Ren takes the coin gingerly and examines it.
”Ah! This coin is minted from a unique blend of metals; it is very hard to duplicate. However, essentially it is like a signet ring. The symbol is a mark of the Khan’s heraldry. Anyone who sees it will recognize that it comes from his House.
”It is not – in fact – a rare or valuable metal in of itself. Rather, the coin is a symbol which, if given to one of the folk from Osirion who recognizes the crest; they will see the coin and realize that it signifies that whoever is carrying it has the full blessing of his House. If you ask the person to do something they will do it as if the Khan himself is asking. Then, if they return it to the Khan and explain what happened he will honor them for their service to him through you.”
It seems that Ren has moved into an almost “Default” mode in which he resorts to speaking/educating you about a subject. Because he is now giving you a speech about cultural information he is able to seemingly bury his emotions with some ease.
This may be a good thing; before you initiated conversation about the coin he seemed a bit – different – when you approached him. His manner and mood seemed far more tense then usual for some inexplicable reason.
Taissa listened and did not interrupt Ren as he spoke about the coin and its significance. He seemed more comfortable now than at the Khan's bathhouse or moments before he started speaking.
Her hand moved to take the coin from Ren and her fingers brushed his for a moment. Taissa's sapphire eyes were dark and shaded from the night and dappled light of the lantern, but she looked up at Ren. Without breaking eye contact, she slowly pulled her hand away with the coin. Then she carefully wrapped the coin in the cloth and placed it inside the pouch at her belt.
Her voice was softer, huskier, attempting some semblance of discretion aboard the ship,
"It is a fine boon and offer. Amurath Khan is generous, especially to a stranger within his home. I shall keep it safe until a time when I need it. Thank you, Ren." Taissa smiled slowly at the half-elf First Mate, as if gauging his current mood.
"May I ask you something?" Taissa pushed away the copper tendrils that had escaped the braid and now blew about her face.
"Back at the Khan's bathhouse, something was amiss? You appeared ... disturbed by something? There was a strange look upon your face. Were you angered, like Captain John?"
Taissa's eyes were upon Ren's again, waiting and eager to hear his reason.
Ren looks at Taissa with surprise.
”Angered? No – I was not angered…” he says with a touch of confusion in his voice.
”I was… I was…” he stops and takes a deep breath then starts over.
”We two are alike in that we come from a mixed bloodline of elves and men.”
”It is a truth that elves have less passion or raw emotion than humans do. Humans tend to become more… aggressive; more violent; more, more… dangerous, then the elves in many respects,” he says slowly.
”From time to time I can feel the stirring within me of deeper and more… intense… emotions.”
”I recognize these emotions to be from my human bloodline; they are more barbaric – more brutal, more physical then the other aspects of my life.”
He stares back into your eyes; you can see that he is doing what he can to mitigate whatever is stirring within in him. He seems to be consciously stifling how he feels and instead seems more interested in keeping calm. It is as if at any moment he may do something aggressive with you, or near you, or toward you – and he does not want to do that. That he is struggling to resist that urge.
You would guess that at some point in his life when he was younger he must have done something extremely violent which was not characteristic of him. It is also likely that he attributed those feelings to his “human half” and is now reacting to those feelings by stifling any emotion that is within him that he recognizes as violent or aggressive; as if he is ashamed of those feelings.
You would also suspect that when he saw you bathing that something stirred within him that was – by his description: brutal; aggressive; intense; barbaric… That seeing you naked in the water made him want to act on those brutal or barbaric feelings that stirred inside him. He felt guilty that he would feel so “Passionate” about you; that his feelings must be “bad” because they were from the darker part of his past. Consequently, he did what he could to bury them.
”When I saw you bathing, I was stirred from my human side… I knew that what I felt was darker, more violent, and what went through my mind then… It was not healthy or civilized. It was more… more primitive… If I had continued to think those thoughts I may have acted on them and that would not have been decent of me,” he adds looking at you.
She had known hardship due to her lineage -- neither Elf nor Human -- something akin to both, but not accepted by the purebloods.
She reached out her hand, but her fingers did not connect with Ren's hand but stayed slightly atop his skin, unwaveringly.
"You found me desirable?" The last word faltered as if she did not understand how someone could find her looks worth appreciating.
She leant forward against the side rail of the ship, watching the white caps upon the dark waves.
Her face turned toward him once more. "I grew up in the wilderness. Animals were my kin - not Humans, not Elves. I did not abide by the nature of one or the other -- but grew to feel as primitive and raw as the animals who loved and cared for me. Passion is light and dark. It is only when we fear its pull and weight, that we run from its blaring purity and honesty. Animals do not distinguish and question. They feel and show, take. I am uncertain what has come to pass in your life to make you feel that passion can only be violent and dark. It has a sting, aye, but it can be honed like steel, and it burns a multitude of colours."
Her sapphire eyes pinned him with their intensity. "You wanted to take me? Rut?"
"You found me desirable?"
He looks away; his face struggling to look impassive.
"Aye," he says eventually.
"You wanted to take me? Rut?"
His fingers seem to curl into fists, but he does what he can to maintain a calm and steady breathing.
"No, not mere rutting.. I wanted... I wanted to take you; aye - but it would not have been mere 'rutting'. It would have been far more... more personal than just rutting... I do not think you would have liked me like that... In such a mood I would have been much more aggressive; perhaps more violent with you... Indeed, I would have... I would have..." he stops himself, his breathing is far more ragged and you can see the vein in his throat throbbing as blood throbs through it heavily.
His eyes are more intense at this point and you think you can hear a low growl in his throat as if he is struggling with something more bestial inside him.
Ren's low growl touched her ears and she responded in kind; her husky growl was purely animalistic as one would expect of a female Alpha.
She stood her ground - not stepping away from Ren.
"Do not turn your eyes from me when you tell me you find me desirable. I would not feel as though you are ashamed of it or me." Her breath was a little harder as her heart beat faster inside her chest.
"I have watched animals rut. They do so to survive; for the group to survive and prosper. No shame."
"You may have felt a violent passion toward me, but I do not believe you would have violently taken me. Fire is not always cruel or oppressive."
Taissa brushed the flyaway strands of hair from her face. She wanted Ren to see her eyes and understand their honesty.
"I ask you to finish your sentence. You would have done what to me? I would hear it plainly and openly spoken."
Ren looks at Taissa, feeling his own heart beat harder in his chest.
He shakes his head, his hands clenching harder.
”I have no interest in ‘rutting’ with you simply to breed,” he says with a darker voice.
”You ask that I speak plainly with you? I will say plainly that I desire to feel your fire as you feel mine burn with you.”
”Such a joining would not be gentle or tender; it would have been a brutal joining; we would have both spilled blood… You would have screamed loud in such a joining and I know that I would have,” he adds returning your gaze.
He takes a deep breath.
”It would have been very… intense. And such a joining would have been about us reaching deep inside ourselves; and each other…” he says moving close to you, staring into your eyes.
With her all senses now heightened, Taissa's heart pounded and crashed like a wild ocean. Ren's proximity and the dark intensity in his eyes did not help the matter.
"Whether I would have screamed, growled or purred in the end, it does not matter, for you did not reach out and claim what you wanted. Did you think I would rebuke you? Repel your advances? You are a handsome and virile male, Ren. Because you're older, does not mean I would have rejected you." The growl was back, this time in her words and tone.
"I am a maid still, but I would not have stopped you. You would have been my first lover. Only the Spirits know how high and deep our fires would have burned, Eärendil Tuor."
Taissa's own hands were clenched by her sides and she was breathing heavily. She had not stepped back from Ren; still holding her ground on deck, she looked up at the taller male.
"In the wilderness, if one hesitates, they lose out. Never hesitate when looking into the fire, Ren."
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Taissa's Interaction with Ren
Cool, so first, I got to say - all of Johnny's crew has pretty deep backstories (I like writing backstories) but this is the first time someone's really tried to get down to the "meat" of one of one of the NPC's backtories. In this case, Taissa is very interested in Ren.
Normally it would take a lot longer and a lot more social interactions to RP out the following details, however, I'm doing a "Time Lapse" thing via the journey back to Beacon with a full set of notes on Ren below.
As an aside, I think I'm going to start making it easier for you guys to find out stuff in my game because I feel I've been far to cagey about details. So far Taissa's done a lot of Sense Motive, Diplomacy and Perception checks about Ren. That said, I'm going to reward her with the "Full Disclosure" of almost all the details about Ren concerning how he's been acting with her.
I hope it helps Taissa understand him better, and how she'd like to proceed with him in the future.
Quick Aside: Remember, you can also use "Diplomacy" like a detective to gather clues about a subject via "Gather Information" - this is something that I'm going to have guessed Taissa would have done with the other crew members on the voyage simply to better understand Ren.
That said -
The thing with Ren is that he's been taught or instructed that anything to do with his "Human Side" is bad (ironically he was treated better by humans then he was by elves).
This is something that was hammered into him when he was very young before his late mother took her own life. Ren's mother was impregnated by human raiders (not even sure which of the raiders was Ren's actual father) and the incident crippled her emotionally. When Ren was born and as he was very young she was extremely protective of him, doing whatever she could to shield him from everything to the point that it was unhealthy for him. However, when Ren got older and his human side started manifesting as he began to age (different bone structure; slightly different curve to the ears; aging much faster than a true elf would, and so on) his mother pretty much couldn't handle his aging or "morphing into a human" any more and she took her own life, blaming his human side for why she killed herself.
Ever sense then Ren has always carried self-loathing for his "human side". He's done everything he could to repress that part of himself; he makes sure he's clean shaven at all times (humans and half-elves can grow beards; pure-blood elves can't). He dresses "properly" he acts "properly" he even speaks "properly" (no bad language, not even contractions - at least, most of the time).
As a young teenager Ren was becoming a thief in the streets when he was found and befriended by Johnny and later Johnny's mother. Johnny's mother is a priestess and very competent matriarch of her House was able to sort of heal Ren mentally and encourage him to avoid any self-loathing for just being who he was.
However, despite that healing, Ren struggles a lot with his more "human" side. To Ren any part of him that is "human" is dangerous and can hurt things. Elves are known for their music; their art; their poetry; their singing and beauty and study of lore and magic (things he's no magic user, but he really does study a lot).
To him, his "Human Side" is bad, and whenever he feels something in him stirring that he recognizes as his "human side" he ends up trying to suppress it. To him, humans are known for:
1. War
2. Fighting
3. Killing
4. Extreme fits of passion/emotion
5. Being too changeable/flexible
6. Overpopulation (human women can become pregnant much more easily than elven women; typically an elven woman's fertility comes one year in seven, which off-set's the longevity of elves and why they do not have so many children - their women are not able to have a child except one year in seven).
7. Sex for pleasure (right, so obviously elves have sex for pleasure, too. However, Ren's mom would have hammered into him at a young age that sex is for having babies only; it's not meant for pleasure. Instead, it's a job done to keep the House going - you have sex once and a while to make a baby; that's pretty much all, and it's not fun for women at all; they only do it for the good of the House - again; that's not actually true; but you have to remember she would have been telling him that stuff after some pretty heavy trauma).
Also, when Taissa told him that beasts do it to have offspring, that was ironic because Taissa didn't know Ren's psychological background - when he heard that it was like - "Uh, hell no! I'm not after sex for babies - it's all about pleasure now; because I'm going to be acting like my human side, and that's bad and you wouldn't want that!"
You get the vibe that if Ren ever has had sex with a girl before he probably beat himself up about it afterwards - assuming he ever did it. After all, if he had sex with an elf he'd be "defiling" her with his "human half". If he had sex with a human there's the chance he could impregnate her because "humans breed like rabbits".
Clearly he'd like to go further with Taissa, but for now it's not easy for him.
According to what Taissa would have discovered via a simple "Take 10" Diplomacy/Gather Information with guys like Johnny (by the way; Johnny would never tell anyone about the stuff regarding Ren's mom; to Johnny it's a really personal thing and Johnny wouldn't normally share it with anyone on the ship; Ren's like his brother. Johnny's only telling it to you because Ren would have acted really "off" since the thing with Taissa/Ren in the bathhouse and Johnny would have felt it was his responsibility to explain a bit about Ren to Taissa - especially if Taissa had tried to find out about Ren because she cared about him.
Johnny would have gotten that and told you all this stuff, but he stresses that it's pretty heavy stuff for Ren and doesn't want it shared with others unless Ren decides to tell them. In this case, he made the exception for the above reasons.
Johnny would have told Taissa that he tried to fix Ren up with a couple girls in the past, just to help his friend get past some of this fear/uncomfortable feelings with women; but Ren always acted so guilty for weeks afterwards that Johnny gave up trying to fix Ren up. Johnny doesn't know how far Ren went with the girls behind closed doors; Johnny only knows that Ren seemed to feel pretty guilty about whatever it was that Ren did with those girls; but he never shared details.
If Ren suppresses an emotion for a long time and "lets it out of the box" it tends to come out very hard. He is much more "pacific" than Johnny; he doesn't drink, smoke, curse or fight - but when he does fight it tends to be very intense and very brutal, as if all the years of pent-up frustration come pouring out of him.
Taissa would assume that if Ren allowed himself to let out his pent-up emotional hang-ups with intimacy with her that he would be equally rough. That he'd be biting, scratching, clawing and generally acting more like an "animal/human" with her. Taissa would also suspect that if she (Taissa) didn't act the same with him (i.e. - clawing and biting him etcetera back) he'd likely feel very guilty at what he did. That's why Ren kept suggesting that Taissa would be screaming and drawing blood, too. Because he assumes/hopes that her "human half" would respond to his own and that they could let loose their human side together.
Taissa would finally realize that - because of all these issues; Ren is definitely not the kind of guy who would ever "pursue" a woman who didn't seem at least as barbarically interested in him as his gut did. In other words, if Taissa said - "I'm not really in the mood now, maybe we could try that some other time." - Ren would probably just say to himself - "Great, my human half scared her away - stupid, stupid, stupid - why would a lady want to be with a child or barbaric scum like me! I should never have opened my big mouth!" - and so on.
That said; as Taissa would know this about Ren she'd have a better sense on what would encourage him to be closer to her and also why he's acting so edgy around her. So far all he's done is show her is "elven" side in romance - poetry, discussions with lore, tales of great deeds - but Ren's too afraid of hurting Taissa like his mother was hurt to do anything more unless he knows that Taissa not only wants him to, but wants him to do things "human-like" with her.
So, for example, if Taissa were to suddenly grab him hard, he'd grab her back equally hard - if she kissed him, he'd kiss back, only he'd probably be pushing her against the wall; if she gave him a love bite on his throat, he'd probably growl/yell and return the favor, and so on. He won't let himself start that sort of thing with Taissa - but if she starts to act like that with him a little bit, he will definitely respond in kind a lot (letting the "box" open up and things pour out, as it were).
At this time (hopefully) Taissa is in a better position to know how to treat Ren.
"I would take you as a lover, Ren. But you have yet to prove you are worthy of me - Taissa. I require a lionheart to be my equal." Her low, fierce growl filled the space between them, carried on the wind out across the ocean. Her body trembled with her rampant thoughts and emotions and her hands curled by her sides. She wanted to strike him for his current doltishness, yet she refrained (barely).
"I'd better return to my duties, lest Captain John be angry with me." Her voice had grown remarkably huskier and low, and her sapphire eyes flashed with a deep fire.
Taissa had hoped Ren would have taken up her earlier challenge, but he had said naught, but stared at her. He was mixed up inside -- too caught up in what it meant to be an Elf and what it meant to be a Human. Taissa blamed his Elven mother for this quandary. Yet, it did not change a thing. For such a learned man, Ren was plagued with demons that she did not entirely understand, even though they were both half breeds. Could she aid him in unravelling the severe rendering of the two races in his mind?
"I require a lionheart to be my equal..."
Ren's pupils suddenly widen in the dim light and his eyes seem to narrow a bit as he studies her intently.
"I'm no lion," he says with a low voice, an edge creeping into it "I'm no elf, not even a man... My heart's my own; but it's hot - hot and fierce - like a dragon," he adds the last with a growl of his own.
"I'd better return to my duties, lest Captain John be angry with me."
His eyes narrow at that.
"Johnny can wait," he adds with a low voice, and moves forward suddenly, pressing Taissa back a step against the wood of the ship behind her.
His eyes stare into hers, his right hand gripping her left shoulder as he looks at her intently. His left hand slides up her right side to cup the back of her neck as his thumb brushes her hair from her ear; his eyes still staring into hers for a moment.
He leans in suddenly, his left hand pulling her to him at the same time and he presses his lips hard against hers.
The kiss is deep, hot and fierce.
His hands move to slide down to her shoulders and pull her body close to his as he savors the kiss, his body pressed hard against hers in the tight space below decks.
He breaks the kiss and pulls back a bit to look at her; his hands still on her shoulders. He seems somewhat breathless and watches her face, studying her, breathing somewhat heavily.
"Gods damn," he mutters with a low voice "I wanted to do that the minute I saw you walk into the tavern," he adds, his hands still on her arms as he holds her as if he does not wish to let her go. Yet his grip is gentle and somehow tender, despite the energy that is trembling through him.
If he wanted to be dragon instead of lion, she cared not. Taissa simply wanted Ren to act assuredly in some kind of manner and overcome his inhibitions.
His responding growl sent a cool, delicious shiver down her spine. She liked the feral sound deep in the pit of her stomach.
When Ren halted her exit with his body and hands, leaned against her, touched her and kissed her fiercely, her first response was to fight but her body turned traitorous, amorous, and she circled her arms about his neck, drawing their bodies closer. In the beginning, she did not how to return the kiss, having kissed none before him. Yet the heat and pressure of his lips and tongue drew something ancient from within her -- a darker desire -- and her mouth mimicked and took liberties of it own. Taissa gave into the kiss and when Ren drew back and broke off the kiss, her body trembled and she felt the loss of the intimate contact. Aye, his hands were still carefully on her shoulders and he seemed to find it hard to breathe, just like her.
At his admission that he had wanted to kiss her upon first sight, Taissa watched him with darkening eyes, absorbing the meaning of the words and the revelation of her reaction to his fervent kiss.
Taissa's nails dug into the back of Ren's neck where her hands were still loosely circled. She put pressure on the neck to draw him back down to her and she pressed her body against him without hesitation. Using the lower wooden mast behind her as leverage, she lifted herself up against him, circling her long legs around his waist. And then she took wanton possession of his mouth.
** spoiler omitted **
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As Taissa moves to Miss Mossbanks townhouse like store she observes that there are several Halflings out on the street playing some kind of game in which they toss dice on the ground while placing bets on the results.
At this time there are four Halflings playing, but they stop the game and look up at Taissa intently.
Make a Perception Check 1
They all stand up and move forward around Taissa casually and stare up at her as she moves to the store.
One of them hooks his left thumb behind his suspenders and props his cap back over the thick mop of curly hair, watching Taissa carefully as his mates move out in a semi-circle to flank the half-elf.
Sense Motive Check 1
The lad looks up at Taissa thoughtfully.
“Oye, Doamna cu părul roşu? Who eşti? What faci si aici?”
Linguistics Check
Knowledge Geography Check
Before things get too stressful, you hear a noise from inside that sounds like a bird whistle.
The Halflings put up their arms and step back and let Taissa move into the main quarters without any protest, however.
Inside Taissa sees another four Halfling lads lounging around the room casually having a few cold drinks and playing some sort of card game at a table. Two of them are openly wearing Halfling-sized pistols on their hips. All of them are smoking but they stare at you but say nothing.
The door in the back opens and Miss Mossbanks comes forward; she is accompanied by another Halfling who is openly armed with not only a double-barreled pistol under his arm, but a dagger on his wrist and a thin blade at his hip that looks a lot like a Halfling sized version of an Aldoran dueling sword. This Halfling is smoking a thin cheroot and looks at you thoughtfully. Then he turns to Petunia, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword as if waiting from a cue from her.
Miss Mossbanks turns to the lad and smiles at him.
”It’s alright Pete; she’s good people,” Petunia says with a wide smile at Taissa.
“Pete” looks you up and down and smiles widely around his cheroot.
”Good to meet ye, lass!” he says and reaches his hand forward up to shake Taissa’s hand heartily.
”So… ye’re a mate o’ Miss Petunia, eh?” he says looking you up and down.
”Well! I’m happy know ye; my name’s Pete… Pete Rowan,” he says with a grin and offers Taissa a drink off the table –
Knowledge Geography Check 2
Miss Mossbanks smiles at Taissa.
”Well, I have to say, Miss Taissa – I’m a bit surprised that you hadn’t visited with me sooner,” she says looking you up and down.
”Now; what can I do for you?” she asks with a wide smile.
The Halflings are all armed with weapons – you can see that the weapons are cunningly hidden, designed to avoid detection.
The Halflings are fingering their weapons; you believe that at least two of them have pistols; and all of them have hidden knives.
There’s a fifth Halfling on the street across from you who’s carrying a long-barreled musket who is hidden behind a curtain who seems to be watching you.
These guys are now flanking Taissa; if you try anything aggressive, it’s likely that this may prompt them to attack. If you stay calm it’s likely that they’ll do nothing.
Based on the way they’re carrying themselves you’d gamble that they’re handy with their weapons. You’d also take it up a notch to guess that they’re probably at least 5th level guys who are probably at least 3rd level rogue types – since they’re all flanking you’re looking at least a minimum of 2d6 x 4 for a total minimum of 12 points of damage – not counting Feats etcetera (or the guy from the window across the street – but that assumes you made the earlier Perception Check to even notice him).
Again – if you play it cool, you're pretty sure that they won’t attack. But if you do something aggressive, they will respond in kind.
”Hello, Miss with red hair! Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The Halfling is using a dialect that seems to come from eastern Ustalav, not Cheliax. You’d gamble he’s traveled far, but they all seem to be familiar with each other despite their varied accents.
This guy “Pete” has a strange accent. It sounds like it’s from Cheliax originally, but also like it’s well-traveled. You think you can detect tones from Andoran and Galt, and certainly Ustalav. It’s likely that he has traveled quite a distance.
Taissa steadily put down the portable alchemist lab and other items she'd been carrying to the Apothecary store. She watched warily but calmly as the Halflings surrounded her, noting their well-hidden weapons. Their movements indicated they were were possibly rogues and good with their weapons. Taissa did not draw any of her own weapons but instead raised her hands to show she came in peace and was not going to be the aggressor.
"Good eve to you all. I am Taissa Sloane, beastmistress and a protector of Beacon. I am looking for Mistress Petunia Mossbanks, proprietress here. " From behind her trousered leg, the worg pup peered at the assembled Halflings, the fur at the back of his neck elevated as if sensing danger but mindful enough to hold his bark and growl.
"This is my pup, White Fang. And above, pointing to the white-feathered Daya in the darkening sky, is my Roc, Daya. The animals do not mean you harm, either."
White Fang showed himself and lifted his small, white-furred chest, "I'm White Fang! I'm good boy!" His little pink tongue lolling out of his mouth and his tail wagging slowly at first. Overheard, Daya screeched once, low as if announcing herself.
It was then Taissa heard the mimicked bird call and watched as the Halflings moved back/away. She breathed out slowly, glad with whomever gave the signal for the group to back down. Daya circled once and then descended to land close to Taissa and retracted her large wings.
Then Petunia appeared at the door, with "Pete" beside her, vouching for her character. Taissa smiled at Petunia then the well-armed Pete. "Good to see you again, Mistress Mossbanks." And turning her sapphire gaze upon Pete, she acknowledged his remark, "Aye, Mistress Mossbanks and I are well acquainted, Pete." Rum was not Taissa's choice of drink, but she did not want to offend the Halfling male, so she drew the mug from the table and took a goodly sip before placing it back down.
Returning her attention to Petunia, "My apologies. I would have visited sooner -- you are a kind hostess. Alas, I have been out of town these past weeks and have only just returned. Tomorrow we leave again."
Lifting the items she had placed on the ground earlier, Taissa gestured to them, speaking quietly, "I have these valuable items, Mistress Mossbanks. My companions and I have no office yet in Beacon and I was wondering if you would be charitable enough to keep them safe for me, possibly store them with your own supplies until I can return for them?"
”Well! I’m happy know ye; my name’s Pete… Pete Rowan,” he says with a grin and offers Taissa a drink off the table.
Taissa remembered something. She focused her brilliant sapphire gaze on Pete and spoke again in low voice, "Did I hear rightly? You said your family name is Rowan? Do you have a kinsman named Dirk Rowan, Captain of The Waverunner? We crossed paths with his cutter a few weeks back. He got himself into a tight fight with a Chelaxian Imperial vessel. We joined the fight aboard The Seahawk and together we defeated the marines."
""I have these valuable items, Mistress Mossbanks. My companions and I have no office yet in Beacon and I was wondering if you would be charitable enough to keep them safe for me, possibly store them with your own supplies until I can return for them?"
Miss Mossbanks looks at Taissa with a friendly smile.
”Of course I can,” she says with a nod.
”You tell me what you need to keep here, and I’ll make sure it’s not touched… and that no one tries to walk off with it,” she says with a little glance and nod at Pete.
Pete takes a tug from his smoke, his finger brushing gently against the side of his nose as he exhales the smoke and smiles.
The nod was no accident; she was communicating some sort of message to Pete.
It seems to you that she is indicating to Pete to spread the word with his Crew that nothing that you leave or that belongs to you should be molested; essentially your stuff is under her protection.
It’s also interesting to note that Pete seems to accept this completely, deferring her to request as if it’s a formal order
Taissa remembered something. She focused her brilliant sapphire gaze on Pete and spoke again in low voice, "Did I hear rightly? You said your family name is Rowan? Do you have a kinsman named Dirk Rowan, Captain of The Waverunner? We crossed paths with his cutter a few weeks back. He got himself into a tight fight with a Chelaxian Imperial vessel. We joined the fight aboard The Seahawk and together we defeated the marines."
Pete grins.
”You don’t say? Why that’s one hell of a tale!” he says breezily, then blows a series of smoke rings which rise up to settle down around White Fangs head.
The pup takes a tentative bite out of one the rings, then coughs a little and tries to ignore the smoke with an exaggerated dignity as Pete chuckles.
”I love hearing about them damn Imp Marines getting their bloody arses handed to them like that,” he adds with relish, clearly having no love for Imperial forces.
”All that said, if you’re being square with me about how you and your Crew are out there stomping on Imp Marines I reckon that’s worth a lot more than just a poxing drink,” he says with a nod.
Hoping up he comes over and shakes your hand with open satisfaction at your tale.
”Any time you or your Crew need a hand with some legwork around here just let me know… Me and my boys will do what we can to pitch in and help you out with any little task you got on your plate; hell, it’s the least we can do for a lass who knows how to treat Imps proper-like,” he says with utmost sincerity.
Miss Mossbanks gives Pete a little chuckle and also gets up, bustling over to get some tea and pours you all a cup, then puts out a platter with sliced breads, cheeses and small bowl filled with honey and cream for your bread and tea, as needed.
”We don’t really care for Imperials much,” she says by way of explanation as she slides you over the plate with the snacks and then looks up at your companions.
”Would any of you care for a snack also?” she asks them solicitously.
White Fang looks up eagerly at the possibility of snacks, but seeing that no one is handing him any yummy bacon, he sighs a bit and puts his head on his paws.
He sits there with a little bored expression on his face, then it turns to confusion, then he stares at Pete who is currently lathering cream over a warm, buttered scone. Then he looks at you. Then he looks at Miss Mossbanks, who is sipping some nice orange tea; then he looks back at Pete who is taking a long draw from a mug of frothy beer.
White Fang’s little face seems to frown and he hops up and trots over to you, as if looking for a snack and mutters in a soft voice to you.
”Alpha – why didn’t he answer your question?”
He wags his tail eagerly at you, as if his little speech was nothing more a request for a snack or some cuddling.
"This portable alchemist lab, my masterwork artisan tools and the various crafting supplies. Thank you for your generosity, Mistress Mossbanks. I don't know many people in town and you have only shown me kindness since we met."
Taissa smiled, sensing nothing more than the general kind heartedness of the apothecary.
She watched as the pup attempted the bite into a smoke ring and shook her head as if to say "No, don't do that; it isn't good for you."
When Pete jumped off his stool and came over and shook her hand, she shook his firmly in turn. "It was fortunate we spied the sloop attacking the cutter out in the sea on our voyage to Osirion. The Imperials were heavily armed and captained by a proficient caster. We did what we could to aid. Captain Rowan was grateful and generous afterward."
Taking the cup of tea offered by Petunia, Taissa politely picked up a piece of bread and cheese to nimble on as she sipped her honey tea.
"The Imperials are harriers.", she added between sips and bites. "Pete, your offer of aid is most considerate. I will pass it along to my whole crew and will let you know. Thank you."
At Petunia's question and White Fang's expression, Taissa answered to her hostess, "Mistress Mossbanks, would you have a little something for the animals? The pup and roc are a little hungry."
As the pup spoke softly to her in Worg, Taissa smiled at her hostess and the other halflings and politely excused herself from the general conversation to discreetly answer White Fang.
Scratching the pup's ear and watching a settled Daya, Taissa smiled at Pete and started a new line of conversation, "How do you like Beacon, Pete? Has the town been welcoming?"
"Mistress Mossbanks, would you have a little something for the animals? The pup and roc are a little hungry."
Miss Mossbanks looks a bit distressed.
”Oh dear! I don’t really have much that those two would enjoy snacking on; just some broiled bacon, salted ham, smoked sausages – beef and pork... Hmm... I have some roast mutton, a few cooked chickens, let's see... we have that broiled goat haunch, some fried beef liver cooked in butter with some diced onions… Oh, and a little rabbit stew with some sage and honeysuckle and a bit of potato and onion in the broth… nothing fancy, I’m afraid,” she says with a somewhat embarrassed tone.
Meanwhile White Fang’s little eyes seem to glaze over and his tongue is lolling out of his mouth as he drools in anticipation for the delicious dishes.
”What do you think your friends would like?” she asks politely.
As Taissa considers her answer, she turns to Pete.
"How do you like Beacon, Pete? Has the town been welcoming?"
He hooks his thumbs into his suspenders and leans back, getting comfortable.
”Well, it ain’t too bad, I’ll allow, but I feel like I could use a little elbow room… Me and the lads need some place to settle down solid, I think. For now we got a bit of a berth by the outside of that wall there, but it ain’t a proper place to set up camp; not really a decent port to call our own, as it were,” he says with a bit of a shrug.
”I feel like my lads are getting a bit underfoot – if we had more space to spread out or build up, we’d be happier for it, I guess. But as it stands, there’s a damn lot of humans here – no offense – and we’re feeling a bit crowded, not that this places is a bad lot,” he adds ”just wish we had a bit more room to spread out and set up better,” he adds casually.
Taissa was surprised at the amount of food the apothecary had on the ready and that Petunia believed it would not be enough for her animals companions.
"Mistress Mossbanks, you have listed a veritable feast. I believe a little broiled bacon and smoked sausage will do for the pup and some roast mutton for Daya. I'd like to recompense you for the food -- even trade, if that suits. I would not put you out further than I have already with my storage request. I am most grateful." Taissa bestowed a genuine, heartfelt smile upon the female Halfling.
When Pete answered her question about the atmosphere and reception of the town, Taissa nodded in understanding. "No offence taken, as I'm only part Human." She winked playfully at the male Halfling. Turning serious, she continued, "Have you spoken with the Lord Regent's aide, Cassius Decimus? He can set up a meeting for you with the Regent and you could express your ideas to settle as a community within Beacon. There is open space, land, that is available, from what I hear. Pete, I don't mean to be indelicate, but if you have gold, I am certain you could buy a good parcel of land."
"Mistress Mossbanks, you have listed a veritable feast. I believe a little broiled bacon and smoked sausage will do for the pup and some roast mutton for Daya. I'd like to recompense you for the food -- even trade, if that suits. I would not put you out further than I have already with my storage request. I am most grateful."
Petunia looks at you with wide eyes.
”Oh no! I wouldn’t hear of it, that’s merely a late supper between friends,” she says with a friendly smile.
She nods to Pete who returns the nod, then whistles sharply.
One of the lads comes to the doorway and Pete speaks quickly to him. The lad nods once and darts off. In about ten minutes he returns with a tray which is used to carry several platters laden with diced smoked sausages; fried bacon and mushrooms , and a plate with some mutton chops seasoned with a bit of black pepper and crumbled mint leaves.
Almost all Halflings enjoy a good meal and enjoy cooking. Indeed, many Halflings can cook before they are able to read and write.
Sharing a meal with friends is a time honored custom. However, offering to pay a Halfling friend when they offer you a meal would be like paying a lover for intercourse.
A better idea would be to prepare a meal for the Halfling later; then they would know you enjoy the meal and are truly friends who are willing to share meals between friends and not just business relations. If you make the check you can retcon the request if you’d like to.
As the animals enjoy this meal, Petunia sips her tea thoughtfully as she listens to you talk to Pete.
"Have you spoken with the Lord Regent's aide, Cassius Decimus? He can set up a meeting for you with the Regent and you could express your ideas to settle as a community within Beacon. There is open space, land, that is available, from what I hear. Pete, I don't mean to be indelicate, but if you have gold, I am certain you could buy a good parcel of land."
Pete seems to consider your suggestion for a moment.
Then he turns and looks searchingly at Petunia who is currently studying Taissa thoughtfully as she sips her tea.
Petunia glances at Pete and takes another sip of tea.
Pete nods at Petunia and turns back to Taissa.
”That’s a damn good plan, Miss Taissa; I’ll have to look into that,” he says with a sincere nod at Taissa.
Petunia says nothing regarding Pete’s answer; instead, she takes another long sip of her tea after his cheerful response.
Taissa watched as the feast was brought forth and presented to the pup and Roc.
"Eat slowly please and in moderation", the last statement was made discreetly to White Fang, who was steadily putting on weight from all the food (bacon and alike) he was consuming since she had found him.
Taissa warmly accepted the hospitality from Petunia.
"Again, thank you, Mistress Mossbanks", taking another sip of her honey tea.
Taking the opportunity to conduct a little business among the pleasure, Taissa pulled out her shopping list and politely presented it to Petunia Mossbanks.
"I don't mean to disrupt the pleasurable respite at present, but we require a few items for our trek, tomorrow. It will be through swamp territory mainly, as you can see from the lotions and repellents we require. A companion of mine seeks some Troll Styptic. She seems to prefer it over other healing draughts. Can you please tell me if you have it in stock and how much of it, Mistress Mossbanks? The rest of the items are listed in exact quantities for you."
Melthune sits, slowly relaxing into the proffered Half-ling's chair. She shows her enjoyment at the Half-ling's offered meal and beverages. She listens intently to the discussion of 'settling'... thinking before slowly adding.
"One might think that the low lands would be the better place for a farming community." She ponders, "Though the proper, in depth, defenses of such would take a good amount of time and work to establish..." She frowns slightly as she thinks upon the problem more.
"Twelve bottles of the Troll Styptic will suffice for my companion. Thank you, Mistress Mossbanks."
"Twelve bottles of the Troll Styptic will suffice for my companion. Thank you, Mistress Mossbanks."
Petunia glances at Melthune in surprise, but she nods.
”Very well; the case is yours,” she says with a nod at Melthune.
The company decides to talk about settling for a bit and Melthune offers her opinion on the matter.
"One might think that the low lands would be the better place for a farming community." She ponders, "Though the proper, in depth, defenses of such would take a good amount of time and work to establish..."
Petunia sips her tea and glances at Pete.
Pete looks over Petunia and she says nothing; merely gives him a small nod. He nods in response then looks at Melthune.
”You’re right – sounds like a lot of work indeed,” he says with a friendly voice.
Melthune smiles in reply/return, sipping at her tea.
"While my companions have plans and I'll be helping them as much as I can, I have...ideas...of my own for what I'd like to call 'Home'..." Melthune sighs, "Though it will take a tad more learning and such before I'm ready to begin my dreams." Her eyes look off into the 'future' for a moment.
Melthune will quietly discuss/organize the payment for the case of medicine over the tea and crumpets. (^_~)
As you mention your plans for the future Miss Mossbanks seems to listen to your tale with some interest though Pete seems a bit bored. He takes a long draw from his pipe then he takes out his firearm and begins to clean it absently as you continue to talk to Miss Mossbank.
As White Fang watches the proceedings he cocks his head to the side for a moment. Then he wags his tail as if he has just solved a rather interesting little mystery.
Taissa silently wondered why Melthune was speaking to the Halflings about their plans to settle. The conversation was meant to be had when their group was on their own and had the privacy to openly speak and deliberate.
"Well, Mistress Mossbanks, we have taken up enough of your time. You have my gratitude for all the hospitality and for the goods we have just purchased. If you require my aid, I have temporary accommodations at The Floating Log. I travel away from Beacon at dawn but with the Spirits benevolence we shall return to Beacon and will see each other once more. Good eve."
Standing, with the animals following suit and coming to stand by Taissa's side, she bowed her head and smiled at Petunia, Pete and the other Halflings milling a short distance away. Collecting the purchased items and leaving her possessions in the care of Petunia, she turned to her companion/s, "Let us find the others and make plans."
"Well, Mistress Mossbanks, we have taken up enough of your time. You have my gratitude for all the hospitality and for the goods we have just purchased. If you require my aid, I have temporary accommodations at The Floating Log. I travel away from Beacon at dawn but with the Spirits benevolence we shall return to Beacon and will see each other once more. Good eve."
”Well, it was a pleasure to meet with you again, my dear,” Miss Mossbanks says with a friendly smile at Taissa.
She stands up and Pete hops from the chair and puts out his smoke, quickly holstering his firearm as he glances absently out the window.
”I look forward to the chance when we can talk again. Good luck on your travels south,” she adds with a pleasant voice.
The companions bid her a fond farewell and head downstairs as she goes about the business of tidying up whistling a little tune.
Pete follows the companions downstairs to the small front end of the shop and heads outside with Taissa and some of his mates. They all loiter about the doorway and watch you go while Pete waves at you all with a friendly smile, then turns to his lads, chats with a friendly grin and heads back inside.
The companions head back to the tavern. As they walk White Fang trots after them and pauses a moment to glance behind them, then snorts a bit.
Naturally his snort has the tone that suggests that not only were his theories about what he saw earlier were correct, but now he was sure.
Then he trots quickly to catch-up with Taissa and the others.
As the companions move away from them, he moves up to Taissa and speaks to her softly, no doubt about to say something very important about his theories –
”Alpha! You are right – all that tasty meat and bacon might be too much food... That will make me very tired before our big trip tomorrow. I think it would be very good if you carried me in your pouch now so that I will be very fresh for all of our exciting adventures,” he says sagely.
Melthune saunters along, case balanced easily on one shoulder. She seems quite pleased with her purchase.
The men look up at the tattooed priest in front of them somewhat appraisingly.
”If your money be good you always welcome to join the game,” Gascon says with a wide grin as he gestures to the chair next to him.
”For now we play the Lucky Six, oui?” he says as he absently rattles the dice in the cup.
”You shake the cup with six dice; you drop the cup; the one with the most sixes wins the hand.”
He glances at the other men at the table and there are a total of four others; with him there are five.
”You be last man in to join – you be the six man, maybe you’re the lucky number, eh?” he says with a laugh and his mates join in.
”The stakes are ten gold a man; each man puts ten gold in the pot – whoever has the most sixes wins the pot for the round. Do you feel lucky?” he says, his eyebrow quirking at Jenner as his mates take drinks.
Taissa made her way to the docks, spying The Seahawk's colours. Evening was quickly closing in but it was not yet too dark and the lanterns were lit.
Noting the sailor on watch duty, she called up, "Ahoy! Permission to come aboard? I am Taissa and have come to speak with the First Mate, Ren."
Once permission was granted, she walked up the gangplank and onto the deck. Taissa scanned her eyes and when she could not see Ren, she descended below deck, in search of him.
*********************************************************************
When she spied him, she didn't immediately announce herself and simply watched him from within the dim lit corridor for a few seconds. Then quietly she asked, "Are you busy? I would speak with you."
She stood a little apart from him because she was here on business and had to act accordingly. However, her shadowed sapphire eyes pierced him through as she spoke, "Early tomorrow morning we leave on Regent's business for the marshlands to scout the goblin dens and clear them, if an enemy resides within. There is some danger involved. White Fang is still small and there will be swamps, vermin and goblins or pirates to contend with. I would see him safe, here aboard the ship, with you. Would you care for him in my absence?" Taissa paused, a little unsure if she could ask such a boon or whether Ren would take the pup for he had his own duties and responsibilities while in port.
"I ask because I trust you with him. And if something were to happen to me and I did not make it back to Beacon, I ask that you care for him in my stead. He will grow to be loyal and protect you, Ren."
She then stood silently before him, waiting and hoping, he would willingly watch White Fang in her absence.
"Do I feel lucky! Do I feel lucky!? Man, not a month gone I was stranded on an island with a thousand undead swarming the mainland craving my flesh, and yet, here I stand whole and alive and with coin to spare! You're damned right I feel lucky," Holystone grins, and takes a seat. He reaches for the cup with one hand and digs out coins from his belt-purse with the other, scraping together golds and several silvers until he has the ten gold coin's worth to wager.
Tongue peeping out his lips, Jenner shakes the cup and lets them spill before passing it to the next man.
Very sorry. Real Life is not sparing the kindness.
Have also been hammered flat and coming down with something.
No time to post. :( Will address things as soon as I can.
Very much wishing every one all the very best that I can.