IG's "Those Left Behind" Chapter 3

Rogash

"Something smells here besides just the sewers," Rogash whispers to his companions. "I sense that the space beyond the door is large, but it is almost too quiet. Like somebody's waiting for us." He shurgs. "Might as well save some wear and tear on our weapons if we can." With a gantleted hand he pounds on the door authoritatively. He stands with axe and shield ready in case someone chooses to open the door from the other side.
 

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"We can't just go around slaughtering people we don't like," Talashia reminds Buurt with a roll of her eyes. "If only it were that simple. If we don't move carefully, we'll wind up looking like murdering thugs, and that would -really- complicate things."

She reaches over to pat his hand.

"We'll get to that. We just have to find the opportune moment."

"If we look like murdering thugs, we'd have done it wrong, toots," says Buurt after a slight tightening of his features precedes a frown. "And if you were half as smart as you like to act, you'd have seen that I was suggesting an if/than scenario and not a knuckle dragging 'Orc wanna kill things' one."

Buurt drops his tone and diction to that of the stereotypical half-orc, before adding with a slight smirk, "You really don't get how much of a condescending hag you come across as, do you? I'd suggest learning to talk to people, instead of at, it'll do you better in life."

With that, Buurt goes back to his position on the periphery, keeping watch over the group and keeping his thoughts to himself.
 

Caerwyn nods and heads over to the man in the bowler.

"Hey, sir, what are the odds for the fight?" He asks

The man looks at Caerwyn and smiles. "Well, odds are that one of 'em's gonna lose. Might be that one of 'em will win, too... but not always."

"Something smells here besides just the sewers," Rogash whispers to his companions. "I sense that the space beyond the door is large, but it is almost too quiet. Like somebody's waiting for us." He shurgs. "Might as well save some wear and tear on our weapons if we can." With a gantleted hand he pounds on the door authoritatively. He stands with axe and shield ready in case someone chooses to open the door from the other side.

There is no answer, but if there was a chance that the room could have grown more quiet, it would have.
 

Talashia gapes at Buurt with openmouthed shock, and for a moment she actually looks hurt. Then, as usual, her face clouds over with building anger. She glares at Buurt for a minute or two, then gets up and walks stiffly over to lean against the wall beside him.

After another moment she said, "Condescending hag," slowly, sounding each syllable out, as if they were bits of food in her mouth to be tasted then swallowed.
 

Talashia gapes at Buurt with openmouthed shock, and for a moment she actually looks hurt. Then, as usual, her face clouds over with building anger. She glares at Buurt for a minute or two, then gets up and walks stiffly over to lean against the wall beside him.

After another moment she said, "Condescending hag," slowly, sounding each syllable out, as if they were bits of food in her mouth to be tasted then swallowed.

"Hurts, don't it," asks Buurt in a relaxed tone. "As my Ma use to say, 'Comeliness is but a stain on the surface if its grace is not as deep as the marrow.'"

"Course, Da just said, 'Beauty is skin deep, but ugliness is to the bone.'" Buurt adds. "I ain't stupid, nor am I thug, and I'll treat you with the respect that you treat me and not an ounce more or less. I wasn't mustered out of Wolfhart's Scouts for hotheaded incompetence, that better describes the lordling who forced me into a duel over a lass who preferred the half-orc to the blue blood."
 

Talashia is quiet for a moment, then says, "You know, I'm so angry with you right now, I could spit fire. If this setting was anything less public, I'd probably be yelling at you right now. I don't know where, or how, you got it into your head that I was being less than respectful, or condescending to you so I'll just clear that up right now. I've never once considered you a 'big dumb orc' because you've never acted like one. And I've never once accused you of it, or meant to imply in my speech anything of the sort."

She finally looks up at Buurt. "But since you saw fit to give me some advice, here's some for you in return. The best way to make sure you have no friends is to take attempts to be friendly, and spit them back in their faces." She then turned her back to Buurt and returned to the table she'd left from.
 

Left to his own thoughts, Buurt thinks for a moment, as his eyes scan the room, before he says to himself, "Hmmm, she might be right on that one."

"But, I'd sooner kiss Vecna's taint than tell her that right now," finishes the half-orc scout. He thinks to himself, oO Maybe later, after she gets her yell on and feel better about things Oo
 

Shaimon Hu'u, barbaric human druid

As Buurt and Talashia begin their verbal sparring, Shai sits very still and quiet. He's too large and broad-shouldered to be especially inconspicuous, but his slouch makes it clear he'd like to be.

He watches from a distance as Talashia and Buurt exchange words covered by the crowd's noise, quickly averting his eyes when he realizes he might be staring. He catches sight of Caerwyn haggling with someone in a bowler, and decides he'd only get in the way of something like that.

Just as he's trying to figure out if he should simply leave and try to track down Dyspeer, Talashia returns to the table. The large woodsman looks back to Buurt a moment, glances to the fuming Talashia. He opens his mouth to say something, then thinks better of it, bites his lip, and sits quietly.
 

Rogash

"Well, looks like I have to do it the hard way. Lend a hand if you can." With that Rogash draws his axe back and launches a powerful blow at the door.
 

Uulark Simental, Cleric6

"Spears aren't really suited to demolishing doors, sadly. I think I can best lend a hand by staying well out of your line of destruction!" Uulark withdraws a safe distance (25 feet) to be well out of the shower of splinters and debris.
 

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