[IC] JM's A Bit of Trouble (Book 2)

[Steve Gorak]

Theremin has been in bit for only a few days. After having visited his distant relatives in the groaning forest, he had decided to pay hommage, and seek a free and comfortable roof at his even more distant relatives the Tillerson. He found that without being accompanied by his great great great grandmother, the reception was less than warm. Still, he was highborn, and offered shelter as is custom.

That first dinner with the Tollersons, he heard stories of the heroes of Leeds Crossing, and he could not believe his friend and former travel companion Swithun was involved.

During the day, he set out to the market, trying to find his old pal.

 

[JustinCase]

"Don't you have, I don't know, lessons?" a clearly hungover Brother Pelegon mutters as the monk is being dragged through the streets by a girl no more than ten years old. He uses one arm to shield his eyes from the bright morning sun while his other arm is pulled by Tifi the farmer's daughter.

His angelic guide Zabobiel was so proud when Pelegon saved her from the flooding river and the marauding lizardfolk! Finally something the aasimar did that was altruistic again, rather than wallowing in selfpity as a drunken hermit outside town. But as time passed, Zabobiel had become restless, demanding Pelegon take action again to ensure the light would reach more people around him, and the monk rarely had a good night's sleep without his guide bothering him in his dreams.

And he never quit drinking. Sure, liberating Tifi and the other people from the prison camp felt good - even more so now that he knew what it was like, having been freed only days before by the others now proclaimed heroes - but there was still the painful loss of his wife. And when he had been beaten down and moved in the space between life and death, light and darkness, had he heard her voice?

He had no answers. Neither did the drink, but at least it ensured a mostly dream-free and quiet sleep. That is, until Tifi had discovered where he stayed and often woke him up far too early in the morning...

"Morning," he mutters to the merchants and passersby that recognize Pelegon as the girl and the monk pass them by, until Tifi stops before one of the market stalls. Various jars and potions containing everyday spices, grains, salves and other useful stuff are neatly arranged, and at the far end a few painted stones are shown. Tifi points to one small slab of stone in particular, jumping up and down with excitement.

"There! That's us! That's us!"

Despite his headache, Brother Pelegon is intrigued and takes the stone in his hands to take a better look. Upon the simple flat stone, probably found on the bank of the river, a scene is painted in basic colors of a courageous looking man in monk's robes, protecting a blond little girl from a reptilian monstrosity and a massive tidal wave.

"Hey, that's us!" the monk echoes Tifi's words with a smile, and he tosses a few coins to the merchant to buy it for the girl.

 

[Mark Chance]

Chainmail clinking, warhammer across the top of his pack, shield tied to the pack as well, his bald head covered with a sweat-stained canvas scarf showing part of some sort of blazon, the halfling trudges to the edge of the market. He pauses, stretches his back, flexes his shoulders, lifts each foot in turn to wiggle his hairy toes.

"There! That's us! That's us!" shouts a girl, pointing at a slab of stone displayed in a market stall. Her companion looks a bit weary, but he reaches for the stone.

And Klebba Martindale trudges on, looking for a place to sit down and get a bite to eat and flagon of something for his weary muscles and parched throat....

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Swithun had been all over the place in the months that followed the Lizardfolk trouble. He had, for a time, advised Everett and his father with the army. He had trained and sparred with Surina in his free time. They had also spent time discussing matters of politics and philosophy. He tended to listen more than he spoke, for he knew that he was not as witty or clever as others he had met in his travels.

One day, he was working his way through the crowded market. He had been thinking about returning home, or perhaps looking in to rumors he had heard regarding the Groaning Forest, when he saw a man coming toward him who he knew matched the traits of both wittiness and cleverness.

"Theramin!" he called, and he bowed his tall human-looking half low, "It is good to see you, my friend."

 

[doghead]

Winter selects another stone from the river bank and drops it into her sling. Focusing the days frustration into the action, she spins the sling. Twice. Twice she has recommended putting together a party to hunt, or at least find, Ariamhodary. The first time, well things were pretty confused. Winter can kind of understand their reluctance to assign forces to a hunting party.

But now, now the situation has stabilised. Winter is sure that they could put together a party to do the job. Perrin, herself, a couple of the local hunters seem fairly handy, a couple of lizard warriors as guides off the top of her head. Six would be enough. Winter was convinced that the rumours she had heard would be enough to persuade the those running the army ...

Winter releases the rock at rock on the other side of the river. It bounces off taking a chunk of moss with it. If I was using my bow, you would be dead by now Mister Rock. Still, the sling is a handy back up. After her axes of course, and her knives. Has a better range however. And - Winter wraps the sling around her thick braid - easier to conceal. Gathering up her bow, Winter heads to the market.

Winter moves through the market, picking up a few supplies for her wallet. She purchases an apple as well, to eat as she goes.

"There! That's us! That's us!"

Winter turns and heads in the direction of Tifi and Brother Pelegon. Brother Pelegon is purchasing something from the stall, and whatever it is, Tifi seems immensely pleased.

"Morning Tifi", Winter says. "Brother Pelegon.

"A bit early for you isn't it?" Winter gives Pelegon an appraising look. Hard to tell if he has just crawled out of bed, or yet to make it to one. "Or is it late?" she adds, with a tight smile.

Turning to Tifi, Winter asks, "What have you got there. It looks like a rock."

 

[Mark Chance]

Huh, Klebba thinks, a centaur. There's something I don't see everyday.

As Klebba walks on, he passes the centaur and then an elf, both of whom appear to be converging on the stall attracting the attention of the girl and the haggard-looking fellow.

"Theramin!" the centaur calls.

A faint aroma, crisp and sweet, catches Klebba's attention as he passes the elf.

Apples?

Klebba turns on his heel, following after the elf, who meets the centaur, the girl, and the human at the stall. Klebba waits for a pause in the exchanged pleasantries before speaking.

"Excuse me," he says to the elf, "but do you have apples? But pardon me. My manners. I'm Klebba. Klebba Martindale."

The halfling stands a bit taller and grins, looking up at those gathered around the stall.

 

[doghead]

"Excuse me," he says to the elf, "but do you have apples? But pardon me. My manners. I'm Klebba. Klebba Martindale."

Winter turns to the halfling. He looks like a soldier, but Winter hasn't seen him before. Perhaps he is new to Bit.

"Hello Klebba. I'm Winter. This is Tifi, and Brother Pelegon," indicating each in turn with a nod of her head.

"I have an apple. But this stall sells rocks. With pictures on them. The apple stall is over there. You can however," Winter reaches into her wallet an pulls out another apple, "have this one. I have a couple."

Winter tosses the new apple to Klebba.

"Are you new to Bit?"

OOC: I think that there are two meetings happening at the moment: 1. Winter (wood elf ranger), Tifi (child) and Pelegon (human monk), and 2. Swithun (centaur warrior) and Theramin (human bard). They are both happening in the market, but in different locations.

 

[Steve Gorak]

“My dear friend Swithun! How fortune and the gods bless me!” There in approaches his friend and hives him a heartfelt hug. “I hear you have been busy and made yourself a great name! Come, the ales’s on me. Tell me the stories of your adventures so I may write a song worthy of you! Oh, and form what I heard, you weren’t alone, you have to introduce me to your friends!”

OOC: my attempt to merge the 2 meetings ;-)

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Swithun nodded to Theramin and led the way toward a good ale vendor. It surprised him not at all to spot Pelegon standing, only two stalls down, from one. The monk was speaking to some strangers and had his orphan girl in tow, so Swithun did not immediately interrupt.

He turned to Theramin and said, "Here is one of my companions now. I will introduce you."

 

[JustinCase]

So many things happening at once is a bit much for the hungover Brother Pelegon, and the haggard-looking aasimar just stands there, silently swaing on his feet.

Until someone mentions ale.

"Good day, my friend!" the monk says with a big smile as he approaches the young man who uttered the words.

"I hear you're buying people drinks, and I can already tell that'll make us good friends!"

When Tifi pulls on his sleeve, Pelegon reacts a bit agitated.

"What? Just one drink won't kill me."

OOC: Merging the two meetings makes sense. Maybe the market isn't so big? Let's just take it from there. Edit: Ha! Fitz just beat me to it, but we had the same idea.