"Actually, I've heard that a honeyd wine comes pretty close. I haven't had a chance to try any though. And I know mortals have to eat." She said, rolling her eyes. "It's so weird having eyes on my fave-" she muttered, use to a halo of eyes above her.
“Mead?” Charlie asked, mentioning the only honey drink she could think of at the moment. “That really can compare with ambrosia?”
"No, not mead. Wine with honey mixed in, I think is how they described it? Gula tried some and said it tasted a lot like ambrosia. We'll have to try some on our travels and I'll tell you when it's right?" She said, not really knowing.
Charlie nodded, smiling a little as she picked up her cup of cider. “I look forward to finding it with you. But we’ll need to come up with a believable age and species for you. Not everyone always asks but it's generally a better idea so we can avoid suspicion.” she admitted thoughtfully.
Irae nodded. "Honestly I'm not sure what might work. We might need to get an illusion trinket- that's a thing, right?" She asked, thinking. "If we can't, I can hide my tail and call myself a half-drow? Half dark elf, to explain the shape and gradient on my ears? And half high elf, to explain the height? I'm not sure…"
“I’m not personally familiar with illusion trinkets… I've never had a need for them, but that doesn't mean that they aren't out there.” Charlie mused, not against the idea. “But if you wanted to go with those species,” she hummed looking at Irae’s physical traits, “I think it could work if you said that one of your parents was… half-drow and half dark elf and the other was a high elf or whatever combination you wanted to use.”
(drow is another name for a dark elf last I checked-)
Irae nodded. "Alright. Do you think it would work? And what age do I look like for that? I'm not familiar with the ages of maturity in different species."
(oh really? Oops. I always assumed that Drow were a sub-species of dark elves that preferred to self-identify as their own species and didn't really/often associate with dark elves so they had their own name 🤷♀️)
“I think it has a good chance of working.” Charlie said tentatively, allowing for a margin of error. “Elves have a very long lifespan and the way they age is… confusing to everyone who isn't one. And I don't know enough about half-elves to give specifics so,” she hummed, “you could easily say you’re a couple hundred years old if not older.” she shrugged.
Irae nodded. "A couple hundred sounds like it would probably be mature for elves. Maybe 452, so it's not a suspiciously even number?" She asked.
“I think I remember elves reach full maturity at fifty but aren't considered adults until 100.” Charlie tried to recall, though wasn't certain. “452 does sound like a believable number and certainly old enough that no one would question your knowledge in… certain fields.” she smiled coyly as she left the implications open.
Irae blinked, considering for less then a second, deciding to ignore the innuendo. "That's good then. I should probably use a new name too, right?"
Charlie shook her head as she realized the confusion. “I meant your detailed knowledge of the pantheon. Nothing crass.” she clarified with a soft chuckle. “But you're right. An alias would be a good idea in case some asks.” she nodded. “What about just calling you Rae? Or is that too… on the nose?”
(Irae is pronounced ire ee, for reference)
"I think it's pronounced differently enough. Rae works, as long as it's pronounced Ray and not Ree like my name." She said, shrugging
“Of course.” Charlie smiled, taking a drink of her cider. “Though now I’m tempted to call you Ree… But don't worry, if I do, it'll be when no one else can hear it. We can stick with Rae in public.”
Irae nodded. "Alright. We'll have to make some sort of money to pay for the extra supplies for me. I'm not relying on you- I'm sure you can cover me but I don't want you to have to." She said, considering. "Where are adventuring gigs usually found?"
Charlie sighed at the question and shrugged lazily. “Just keep your eyes and ears open. Taverns and inns are generally a good place to get information about… just about anything really.” she admitted. “Some places have a bulletin board near the main square or market. Other places actually have a town crier who tells everyone the latest developments. And I’ve heard of guild halls specifically for adventurers who are looking for work.” she said, listing some options. “Though I think the guild halls are in the bigger cities. And of course, there’s cants.”
(cants?)
Irae nodded. "That makes sense." She said, finishing her food. "Thank you." She said, referring to the food and medical help.
(secret codes and phrases used by certain groups of people)
Charlie raised a brow at the fact that she was just thanked by a deity but nodded. “It's nothing. I take care of the friends I make when traveling with others. And we’re going to be traveling together for a while, aren't we?” she pointed out smoothly. “I know it's… an unconventional situation but it could be worse so why not make the best of it?”
(ah)
Irae nodded, watching her plate. "I guess, that makes sense. Still though, you could have dumped me and left ."
“Nah. Not my style.” Charlie smiled shaking her head. “And I don't think that Feren and the others would let me just walk away from you, since they gave me that letter and said you were my responsibility while you’re here.” she admitted. “I don't mind. Really. It’s nice traveling with someone. Traveling alone is fine but it gets a little too quiet at times.”
Irae nodded. "If you're sure. If you ever get tired of me, you can tell me and I'll leave." She said, leaning back in her chair.
“I honestly doubt it'll come to that but on the off chance that it does, I will." Charlie assured, currently thinking of how interesting it'd be to travel with Irae at all. She understood from the note that Irae's powers were strictly limited… it was strongly implied that they may have even been removed, but it did make sense for her not to "show off" while she was here, so she didn't mind. But since it wasn't clearly stated, she doubted they were entirely gone. Weaker perhaps, yes, but anyone who had experience with Faewilders, or business contracts, knew that precise words were more important than implications.
Irae sighed. "How long should we stay in this town? I'll probably be able to move on tomorrow, but it might be better for my health if we wait another day…"
“We can wait that extra day.” Charlie agreed. “One of my favorite things about adventuring like this is that no one tells when you have to move on. You can come and go as you please.” she grinned easily before shrugging. “Unless you do something that warrants you being chased out and told to never return. But we just got here and have been pretty well behaved so we don't have to worry.”
Irae nodded. "I'll be on my best behavior." She said, with a face a little too straight.
Charlie chuckled at Irae’s expression. “Well, you don't have to be completely straightlaced. You can relax and have fun too. A little mischief never really hurt anyone.”
(she was teasing)
Irae nodded, dropping the exaggerated face. "Yeah. But I shouldn't go all 'you looked at me the wrong way, face my wraith'."
“Definitely not.” Charlie laughed again, knowing that Irae was joking again. “Only do that if you’re looking for a fight. Or if we're in the middle of an adventure and some monster does look at you funny.”
Irae nods "Got it. Random person on a bar looks at me funny, I leave it be. Enemy on an adventure looks at me funny, I go full Wraith Goddess on them."