wyndia. If coming along with you as an aid is worth Fifty gold. Is doing it and not going to the enemy officials with this information worth another fifty?" She asked with an unreadable look on her face.
 
Aaron was rubbing his arms from the cold. He could sense someone was behind him but only thought it to be Kendov. Wait, no. These foot steps were light and he doubted they belonged to a man such as he. Just before he turned he felt something warm drape over his shoulders and he immediately gravitated towards it, pulling it around his body to stop his chills. Then he spotted her again. Oh, she was much cuter up close. He was about to thank her, though he stopped himself as she opened her mouth to speak. He listened closely and then started to laugh a bit once she finished. "You're quite the sharp one, but alas...even if they had this knowledge there is little they could do with it. Not even the king knows what his own child looks like. In fact, he doesn't even know if it's a boy or a girl! So that's why..." Aaron placed his gloved hand on the top of her head and patted her gently. "We're not so worried about that knowledge getting around. Of course there are clues, clues that only a few people know. I am one of those few. So perhaps you can tell the enemy about me, and they will capture and attempt to torture the information out of me."

He gave her a grin that could have been seen as slightly chastising as he stood there in front of her. Eventually he took his hand away and began to walk again. "Or...you can come with me, and I can buy you something around the cost of fifty gold pieces, and once we return here you can get the reward. What do you say?" He called back to her, that same grin on his face. Whether or not he was hitting on her was questionable.
 
Residing in the room which he claimed, Jin sat on the bed in a meditative state. Commonly Jin could be found meditating, what brought on the necessity to do such things? Others would probably say because he's a monk. Jin would merely say meditation clears the mind and enables clarity when times are dark.

Once enough time passed, Jin would drift into slumber. Whether he actually lays in the bed or continues this meditative position is unknown.
 
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