"Well, I appreciate that, Alaric. Couldn't have gone out then anyway, but I'll look forward to the next time." He looks at the jug. "So what is this, exactly?"
"Rice wine, I think? It's quite good."
"Well, I appreciate that, kind young coot. I was beginnin' t' think you'd all forgetten th' old woman," says Koya.
"Don't be silly," Alaric says with a grin. "You're the one with the memory problems." Alaric settles down next to her and updates her on everything that's going on.
"In truth, I do not know. Our relationship is still quite young. However ... if you are trying to convey to her that you intend to treat her the same way as you do your male colleagues, bringing her chocolates at this time may be ill-advised," Shalelu says.
"If you put it that way... " Hrunndalf grimaces. "Just awkward words, then."
"Had, for example, Ameiko Kaijitsu ordered me off the ship?" "I would have gotten off the ship. But then, I acknowledge her as my commander because I trust her judgment implicitly, and I am utterly, utterly sure that she would never issue such an order without being absolutely certain of its necessity."
Hrunndalf nods. "I see. I'll keep that in mind."
"Unfortunate," Rhost says. "Nothing like beef broth." Rhost frowns in concentration, then brightens. "Have to do fish," he shrugs. "Please continue to eat fish."
Rhost leans forward in his chair. "Also, I would be set afire."
"She deserves a lot better than me, I'll tell you that. How about you? Feeling better about the future?"
"Maybe I'll know more about how I feel about it after tonight."
BTW — did you roll perception checks when Shalelu shouted her orders...? That was before me.
"That's a great idea," Ameiko replies. "Maybe we can ask if there's anything fun to do in the area, find a nice restaurant?"
Obviously relieved and grateful that not everything today is going pear-shaped, nods enthusiastically. "Fun is good. Just not too exciting, I hope. This morning has already been exciting enough and I fear there's more where that came from in store for us today."
"Rice wine, I think? It's quite good."
"Shall we try it now? Or rather, I try it and you retry it. Or do you think it should wait for a special occasion?"
"Don't be silly," Alaric says with a grin. "You're the one with the memory problems." Alaric settles down next to her and updates her on everything that's going on.
Unsurprisingly, she asks a number of very sharp questions about the enemies who have attacked you.
"Not here," Rhost says. "How lethal is your combat fire?"
Ameiko starts quietly picking out a completely different set of dresses for you to try on.
When the two women finally settle on an outfit for Ameiko, Mel looks on in amazement. "You're gonna knock his socks off, Ameiko," she whispers.
And then follows that up with, "Or he's going to be hyperventilating at dinner... and start choking." A pause, "We need to get done with Flynn in time for dinner... cause I so want to see his face when he sees you in that."
Obviously relieved and grateful that not everything today is going pear-shaped, nods enthusiastically. "Fun is good. Just not too exciting, I hope. This morning has already been exciting enough and I fear there's more where that came from in store for us today."
"I hope not. I've got dinner plans, you know."
Her voice low, not pleased with the turn in conversation, but dead serious.
A long pause, "If I keep getting stronger... I'll have more range, and the fire will be much hotter. Even then... you should be able to be in the area for one, maybe two."
I'll have more range, and the fire will be much hotter
Rhost thoughtfully nods at this. "More rage."
"If the need arises, it will be urgent. We should know. I should know. Know." Rhost thumps his chest.
Rhost leans back in the chair. "Thank you for considering."
"Then you've not seen...." Rhost thinks of all there is to do yet in the day, and sighs.
Then he perks up. "Found something. You may like it."
Rhost pulls out the brightly-colored cold-weather outfit. "They were so drab, except this one."
The pieces are the color of fire in all its variant coloration. Rhost grins. "I think of warm. Of home. Campire on cold night." Rhost hands the outfit over.
"Karlsgard even bigger than Magnimar. Lotta walking."
When you arrive at Fynn Snaevald's home, a knock on the sturdy door soon brings an answer. The man who opens the door is slender and wiry, with blue veins crawling across his arms and neck beneath a shock of white beard and hair that floats around his head like a halo.
"Ah," he says, looking over the very odd assemblage before him without surprise. "Do come in."
He steps aside to allow you to enter.
Mel walks in with a cheerful smile and a upbeat, "Hi."
"Hello," says Kalimac, with a nod.
Hrunndalf nods. "I see. I'll keep that in mind."
She regards you for a moment. "Ameiko is unaware of your feelings for her."
"Maybe I'll know more about how I feel about it after tonight."
Alaric perks up a bit: "What happens tonight?"
"Shall we try it now? Or rather, I try it and you retry it. Or do you think it should wait for a special occasion?"
"I'm not so great a fool as to turn down that kind of offer." Alaric pulls up a seat, accepts the sake and raises his cup to Sandru.
Unsurprisingly, she asks a number of very sharp questions about the enemies who have attacked you.
Alaric answers these honestly and in as great detail as he can manage. He will also include the attack on the Shrine of Shelyn and the murder of the hotel owner.
“I asked him about many of these very things,” Shalelu replies.
”He told me he treated Ameiko that way not because she is a woman, but because he is in love with her. And that he has belatedly come to the conclusion that it was a remarkably poor way to express his love.”
”And he said that he would argue with any member of the party he disagreed with, and in truth, he was also a dick to Alaric, and vice-versa, before Alaric learned how best to approach him.”
”I tried to tell him why his being both overbearing and overprotective reads as sexism. But after talking with him, my own impression is that he is a reasonably well-intentioned man who is not ... the brightest of our group. He does not understand why his words provoke anger so he responds with anger in turn. But I do not know. Perhaps I am wrong. I’m not perfect.”
Lio blinks. "I think you're perfect." She touches the side of your face with one hand, while the other guides you towards your rooms' comfy arm chair. She seems to want you to sit down.
Rhost thoughtfully nods at this. "More rage."
"If the need arises, it will be urgent. We should know. I should know. Know." Rhost thumps his chest.
Rhost leans back in the chair. "Thank you for considering."
Mel leans into Alaric, "But... you won't actually catch on fire unless we make you flammable first."
She shrugs, "Anything else?"
"... and admittedly," she continues, "When wondering how best to convince you that he regards you as an equal on the field of battle, he did ask if he should bring you chocolates. I attempted to disabuse him of that idea."
"Well, I've never really liked chocolate, it's rather bitter. But perhaps he could just start treating me as an equal, and then that might convince me." She continues to guide you towards the chair, until you hopefully sit down. If you do so, she lithely climbs onto your lap as she talks, using the height advantage from sitting on your lap to look into your eyes without straining her neck.
Stealth: "Myri, ye mainde kommen weth me ta checke up on Jorum en a bit?" She asks. Giving Ameiko and Shae (if she's there) the option of doing something else during the day.
In the late morning, Kei finds you and slips a note into your hand. "Here yer go."
There is an address on it in the Bone Quarter, actually not too far from the Caravan.
Lio slips him 10 gold. "Ef ah fainde 'em 'ere, 'eres anutter five golde en et fer ye."
"Should be done right," Rhost says. "Recommendation?"
Rhost's brow wrinkles. "Refusing or warning?"
Rhost's eyes flick over to Alaric at the chuckle, then back to Melinda. "So will you assist?"
Rhost looks at Melinda, over to Alaric, back to Melinda. Rhost doesn't say anything for a while.
"Hn," he eventually says, stands, and turns to leave.
In short order, you find yourselves seated in a large room. Warm ale and crusty bread is served to you by well-groomed servants. While the servants are tattooed, their jewelry indicates that all of them are freedmen.
"As you have probably guessed," says the old man, "I am Fynn Snaevald. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Everyone has eaten, well, almost everyone, as Lio (and possibly Shalelu) didn't come down until just a minute ago. Lio then spoke to Kei real quick, and after that turns to you. She addresses the two (or three) of you and says, Ye still wont ta go shoppen? Naught suare were annekainde goode plaises are, bought ah ken we koulde ask 'e staff 'ere."
Ameiko hops up, waving a piece of paper. "Already asked, I have a list of good places in the Amber Quarter. Are we ready?"
Shalelu is there, and as she has not indicated that she is not going, it seems that she is.
Sometime after breakfast, but before heading out to Fynn Snaevald's, Kalimac seeks out Myriana. A bemused smile is on his face.
"Myri, I have a small favor to ask of you. No, actually Attatoq has a favor to ask. I'm just the middle-man."
Myri raises an eyebrow. Sense Motive:
"...And what might Attatoq" if Attatoq is also there, she reaches down and give his head, neck and around his ears some attention, and finishes the sentence directly to the wolf, but continues to listen to Kalimac. "like me to do for him?"
"Twenty minutes." Lio whispers, her voice is low, like she's thinking of what she would like to do in the next twenty minutes. "I have maybe twenty minutes before I have to be downstairs."
"... Yes."
After another long moment of staring into your eyes... "Did you want to come shopping with Myri and Ameiko and I?"
"Yes."
Another moment, "And... if you do not have dinner plans, would you join Mel, Zaiobe, and myself?"
"Yes."
She bits her lower lip, "I didn't close the door." A small heh escapes her lips.
There is a slight pause. Then -
"Yes."
Her mouth finds yours.
"I'm not so great a fool as to turn down that kind of offer." Alaric pulls up a seat, accepts the sake and raises his cup to Sandru.
Cups are obtained. Sake is poured. Cups are raised. Sake is sipped.
Sandru appears to be having some kind of holy revelation.
Alaric answers these honestly and in as great detail as he can manage. He will also include the attack on the Shrine of Shelyn and the murder of the hotel owner.
Koya looks grim. "Our enemies are right bastards, ya know that?"
"Still. Holy angels walkin' among us. Has to mean somethin'."
Alaric perks up a bit: "What happens tonight?"
Ameiko hesitates, then says, "Got a date."