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Post by HorizonsDream on Aug 18, 2017 11:58:56 GMT -8
"I hate to drag your son away during your family reunion," Ladonna says. "But do you mind if I take him away for just a bit? I do have something to discuss with him," she says, asking Clay as she doesn't want to appear to be rude.
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Post by Daos on Aug 18, 2017 15:18:08 GMT -8
(OOC: It is now 10 AM.)
"Aw, that's sweet. But not everyone has as good an ear for music as you do," Coha replies to Theron. "I think some people just assume I can't be any good because I'm a dwarf, and then they go into the performance expecting something bad." She shakes her head. "Anyway, you're talking about the folks who they say stopped a war, right? I don't know too much. There's Damon Auger, of course. Son of Sandon. No big surprise he was involved." She glances over to where Damon is sitting with his mother. "There's also Ladonna Marche, daughter of Jonas. I don't even know why she went. She's just a barmaid, as far as I know. I guess her daddy taught her how to fight, though. Then there's Ryan McIntyre. Well, everyone knows him, I think. Son of Clay, an enforcer for the church and Judy, the only mage in town--well, other than Ryan himself, I guess." She leans in conspiratorially. "You know, I heard Ryan and Damon had a big spat right before they went. I guess they made up, though, if they went on this thing together." Shrugging, she adds, "The other two were kind of a surprise. Bula Dulag, well, I guess you know her, as she runs the Goblin's Tooth. Never saw her as the heroic type, to be honest. And then Tavos, that half-elf who is always getting in trouble with the watch. You know they had him in the stockades that day? Said he was caught trying to ring the watchtower bell the night before. I guess they let him go, though."
Meanwhile, over at the bar, Clay shakes his head at Ladonna's request. "Not at all, not at all. I wanted to talk to Jonas anyway. You two have fun."
Jonas, as it turns out, has finished his story and stepped down. Clay moves toward him and the two start chatting. The crowd, having noticed the reeve's entrance, starts calling for her to step up and tell a tale from the war. Having apparently anticipated this, the reeve hops up to the little stage and launches into the tale of how she beheaded Gressek the Goblin King--always a favorite of the locals.
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Post by notARobot on Aug 19, 2017 8:59:04 GMT -8
"Aye, that's about the size and shape of the rumors I've been hearing," says Theron after Coha has finished sharing her gossip. "What a motley crew they must've made -- the barmaid and the priest-in-training, along with Bula, Tavos, and Damon...the first time someone told me about it, I thought it was one of those 'a guy walks into a tavern' jokes. I wonder if they'll be inclined to share the story of their recent adventure together. It'd be a nice change of pace from the same crusty old men telling the same stale war stories twenty years in a row, at least."
"If...if you don't mind my asking," Theron continues, speaking a touch more softly, "...what would you do if you ever found yourself invited to go along on an adventure like that? Could you picture yourself slaying goblins and dodging arrows and taking shifts at watch duty as your comrades slept 'round a campfire?"
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Post by Daos on Aug 19, 2017 12:53:24 GMT -8
"Well, it's always a motley crew in the stories. The dredges of society that band together and become heroes. I always thought that was just an interesting narrative," Coha says. "Never thought stuff like that actually happens in real life."
Thinking on Theron's question, she answers, "I never really thought about it before, to be honest. But I bet it would make for a great song. I've always wondered if adventures are like in the stories, and how much of them are just embellished to sound more interesting. And I do have some martial training...my father insisted. But I've never actually been in a fight, much less killed someone before. I wonder if I could even do it?"
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Post by HorizonsDream on Aug 20, 2017 15:32:07 GMT -8
Ladonna watches as Clay moves in to talk to her father, and then looks directly at Ryan. "Um, no offence to you, but I would really appreciate it if you tried to convince your father against the idea of the two of us marrying."
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Post by notARobot on Aug 20, 2017 17:00:40 GMT -8
Theronymous gazed raptly, almost reverently, into Coha's green eyes as she spoke. More than a few moments pass after she stops talking before Theron realizes he's still staring. With a flush of red creeping once more over his cheeks, he tears his eyes away and directs them at his feet.
"I'd like to go travelling, someday," he tells Coha. "I've been in this town for twenty years now, and with every day that passes, Buho feels more and more confining. Like you, I don't know if I'd be any good at the adventuring-type stuff, but...if any kind of opportunity to get out of here came along, I think I'd jump at it and never look back." Theron falls silent after that, and allows his ears to unfocus and soak in random bits and pieces of the conversations going on around the room. As he feels the suffusion of warmth start to fade from his face, he looks up and briefly peers across the room before settling his vision on Justin, Ladonna, and Ryan. Theron decides to try to read their lips from across the room to try to figure out what they're saying, more to distract himself from dumbly staring at Coha than for any other reason.
[OOC: Theron uses his Reading Lips NWP (target number 15)] IhLX_wGW1d201d20
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Post by Daos on Aug 21, 2017 11:01:22 GMT -8
"I think I'd like to travel myself. My father travels, as a merchant, so I'm always asking him to describe distant places to me. He's somewhat lacking in imagination, though. Also, he doesn't go very far. Doesn't even leave Tardiff. But he's been to the capital a few times. So I pick up a bit of gossip and rumors from him, but not much else," Coha says, shaking her head sadly. "You know, they say most people never leave the town they are born in; they live and die in the same place. Seems pretty limiting. But then again, travel is expensive and dangerous. It's no wonder so few people do it."
Theron attempts to read Ladonna's lips as she speaks. She has a tendency to use far more words than necessary to express an idea, so it's a challenge. He gets the gist of it, though. She says, "Um, no offense to ... I would ... you tried to convince your ... against the idea of the ... us marrying," to Ryan.
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Post by Nuke on Aug 21, 2017 16:14:04 GMT -8
Ryan answers, "Now, you know as well as I do that trying to tell your Father to think differently is an uphill battle. Just be secure in knowing that our family doesn't practice arranged marriages."
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Post by notARobot on Aug 22, 2017 8:43:40 GMT -8
Theron eventually manages to summon up the courage to look back at Coha. "Your father shares news from the capital with you? I'm jealous...that's where I was born. My uncle and I left there to come to Buho when I was still very young, after my parents died. I've never been back since...that's actually a big part of why I want to travel, to learn more about where I come from and how I got here. I would- maybe sometime we could, um, enjoy a meal together? So I might, um, get caught up on the goings-on around the capital, I mean. And because I, uh, really enjoy your company..." At that last part, Theron's face flushes even redder than before, and he quickly tears his gaze back down to his feet. His suddenly sweaty hands seem to start fidgeting involuntarily, and he completely forgets about eavesdropping on the trio at the bar.
[OOC: JadedDM, could you share with us some basic info on "the capital" that our characters presumably know? Its name is the main thing I'm thinking of -- it would be nice to have another way to refer to it than just "the capital". Also, what's the approximate distance between there and Buho, and in roughly what direction?]
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Post by HorizonsDream on Aug 22, 2017 11:30:54 GMT -8
"Really?" Ladonna asks as she looks through the crowd to spot Clay speaking with her father. "Because it seems like the practice of arranged marriages is happening right now."
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Post by Daos on Aug 22, 2017 13:56:04 GMT -8
Coha looks surprised. "Really? I had no idea you were from Deteris. Then again, I don't think I had been born yet when you moved here. Oh, anyway, if you're hungry, we can grab some food at the festival once it starts up, if you want. I can tell you all about what I've heard. It's all second-hand, mind, but my father isn't the type to make stuff up. For instance, I heard that the queen just hired a new advisor, and he's a bastard half-elf wizard! You can bet the nobles are up in arms about that. Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Don't want to give away all the goods before we even eat!"
(OOC: Your question puzzled me at first, but having now looked over my information threads, I realized I somehow never mentioned the name of the capital or really anything about it. What a bizarre oversight on my part! Anyway, the capital is called Deteris and it's near the center of Tardiff in a county known as Crystal Spire, which is the largest county in Tardiff and adjacent to Solanshire (the county where Buho resides). Deteris is actually fairly close to Buho, about 75 miles to the west. It's part of why Buho gets so much traffic, despite being so small and unimportant. It's a nice little stopover for many people on the way to or from the capital. Deteris is also the largest city in Tardiff, both in size and population. The ruling family, the Junipers, live there and have done so for generations.
Likely, as he was so young, Theron probably doesn't remember too much about it. But if there is anything else about the city that you feel he should probably know about, just ask.)
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Post by notARobot on Aug 23, 2017 22:15:04 GMT -8
"I was a lad of seven when I arrived in Buho! Surely I can't be that much older than you," Theron replies. He pauses a moment, then hastily adds, "I don't, erm -- please don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to imply that you look old or anything! I just meant you- you carry yourself with such maturity and self-assurance and...I guess I'm just a little surprised, is all. You would've been born...right around the Battle of Buho, then, give or take a couple years. Right?"
"Anyways, I- I'd be delighted to have lunch with you at the festival! We can have a nice picnic, and take in the sights of all the goings-on while you share the tales of your father's travels with me. Oh, and the Farboughs are selling their delectable cheeses, and I'll get us one of my Aunt Gilly's nice fresh loaves that she just baked this morning. I'd see about some fruit, too, but from the looks of it Ethen might not make it to the actual festival, the poor old sod," he says, gesturing to the drunken grocer at the bar.
As he looks across the inn, Theron spots Clay McIntyre and Jonas Marche speaking with each other. In spite of his excitement about his prospective lunch date with Coha, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he spends a few minutes trying to understand what the two men are saying.
[OOC: Reading Lips again, target number 15] Xs3aIq|y1-201-20
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Post by Daos on Aug 24, 2017 19:50:28 GMT -8
Coha chuckles. "Yeah, I was born right after the war. Lots of folk were. They called it a 'baby boom.' Guess it's something that happens usually after a war." She glances over to Ethen when Theron mentions him. "Hmm, yeah, he's really hitting the bottle hard today. I mean, even more than normal."
Theron then turns his attention to Clay and Jonas, and tries reading their lips to determine what they are saying. He gets the gist of the conversation, which seems to be about arranging a marriage between Ladonna and Ryan. Jonas certainly seems amendable to the idea, maybe even a bit relieved. Clay promises to hammer out specifics next time he's in town, although he doesn't seem sure when that might be.
At this point, nearly the entire inn erupts into thunderous applause. It seems the reeve has just reached the climax of her tale, the beheading of Gressek the Goblin King.
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Post by Nuke on Aug 25, 2017 17:07:57 GMT -8
"They can talk all they want, at the end of the day, it'll happen or not based on our decisions. We can beome friends and save the world together and see what happens." Ryan says
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Post by notARobot on Aug 25, 2017 20:07:28 GMT -8
"Please excuse me for a moment, Miss Terek," Theron says to Coha. "The time has come for me to introduce myself to the plucky protagonists of the story." Her throws her a wink and saunters over to where Ladonna and Ryan are standing.
"Good day to you, Miss Marche, Mister McIntyre," he says as he approaches the pair. "My name is Theronymous, and a moment ago, when I spotted the two of you conversing over here, I was absolutely overwhelmed by my sense of duty. A duty, in this particular case, to inform you that you're both the targets of all manner of wild and possibly spurious rumors in relation to the events following the incident at the Kurtz farm. Normally I'm not the sort to pay any heed to this sort of thing, mind you...but I figured that our present circumstances might afford you a unique opportunity to tell the story true and set the record straight, once and for all. When else will you have the listening ears of so many of Buho's most influential citizens, all gathered together as they are now? And also, I must confess, I am more than a little curious to hear the tale recounted, for myself. Much of what is being said about you strains the limits of my credulity."
Without waiting for a reply, Theron grabs a mostly-empty mug of ale from the bar, withdraws a dagger from its sheath on his belt, and proceeds to repeatedly tap the glass with the flat side of the blade. After five or six piercing TINGs sound out, he quickly replaces the mug on the bar and the dagger in its sheath, then steps back a few paces so he's no longer standing in the immediate vicinity of Ladonna and Ryan (though he remains close enough that he could still make out anything they might say to him, if they were speaking to him at a normal volume).
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