Baalrak eyes Aldern, suspicion in his eyes. He knows viciousness when he sees it, and he...honestly hadn't expected the little noble to be capable of such an emotion. Or capable of taking a hit like the one the boar had delivered to him.
Hmm. Well, all the same, Ivy had stolen the kill from him which required his attention. "Did you SEE that blow? Any sensible animal would have died on the spot!" he cries, obviously upset. "Bah. Cheats and poor luck."
While Baalrak is upset, he's trying to cover up something else that's occupying his mind by expressing it more loudly.
Ash doesn't seem to notice or mind Baalrak's outburst - it was built into his personality. Ivy, however was ecstatic. "It was, wasn't it! The boar was so clever, dying when I hit it like that. Did you see it Mister Aldern!?"
Wyrd slows to a walk half way through his charge at the boar, having seen the others make short work of it. He sighs briefly and then gives a chuckle planting his spear in the ground butt first next to the creature. "Was a tad bit anticlimactic, wasn't it?" he says. "Should watch out though, Aldern, there was no need to get torn up when we could've ambushed it instead."
He looks over at Baalrak and raises an eyebrow. "Something bothering you brother?" he asks, curious what might have gotten him worked up.
Baalrak eyes Wyrd with one eye. "Perhaps later, brother." he says. "I'm simply too upset about this boar right this second."
Aldern looks down at his abdomen, raising a brow slightly when his wound partially closes. He nods to Ash appreciatively. "I... I suppose I got caught up in the moment. I did not mean to have you all run to my rescue again," he admits, his face flustered. He adds with a lame smile, "I could have at least had the foresight to wear my red shirt today."
The noble is trying to hide his agitation and save face at this point - the situation must have embarrassed him a little more than he is letting on.
"At any rate, the kill was yours, fair and square!" he quickly concedes to Ivy, before turning to Shara. "Hm. It is a bit messy, isn't it? Normally you're supposed to use spears for these kinds of things, but I do confess I wanted to see you all in your... natural element, again." He eyes Baalrak's sword pointedly. "I think it will be fine if we just string it up like normal. It should not fall apart or anything."
"More than a bit I'd say. Honestly, you should be more careful around wild animals. They can be quite dangerous when they're provoked." She smiles slightly. "But my element is more libraries and old ruins than hunting trips into the woods."
Once more, Ash's scrutiny doesn't fall upon perceived friends, naive though it may be. His attention is instead mostly on the boar, and Ivy.
Ivy bounces around her kill, looking at it from several angles. "Mister Baalrak, Mister Aldern. If you wanna trim it up and everything, it'll be much easier to carry. There's a lot of stuff we don't need. Then we can bury it and plant some seeds on top." it seems to be the most obvious thing in the world to her. "I normally skin the ones we find not-eaten... but I usually don't get their meat. We don't eat it." she says, chewing her lip. "So, I'll dig the hole, since I'm the best digger, and you can collect everything, and then we can go find more Boar-boars. I don't like monsters."
"Perhaps that would have been a more ideal outing," Aldern says, grinning at Shara, "That will have to wait for next time, I suppose."
Looking to Ivy, he blinks a few times, as though trying to comprehend what she is suggesting. "That, ah, sounds like a bit of work. Which wouldn't be a problem, except I would't even know where to begin," he admits sheepishly. He taps the side of the boar with his foot, causing its gaping wound to flap open. The noble grimaces. "I am certain that Miss Kaijitsu could salvage this."
Shara laughs. "Ameiko could turn a dead horse into a feast. Assuming we can haul this beast all the way back to Sandpoint."
"I can help." grunts Baalrak, kneeling at the side of the creature and pulling out a little hunting knife. "Give us a few minutes. In the meantime, don't let anyone sneak up on us and don't let another pig run up and kill you, little man."
As soon as Baalrak started cutting, Ivy started digging into the nearby dirt, using her hands to slowly dig her way down. "Was easier when I had sharper fingers.." she announces.
Baalrak is able to tell right away that the boar is at least 200 pounds. Even without the skin and organs, at least half that weight is perfectly edible meat. Contrary to what Aldern feared, there is far more than enough to feed everyone; enough to feed a small village, perhaps.
Even so, the half-orc is more than up to the task. There are more sophisticated tools better suited for field-stripping the wild boar, but a good knife can go a long way. It takes several minutes but Baalrak is able to gut and skin the pig, removing parts that while not necessarily inedible, would require a good bit of work to process. It is incredibly messy work, but the end result is somehow easier to behold than the annihilated corpse from before.
By the time he is done, Ivy has already dug a rather large hole - the soil in the clearing was, luckily enough, rather loamy. The undesirable boar parts are dumped right in and then buried. Perhaps they would decompose and encourage growth, or perhaps some other animal would dig them up and eat them. Either way, they would not go to waste there.
There is not much more for everyone else to do but to stand guard as Baalrak asked. As full of life as the forest is, it appears that nothing is quite bold enough to impose on a predator and its kill. When all is said and done, Aldern suggests wrapping the (significantly lighter) boar in a horse blanket and securing it to one of the horses.
Ivy finishes her digging, and burying of the rest of the pig. Ash moves over and drops three berries from his pouch into the top soil, before she finishes patting the loamy soil in place. "Tada!" she announces, before looking to the others.
"I guess that means we're ready. Do you have anything else you would like to do out here, Aldern?" Ash asks.
"No, I think we have everything we need from here," Aldern says with a nod, pleased by Baalrak and Ivy's handiwork. "Let's pack up and get this beast back to the Rusty Dragon! I think we are all in for a treat, tonight!"
In their current state, the boar's remains are easy enough to pack onto one of the horses. With plenty of daylight left to ride under, you leave the forest the way you came with your prize in tow. After his little spat with the boar, Aldern seems to be in high spirits again. He initially suggests going around the Tickwood and back onto the Lost Coast Road so that you can take in different sights on the way back, but ends up deciding that you are all better off going the way you came. The trip to Sandpoint is uneventful; Aldern passes the time by sharing tales of the high life in Magnimar. As it turns out, nobles pass out drunk more than one might think.
Not even four hours have passed since you first departed from town. You leave your horses at the stables (Daviren is disappointed to learn that there were no goblins to be butchered) before taking the boar the Rusty Dragon.
Ameiko flaps open the wrapped boar and regards it with a low whistle.
"Wow, that's messy," she remarks while inspecting the meat, poking at one of its battle wounds. "Looks like someone hacked at it with a-" Looking up from the boar, she smirks at Baalrak. "Oh, right. But it's all good! It'll take a few hours, but I can get this pig roasted."
Shara chuckles at a few of Aldern's stories and shares a few of her own. Though they have far less drinking and far more amusing magical accidents. She certainly hadn't been intending to set one of her professors on fire. Really.
"I'm sure you'll have a feast fit for a king ready for dinner," she says as Ameiko examines the boar.
"A wound the beast was unfit to receive.", growls Baalrak. "But if it fouled up the meat then I will be more careful next time."
He turns his nose up and leaves Ameiko's kitchen.
Shara sighs and face palms. "I feel like I should apologize for him, but I'm not his keeper and if he's going to be an ass then he can apologize on his own. He's still sour that he didn't get to deliver the last blow on the beast."
"Yeah, but will there be enough for Baalrak?" Ivy asks playfully. He'd tried to order an entire pig that morning, after all. Then after he heads out, Ivy stays in the door peeking around. "Oh. That was probably my fault then, since I killed it. I've never killed an animal for meat before, so I don't really know how to do it right. Will you be able to cook the sour out?"
As he leaves, total-lack-of-subtlety Baalrak pauses in the doorway, locks eyes with his brother and nods his head out the door, shrugging a bit. Then he leaves for sure with a big, dramatic huff.
Ameiko pouts when Baalrak leaves. "Aw. I had meant it as a compliment. Well, maybe he'll feel better once gets a chance to eat it. Because you know - it's gonna taste amazing."
"It'll take a few hours to get this boar roasted properly, but it should be ready by supper." She gives Ivy a quick smirk. "I think it is safe to say that there are going to be leftovers."
Aldern claps his hands together. "Splendid! That gives me plenty of time to, ah, freshen up." He looks down at the blood holes on his shirt with a grimace, pulling on the fabric. "It is a good thing I packed some spare clothes."
"Ew," the innkeeper remarks, her eyes more drawn to the ugly wound underneath. "Forget the shirt, you should stop by the temple and, uh..." As her voice trails off, a thoughtful expression comes onto her face. "Actually, here, I'll take care of that."
Ameiko wiggles her fingers around, mutters some nonsense under her breath, and then with a look of intense, exaggerated concentration, jabs Aldern right in the ribs. The noble flinches, but the puncture wounds on his belly shrink even more.
"Ta-da! Been a while since I last did something like that. Guess I still have it."
"Don't worry, Miss Ameiko. Baalrak is as grumbly as a mama bear. But it's mostly show unless you mess with his babies. I think his weapon is his baby, maybe."
Ash shakes his head. "More his attitude." he says with a small smile.
"Attitudes can't be babies, silly." she responds, not realizing weapons probably also can't be babies... and not recognizing the fact she'd even just used a simile.
Ash looks from the woman to Aldern as she heals him. "Interesting. Do you have patrons or does your healing come from something else?"
"It feels like a waste for you to spend all your time here instead of putting your talents to good use," Shara says. "But you've still got it."
“Many thanks, Miss Kaijitsu!” Aldern exclaims, rubbing his now barely visible wound.
“Not a problem. I just didn’t want you bleeding all over my kitchen. And please, for the hundredth time, stop calling me that!”
“My apologies. Though, now that I think about, perhaps Lady Kaijitsu might be more appropriate,” he replies with a smile and a raised brow, ”From one noble to another, yes?”
Ameiko’s eyes shoot daggers at the man. Laughing to himself, Aldern turns to the rest of you. ”Well, I will see you all in time for dinner! Until then...”
He takes a dramatic before excusing himself from the kitchen. Only then does the innkeeper relent, letting out a small chuckle. ”Such a fop.”
“I’m no priestess, if that’s what you’re asking,” Ameiko finally replies to Ash with a wink. She starts to wiggle her fingers around, tracing imaginary squiggles in the air. “It’s just a bit of a knack I have. Picked up on it while I was on the road. The power is innate, but I’ve never been sure of where it comes from. Math or music or fairy dust, maybe.”
At Shara’s remark, she drops her hand and smirks. “Oh, I’m much better off here, believe me. It’s a lot less dramatic, but I can live without drama.”
“Anyhow, I’d better get started on this. Feel free to hang around. Let Bethana or one of the others know if you need anything!”
-----
Ameiko seems pleasantly surprised to have Ivy in the kitchen. She certainly does not ask her to leave, instead rifling through her shelves for a number of unlabeled jars. Several aromatic seasonings are thrown together in carefully measured proportions, evidently pulled from memory; before long, the boar is injected and slathered with sauce and seasoning. Once the boar is mounted on a spit and over a fire, Ameiko turns her attention to preparing other meals. She is not the only cook in the kitchen, but just from a glance, once can tell that she is by far the most skilled. She seems to have things handled, but she is happy to keep the eidolon busy - there is always something that needs cutting or holding or stirring or turning.
The common room is even livelier. With the events of the festival still fresh in everyone’s heads, the crowd is all too happy to have the town’s heroes hanging around. Those who have had yet to congratulate you all do so, and some enthusiastic folks who have done so already so again. Perhaps under Ameiko’s instruction, Bethana - the elderly halfling server from the previous night - keeps a tally of the number of drinks you are offered.
More grossly exaggerated accounts of your exploit are given, becoming increasingly more colorful as the ones telling them grow more drunk. It does not help that at least half of them could not possibly have been present enough to witness these things. One drunken bard even sets their tale to the music of a three-stringed lute.
It is after dusk when Aldern finally comes down to join you once more, dressed in an outfit not unsimilar to his last, but that favors green and gold. No does he arrive than Ameiko comes out to clear off some tables, having them all pulled together. Just moments later, the boar is brought out on a large platter, roasted to perfection. Plenty of dishes to be had on the side are brought out as well, with a good deal of consideration given to Ash and Ameiko’s newest helper. Some of the other patrons drool at the sight of your food, but seem considerate enough to steer clear.
”Well, what do you think?” Ameiko asks, looking rather pleased with herself.
Shara's more than happy to take a semi-permanent position in the common room through most of the day. She sits back at one of the tables and sips a drink, though she doesn't drink much at all, electing to keep an eye on the rest of the group in case they decide to get a little too excited after their hunting trip. She ends up sharing a story or two through the day, chatting with anyone who comes through the tavern.
As Ameiko brings out the meal, she fights the urge to drool. "It looks phenomenal," she says as she picks out a choice cut of boar and tastes it. "And it tastes even better."
Ivy throws herself at any task she's given with intense concentration, and perhaps too much enthusiasm. What she lacks in skill, she makes up in tenacity. Not that Ameiko had given her any particularly difficult jobs. Mix, Mix, Swirl, Swirl, Turn, Turn, Turn, Turn, Sift, Sift, Chop. "Hand like a cat's paw." she announces as she chops the vegetables with the offered knife.
Near the end of the process of cooking, Ivy discovers the entire jar of honey that would normally be used to coat hams. She conspiratorially whispers to Ameiko the next time she's in earshot.
Rather than drinking the offered drinks, Ash simply collects them. They sit on the table in front of him, where any of the others are free to take them... though any that are left unclaimed by the time Ivy returns immediately become Ivy's.
"It looks amazing, Miss Ameiko! There's so much, too!" she adds excitedly, helping by carrying objects to the table, using both hands, cradling any given drinks, foods, or their ilk to prevent herself from clumsily dropping them.
Ash looks over the small banquet with an upraised eyebrow. "Is this meant to be just for us..?"
Instead of hanging around the Rusty Dragon while Ameiko cooks, Baalrak elects to go for a long, circuitous walk around Sandpoint. He leaves his notched sword shoved into the ground near the front door of the tavern, as he didn't feel like lugging the weight around, and goes out.
He knows he's got lots of time while the pork roasts, so he makes sure to go down every street that he can. Eventually, he comes to the stone cathedral and goes inside for a few moments, taking the time to look at each God's shrine. He doesn't talk to any of the worshippers, though.
He frowns. He was troubled, not just by his failure to kill such a simple beast, but by the man Aldern's surprising show of savagery. By everyone else's lack of observation. Though perhaps this is simply because savagery is what Baalrak does best. Hmm.
Well, Baalrak make one of the two things right. Next chance he gets, he'll pry a local challenge out of Ameiko or Zantus and go to kill it. The other, Aldern and the man's interest in Baalrak's new friends, he'd just have to wait and see about.
He heads back to the Dragon eventually, just a bit before the boar comes out. He sits down, two forks at the ready to rip into the meat. In answer to Ash, he grins and says "You'll be lucky if it isn't all meant for just me." before laughing and digging in, shoveling a large portion of meat onto his plate.
“Good to hear!” Ameiko replies, delighted by the compliments. ”And of course it’s all for you! I mean, I don’t expect you to pick the boar clean or anything, but...” She eyes Baalrak for a second, as though second guessing her comment. “Well, you can always take some leftovers. Or spread the love a little, if you’re so inclined.
”Anyway, I’d better finish up the stew. Don’t want the rest of these folks to think I’ve forgotten about them!”
Ameiko disappears into the kitchen again, leaving you to your sizable meal. For a couple of minutes, you are even able to enjoy it in peace. Aldern enlightens you about his last boar hunt, which involved a length chase on horseback and many a thrown spear. Not nearly as exhilarating as the fight you had, he assures you. Before he can go too far into the details however, the door to the inn suddenly slams open.
a rather surly man wearing expensive livery shouts, his voice cutting through the din in the common room. Seeing who it is, the dozen or so other patrons in the inn avert their gaze, suddenly growing quiet and very interested in their meals. When no one answers him immediately, the middle-aged Tian man steps into the inn and glances side to side, almost frantically. The bags beneath his irritated eyes make him look even older than he truly is.
Shara chuckles as she enjoys the meal and Aldern's tall tale. He could honestly give Uncle Quinn a run for his money if he put his mind for it. Unfortunately, her good mood disappears instantly as the man bursts in. "Nethys's n*pples," she groans. "Not him."
Ivy raises her hand. "I don't know, but I'm the best finder! Just ask everyone!" she says with a grin, seemingly unaware of the sudden change in barometric pressure. She stands up finishing off a second mug - though how effective the alcohol is on her is another question entirely.
"We found a boar, and some goblins, and some skeletons... and that's just since we got here!"
The moment Ivy speaks, Lonjiku’s eyes dart to her direction, quickly recognizing the members of your small gathering. Someone in the inn snickers at her remark, but quickly covers it up with a cough. Paying them no mind, the noble strides across the common room, zeroing in on your table. He sneers at Ivy before turning to look at the redheaded sorceress.
“I should have known that your lot would be here,” he spits venomously, as if you had all committed some grave offense. The statement is mostly directed at Shara, but even as he speaks he eyes everyone else in the group with barely contained disgust. Everyone except Aldern, who is all but invisible to him. “What were you thinking, gallivanting around the festival like that? Did you think yourselves samaritans? Heroes? You should have stayed out of the way and let the guards do their damned work!”
Shara rolls her eyes. "Hello to you to, Lonjiku," she says, sarcasm absolutely dripping from her voice. "It's been what, five years? How have you been? How's the wife?" She discreetly begins to weave her hands below the table calling up a touch of arcane power.
Ivy pipes in, "You should have! Everyone's talking about us. And it's a really small town. So it's either the Goblins, the Church, or us that are being talked about!"
She pauses as she takes a moment to digest the big words, she's pretty sure Gallivanting meant 'being awesome', and Samaritans meant... 'heroes'?
"We did stay out of the way! Except that the goblins tried to kill people, so we helped with that. The living, not the killing... well, we killed the goblins, but didn't help them kill people. Then the guard asked us to help them. Haven't you been listening to all the stories? Everybody knows!"
"Oooh. You know him? Hello Long-jiku. My name's Ivy." she says, still standing, and offering him her hand.
Ash just buries himself a little further behind his stack of untouched mugs, something akin to a groan escaping, which was what told Ivy something was wrong. She tilts her head, hand falling slightly, as she looks back to Ash.
Lonjiku recoils at the mention of his wife, as though Shara had struck him across the face. Somehow, his face manages to turn another shade of red darker. The noble's arm twitches, but perhaps knowing better, the seething noble simply glowers at her. "You have some nerve, girl..."
He is all too eager to return to his previous train of thought however, quickly redirecting his tirade to the oblivious eidolon.
"Oh please, don't pretend that you were concerned about the people. You sorry lot just wanted an excuse to grandstand in front of everybody! And yes, I've heard the stories. Nobody in this godsforsaken town can shut their mouths about you!"
"You know... I know a good story," Shara continues, not about to let Lonjiku get into stride and have his way with his little tantrum. "It's about a bitter old man who managed to alienate his entire family because he wouldn't know the meaning of 'kindness' or 'concern' if they danced a jig in front of him and then kicked him in his balls. Because gods forbid people actually care for other's safety instead of cowering and waiting for someone else to try and help."
Ivy's hand wavers a little lower, as she looks from the berry-colored man, and Ash, giant grin slowly flattening out. "Could you not use so many big words? They make you hard to understand. Anyway, the town isn't godforsaken, they just released a bunch of trapped butterflies for Desna, and then there's the church they just built... and I don't even know what grandstanding is. Isn't it great, though! It's fun being noticed! But that doesn't really matter. If you want us to find your daughter, you're doing a really bad job of telling us where you saw her and what she looks like. Do you have anything that smells like her?"
Baalrak stands up quickly as the old human approaches their table and begins to insult him and his friends. "We earned that glory, by destroying those puny beasts that were killing your people, old man."
He subtly flexes his muscles and meets Lonjiku's gaze, getting right up in the old man's face. "What did you do? Order servants to make you a feast and then not eat it, alone in your house, with nobody you couldn't buy to keep you company?" His gaze narrows. "Take what you said back."
"Miss Ameiko! We really need that honey!" Ivy calls towards the kitchen.
Lonjiku opens his mouth and then closes it, at a loss as to how to react to Shara and Ivy's entirely different means of addressing him. This only seems to frustrate him further. When Baalrak stands to face him, the man, already positively puny compared to the half-orc, visibly shrinks. However, something snaps in the old man. Either suddenly brave or suicidal, he stands his ground.
he shouts too loudly, a vein in his neck on the verge of bursting. He could not hope to match the barbarian's muscle, but he had other ways of compensating.
"That's enough, father," Ameiko suddenly interjects, standing at the kitchen door. She holds a soupy ladle in her hand, brandishing it more like a weapon than a cooking utensil. There is a look of scorn in her eyes, perhaps the only family resemblance.
"Now, before my buddy there rips you a new one, would you like to tell me what the f*ck you are doing in my inn?"
Lonjiku takes this opportunity to disengage from Baalrak, stepping right up to his daughter. He switches to another tongue, speaking to her with a commanding tone. The two proceed to bicker back and forth, their words blending into each other with startling harshness and fluidity.
”あなたの事の女の子を梱包してください。私たちは、[マグニマー]のために残しています。”
”このすべてについて父親は何ですか？混乱のどのようなあなた自身は、この時間になったのですか？”
”以下のために一度あなたの生活の中で自分の口を閉じて、私はあなたを伝えるように行います！”
Ameiko lets out a bitter laugh.
”そのファック。私はもうあなたに服従する必要はありません。私はあなたとどこにも行くつもりはありません。”
”これはあなたの最後の警告アメイコです。”
”何をするつもりですか？私を勘当？これは何でしょうか？すでに三回目？ちょうど私の宿の地獄を得ます！”
”この傲慢十分。私は私がしなければならない場合、この町のあなたをドラッグします！”
“What is this all about father? What kind of mess did you get yourself into this time?”
“For once in your life, just shut your mouth and do as I tell you!”
“F*ck that. I do not have to obey you anymore. I am not going anywhere with you.”
“This is your last warning, Ameiko.”
“What are you going to? Disown me? This would be what? The third time already? Just get the hell out of my inn!”
“Enough of this insolence. I will drag you out of this town if I have to!”
Lonjiku suddenly lunges forward, reaching out for Ameiko’s hair. In anticipation of this, Shara casts her cantrip, attempting to muddle the old man’s thoughts. The enchantment does not appear to take hold, but he hesitates regardless, sensing the power encroaching on his mind; his arm halts just short of Ameiko, giving her all time she needs. Without missing a beat the innkeeper smacks him right across the face with her ladle, splattering small bits of soup all over him. He reels from the blow, staggering backwards and nearly knocking into Baalrak. Ameiko smiles smugly, quite satisfied with herself.
For a second it seems that Lonjiku is about to explode, but as he takes a deep breath, a sudden calmness falls over him.
“You are as dead to me as your mother,” he says, looking his daughter right in the eye. Any look of anger or satisfaction disappears from Ameiko’s face in an instant, replaced by astonishment. With that parting shot, the noble spares your group one last hateful glance before leaving the inn, slamming the door behind him.
Ameiko is left standing there, staring vacantly at the door. Even with Lonjiku gone, none of the other patrons say a word.
Shara follows Lonjiku's rant, missing only a handful of words. She's silently rather proud that she hasn't completely forgotten her Tien while she was away in Magnimar. She sighs as he storms out. "Ameiko... I'm afraid to say it, but your dad has managed to become even more of an absolute ass while I was gone. He... there's nothing that I can say that will make what just happened alright, but it's not your fault that he's such a bitter old fool that he can't appreciate the wonderful daughter that he has."
"I think Miss Ameiko doesn't know that her sister is missing. Should we tell her?" Ivy whispers conspiratorially, though this time with Shara.
"And those are a lot of big words..."
As Ameiko smacks her father across the face, Ivy tilts her head again, but doesn't add anything.
Once he finally leaves the building, Ivy regains her footing.
"We never did find out where her sister is.." Ivy says quietly after the bickering argument with words she didn't know was over. "He's really bad at this."
Shara stares at Ivy, rather mystified for a few moments. What on earth is she talking about? Her mind jumps into overtime as she tries to put together what the young woman is talking about. "What are... Ameiko doesn't have a sister Ivy," she says. "Lonjiku was looking for Ameiko."
Ivy frowns. "Then he's really, really bad at this."
She looks to Ash to explain, but he shakes his head. Her ability to comprehend was slightly reliant on his, in that she couldn't if he couldn't... though he was much more intelligent, that didn't help when the language was beyond him.
"He was looking for Miss Ameiko, but he's a very rude, bad-tempered man... from the sounds of it." he explains quietly to his 'sister'.
"Should definitely have brought the honey." Ivy agrees solemnly and quietly.
Baalrak spits on the ground as Lonjiku leaves, his eyes full of tension and fury after the man's aggressive outburst and insults. He rights the chair he had knocked over from getting up quickly and places it in front of Ameiko. "You need a drink and a sit, woman?", he asks, suddenly gentle.
Ameiko chuckles, but the sound is hollow and dry. "No sister that I know of, anyway. Can't say that I'd be surprised if one turned up, at this point." Smiling weakly at Baalrak, she drops into the chair, right away folding one leg over the other. With a great sigh she looks around, apparently realizing how quiet it had gotten. Mustering a lungful of air, she manages to elevate her voice once more. "Sorry that jackass had to spoil your evening, everyone! How about another round on the house, yeah?"
The patrons in the inn take this as their cue, letting out a quick cheer before returning to their business. Before long, the common room is as noisy as it was before Lonjiku's arrival. Having salvaged some degree of normalcy, Ameiko seems to relax some more, leaning back in the chair. She finally looks to Shara, her smile more genuine.
"Thank you, Shara. And Baalrak. Thank all of you, I mean. I really, really wish you guys didn't have to see that, though. My father has always been an ass, but he somehow got worse after mom died. Still, bringing her up is a low blow, even for him..." She winces, looking to the sorceress again. Despite the commotion going on, she hushes her voice slightly. "Did anyone tell you about that? It happened, well, five years ago. I... think we were both out of town when it happened. I guess it didn't stand out as much as the rest of that mess."
"It might be because he's scared of losing you, like your maybe-sister." Ivy suggests, quietly. "Ooooh. It was while you guys were away. I don't like letting Ash out of my sight, because he's kind of helpless without me. So maybe he just doesn't like you being so far away?" she asks, tilting her head.
Shara winces at Ameiko's look. "Yeah..." she says awkwardly. "I've always liked your father about as well as he liked me. I figured if I hit him in the balls hard enough, I'd take the wind out of him. I guess I only managed to fan the flames instead." She sighs and grabs her drink, finishing her mug in one long go. "Mom kept me up to date on anything big that came around. She mentioned your mother's funeral in one of her letters. Something about it being a very... eventful day. I don't know all the details though."
"It's... more complicated than that," Ameiko says to Ivy patiently, shaking her head slowly. "Nothing is more important to my father than his reputation. He is convinced that every life decision I have ever made has tarnished his image somehow. As though he hasn't managed to do that himself. So yeah, I guess you can say he didn't like me being away. But only because that means he can't control me. Or try to, anyway.
"But now that I'm dead to him, maybe he'll finally leave me the hell alone. That's probably too optimistic, though."
The innkeeper suddenly stands up and raises her arms toward the ceiling, stretching out her back. She eyes Shara, responding with a low chuckle. "Eventful describes it pretty well, I guess. I'll give you the details another time, though. Preferably after I've had a good drink. Right now, I need to finish the stew, get these people fed, and clean up the kitchen. Usually I'd play some music for you all, but I'm not feeling up to it tonight."
Ivy slumps back into her chair as Ameiko heads back to take care of the stew. "Family should stick together." she says, pouting. "Ash wouldn't be able to live in the woods without me... and without him, I'd sleep forever. We just have to help figure out why they need each other, so they can see it." she nod-nods.
Ash just stays as inuslar as usual, studying the woodgrain, intensely.