Eostre drinks the beer slowly, knowing how it got her last time.
"I finished talking with the Lady Mayor, and I've got permission to begin my survey. Were you still looking for work now that this whole goblin thing's blown over?"
"Definitely." Orik takes another draft of his ale, emptying it. "Your sheriff's been asking me if I'd be interested in guard work, but that's really not my thing. I like danger. Guarding a small town doesn't sound too exciting."
Aldern finally looks up as the rest of the party enters, his despondent look evaporating in an instant when he sees Evelyn's face. "Ah--Evelyn! I was hoping we'd have a chance to speak again before long--would you allow me to buy you a drink?"
"Well, the ruin doesn't have as MUCH danger since we shut down the runewell and exorcised the ghost of the serial killer haunting it, but there's always a chance my digging could reactivate it, and cause a sinspawn to crawl out. That danger enough for you?"
"Well, the ruin doesn't have as MUCH danger since we shut down the runewell and exorcised the ghost of the serial killer haunting it, but there's always a chance my digging could reactivate it, and cause a sinspawn to crawl out. That danger enough for you?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
A sly grin spreads across Orik's face.
"...you have my attention."
Evelyn smiles at Aldern. "Uhm, sure."
She sits down next to Aldern, trying to figure out if she's met him before. If she did, Evelyn sure can't remember it.
Doesn't help that the entire town knows my name now...
Conner heads to the bar and orders a drink of his own. Killing dead things and demons in a basement was thirsty work.
the hurrah causes Ekan to blush, but he moves in quietly, "Just tea or water for me, please." When it is turn to order.
"Well, the ruin doesn't have as MUCH danger since we shut down the runewell and exorcised the ghost of the serial killer haunting it, but there's always a chance my digging could reactivate it, and cause a sinspawn to crawl out. That danger enough for you?""..."
"..."
"..."
A sly grin spreads across Orik's face.
"...you have my attention."
"So...how much were that lot in Thistletop paying you?" Eostre asks. Then she hears the cheer come up for the others arrival.
"Hey, over here!" she says, raising her tankard.
Seeing Eostre, Conner takes his mug to her table. "Well, Tsuto didn't feel talkative."
Eostre takes another sip.
"Honestly Conner, what more did you hope he'd know? He wasn't the mastermind behind the scheme, he just latched on because of perversion and his own daddy issues."
"You never know until you ask. And he was at Thistletop for a while, never know what he might have overheard."
Ekan drinks his water, "well, for now it seems we have hit some obstacles then?"
"So...how much were that lot in Thistletop paying you?"
"Oh, a couple of platinums a month." Orik shrugs. "That's pretty much the only reason I didn't bail on them sooner. If we're not planning on burning any towns down or whatever, my rates would be considerably cheaper than that."
"You never know until you ask. And he was at Thistletop for a while, never know what he might have overheard."
"Tsuto's always been a stubborn bastard--probably came from either his martial arts training or elven side."
"And what rates would those be?" Eostre asks.
"Straight up? Usually about a gold piece per week." Orik rests a hand on a bag tied at his belt. "Subject to change depending on level of danger & risk involved."
"Of course, for intelligent & pretty women, they might get a discount."
Eostre blushes.
"You drive a hard bargain..."
Orik smirks. "So, how much are you willing to offer me, eh?"
In the meantime, Aldern pulls up another stool for Evelyn and waves over Bethana. "A glass of fine red wine for the lady here, if you would."
As the old halfling leaves, he turns to the oracle and briefly straightens his collar. "I understand if you do not remember me, milady--I imagine one starry-eyed noble's face is not particularly memorable, not compared to the adulation you're receiving now."
"Let's say we start at 1 gold sail a week and see where we go from there?" Eostre replies.
"Ever met any Cyphermages back home?" she asks idly.
"Eh, not really." Orik shrugs. "They mostly seem happy to stick around their fancy lodge and look down their noses at the rest of Riddleport, from what I've seen."
"Too bad. Some of them have pretty deep pockets."
Evelyn sits down on the stool. Not entirely sure how to respond to the 'starry-eyed noble,' Evelyn briefly looks away before deciding on, "There have been a lot of people who want to talk to us all."
She smiles politely at Aldern, and takes a sip from the wine when it arrives.
Eostre shrugs back.
"Honestly, that's probably a good thing. My mentor crossed the Lodge's Speaker and it got him killed. That's why I came to Sandpoint in the first place."
She pauses and blushes a bit.
"So was there...anyone special...you left behind in Riddleport?"
Evelyn sits down on the stool. Not entirely sure how to respond to the 'starry-eyed noble,' Evelyn briefly looks away before deciding on, "There have been a lot of people who want to talk to us all."
She smiles politely at Aldern, and takes a sip from the wine when it arrives.
"Oh, I don't doubt that. If anything, I'm grateful you could find the time to come and speak with me." Aldern nods.
"There's quite a few stories going around about the lot of you and your adventures under Thistletop--some more embellished than the rest. I was, perhaps, hoping you could regale me with the truth of the matter?"
Eostre shrugs back.
"Honestly, that's probably a good thing. My mentor crossed the Lodge's Speaker and it got him killed. That's why I came to Sandpoint in the first place."
She pauses and blushes a bit.
"So was there...anyone special...you left behind in Riddleport?"
Orik grunts in what appears to be a mix of disappointment and irritation. "I thought there was. As it turns out, I was wrong."
"The stupid love potion?" Eostre asks.
Orik winces. "...yeah."
"From the way you talk about it, it sounds like someone spiked your drink with it or something. Who's THAT desperate? If you like someone, you tell 'em how you feel. Worst they can say is "no," right?"
Orik awkwardly chuckles. "I know, right?"
"There's quite a few stories going around about the lot of you and your adventures under Thistletop--some more embellished than the rest. I was, perhaps, hoping you could regale me with the truth of the matter?"
"It was a basement full of goblins, demons, and undead. Also some rune...guy was there a long time ago, Eostre says he was important."
"RuneLORD! Karzoug the Claimer, the powerful wizard who ruled these lands in the time before Earthfall!" Eostre barks.
Aldern gives Conner an irritated look. "Thank you for your contribution, sir, but I do believe I asked Ms. Grimley, not you."
Distracted by the nobleman she's talking to, Evelyn fails to sense what Orik's not telling.
"Well, Conner basically sums it up quite well," Evelyn responds to Aldern. "Though it was a bit more complicated than he makes it all seem."
"The hardest part was at the end. We had cleared all of Thisletop, but there was some kind of powerful demon locked away in a room. We didn't want to leave it there, lest someone else break the seal at a later date and unleash the demon into the world."
Evelyn shakes her head. "It took a while before we found the key to break the seal, and the fight that followed was the hardest we'd had up till that moment. I was barely able to keep everyone alive with my healing magic."
Aldern seems quite fascinated by Evelyn's recounting of the story. "Truly? You're more impressive than I thought, milady!"
"Evelyn? I think he likes you," Eostre says bluntly.
Aldern gives Conner an irritated look. "Thank you for your contribution, sir, but I do believe I asked Ms. Grimley, not you."
The corner of Conner's eyebrow inches up bit by bit with every word he speaks.
Whilst the conversation continues, Eostre waves Bethana over and hands the grandmotherly halfling a slip of parchment. A short while later, she returns with a platter stacked high with food, enough for two men seemingly, which she sets in front of Eostre.
"Excellent! Thanks, Bethana. All this conversation's building up a hunger."
She wastes no time digging in while she listens to the others talk.
Nicat's eyes light up as the platter of food is set down in front of Eostre, and he hops onto a chair at her side. "Bethana, some more ale for me and my friend, if you please!"
Selecting a particularly juicy sausage, the halfling blithely wraps it in a slice of bread and takes an eager bite, quite content as he chomps away - and paying no mind to whether Eostre intended to share her repast with him or anyone else.
Eostre doesn't seem to notice, or if she does, she doesn't care.
"So, what are they doing with the giant helmet?
Eostre stifles a burp with the back of her hand before explaining.
"Brodert's going to look it over first, and then I think Sandpoint will put it on display as a memorial or something. No real museums around here, unfortunately, and I'd wring the neck of anyone who suggests melting it down."
"I noticed--who'd have a head big enough to wear it, anyway?" Orik takes a bite of sausage.
"It might fit ol' Zincher's head--his ego's certainly big enough. Or maybe one of the Cyphermages..."
Aldern's cheeks turn a bit pink and he awkwardly clears his throat. "Anyways... I'm quite impressed by your telling, Evelyn. I'll admit, you don't look much like any conventionally ordained priestess of Desna I've seen before..."
Evelyn flushes red at Eostre's comment. When Aldern continues, Evelyn seems to fully realize his intentions and starts stammering. "Well I, uh... I reached Desna in a, uhm, rather unique way when I was a កូន..."
Her eyes widen and her tone becomes panicky. "អូទេវាកើតឡើងម្តងទៀត ... Eostre, វាកំពុងកើតឡើងម្តងទៀត! ជួយ! សូម!"
"Omfht!" Eostre says with her mouth full as she jumps off her stool and goes over to them, pausing to swallow so she doesn't choke.
"Don't panic, Lord Foxglove, this happens when Evelyn's flustered. Her language...shifts. She stops speaking and understanding Taldane, and switches to the Aklo language."
She grabs Evelyn by the shoulders.
"ហេចូរមើលខ្ញុំមើលមិនអីទេវាមិនអីទេដកដង្ហើមវែងៗពីរបីខ្ញុំនៅទីនេះខ្ញុំអាចយល់អ្ នកវាមិនអីទេដកដង្ហើម។ ", she says, doing her best attempt at sounding motherly in a tongue most commonly heard from otherworldly abominations.
"ហេតុអ្វីបានជាវាកើតឡើងឥឡូវនេះ?! មនុស្សគ្រប់គ្នាគិតថាខ្ញុំចម្លែកណាស់!"
Evelyn looks like she's about to start crying, quickly hiding her face with her hands as the tears well up. "វាអយុត្តិធម៏!"
Ekan glances towards Evelyn and looks sympathetic
Aldern looks rather befuddled by Evelyn's sudden shift to Aklo, and even more so when Eostre & Ekan start conversing with her in that language.
"Is, er... is everything alright?"