Another day in the Tavern

[Duilya]

Duilya looks up from examining the Rod of Wonder and stares curiously towards Yam. The poor gnome looked exhausted.

EEE! I hope I didn't hurt him! Maybe I should just give him back his stick. . .Yeah, maybe that'll make him feel better.

With somewhat of a worried smile on her face, Duilya hold the Rod of Wonder out towards Yam. . .

. . .pointing the wand directy at him now. . .

Artwork copyright © 2003, Christopher C. Quigley

 

[Coyote Skyheart]

Coyote orders a bottle of elven wine for himself and Eliria, along with two glasses. He sips from it casually as he continues speaking with Eliria.

"I've travelled through many elven lands, yet I don't think I've had the pleasure of visiting juxtaposition." Apologetically, he shrugs. "I haven't heard any recent news from there either, which, hopefully, means all is well. Do you miss home?"

He ponders for a moment, running through his mind all the creatures he's encountered, trying to place this one.
"Ah, owlbears. They are big and powerful beasts. I've never been cornered by one, and wouldn't want to be either. Fortunately they do a good job of marking their territory, so I've been able to avoid them. Did you know their feathers have a strong, musky scent, and a well trained dog can recognize it? They shed a lot, and like to brush against bushes to mark their territory. Whenever I see their feathers in a bush, I avoid the area."

"So... you're an adept. If you are good at illusions, they can be very effective against an owlbear. Just remember they have a good sense of smell. Even a magical scent can lead them astray."
"Heh. That was probably more than you wanted to hear."

"Hmm, I wonder what that gnome is up to. Care to find out with me?" He says as he eyes the altercation over the rod.

I can see that the gnome is a wizard of some sort, and he clearly recognizes the rod. What could it be that he would panic and try to steal it from the girl?"

 

[melynxt]

*melynxt blinks as her reflexes flinch at kat's attempt at the book. Her startled reaction very much like that of a feline. As soon as her eyes land apon Kat's face, she relaxes and smiles, letting her grip on the book go, she offers the ring back to Kat. "It's really pretty, and if ya ever remember where ya found it, er how ya got it, lemme know, id love ta hear the real story." *She hesitates a moment, before speaking again, looking to the cover of her book and then back up to Kat* "um..oh this? well i sorta write stories about people i know and meet and observe an stuff. I'm still werkin on my first one though. Um...when its done..if ya want..ya can be the first ta read it? I like ta have someone critique my work 'fore i show the one that inspired me..." *She smiles warmly, before glancing over at the pink haired elven girl and gnome, curiously she raises a brow, looking through a silken curtain of brown hair she turns back toward Kat and smirks, whispering softly "ya know she's really a cute lil' thing...i almost wonder if thats the great artist child from the boards.." *grins a bit and leans back in her chair, stretching her arms over her head she yawns slightly, hair falling away from her shoulders, leopard spots visible before she brings her arms down once more, looking back to kat* "So...how come ya can't remember things some time eh? an dun answer iffin im bein too nosy hun...just thought i'd ask ...ya know?" *she smiles and waits for the reply*

 

[Kathryn_aka_Kat]

Kat glances at the book with an interested look on her face, and looks up at Melynxt with a smile of pure pleasure:

"Of course, I'd be honored! whenever you want me to look at it...I love stories and I suspect yours will be great."

She looks over at Duilya, and the smile widens into a grin, but her voice softens.

"And you're right about the elf-girl. She *is* the one who's been drawing the pictures."

But when Mely asks about the memories, the grin hesitates, then drops to a half-smile.

Ah well... still I've blurted it out to enough people already. One more hardly matters. Maybe I should get cards with *that* on them...

"My memories? A side-effect of travel. Sometimes I travel the usual way, but sometimes not by choice: I get dropped into a different world, and wake with a massive headache. And when the headache goes, so have most memories of where I've been or what I've done or anyone I've met."

Kat shrugs as shadows cross her face and vanish, and then she taps the ring against the table.

"It has more useful side-effects. I'm not tied to material possessions, like this ring...no sentimental value. And nothing more than I can carry on me, or in my bag. And I can't be bothered with physical appearances or people's pasts. I deal with everyone as they are right now, and by how they deal with me."

She smiles at Meylnxt again, her eyes steady and only a touch brighter than they should be.

"So...if you ever want to share your own story...I won't judge you on it...and you'll know that eventually I'll just forget it."

 

[melynxt]

*melynxt smiles and nods a bit, standing up she takes up her back pack and rummages through it a bit, pulling out an exact copy of her black book , along with a small length of iron chainlinks, she walks over to the boards, and sets the new book on a table next to them, and fastens the chain to the boards securely so as no one can steal said book. She walks back over to the table she and kat occupy, and she sits, looking at kat with a smirk*

"Well i tell ya what Kat, go 'head an read what i got so far, i'd like ya opinion on it..its nothin' special tho' mind ya..just a bit of free writin i do"

*She slides the original book over to Kat, and gestures her to take a look (note the new topic in the tavern..."The Black Book of Stories" is where this book's pages are shown.)*

 

[Adept_Eliria]

"Miss... home?"

Eliria blinks, uncomprehending. She protests:

"But it's, like, a five minute walk from here! Or a two-second Moonbeaming."

She listens to the information about owlbears with equal confusion.

"Uh huh... uh huh... avoid feathery dogs with strong, musky scent. Gotcha."

"Illusions? Sorry. I don't do magic. I'm not an adept-adept, more like a Moonbeam Adept. There's a trillionth of a difference in that. I study forestry."

She glances at the rod, quirks a brow absently, and starts heading over there.

 

[Kathryn_aka_Kat]

Kat scans the words quickly, then goes back to the beginning to read more carefully. Finally, she looks up at Melynxt, biting her lip,

"Mely, I'm so sorry...sorry that I interrupted you! What happens next?! Is he really as nice as he seems? How could she just go through a portal with someone she's barely met? What if she can't get back on her own? Or maybe he's the one that's too trusting?"

Kat catches herself, and grins.

"Or maybe I should let you answer one question before throwing a whole pile of them at you? Seriously, it's *very* good. You start out with enough to catch one's interest, and it keeps getting better from there. Your dialogue is very natural, and your descriptions are grand. And, as I said, I really, really want to find out what happens to them!"

 

[Yam Inverhan]

The Gnome looks wide-eyed at the Rod now facing right at him.

" Smithers! fetch the Rod"

The mechanical man lurches forward and almost rudely grasps the Rod of Wonder from the pink haired Elf girl.

" There now young miss, no more of that. Now ... I'm sure you could find something else to play with and not my magical items."

He reaches behind him and pulls out an incredably large tomb. The book is nearly the size of the Gnome itself. He flips to a page near the back and rips out a page.

" Here, why don't you draw or something... "

 

[melynxt]

*mely grins, and sort of shrugs her shoulders a bit* "Well Kat, i really dunno yet..any ways ya'd _like_ em ta end up? " *Blushes a bit and takes the book back, fidgetting with the corner of the pages as Kat compliments her* "Um...well i'll try ta write s'more in a bit...it sorta comes to me in spurts..creativity that is..er...but iffin ya want, when i finish the entire book, i can have one made fer ya?" *smiles at her and reaches down to her backpack, picking it up and resting it on the table, she opens it up, digging in it for a bit, and pulls out another book, with a hard cover, which is without any coloring, somehow clear. She sets it in front of Kat and takes out a set of embossing metallic stampers, setting them down next to the clear book, along with a couple small sheets of paper thin silver and gold flake.*

*Mely smiles brightly at Kat and gestures to the clear book* "Um..an i know ya prolly thinkin im nuts ..cuz how would i uh thought uh bringin another book..but er...this pack uh mine..is a bit magical...i can keep lots uh spare things in it..stuff that ya think wouldn't never fit in uh pack like this...er..but anyway...i wanted ta do somethin fer ya..since ya say ya can never remember things at times...maybe this'd help ya? Put ya hand on the clear cover, and think of any color...whateva ya fav'rite color be..is what the cover will dye. Dun' ask me how it does it..i din't make it that way..i jus bought a few of em a while back..from some ole' guy...but anyway...after ya do that, see these metallic letters here..and the stamper..find tha' letters ya need, and slide em into tha stamper, an take either the silver or tha gold flake sheets, er both half n half..lay em on top uh the cover, and press tha stamper on it there...press real hard down ..and hold it fer a few seconds..an then whatever ya want tha book named...will be ferever embossed on tha front see?" *continues to smile as she digs in her backpack again, pulling out a small swan's quill, along with a small glass inkwell, filled with ink that seems to change from black to every color of the rainbow, then black again. Mely sets the quill and inkwell in front of Kat's new book and smiles again* "Now..open that book up hun...in tha front cover is a hidden holdin spot..it will hold this here quill an inkwell..so ya never lose it...an dun worry its a gift...cuz i figure...iffin ya cant remember ya life..maybe ya can write it down 'fore ya ferget and then ya can read bout it and it will always be excitin' to ya??" *smiles, her eyes reflecting light oddly as she leans in her chair once more, sliding her own book back into the pack and reclosing it, setting it down on the ground once more , next to her chair. *

"oh...an iffin' ya wanna go with me some where later..i can make it so ya never lose ya book neither...i know uh magics guy..he..uh..can connect tha book to ya..like..say..ya fall down a mountain, an tha book falls outta ya grasp...iffin ya livin, it will appear next to ya no matta what...i'll explain more iffin ya wanna go..when we get there...he lives in a cave in Juxta's forest..er...ok now im talkin too much too eh? well, hope ya like tha gift...its bout the last thing i own...im all outta paints and canvases...tha only thing i got left is a few parchments an my book an my ink and quill ..oh..an my pack...erm....i might have a commission...makin a picture frame fer a drawin i did fer some feller i saw in here the one evenin' ...but 'til then...im broke as a stool under an ogre!" *laughs and looks at Kat for her reaction to the gift, ready to help her w/embossing it if need be.*

 

[Sir Trystan Gabriel]

The Paladin Returns.......

The door to the tavern opens.....framed in the doorway is a familiar looking man in platemail.....looking severly battered. He limps in to the tavern, dragging his weapons belt behind him and takes a seat at a table.

Barkeep!! Ale. Lots of Ale. As fast as you can bring it. Please.

He spots Kheldar sitting at the bar,

So......Kheldar.....did that girl ever catch up to you?

He reaches up and begins to loosen the fastenings on his breastplate and gauntlets, then his greave, grunting in pain from the effort.

Oww!! That is the LAST time I follow the directions on an old map.......