[08A] Travel Arrangements

[Merc]

Session Start: Sun Jan 24, 2010

<Merc> It's a few weeks after the capture of that hoodlum and the group speaking with the royal blacksmith. Since then, they've been living a comfortable life at the castle as royal guests, doing things around the capital to keep themselves interested as they waited for their weapons and armor to be prepared.
<Merc> That day has finally arrived, and having receieved those items, find themselves in the presence of the recovered king, who wishes to speak with you all.
* Maya heads in, leading the group, dressed modestly and respectfully by her standards, since it was a royal audience and not a party, a vivacious dress covering much of her form.  She looked around the audience room as they entered.
* Elise is more than glad to put an end to this time of unproductive idleness, and enters the room positively beaming as she looks forward to whatever else she might do to benefit the realm.
<Merc> The audience room is mostly empty. Present besides your group are just three others: The king, his brother and the captain of the guard. (OOC - Khel, assume you already spoke with the captain based on what I told you the other day)
* Aleph enters, dressed...as is normal for him. He didn't care for the frumpy getups that were common for people in this social stratus.
<Aleph> ...thankfully, few people were there to actually comment on his state of dress
<Merc> "Greetings all of you," the king greets politely. "I hope you've all enjoyed your time here while your items were crafted." His brother nods as he eyes the items on you. "They look well on you all."
* Aleph has...well, a totally awesome new bow. It's awesome. And stuff.
<Maya> Not surprisingly, her shimmering new blade was not in view during her audience with the king.  Though, that supposedly didn't make it not there.  "Nothing quite like royally smithed work," Maya smirked.  "I'm glad to see you're up and about, My leige."
<Elise> "Yes, your majesty," Elise says with a nod. "I will put these armaments to good use in the service of god and country!"
<Aleph> ...it's also a huge pain in the ass to draw properly, though, unlike his old bow.  But that would be the difference between a hunting bow and something that, presumably, could punch through heavier armor
* Aleph nods. "The draw took a bit of getting used to, but...should be better against armor, at least."
<Merc> "Thank you. I've been told it was touch and go for a while, even with the antidote you procured, but I've had time to heal up since then," the king replies to Maya's statement before nodding to Elise. "I certainly hope you all will. It's part of why I've called you all in here, of course."
<Aleph> "That aside, yeah, enjoyed the--hm?"
<Elise> "You have...a quest?" Elise says with some enthusiasm.
* Maya raises an eyebrow, not entirely having been planning to work for the king, but she could hear him out at least.
* Kheldar simply leans forward, listening intently.
* Aleph quirks an eyebrow. This could be better than going back to wasting away back...there. With all those old people who just considered him a kid.
<Merc> "If you all feel you can do without returning home, yes," he states seriously. His brother takes over here. "As you remember, your group and some of our soldiers found some information regarding the assassination attempt. We had hoped otherwise, but it does look to be the work of someone from Vyrdam..." he grimaces at the word. (OOC - Vyrdam Republic is the nation from which yours, Adallia, broke apart from)
* Kheldar frowns. "Subversion, my lord?"
<Elise> "Those fiends! Who do we need to smite to avenge this insult?"
<Aleph> "...hoo boy, this is going to be a long meeting..."
<Merc> "Unsure. We've had a somewhat tentative peace treaty for the past few years, but there's still plenty of warmongers about," the captain replies. "We were hoping for you to travel there and meet up with one of our agents, who might be able to shed some light on these individuals, preferably with the hope that it's not someone...high up."
<Maya> "You want us to be spies?" Maya mused over the suggestion.  "I could travel that way, but you're asking us to take on a great risk."
<Merc> The king and his brother both nod at the captain's statement. "We cannot afford a full out war with those of Vyrdam. For all the we are often renown for our 'heroes', they seem to have mostly fallen off the face of the map. A war now would be costly to say the least. An assassination attempt at least hopefully points to nobody there hoping for a war as well."
<Aleph> "Eh, better than back home, in my opinion." Aleph immediately stated.  "Count me in either way."
<Kheldar> "I see. Just how well placed is this agent of ours? If he or she is too close to the government of Vyrdam, it will be difficult to make contact and not place suspicion on them."
<Maya> She found it surprisingly, less onerous as she rolled over it in her mind than she expected.  Talking and traveling had been on her plan to begin with.  Having an excuse and possibly royal pay and pardon wouldn't hurt.  It also added a...tantalizing spice of danger to the whole affair, something that the sword dancer who lived always on the edge of her blade found quite delightful as a notion.  Her silent musings didn't leave
<Maya> her lips though, bargaining and bartering was something she'd learned at her papa's knee.
<Merc> "Of course, we understand the risks you'll take, and you'll be properly rewarded if you are successful in ferreting out whomever is involved in this. You shouldn't have too much trouble making contact with our agent, and we'll fund for your trip there."
<Maya> "And of course, as none of us are royal servants any respect, it'd be somewhat hard to trace us back here.  Hopefully, we'd be able to hear things that more known diplomats couldn't hear."  Her nod of approval was fairly clear.
<Elise> "What will we be needed for once we arrive?" Elise asks. "I don't know if I could be a spy. It's so...sneaky and underhanded!"
<Maya> "It'd be a good experience for you, Elise," Maya smiled slyly at her companion.  "Sometimes more can be saved by a pretty smile and a kind word than a protective blade and shield.  Equally, a poisonous word can undo much truth."
<Merc> "There won't be much spywork for you really, so don't worry about that, that'll have been taken care of. Mostly, we're hoping you'll be able to take whatever information you are given to help prevent a war in the future," Lord Anoire comments.
* Aleph nods. "So, when do we leave?"
* Elise can only frown at Maya. If the king commands it, she can't say no.
<Kheldar> "Of course, my Lord. But really, we can only do so much. Do you have an embassy in Vyrdam that we can contact, should the need arise to get information to you urgently?"
<Merc> "As soon as you feel ready to leave, you may. And no, I doubt anyone at all in Vyrdam would ever feel pleased with an embassy of all things," Lord Anoire snorts. "That sort of thing would be like admitting that we do not belong to them."
<Kheldar> "No doubt that they would continue to say so, even with a sword at their throat."
<Maya> "Who is our contact...and how shall we be meeting and recognizing them?" Maya wondered the obvious.
<Merc> "There's a couple of ways you can get to Vyrdam," the captain states as he pulls out a large scroll and unfurls it, showing a map of Adallia which he uses to point out stuff. (ooc - more)
<Merc> "You can head towards Urseus. From there, you can head towards the mountain area, where a spellcaster lives as a hermit. He can provide you with a way into Vyrdam that should keep your entry subtle, assuming you trust such magics..." he comments as he looks at the silent Anassia. "Alternatively, you can take a ship to Sailor's Port from Urseus, and then head towards Farvona, essentially entering Vyrdam from that direction." (ooc - more)
<Merc> "...or, I suppose, you can head back to Ferune, speak with your families, and head to Vyrdam openly. I...would not recommend this, however," the captain states, as the king frowns. "I doubt it'd be that dangerous for them to enter from our borders, Captain Avriks..." the king admonishes.
<Aleph> "...yeah.  I'd rather not go back there.  ...how about the ship?  I've never been on a ship before."
<Kheldar> "I agree with the Captain, your Majesty. I feel that a more subtle approach would behoove us. The less attention we call to ourselves, the better."
* Kheldar nods at Aleph. "A sound idea. It is very easy to be anonymous in a busy sea port."
<Elise> "Either route is suitable for me. I have never been on a boat. I have never been to the mountains. Either way I'll be seeing something new."
* Maya shrugs her shoulders. "I've never been to a sea port, it does sound like fun."  SHe eyed the others, wondering vaguely if any of them ever had either.
<Merc> The captain shrugs, and carries on. "Regardless of your method of entry, you'll find the contact, a woman named Feris, at the inn in a town called Windgate. Once you're in Vyrdam, you'll have to find your own way to that town. Once there, you can recognize each other by a set of phrases."
* Maya quirks her head, listening carefully to recall them later when needed.
* Aleph listens closely as well, though he is semi-distracted by a certain detail about the contact.
<Merc> "You can start by ordering a 'green bean roll'. Either Feris or someone else should tell you that they're out, I imagine. Once you're told this, just state 'Well, I'll just have to travel south then', and Feris should recognize you then and approach you in some fashion."
<Kheldar> "A harmless enough code phrase. I'll be sure to remember it."
* Maya nods.  "Anything else?"
* Elise memorizes the code phrase carefully. Remembering seemingly meaningless stretches of text is totally something she can handle!
<Merc> The captain shakes his head at Maya's question. "Once you're appraised of the situation by Feris, use that information as best you feel will prevent a war between our nations. That is all that we ask."
* Aleph nods.
<Maya> "Alright, well, we can do what we can.  If you're paying for the trip and it helps protect our country, how could we refuse?" She smiled, acquising to the request.
<Kheldar> "I'm glad your sense of patriotism is so prevalent." Kheldar deadpans.
<Maya> She gave a playful smirk back at Kheldar in response.
* Aleph snrks. "Now, now. The fact that it doesn't come out of our pockets is something, you know."
* Aleph ponders what a ship ride would be like, on that note...mentally imagining what things would be.
<Merc> ***
<Merc> Two days later, the group is reaching the outskirts of Urseus, the harbor town closest to the capital. From there, they can find various ships sailing to Sailor's Port, and from there travel just about anywhere else.
<Maya> Maya had returned to one of her dancing outfits as they entered, looking around with excitement at the busy town before them.  She'd met quite the number of traveling merchants coming from Urseus, but it was her first time there, and the real thing was quite a step up from the tales of folks to whom this was regularly travel.
<Merc> The town is fairly small for a somewhat important trade hub, most of it seeming to be inns, entertainment businesses, and the harbor itself.
* Elise is at least impressed by the sea, wide-eyed as she looks out at the horizon. "It looks like it just goes on forever."
* Aleph has never been to this place. One thing is for sure, though. He likes it. It seems quite active despite its size...and it seemed to be more exciting than his hometown. And then there was the sea. "...woah. First time I've seen that."
* Kheldar breathes in the salty air, impressed with the vista. "It is beautiful, yes. My grandfather told me of the sea once, but neglected to mention its beauty."
<Jack> "Ahh, this takes me back. S'been a while since I've to a port town."
<Maya> "Can you guys smell that...is there something different in the air?"  She wondered, glancing about.  "It doesn't seem to be coming from the market."
<Jack> "You mean  the ocean?"
<Aleph> "...that's what that smell is?"
<Maya> "It's a bit salty really...so that's what that is?"
* Jack laughs
<Kheldar> "What else would it be?"
<Jack> "Well it IS salt water."
<Elise> "There's something different about sea water," Elise says knowledgeably. "You can't drink it. Well, except that one time when Saint Boniface purified it to relieve the siege of Aladile. But otherwise not."
<Kheldar> "Hmm. We can sightsee later. For now, I suggest we find an inn close to the harbor. From there, we can search for a ship that suits our needs."
<Maya> "It could be have a local scent.  I don't suppose any of you have actually been here before?" She wondered, nodding to Kheldar's line.  "The evening is always best for sight seeing anyway."
<Elise> "This is the farthest I've ever been from home," elise says, shaking her head.
<Aleph> "Wish I could say I have." Aleph responds
<Jack> "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink."
* Kheldar nods, and sets off in search of a proper inn to house them.
<Jack> "I've not been to this port, that I recall, but I spent a short time on the sea in my travels."
<Merc> There's a ton of inns in town, though the first few Kheldar asks seem to be filled up. He quickly manages to find one that's got some rooms available.
<Maya> "I hear if you drink enough of it, your eyes go yellow and the world seems to spin around you like a top," Maya mentioned as they walked.
* Aleph is busy looking about the town as he follows the group. "...ech. Note to self, do not drink seawater."
* Elise also plays the part of obvious tourist, looking one way and another at everything; the town might not be huge, but surely there's still plenty here that's new to her.
<Merc> "Hello, young man, looking for a room for the night?" An elderly fellow asks as Jack enters his inn.
<Jack> "Aye, a couple, if you have the room to spare."
<Merc> He nods at Jack, then startles as he spots Kheldar. "Oh, I'm sorry, sonny, I didn't see you come in. You looking for a room as well?"
<Jack> "E's with me."
* Kheldar sighs. "Yes, I'm with him. While you're at it, I don't suppose you could point us in the direction of a fast ship headed towards Farvona?"
<Merc> "Ah. How many rooms will you be needing and for how many people? We have a few rooms available today, a lot of people just left on this morning's ship to Sailor's Port," the old man comments as he looks towards Kheldar again. "No ships from here heading to Farvona, you'll have to head to Sailor's Port to catch such a ship, I figure..."
<Jack> "How many to a room? There are six of us, three men, three women."
<Maya> "That a bigger port?" Maya slipped out from behind the two menfolk, wondering herself at the innkeeper as she let Jack pay for their rooms with the king's stipend.
<Aleph> "...I say two." Aleph chimes in
<Kheldar> "Oh, yes." Khel nods his thanks. "I'm not too familiar with the local trading routes."
<Merc> "Sailor's Port the place from which ships head to all other ports as far as I know, ma'am," the innkeeper replies. "And we do have a few rooms with three beds a piece free, so two rooms will do, if that's what you'd like."
<Jack> "We'll take 'em."
* Elise performs some basic mental math. "But how can we split up in three rooms? There are three men and three women! If we split up in pairs, then...one room will have a man AND a woman! We should take the two rooms instead."
<Aleph> "Could be more than one." Aleph snrks.
* Jack looks at Elise
<Jack> "We're splitting up in two rooms."
<Jack> "Men in one, women in the other."
<Maya> "Elise, you worry about the strangest of things."
<Aleph> "..."
<Maya> "Clearly, we must get some wine and stay up to discuss how this goes," She eyed the guys teasingly.  "I'm sure they have interesting brands here."
* Elise looks at Maya. "I don't see what's strange about that at all. Unmarried men and women shouldn't share a bedroom." She nods confidently.
* Aleph glares death in general, letting off a string of mental curses that would make even the most sailor-like mentalist blush
<Merc> The innkeeper laughs as he states the price for the rooms. "There's a ship leaving to Sailor's Port early every morning. Some other ships might as well, though I cannot say if they'll accept passengers, you'd have to ask around if you happen to be in any hurry," he adds after giving the price.
* Jack snickers at poor, naieve Elise
* Kheldar just sighs, shaking his head at Elise. "Are there any captains that you'd suggest we speak to?"
<Aleph> "I agree with Maya.  We need booze."
<Jack> "Well, Maya, I suppose if we all shared one room, we could save on our traveling funds. That'd put two to a bed..."
<Merc> The old innkeeper shrugs. Whether it's because he doesn't know any or simply doesn't wish to discourage customers from staying the night, you cannot tell.
* Elise turns a righteous glare on Jack. "Unacceptable!"
* Kheldar refrains from sighing again at the silent old man. "Very well. My thanks."
<Jack> "Spoilsport."
<Aleph> "As are you." Aleph asides to Jack
<Maya> "Oh, that's true.  But you know, I think a good man like you would take the floor instead." She smirked back, playing with Jack in return.
* Kheldar adds to the group, "I'll be making the rounds at the local watering holes. There are bound to be sailors there who are spending their monthly pay for a good drink. And where there are sailors, there is information on the fastest ships in port."
<Maya> "Khel," Maya smiled, leaning near and wrapping her arms about his shoulders. "You're in a bit too much of a hurry."  She whispered.  "We're going to draw more attention than we need if you go asking like that.  Relax a little...any boat would do, wouldn't it?"
<Jack> "Aye, and if you ask the sailors, I reckon they're ALL the fastest ships in port."
* Elise nods. "It could be interesting to look around town and listen to stories. There might be people from all over the world here!"
<Aleph> "..."
<Aleph> "Hey, innkeep.  What sort of drinks do you have?"
* Kheldar simply looks at Maya, raising an eyebrow at the arms around him. "I prefer to be expedient. Besides, this is simply the best way to gather information. I'm not nearly as inept as you seem to think I am."
<Aleph> "Right.  Before you go, we need to know something.  How many angry merchants are we going to have to get you away from?"
<Maya> "Mmm, well, that leaves to be seen," She tapped his chest and let go.  "But really, It's hardly expedient to ask for the fastest traveling merchant," She shrugged.
<Merc> "Just about any. Our strongest drink would be a bottle from Hilfernas. Their alcohol costs a pretty penny if you're interested, however," the old man comments. "You can get some local drinks for free with your dinner meal, however."
<Aleph> "Hey, Maya.  They have a special from Hilfernas!"
<Maya> "Sounds like fun...a couple of glasses surely wouldn't hurt," She smiled.  "It'll be a different taste.  But let's go check on our travel before we come back for a good meal.  Work makes you hunger," She winked at Aleph.
<Aleph> "Well, as long as we don't have to be so extraordinarily picky about the speed of the ships."
<Kheldar> "Faster is better, but we'll take what we can get."
<Aleph> "Not that there's any real way to prove this by hearsay, you understand."
<Maya> "So, who's going to be the first to tell a merchant offering passage that their ship isn't fast enough?"  She wondered easily, stepping out of the inn and starting to lead toward the harbor.  She didn't know for sure, but she had a good sense that someone there would know what they wanted to know.
<Aleph> "He's the one being picky about it, I say Khel does."
* Jack follows along
<Merc> As Maya asks around, she eventually gets pointed towards one of the buildings by the harbor. Inside are a couple of people talking regarding a ship's delivery apparently not arriving that day.
<Maya> She paused a second, moving slowly and listening a bit before walking up, casually overhearing what they were saying about it as she eyed over to make out who was visible in charge of the affair.
<Merc> "Look, I'm sorry the ship is late, but it's not my job to make sure a ship is on time," one of the pair states. "Things happen, it'll probably be in tomorrow, or something."
* Kheldar is quiet, a shadow in the dark corners of the building. He silently follows Maya, keeping a watchful eye on the patrons.
* Maya slips up, "Excuse me, are you the harbor master?" She used a term she'd heard before, generally in swearing down at the inns.
<Merc> "But what if it was pirates? What then! Those were very important deliveries I needed to take to Lunas! Who'll reimburse me then?" the other insists. He's scoffed at, however. "Pirates? That's just trouble they talk about on the other side of Belnord and Farvona. I've been working here all my life and never heard of a pirate attack."
<Merc> "Excuse me," the first man states to the worried man as he turns to Maya. "Yes, what can I do for you?"
<Elise> "Pirates?" Elise repeats with some excitement. "Really? Are there rogues around that need smiting?!"
<Maya> "Ah, thanks," She smiled, slipping between the two.  Probably a pleasant relief, as much as it liked to irritate the frustrated man yelling about his missing ship.  "We were wondering about passage to either Farvona or Sailor Island.  I was wondering if you might know who to talk to about that."
* Aleph sighs. "No, this has nothing to do with us. Immediately, anyway."
<Elise> Elise turns a Look on Aleph. "Aleph! We can't just overlook THEFT and possibly MURDER."
<Jack> "Yes, yes we can."
<Aleph> "...uh, we're not going to be looking out on the sea for pirates.  We have more pressing issues."
* Elise frowns. "Well...alright, but if we DO find some along the way, we have tp punish them!"
* Kheldar just...continues looming. Like a bat.
<Merc> "Sailor Island? Oh, you mean Sailor's Port? A bunch of ships leave in the morning, and there's a couple leaving later today, though those don't usually take passengers. As for Farvona...well, we usually don't have any ships traveling directly there, but there is, or rather -was- supposed to be one arriving in today." The harbormaster grimaces as the other man pounces on those words. "Yes! And it's late with MY cargo!!!"
<Merc> "And like I said, it'll probably be in tomorrow. Probably just a storm or something delayed it," the harbormaster tries to calm the trader again.
<Merc> "I'll bet it's pirates! Oh, my precious cargo, it's probably sunk to the bottom of the sea!!!" the man wails.
<Aleph> "..."  Aleph looked at the hysterical merchant quizzically.  Talk about paranoia...
* Kheldar looms...in a sympathetic manner. "At least no one actually stole it, if that's so." He comments.
<Maya> "Do you recommend anyone?" She wondered curiously to the harbor master.
<Elise> "But at least if someone stole it it can be retrieved," Elise adds, not really willing to let go of a chance to do good.
<Merc> "Oh, what good does that do me? I need the cargo -here-, not in some pirate's grubby hands or the bottom of the sea!" the tradesman bites back at Kheldar's attempt, as the harbormaster sighs in relief as the attention is directed away from him again. "If you don't mind waiting for that late ship, that's probably going to be your fastest bet to Farvona since you won't have to detour out towards Sailor's Port. I'm really sure it's nothing serious and it should be in soon, certainly sooner than taking a detour. Otherwise, just wait for one of the ships leaving in the morning, and then take a boat from there to Farvona."
<Merc> I'm really sure it's nothing serious and it should be in soon, certainly sooner than taking a detour. Otherwise, just wait for one of the ships leaving in the morning, and then take a boat from there to Farvona."
<Kheldar> "There will be other cargo, friend." He replies mildly.
<Maya> "Thanks," She gave him a bright smile.  "Well, we can wait a day or so for it to show up, and if it does, we can ask that captain for a spot on the way back.  If it takes a while, we'll take the detour," She offered as a plan to the others, moving away from the duo.
<Merc> The trader just looks at Kheldar like he's insane, gaping silently. He turns and glares at the harbormaster. "That ship better arrive soon!"
<Merc> The trader then huffs as he stomps away.
<Kheldar> "I think that that man needs to learn to relax. Money isn't everything." Kheldar says in a wise tone, stroking his chin in a thoughtful manner.
<Merc> The harbormaster shrugs. "As long as he's not bugging me, I don't care."
* Jack facepalms
<Aleph> "...apparently he seems to keep running into angry merchants." Aleph asides to Elise.  "Chances are, when he gets married, his wife will be an angry merchant."
<Elise> "At least they will have a lot in common to talk about? Or yell about?"
<Aleph> "Clearly, he enjoys being yelled at by merchants." Aleph snrks.
<Kheldar> "Perhaps he's a masochist?"
* Elise blinks. "A what?"
<Aleph> "Why yes, yes you are." Aleph responds.
<Kheldar> "Ah...." Kheldar trails off nervously.
<Kheldar> His eyes dart about the room, as if cornered.
<Elise> "What's wrong? I just asked what a word was!"
<Kheldar> "A masochist is a person that..." His voice fails again. "Maya can tell you better than I can.
<Kheldar> "
<Elise> "Oh. It's something Maya knows more about, I guess?"
<Maya> "Teasing Kheldar?" She smirked.  "Oh, and then shifting silliness to me, how nice," She paused in her intent to help bail the poor man out.  "It's someone who enjoys getting into situations where they are abused, verbally or physically."
<Jack> "And a sadist is someone who enjoys doing the abusing... They make lovely couples."
<Maya> "And no, I wouldn't know about that personally.  He's just a dirty little boy sometimes,"  She swayed off ahead, leading around the harbor to take a look.
* Elise frowns. "That doesn't sound very healthy..."
<Kheldar> "For some, it's the only way they get any pleasure out of a relationship. It is not as bad as it sounds. Only some cases are...extreme."
* Kheldar is not really happy to be explaining, but feels that it was rather dirty of him to shift the focus to Maya.
* Aleph snrks.
<Elise> "Anyway," Elise says, sounding rather eager to change the subject, "I agree with Maya. We can wait until tomorrow?"
<Maya> "Quite the big ships they have here," Maya eyed them as she listened to them catching up.
<Elise> "Yes," Elise agreed. "I've never seen the like before. Back home all we had were little fishing boats for the lake."
<Aleph> "Huge.  I wonder how it'll be going on one of those."
<Jack> "So, who else is interested in getting liquored up on the top shelf booze, on the king's dime?
<Aleph> "Hell yeah!  Let's take the Hilfernas Special"
<Maya> "That'd be me," Maya turned and gave Jack a grin. "I had the same thought...though, if you've never had high class liquor before, it is better savored rather than dunked down."
<Elise> "No," Elise says in a huff. "But if you insist on doing so I will watch and make sure no pickpockets loot your belongings during your shameful revelry."
* Jack makes eye contact with Maya, then subtly slides his eyes towards Elise
<Aleph> "Oh, come on, Elise.  It'll be fun."
<Elise> "I didn't say I wouldn't come! I said I wouldn't drink."
* Maya smirks. "I'm glad you'll be watching over us, Elise.  you need one stick in the mud at any party."
<Aleph> "Anyway, let's go!"
<Elise> "It's a lonely duty, but someone has to do it."
<Maya> "Don't worry.  There is an upside," She smiled, wrapping an arm around elise's shoulders and walking with her.  "When someone does something horribly embarassing, you'll remember to remind them."
<Elise> "Yes. How could they learn from their mistakes if they don't remember them? I'll keep track of every terrible thing each of you does!"
* Aleph grins. "Will you now? Are you sure that'll discourage us?"
<Maya> "Of course, that will be a terrible thing to do to someone with a hangover," She nodded. "So you wouldn't do that for several days later."
<Elise> "Why not? It would better help to demonstrate the error of their ways."
<Maya> "But then you'd be doing a terrible thing."
<Elise> "Not at all! It would be for a good cause."
<Aleph> "But it would be terrible.  Heckling someone who can barely see due to the bright lights!  Have you no shame?"
* Aleph added that teasingly
<Jack> "No, no, it's fine."
<Maya> "Well, she's too young to handle her liquor easily, so it's not surprising.  I guess you can't blame her for it," She mused alongside, Elise and then let go, leading back toward the inn.
<Jack> "After all, she'll run the risk of being puked on."
<Elise> "I have nothing to be shameful about," Elise insists. "Everyone else has more than enough of that for the whole group."
<Aleph> "But you would if you were to engage in the harassment of people who were nauseated and in pain."
<Jack> "Shame? What is this shame you speak of?"
<Elise> "I guess it's something I'll have to teach you about, Jack."
<Jack> "G'luck with that."
<Merc> The group soon finds itself back at the inn. Dinner is still a way off, so not a lot of people are in the dining area of the inn, just a group from Ferune looking to get drunk.
* Elise orders only water, of course.
* Maya sits nearby, since they're on a fairly large table, "Mind if we join you folks?"
<Merc> One of the men lifts an eyebrow, and makes a welcoming motion. "Always room for a pretty lady at this table," he states.

[Merc]

bump for placement