Charlene shakes her head. "Everywhere I go, it's the same thing - musicians griping at their managers. Gripe, gripe, gripe. Like it's the manager's responsibility to look after their instruments or something." She watches the altercation with a sort of wistful half-smile.
"Well, I know my managers kept misplacing my microphone. I swear they were," says Mittens, "Pretty much the same thing, right? Probably playing some kinda cruel trick on me. It's not like I have graspy hands!"
"You should have been fitted with a proper mic. Perhaps integrated with your helmet. You should NOT have had to worry about holding one. But anyway. I didn't know the Gormtooths - Gormteeth? - whatever - could fly. This is like the Wizard of Oz."
Charlene sighs wistfully. "I always hated that movie."
"Why? Because of the dog? Me too," says Mittens.
"Maybe a little, but mostly because of the happy ending. Didn't seem like a good message for little girls. 'Stay home and be happy with what you have.' Yeah, right."
Bryn looks sheepish, remembering how he upon occasion treated his manager; 'Well they should have ensured the sound-check guy didn't have a pace-maker. That was hardly my fault.'
Looking on at the coomotion in front of him, Bryn thinks about interrupting. Considering it for nearly a whole second; "Excuse me, sir. What's the ruckus?"
"Wha? You still want me to believe that?" The man points at the dwarf and is about to lambaste him again then looks at Bryn with a glare then snorts, "This lil pissant promised a week of entertainment for my bar and now can't deliver. He says the Gomoktooth got his instruments and scared off his crew. Ha! A crew of dwarves being scared off by flying monkeys!"
"Aye them that's got wings from de ears playin' flutes!" Yells the rowdy man who'd been teasing the dwarf, "What else ye got? A harp? If it ain't no blow hard thing then it has ta be a harp!"
Finwa watches the squabble with awe as she'd noticed that some people didn't know much about music and had not even known about bands and here was a dwarf wanting to play in a band for a bar? That would be a new thing around here making this bar a first of it's kind in this world.
The little woman listens to the other two females and chuckles a little until Charlene mentions the moral, "I never thought of it that way. That's an ignorant message!"
She sighs then notices Bryn trying to help. Her eyes turn to the owner and she gives him her puppy dog eyes look, "But there are Gomoktooth out there. Maybe you should give him a chance to get the stuff and play."
He looks to the tavern owner with a shake of his head, 'This is the type of landlord I've encountered many a time. Trying to make a profit of struggling musicians. Undoubtedly, they try to make money from the fame of the ones that make it - despite the Land-lords best discouragement.'
Then he addresses the heavy-set publican; "There's nothing wrong with a Harp, or a harpsichord. A magnificent counter-point to a heavier sound. You need the occasional respite from the pounding thrum of music, getting people to drink from the bar."
"You came past a Gomoktooth encampment? Mr???" Bryn queries the stout musician kindly; "What instrument do you play?"
Leoian looks quite pained as they stop just short of getting off the streets in this horrible place. He wrinkles his nose towards the bar and looks very uncomfortable about all the yelling. When Bryn goes over there the little halfling grumbles to himself "What is that man doing now..."
When Finwa goes over to the owner of the bar as well Leo feels his stomach turn in knots 'It's not our business just leave them alone so we can get out of here.' They need to settle this quickly so they can get off the streets. Leo moves up just close enough so he can reach Finwa tugging on her hand lightly and leaning in towards her, practically hiding behind her as he says quietly "Can't you just make him a new instrument with your power, then we can get out of here. It smells bad, and there's way too many people."
Bryn puts a hand to the landlords shoulder, a heavy palm and a solight 'friendly' squeeze. "Now I am sure you are a reasonable man cannot you see that this fine fellow has lost his instrument." he says softly, a tightness to his voice betraying his annoyance at the injustice.
"Now, my friends and I are eaving in the morning.... but mayhaps we can come to some arrangement." he says persuasively.
"It didn't even have a message at all for little kittens," huffs Mittens still on the subject of the Wizard of Oz. "Dogs aren't even very clever! Have you ever seen a dog engineer even a rudimentary transportation device? NO! Anyways, yeah, Finwa, don't you have superpowers? I guess you probably need to know how flutes are crafted. I can see if I can access a dead relative if you need help. I hate that though. 'Why do you never visit?' Cause you're dead, it's creepy!"
"Ugh, instruments are notoriously fickle, what with needing the proper resonant frequencies to make the right notes. He probably needs his own instrument back. Though I thought dwarves were more likely to play drums. Maybe he can use one of those. Hey, if we're going to get your balloon from the Gurkateeth, maybe we can get his flute, too, and he'll pay us!"
Charlene moseys over to the annoyed musician. "How much of a finder's fee is there on your flute? We're going up there anyway. If we can get it, how much will you give us? And why do they want it?"
"For the last time, it ain't no blasted flute or any of that slag!" Belzac yells, tossing up his arms up in annoyance. Having finally noticed the newcomers, he takes the opportunity to vent his frustrations at them, turning away from the infuriating owner. "Just 'cause it got strings don't make it no damned harp! Them Gomoks took my guitar; no telling what in blazes they plan on doin' with it though. I was just on my way to git it back right when this ignoramus got in my face." He tosses the owner yet another look.
"Well, uh... fine. Whatever. It's probably safer for all of us if we go together. More targets. Why don't you come with us?" Charlene keeps her best 'dealing with temperamental musicians' game face on.
The owner looks to Bryn, "If you can..." As soon as he starts he is cut off by one of his customers.
"Ah geetar?" The big, mouthy man says while getting out of his chair, putting a hand on Belzac's shoulder and gives him a shove, "Ain't that a relic? Where ya get somethin' like dat from? They's not been 'round since de ages."
Another man yells, "He musta found it in his dwarf garden wif dere mushrooms!"
"Ya mean it ain't no harp? C'mon it gotta be a harp." He laughs loudly.
As Leo takes Finwa's hand she backs up and turns her head to look at him as she considers what he said about making a new instrument for the dwarf but then shakes her head when Charlene mentions strings, "If it has ... ah. Not a guitar. Not yet anyway. If I can see what ..."
Finwa grabs Leo and moves as a chair is pushed out towards them and she pulls the halfling out of the way as it almost hits them as another man stands. Now the little woman looks about with some worry.
Bryn looks to the man the almost hit the cute but slight pair; "Watch where you are going mate." he advises carefully.
His head slightly distracted; 'Guitar, and they seem like relics. Is it as Moorcock predicted and time is cyclical....I hope this doesn't take a turn for the Jerry Cornelious - I haven't nearly done enough drugs for that.' He looks to the stout fellow, with a slight nod, completely ignoring the oaf he threatened.
"Gimme jus' one sec..." Belzac says to Charlene when the man's hand lands on his shoulder, his voice trembling with anger. When the man shoves him, the dwarf's hand reaches out to grab the closest object he could find. It just so happens to be an empty liquor bottle.
he suddenly bellows, turning to swing the glass bottle at the man's head. The sound of shattering glass splits through the air as the bottle explodes into a thousand pieces. Not one to avoid escalating a situation, he immediately discards the broken bottleneck and tries to follow up by tackling the man.
The man Belzac hits with the bottle yells, his hands going to his head as he leans down but then he looks across at the smaller man with a glare just as the dwarf tackles him.
When Bryn threatens the man who almost hit Finwa and Leoian he turns to the handsome musician and snarls, "Who you think you are ta tell me whatnot?" He yells as he swings a fist at the dark haired man.
The third mouthy man puts a hand on Charlene's shoulder and yaps off to her, "Little lady you don't want a little feller like that with ya! I can give you a good time and it won't take no harp to get to yer heart, I can tell yer that."
Charlene looks with disdain at the hand on her shoulder. "Remove it or I'll remove it for you."
The man beside Charlene grins at her then chuckles, "Well we've got a harsh one. You will remove it ta where, little lady?" He winks again.
Bryn turns into the punch, there's a heavy sound. A slab of meat hitting a counter, the tall man is rocked. Blinking away the blow; he smiles. "I've seen children hit harder than that. Are you going to apologise to the lady and gentleman now?" his tone slightly exasperated.
He glances at the smaller pair, a red mark upon his chiselled cheekbones.
"Actually, she will probably literally tear your hand off," advises Mittens to the man, "And probably anything else you try to poke her with. Just wrench it right off. I put her in a deathmatch situation and I've seen her do some crazy stuff. In sloooooow motion."
"Kittington is right. I was thinking the floor, along with a great quantity of your blood." Charlene swiftly draws her blade and holds it in a ready position. "I've already died once. You don't really scare me, you lascivious rube. You all just back off now, and we'll be on our way. Wait, let me put it in your language. You sit. We leave. Nobody die. You not sit. Big trouble. Stupid trouble."
Leoian eeps softly and cringes as Finwa pulls him out of the way and a the people start brawling. This one precisely why he didn't want to get involved, and would have much preferred to just move on through "This is why I don't like towns people are forced into crowds and the closer vicinity makes them agitated, then they start doing stupid things."
The halfling man moving carefully away from Finwa comes over and lightly tugs on Charlene's pant leg "Can we just leave? I don't like killing people, and it's the crowds that make these men stupid, it's not really their fault. This place is starting to spook me too..."
Turble had been watching the scene quietly. The percolating anger had not phased him. The threat to his ticket out of the cobbler's shop, however, is not tolerable. The rest of the pack is clearly looking to brawl and a full stomach has Turble feeling playful.
As Charlene draws her sword, the gnoll lunges for the offender's throat, canines bared.
Belzac - Your opponent is on the ground struggling to get out from under you and seems surprised that you were so fast.
Bryn - The man who attacked you is almost hit by a thrown chair and backs up, looking around for whoever threw the sitting unit.
Charlene and Turble - This man backs up as Charlene draws her sword and puts up his hands, "Whaaa? Ma'am, ma'am no! Ya got it all wrong. You don't need no sword. I was just playing and hinting tha's all" He trips trying to avoid Turble and falls beside Leoian.
"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH!!" The barkeep screams into the room while slamming what looks to be a double thick bat onto a table, breaking the table in half to punctuate his action, "You three..." He points the bat at each of the group';s assailants, "Out for a week and yer payin' fer da damages! The rest a ya, Belzac and whoever you newcomers are ... if yer can get the instruments and play for a week then I will pay the rest of the fee. It has to be within 5 days though cause I've got specials comin' da next night for this. Tis new an' ah got people who's interested. Now scoot. The rest a you lot get back to yer whatever yer doin'."
Finwa grabs Leo's hand as the man falls beside him and just gets out of Turble's way while he's attacking the man. She tries to rush him out of the area and to behind a tree where she puts her hand onto the conifer and thinks to it but as soon as she is ready to do anything the owner of the place yells out and she sighs in relief.
"I see what you mean, Leo!" She says as she looks for the others, specifically Bryn as she hopes he is not badly hurt. She lays her head on Leo's shoulder and sighs as she notices they are all fine.
The shout surprises the Norse man, but then seeing the muscular barkeep Bryn realises how he keeps peace in his bar. 'Might is right?' he thinks ruefully.
"Yeah, Belzac (?) and the rest of us may deign to do this." he nods to the bearded fellow. Then he looks around and sees Finwa and Leo canoodling under the boughs of a tree. 'Good to see they are taking this in their stride.' Bryn thinks jumping to conclusions.
"Whoa, there Turble. That's quite a nip you have?" he exclaims to the ferocious being.
Charlene's hand shoots out and grabs the collar of Turble's tunic as he leaps at the man pestering her. "Tsk, make a liar of me? Shame on you! I told him he could keep his hand if he took it away, and his life too!" She releases the fierce being once the man falls, trusting him not to kick a man who is already down. "I think we're no longer welcome here. It's such a shame. The company was so delightful! Come along, Verpien." She slides her sword back into its sheath as she speaks, so it is difficult to tell if she's addressing Turble or the sword.
Leoian watches the man fall to the ground near him then finds himself being pulled away by Finwa and rushed over to a big tree. The little cat-lady seemed especially protective of him recently, that wasn't really a bad thing it showed how much she cared he just hoped she didn't think he couldn't handle himself. The halfling also happened to notice that Bryn, although the man had actually been directly attacked, was not scurried over to the safety of the conifer. It may be a small one, but Leo felt that was a victory on his part.
The small mans miles as Finwa lays her head against his shoulder "Yes, towns aren't good for people, it's much easier in the woods." He looks back towards the others "Looks like things have settled... but that man broke his table, it takes a long time to carve a new table."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." the dwarf mumbles as he stands, patting dust off his duster. He then pulls the man he attacked off the ground, taking the time to straighten his collar. "Same time next week, eh?" he tells him, before walking off without a care in the world. "Like I said, I was already plannin' gettin' my stuff back." He regards the odd group with a stony gaze before nodding to himself. "If y'all are goin' in that direction anyways, I might's well tag along."
There was pain. He roared in protest while the whips and chains attempted to keep him tethered and docile. He felt his cobbled together body slowly get progressively more wounded as the beating continued. The Gomoktooth tribesmen continued their beating until the Construct fell unconscious, then dragged him back to their camp, for what purpose? Probably to eat him, he thought as the construct's mind wandered in a morass of fog...
An officer rides a horse past the group and turns down the street they just came off of. It looks like he knows where he is going and he seems relatively concerned.
"So off to Hugh's for a peaceful tea? Then see if he can find somewhere to sleep and set off for the mountains in the morning." Bryn says, with a faint red mark high upon his cheek.
The group gets to Hugh's for supper and everything goes well as the ones who love to cook do so and Hugh talks about the town and some of the antics of people there. He has quite a few fun tales and even tells a few of his own adventures, how he met his wife and that they had two children, a boy and a girl.
The boy, Elcan had gone away to another town to train to be a soldier and once he was ready he would return to Fair Raven to work there and help his father out. His daughter, Sylia, had been an excellent swords woman but was more interested in working the farm. Sylia and her mother had been taken from him two years before by the shadow creatures.
He then told of more fun things about a few more people but it was starting to get late so he ushered everyone to rooms to sleep so everyone would be ready in the morning.
In the morning he gave the group an extra set of clothes each which had been owned by his wife or daughter at some point or by himself that he could no longer wear.
"Na y'all member ta be careful an come back aright."
Next thing everyone knows is that you are at the gates almost ready to go and waiting to leave the town and get the balloon.
------
Romycas wakes up beaten down and looking ragged from his treatment at the hands of the Gomoktooth tribe. So far he cannot see too far as his vision is blurry but it does not seem that the residents are too interested in him but notices that he is caged with three other people who are keeping as far back from the wooden bars in the cave that is their current home. There are furs on the ground and the four could move about but there are four guards in front of their hovel.
As Hugh tells of his family, tears slowly form in the corners of Bryn's azure eyes. 'Poor fellow, to lose loved ones...' It brings back memories of his own companions, captured and deceased. Though used to melancholy the singer put on a firm countenace.
Later that evening the Noreman finds Finwa, whilst they clean the dishes. He dabs her nose with the foamy liquid playfully; "So, we'll be off soon. Pity, I would have loved to spend more private time with you." his voice playful; "Oh, well when we get back..." it holds a note of promise.
Then he leans in and whispers softly, his nose nuzzling her pointed ears;
"Well, if we were to..." he pauses, voice becoming the merest whisper upon the breeze. "be joined. Then I cold feel what you experience, learn what you like, enjoy your pleasure."
"It'll mean I can focus on your pleasure all night long" the words roll from his tongue like honey.
He turrns away slightly embarrassed, before finishing up and going to sleep.
Bryn looks completely refreshed, any hint from the fight long since disappeared. The night in an actual town has done him the world of good, he looks to his companions. "Bet you are pleased to leave here Leoian?"
Turble is a ball of energy. He stretches repeatedly. His tongue lolls.
"Let's go. Let's go!" he says.
Leoian had gone to bed early though he tried to stay up to help with the dishes, the town seems to just drain his energy right out.
In the morning the night in the town appears to have had the opposite effect on him as it has on Bryn, despite having had extra sleep he still looks tired. The little halfling nods at Bryn's words "Yes... this place is terrifying."
Realising what he said could be taken the wrong way by their host he turns to the man and waves his hand to dismiss any such thoughts "Not your home Mr. Hugh, it is very nice, and we are most grateful for your sharing it with us... I just do not do well without the trees around me, and the comforting sounds of nature."
Mittens mostly slept through the night, but sometimes woke up and was a bit restless. As a result, she would sometimes walk onto other people's faces to see if they were restless too before settling down on some bed or another for another couple of hours.
In the morning she is with Leoian, speaking to Hugh, "Yeah, I gotta agree that this place is pretty weird for me. For the opposite reason that Leoian says, though. There aren't enough contraptions or doohickeys here for me to tinker with. It's hard to even access helmetspace, and what's even the point? Everyone I want to communicate with is in a parallel setting. It'll be a comfort to return to my balloon and my tools."
"IF they are still there. And if they are intact. Who knows what the Groktoofs might have done to them?" Charlene interjects glumly, pulling her long hair back to bind it into a ponytail with a leather strap as she surveys the morning activity. "But I'm with Turble. If we're all healed and rested, let's be on our way. Unless we need to get Bryn to a vet." She scrutinizes the musician closely and nods, apparently satisfied.
Lowering her voice, she leans in to the group and tries not to be overheard. "I wish there was something we could do to repay Hugh for his hospitality. Can, uh, can you think of anything? If not, we should be on watch for something we could bring back for him."
Under Charlene's scrutiny he flicks back an ebony cascade, pushing his hair behind an ear with a little smile. "Yeah, he has done so much for us. I wish I could repay him with more than a meal."
Looking to the woods beyond the town Bryn whispers; "So Leoian, I place myself in you hands. To lead us to the camp?" The tall Norseman looks around the group; "Finwa has the maps, Belzac has been through the area, Leoian has the woodland knowledge, Charlene the skill at arms, Turble has a sense of the land, and Mittens is Mittens." the last word holds deep respect and implies a dozen different roles rather than a lack of such.
Finwa is saddened by Hugh's words about his family and realizes that he has kind of taken them in as a short term new family so makes sure to give the older man a big hug and kiss on the cheek before going to do the dishes.
As she stands there and Bryn mentions being alone she takes a deep breath and tries not to show how it has affected her but then he whispers in her ear and she shivers and licks her lips, eyes closing in the heat of thought. What they could do together. What they could do with Leo if the halfling accepted being in a kremau. Her eyes opened and she looked into Bryn's with a smile to tell him wordlessly that she's interested as well, as if her body's reaction didn't tell him beforehand.
She goes to bed exhausted and hardly feels anything until Mittens steps on her head but she does look at the full cat for a moment and gives the other's ears a good petting.
------
Finwa is in a good mood in the morning as they get up to go. She slides around Bryn and Leo while rubbing her cheek against them in a noticeable cat owning methodology then attacks Turble's tail and flips about until she is on her back batting at the fluffy spinal extension.
She looks up at the sound of Leo's voice as she's caught the tail and is nibbling on it good naturedly and blinks, "Buh we'yull be outta ere ... pfft..." She stops nibbling on the tail and snorts some fur from her face, "We'll be out of town soon, Leo, then we can revel in the sun on our faces and enjoy the quiet! And the animal sounds but not the chatter and such."
The little cat-like woman smiles up at Charlene, "I agree. Well find something or we can make something together. I'm sure we can come up with something real nice."
Slowly his vision came back as he woke up, though in a different location than before. The Construct rubbed his head, feeling sore. There were people staring at him, three or four others sharing his cell. They had crawled over to the corner of the room away from him. He closed his glowing blue eyes in faux amusement. "No need to be frightened. I'm not going to harm you." he admonished. He saw the bars to their cell was made of stout wood, but if he had some time to rest properly, breaking out would not be a problem.
"We've got the map and the manpower. Let's get on the road before noon, shall we?" Charlene nods at the map-holder. "Lead the way, or at least point us in the right direction. Maybe Turble or Belzac can lead since they're from around here."
As the group heads for the street, Charlene drops back to give Hugh a quick hug and peck on the cheek and to whisper in his ear. "Thanks for everything. We'll be back."
Leoian nods as Finwa assures him they'll be out of the town soon "Yes, I'll be fine, this is just the first night I've spent completely out of the woods... it's strange."
The little halfling smiles at the others and offers his idea of what they should get Hugh as they come out into the street "He won't have anyone around the house when we leave and he might get lonely. We should find him a nice little companion like Datarila."
"I'll let Scruffy take the lead," Belzac says, having mostly kept to himself over the past night. The small group was an odd bunch, but then again, everything on the surface was odd to him. To make a point, he pats the bulging holster at his side, then points up. "B'sides, someone's gotta keep an eye on the skies. I ain't lettin' no Gomok snatch me up. Not without a fight, at least."
"Oh Leo that's such a kind gesture. I'm sure any sprite like Datarila would find Hugh a superb friend." Bryn says warmly whilst he walks with the group out of the town. Finwa's brushing against him is rewarded with a soft touch of her delicately furred shoulders.
The Norse mans mind goes back to the sun-dappled forest of his homeland, thus a small smile slips across his visage. "The sky? They can come from the sky?" his tone is concerned, hoping not to meet any of these beasts.
Subtly he moves forward so that Finwa stands in his shadow, just in case. Her short tail brushing against his legs rhythmically as they walk.
The group gets through the town with no problems as Finwa decided to take to the back roads to make everything easier on Leo and to make sure that Turble was not tempted by anything in the market. He probably would be just fine while munching on the big steak bone she saw Hugh give him but one could never know when a person is still going through having been starved. He could not be blamed for the interest but if he did anything then they would have to postpone their trip longer and no one wanted that.
As the group reaches the northern exit they can see a problem up ahead where people have stopped and are watching something going on. As they get closer they can see a man gesticulating and yelling.
"There is NO SUCH THING as a 'safari'. I don't even know what the green havens a safari is! This is a caravan to Tory now either pay the toll or get lost. I don't care if someone paid your toll on a trip but this isn't it."
---------
As Romycas speaks to the people at the back of their cell he notices a shadow crossing past the bars but as it slips past he does not turn his head fast enough to see what it was. Whatever it was must be pretty large though and from the sounds of it, quite hungry. Was it a dog? Could these creatures have dogs or wolves patrolling the area to make sure their prey do not get loose? It was possible.
Three of the people stay put while the smallest, a tiny girl child, moves forward but her human mother pulls her back and holds her. The child is a half-orc and seems quite determined to leave her mother's hold. A dwarven man catches the child's attention with a stick and the last person, an elf sits back with a sneer on his face.
"You are the least of our worries." The elf grumbles then stares out past the construct, "If you're in here they must think you are edible too."
