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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cor Azer" data-source="post: 5666293" data-attributes="member: 870">Haken surveys the common room, and rubs his hand across his forehead, hoping it might wipe away the fatigue, excitement, and tension of the day. It does not.Ser Laton sits on a neighboring bench, engaging Ser Gough in a conversation to keep the portly knight from talking to Ser Patrek about the lady and squire found on the road earlier. Ser Gough's lady and her handmaiden sit demurely to the side, quietly sipping what passes for wine in the inn. Braver man than me.As he watches Ser Jarl, Mhyrko, and Robin head off towards the room holding the murderous sellsword, the sarjeant feels a faint grumble in his belly. Never did get that meal earlier."Innkeep! Beer. And stew, or mutton. Whatever's hot back there."Wat nods, and slips back into the kitchen to fetch the guard's evening meal.Haken moves over to a bench near some other House Vantri guards, and nods to them as he takes a seat."Eat hearty tonight, men," he instructs. "And don't stay up too late dicing. I don't know Ser Laton's plans yet, but we may yet need to stop over at Heart's Home. Means a long, hard ride tomorrow." He leans forward onto the table, resting his forehead on the palms of his hands. When the serving girl brings him a mug of beer, he smiles in thanks. Pretty girl. Nice freckles. He admires her from behind for a few minutes as she returns to the kitchen, until one of his men ribs him with an elbow in jest."Mind yourself," he retorts. "A man can look where he pleases."She returns a short while later with a steaming bowl of stew for the sarjeant, and her hand brushes his arm as she turns away, lingering perhaps a little too long on his elbow. Haken smiles.Shouts ring out from the barn across the inn's courtyard.By the Seven! he curses. "No meal again." He quickly downs the beer as he stands, nodding to the other guards to start sobering up. "I'll handle this."Outside, Haken sees Ser Patrek's squire and one of his guards exiting the barn, leading a hefty lad from the building."Who?" He begins to ask.The squire, Joff, pipes up in a voice that could probably use some maturing. "Found him hiding in one of the stalls, beneath some hay."Haken nods absently at the squire, but stares at the bigger lad. Something familiar. He studies the lad, looking for notable marks. Big arms, strong. Calloused hands - this boy has the favor of the Smith. He blinks, and snaps his fingers as it comes back to him. "Roy. Roy Stone."Joff takes a step away from the bigger lad, a strange mix of respect and contempt obvious in his expression. Poor lad doesn't know how to handle us bastards. Haken smiles ruefully, but ignores the squire."You left the mines some time ago, Roy. Weren't you apprenticing to a smith somewhere?" Haken steps aside and motions towards the inn. "Come inside and tell us what you were doing hiding over there."</blockquote>

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