forum A Tavern based in a DnD esque universe! Come on in for a pint!

Started April 19, 2023 by Mio

tune

((Absolutely you can make more than one character! And, really I don't mind multiple convos; I need more socializing in my life. But, I really appreciate the consideration!))

(Good to know! Depending on group size I might bring in an old friend.)

The firbolg woman was now completely invested in what was going on inside. She couldn't help it! It was all so interesting, with the constant back and forth, the chattering from the patrons and the variety of smells that made up the mix. Her nose twitched as she sniffed, reminiscent of a bunny. There was all kinds of scents inside, from the people, the food, the wood, the beer, not all of them good but not all bad. It was a mix, she reminded herself, an important one.

Still, if she was getting this distracted, it must just be natures way of telling her she needed to be doing something else! There were so many new people coming in that she couldn't quite keep track, two at the bar and quiet. A new loud one, and a new quiet one, plus all the ones already inside. Carefully digging through the dirt with a mixture of her hands and a small spade, she dug up a few carrots and radishes after looking them over carefully. The stew could use the stock of carrots and the slight bite and freshness of the radish.

The firbolg woman stood up, stretching her back after being crouched for so long, waving goodbye at the patch of vegetation. Pushing her way through the plants she managed to get into the back, near the kitchen. She didn't think she was supposed to help with the cooking, she'd only volunteered her services for the plants, but it couldn't hurt. She glanced at the cook, dancing around them in the confined space, trying not to get in the way and apologizing for her intrusion. A quick rinse in a basin purged the vegetables of dirt and a few chops with the suspiciously good knives was enough to cut them into reasonably sized pieces. She pushed them gently into the cauldron, stirring it. A good tavern always had some kind of stew on. Always, no matter the time or day, it stayed good as long as water was added and it was kept at a good boil to avoid sickness. She sniffed the steam rising from it and looked pleased, licking the tasty scent off of her lips.

Her ears perked up again, the long things usually held downwards like a bunnies but occasionally popping up like a deers, she had a few piercings, just ceremonial gold and obsidian, barely studs. She could hear someone asking for food and water? Was this her queue? Nature had been right, she was supposed to be doing something else. She washed her hands carefully and tried shaking some of the dirt off of her clothes, but wasn't too bothered by it. A clean mug was to be found somewhere and water somewhere else. It took her a moment to find the bowls, frowning at the kitchen for a long moment. Gore'ick sighed, pointing at where they were kept, the firbolg offered him a thankful grin.

When it was procured, a ladle of the stew was quick to fill it. She almost forgot the spoon. The firbolg bustled out of the back holding the drink and beverage, not grinning but looking proud of herself. She glanced at Clayton a bit sheepishly, ears flicking back with her slight embarrassment. She knew it wasn't her job, but she wanted to be helpful.

"Couldn't help but overhear someone was hungry?" Mia-Mi had a soft voice, just like the rest of her, and it more often than not sounded like she was halfway through a melody when she remembered she had to speak and even more often than that sounded like she was a hop skip and a jump away from bubbling over into soft laughter. Mia liked to smile at the world. So she did.

((Entertainer-lord))
"He continues the conversation from his new location at the bar. "Last name is Harrow, but no one really uses it anymore."

The leonin woman chuckles. "So you're that Clayton?"

"I'm Katarina Asteri, of the Southern leonin tribe." she says, introducing herself.

((Maglohysracreati))
The coin clinks as it's stowed away. "Should be out quick."

((StarlessSkys))
((Gore'ick, since you would know, is another half orc, quite thin for an orc though still built from yard work. He's reorganizes the kitchen frequently in and attempt to keep it organized, but to no avail. He's young and moody at times, as if he never quite left his teenage years. But, he's a fantastic cook.))
Clayton smile warmly at Mia-Mi as she appears. "Ah, spoke it into being. Maybe I'm a magic caster myself." He laughs. "Thank you, Mia-Mi."

((Entertainer-lord))
Clayton looks back to the leonin. "I retired from being 'that' Clayton five years ago. The guild master of the hall in Turnester was about to recruit his best to go hunt some black dragon wyrmlings in the north, and being one of his considered best I decided retirement sounded pretty nice. Nothing in all the realms could get me dealing with baby dragon vomit that does acid damage. One, maybe, but there were four on the loose."

Katarina's eyes gleam with a suppressed joy at finding her idol.

"Would you mind duelling me later?" she asks, suppressing the hope in her voice as best she could.

Mia bounced slightly at the praise, her ears relaxing. They always gave away her mood, she'd been slightly worried he'd be upset she was taking a job that was not hers. It was hard to tell with humans. Always changing things around making things confusing, like Gore'ick's kitchen.
She laughed along with Clayton, then let her eyes wander. Taking in everyone, or at least trying to. A lion person? And not one, but two hooded figures! Even a wood elf! Mia at least knew what that one was. They liked nature as well. She hovered behind the bar for a moment, torn between two interesting possibilities. After a moment she let her nose guide her to the more interesting smell.

She'd handed off the food to Clayton who knew better than she did who had ordered and wandered over to the wood elf and her friend. The one with the too big hood. They smelled nervous and frightened and of something Mia just couldn't place. The tall firbolg blinked honey colored eyes, round with curiosity. She kept her voice soft and low, like one would approach a skittish squirrel or a wounded bird.

"Oh goodness gracious me. I didn't see either of you come in! Are you together?" She pointed at the two, head tilting to the side. "Or are you separate? On that note, anything you folks need?" She tried speaking slowly, but just couldn't help asking more than one question. Big world and all that.

Isa looked around the tavern's customers as he waited for food, and decides to just watch the Tiefling twins' performance for a while to pass the time, since the only other option would be to actually talk to someone.

Clayton places the soup down in front of Isa; Trish popping from nowhere and setting the bread down next to him as well. It was crazy how fast she could appear and disappear into the crowd.
Clayton sighs in amusement. "I suppose we could give it a go, but the bar keeps busy. Maybe after last call, or if that's too late in the morning? I'm rusty though, so don't expect much."

((StarlessSkys))
The drow jumps when addressed again. "Ah, um, separate. Um.. I- I'm good, but thank you."

Mia hummed softly, placing her arms on the bar and leaning forwards, studying the drows face. The dark skin with the white hair was pretty. Reminded her of her second cousin Kiah, he had black fur but had hit the ground pretty hard when he was younger and some patches of his fur were stark white, unlike her own white spots which she was born with.

He seemed pretty easily spooked, which she could appreciate. It was pretty loud inside, maybe he just needed some fresh air? Being around plants always helped her calm down and it just wouldn't be nice to leave this poor person all stressed out.
"So you're free then? Would you like to come help me with the garden? The poor tomatoes are covered in aphids." Mia's ears pressed to her skull in distress, but they quickly flicked back into place.

She stared at the drow with wide, expectant eyes. If he didn't want to go that would be fine as well, Mia mused. He could follow his own path and she wouldn't let hers get all twisted because he said no.

((StarlessSkys))
"G-garden? Outside? I-it'll be dark soon, won't it?" He seems terrified by the idea. A dark elf scared of the dark? Highly unlikely. Perhaps there's something more to that? "Um, p-plus," He taps the clipboard. "I'm waiting on my turn for- for the stage. M-mikey, he called him earlier. So, there's j-just one more before me."
As he says, on stage right now is Mikey, a human wizard committed to learning magic for simple tricks. Lifting his hat and allowing illusionary doves to fly over the audience, then levitating card from within his hat to proceed with card tricks.

Mia paused as she listened, tapping her fingers on the wood to the beat of music that only she seemed to hear. The stuttering made her pay extra close attention so she didn't lose any of the words. Her first cousin Ilia had a stutter and she always like it when people tried to understand. It wasn't much, but it was a base for Mia to work off of.
She leaned over further, peering at the clipboard, looking at the upsidedown letters. No comprehension passed her eyes so it was very likely she couldn't read it even if it was facing the right way.

She glanced over at the magician, her eyes lighting up with childish glee. The firbolg clapped her hands together in delight before turning back to the drow, her eyes practically sparkling now. Still, she tried to remember not to move too quickly, just because she was excited didn't mean she wouldn't scare him.
"Oh you're going up there? Oh that's just amazing! I'm sure you'll do amazing! What are you going to perform?" Mia-Mi kept glancing back and forth between the stage and the drow and occasionally the wood elf. She wasn't bouncy, Mia just seemed to radiate a quiet joy with everything around her. A silent wonder at the whimsy of the world. She kept tapping her steady beat on the well worn wood.

((StarlessSkys))
He jumps again, less this time and just unused to the attention. "Oh, I- I play the viol, like a violin but smaller. Th- though the songs I know are… Brash? Quicker rhythms and string plucks to paint valiant battles." He starts the grow quieter and mumble. "Th- though Elistraee did teach me one slower song in a dream… Perhaps that would be better suited for the surface, though I- I have never played it out loud…"

((I'm going to start taking longer to respond and disappearing occasionally. But, I won't let this chat die if I can help it!))

(That's alright! I'll be slowing down from here too, but I'll try to keep up)

Mia couldn't help but smile now. So this was the dark elf's passion. Music. Every being she'd met had something that they loved and couldn't help to talk about, no matter how shy. A viol huh? If you cut off the end of the word it made sense the instrument would be smaller, Mia-Mi thought absently.

Her tapping sped up, thinking of her own faster paced songs, though she didn't think the elders taught of many "valiant battles". The drow's voice dropped off and it was much harder to hear him over the noise. She caught a few of the words and tried her best to guess from there. The firbolg woman smiled encouragingly, trying to share her enthusiasm.

"I'm looking forward to hearing it. I can just tell you're going to be great." Mia didn't wink but her nose wrinkled up in a way that made her eyes close, like she was smiling. An expression her people sometimes used to show unconditional trust or faith. "I've never heard a viol before. Or a violin for that matter. Thank you for the experience."

((StarlessSkys))
"Th-thank you. I'll try my best." He manages a small smile in return.

Mikey takes a bow before stepping off stage. "Alright,." Clayton approaches and checks the clip board. He sighs heavily. "Ciera, you're up for another round of your stories tonight!"
"Yes!" A very joyful woman jumps up, a half elf. "I'll make sure to add in a few real embarrassing ones from your adventures for ya, since you've got fans in the tavern today!" She practically bounces to the stage, pulling out a book of notes from her bag of holding.

Mia-Mi couldn't help but let her attention wander now, she felt like whatever she'd come over here to do was mostly done. She'd gotten a smile after some prodding and poking and she would be more than happy to frame that on her wall. Mia wondered if she could ask for a name, but it wasn't offered, so she wasn't going to prod.

Her attention was captured instead by the half elf, who was bounding onto the stage. Mia rose slowly, walking around the side of the bar, again trying not to get too much in the way for someone of her height. Moving to an empty seat, she rested her chin in her hands, staring in fascination at the big book of notes. How many words would that be? Mia couldn't even begin to guess.

Arriss had gone silent once against, the slightest bit overwhelmed by all the commotion at the bar. A newcomer had joined them, and even though she had seen this woman in the bar often, she was still hesitant to speak to her. However, she couldn’t help but chime in when they started speaking about the drow’s performance.

She nodded in agreement with Mia-Mi. “Don’t be nervous. Like she said, you’ll do great,” Arriss said. “Besides, most of these people are drunk out of their minds. If you happen to mess up, they won’t notice.”

With that said, Arriss returned to her drink. She wasn’t a big talker, more of a listener, but she still enjoying in the bar and joining into a few of the conversations the patrons were having.

((Emmrii))
"Th-thank you." The drow hides in his cup lightly, half turning to hear the stories from the stage as well.

((StarlessSkys))
"Alright, alright, so which should we start with?" She starts to flip through her notes while dragging a stool from asside to the center. "There was the hydra… The daughter of Fenrir is classic…"
"Ooh! Ooh!" The small figure from the rafters drops her mug and two more copper to the bar. She zig zags through the rafters, walking down the wall by the stage. She catches her mug as it's thrown back to her again, using the momentum to spin and take a swig. Her hood has fallen, reavealing bigger ears, pixie cut blonde-ish hair, and a scrunched monkey nose. A gora? ((A monkey equivallent to leonin or aracrokra)) "The one, the one with the giant wasps!" She giggles, falling to her butt, criss cross with a tail that wraps around her waist.
Clayton sighs heavily. "Not that one. The green dragon wyrmling, the wererats, my lycanthropy, but why that one?" He leans into to the bar for a moment.
"Ooh~, now that is a hillarious one!" Ciera flips somewhere near the middle of the book. "Twenty five years ago, in the tree tops of the city Panora, a very unwanted pest started building a nest. It was a massive hive, one that our humanoid insect races could have probably made into their own city. It felt like stiff paper; it was so fragile to walk in. We had to lighten or equipment for fear we would drop through the floor. Navigating the twists of the nest was difficult. We came to a thin pathed cavern, the wall was a line of combs filled with a red brown nectar of undigested wasp food. The smaller of our paty could walk just fine, but the broader shouldered Clayton was becoming quite the mess."
"A pile of sentient wasp ooze!" Swift exclaims.
"And, to make matters worse for him, the area we had entered next was the nursery!" The naration in her voice glides into the joy and laughter of friends recounting the tale. "And, every grub could smell him!" She starts laughing. "He was swarmed!"
Clayton faceplants into the bar top.
"We hid quickly at the sound of buzzing. But, stuck in sludge and a dog pile of grubs, Clayton couldn't! The wasp caretakers put the larva back in their comb one by one, and~… They picked Clayton up and placed him in one too!"
"They tought he was a big baby wasp!" The gora is almost in tears while she laughs.
"It took us an hour to find him, but when we did the mission proceeded rather smoothly. Clayton had become extra determined, though for what reason exactly is still undetermined. Was it for the good of Panora? The need for a bath? The embarrassing rage? I'll never fiigure it out." The two on stage are folded over in laughter.

Mia stopped tapping on the table, leaning forwards as the half-elf began leafing through her book. Her eyes widened at each mentioned story, she couldn't say she knew what they were per say, but they sounded frightening. One of the little ones in the rafters piped up and suggested… Wasps?
The firbolgs brow crinkled in confusion, sure wasps could be mean and giant ones sounded scary but.. It took her a moment to work through it, fully absorbed with her own thoughts, the outside world dulling as she tried to think. Wasps could sting, and it hurt, so logically a larger wasp would hurt worse. Oh, and it would be bad if you were allergic, one of her cousins had a bee allergy. So giant wasps would be extra allergic. Obviously.
By the time she'd looked up half the story was done and Clayton was pulling faces at every word. Mia blinked uncertainly, trying to catch up in the narrative, something about a nursery? Swarmed? Mai's ears pulled flat against her skull in distress, why were they laughing? It sounded horrifying! Mia shuddered, making a mental note to be kinder to the barkeep in the future, as well as avoiding "giant wasps nests".
Mia's eyes were rounded with concern now and she started fiddling with one of her many pouches, looking for something specific. She couldn't seem to find it however, based on how her frown deepened and she started searching through more. Placing them on the table and glancing through, then checking another pouch. She was starting to make quite a little pile on the table.

((StarlessSkys))
"What are we looking for?" Suddenly, Gord is next to you, ears perked up with curiousity.
Gord you know is a loyal regular to the bar. He usually sets up a table in the corner with cards and dice to gamble. He's pretty good at it. Many rowdy patrons ave been kicked out in the past for acussing Gord of steeling or cheating. But, Gord would never. Clayton knows. Trish knows. Gord doesn't because he knows how quickly he would be smooshed for trying.

Mia looked up, her ears still pressed flat to her skull with distress, her large eyes wide and upset.
"I'm looking for um- Oh, I forget the name sometimes. It's.. Oh! Lavender."
She motioned at the small mountain of pouches on the table, all filled with plants and herbs some of them half opened and with hints of leaves or petals sticking out.
"It's really calming for people I've heard." She pulled out the remaining of her pouches, offering half of them to Gord. It never even occurred to her that he could take them without her permission. The idea was completely foreign to her, never even crossing her mind. "It's kind of purple and long and has a nice smell."
Her distress eased a bit and she offered the nice man a smile. "Do let me know if you find it?"

((StarlessSkys))
"Oh! The pretty one that keeps the moths from nibbling, yes! Ok!" He sorts through the pouches. He puts any green leafy ones in their own pile, but sorts any dried flowers by color in a rainbow. "Good collection. Pretty smells. I need more, something stronger. Trying to flush out the natural goblin smell." He pulls the purple and gray ones to him. He puls out a tiny pouch of his own, it's kind of ratty and looks hand stitched. He opens it a little, dumping a tiny bit of his own lavender out to compare it to the others. "This one! Wait, no… That's lilac, slightly pinker. It's this one." He almost pushes the lilac foreward but stops himself, pushing the right one foreward. He sweeps his back into his pouch, tying it shut. He pushes the rest of the purples and grays bac into his rainbow assortment. "Tada!" His little gravel voice is very prideful.

Mia watched curiously, her head tipping over to the side as she watched. The nice man had organized everything quite nicely and the order he'd placed it all in was quite pretty. When he pulled out a pouch of her own she looked absolutely delighted, her nose twitching slightly at the smell of plants.
When the lavender pouch was finally unearthed from the pile, Mia grinned widely, clapping her hands together in delight again.
"Oh, you're wonderful! Thank you so much!" A moment of pawing through the pile again, this time much quicker, due to the color and lay out, she quickly picked out a small pouch. All of hers were made with soft leather in similar styles to one another and were small in her palm, but fit snugly in a humans hand.
She pushed it towards Gord, ears twitching in excitement and gratitude. "Here, it's not much, but I picked that sage about a fortnight ago, so it's drying out enough to burn."

Then it was time to scoop all of her herbs back into her bag, keeping the lavender out for her to fiddle with. She'd see if she could mix it in with the tea later for the smell.

He gasps and does a little gobling cackle of joy, his goblin ears flopping with the shake of his head. "Thank you! You didn't have to, but thank you!" If it fits snuggly in a human's hand, then it is a bit large in his. "Pouch is nice. You want pouch back? I can maybe find one of my own in my bag of stuffs."

Oh, Mia was beyond over the moon with the reaction she was getting. She was so, so much taller than Gord that it was almost comical, but she ducked her head to make sure she could maintain eye contact. The firbolg woman smiled again.

"Oh, no, you can keep it, as thanks. My aunt Pana likes to make them, so I have more than enough." She glanced back at the stage, frowning just slightly. Were the horror stories over?

A tiny, fuzzy creature pops up from a group of loose floorboards near the fire.

It stands on all fours at first before raising up to its hind legs, clad in simple leathers and hides to provide ample warmth beneath the earth. It looked to stand at about 11" tall, nearly a foot, and was slim and wiry.

It appeared to be a female, though in what way was indescernable - possibly the way it stood and the way it breathed.

Its fur was a sleek, deep violet color, well cared for, and its yellow eyes were reminiscient of a lynx's. Its "arms" were ended with gripping paws that clearly held digging claws that could be used for hunting as well, and when it opened its mouth to smell better, it had wicked ammounts of teeth.

The creature scampers around for a moment before it locks onto Mia and Gord.

It chirps delightedly and scampers over, sniffing each before nesting into Mia's hair.

Mia froze, very careful not to move as she watched the creature come up and sniff her. It didn't seem shy at all and it's pelt was healthy and sleek, so it was very obviously well-fed. When it scampered up her arm, trying to get comfortable in her hair, Mia laughed in sheer delight. Today was such a good day. To give the creature a more comfortable ride, Mia carefully undid her braid, letting her curly hair down. It wasn't too long, but it was very thick. Mia's ever growing, infectious smile brightened further. She leaned in a bit conspiratorially to Gord.

"I think I made a friend."

((StarlessSkys))
He gasps again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He holds the pouch close to himself.
On stage there's more laughter as they recount the time they had to babysit a green dragon wyrmling for the lord of Kriel. "Clayton was sick for a month!"
"Blargh, I was too. Don't remind me."

((Lord-of-the-carnival))
Gord's head shifts and follows, abrubtly turning here and there to follow the small one as it approached. "What is? Who's this?" He looks up to the top of Mia's head.

The creature hums and nods happily.

"Friends!" the creature says, popping up out of Mia's hair and prodding Gord's nose with one tiny paw.

The creature (now to be reffered to as "she") starts purring.

"You guys want shiny things?" she asks happily.