forum The Fat King Tavern and Inn // CLOSED

Started November 30, 2019 by @GoblinKing

tune

“I- it’s difficult, for me to stay anywhere for long,” Mylin tried to explain. “It’s in my blood. Gotta keep moving, or something bad always happens. Always.”

Mylin's explanation sounded familiar to Caspian. She had never stayed anywhere too long, afraid that the past would catch up with her. Caspian just nodded silently, fidgeting with one of her necklaces.

“Sure, sure.” Shadul’s tone was almost reminiscent of a mother’s. “If you’re uncomfortable explaining this, you don’t have to.”

“You’re probably right. Thank you.” Mylin was very grateful for a way out of that conversation. It was not going to be a very comfortable one, to say the least. She was on the run more than just literally, avoiding difficult topics as much as possible wherever she went. It was easier to ignore her issues than face them.

“But don’t expect to be able to ignore them forever.” Her tone was blunt, yet caring. “I’m saying this as someone who already cares about you- and who can relate to the shred you’ve told us- you can’t run from yourself like that. You have to face it one day.”

Mylin looked away, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. How had this woman who’d known her for so short a time already figured her out? Was Mylin that obvious? “All I can do is run. There’s nothing else for me.” Her voice broke on the last word, quivering from the fear of being understood.

“At the bare minimum, you have your guild now, and to be frank, I know for a fact that I won’t let one of our members just run away. You’re in a family.” Shadul took another sip of her drink, looking around the tavern. “What you feel isn’t uncommon. I can guarantee that at least half the people that join these guilds feel the same way.”

“That’s nice to know.” A small smile began to find its place on Mylin’s lips. “Guilds are kinda a new thing for me, and it’s good that I can rely on you guys to watch my back.“ She paused. “But I’m always gonna need the option to cut and run. I’m a coward, plain and simple,” she explained with a sigh, scratching little circles into the worn table.

“Of course.” She nodded, glancing at the table. “Are these knife marks? Or teeth? Can you tell?” Shadul pointed to a cluster of long and deep scrapes on the wooden surface.

“Could be either. This is a place with a penchant for fights, as I’m sure you know.” Mylin ran her finger along the grooves. “Seem more like teeth to me, though. The way they’re clustered, with consistent distance and relative deepness?” She tried to backtrack, afraid of looking like a know it all. “That’s just my opinion though. No expert here.”

“Alright, so next question? Was it a detached jawbone or did someone just get fucking slammed? I think someone’s open mouth got slammed. Look at how close it is to the edge of the table. Easily far enough to be someone’s top jaw.” She thought for a moment. “It wouldn’t even make sense to waste a bottom jaw like that, everybody knows you harvest the teeth and keep the rest for broth.”

“Uh, yeah, everybody knows that.” Myrin shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “What do you do for a job?” she asked, desperate to change the subject.

“Oh! I’m a skullmonger. Every week, I go out into the market with my big basket of skulls. I sell all kinds. Best sellers are human. I don’t ask why.” She shrugged. “None of my business. I’m just there to collect their coin and go home.”

Caspian watched as the two spoke about the marks on the table. She hadn't even noticed them until they were pointed out. Caspian wasn't one to inspect small details or want to figure out why things happened. She just kind of accepted the fact that things happened, and usually didn't care why.

“Ah, that’s… interesting. Sounds lovely.” Myrin did not want to dwell on where Shadul got her skulls, so she pushed that fact to the dusty little corner of her head that she didn’t let herself explore. “I assume that’s why you know a lot about damage done by skulls?”

“Ah. Yes. What about you, Caspian?” Shadul looked over at her. “What do you do for a living?”

Caspian snapped out of her trance. "Nothing. This is really the first job I've had, so I'm kind of excited. This is my first time actually earning money, you know? It'll be fun!"

Myrin couldn’t help but laugh at Caspian’s optimism. “You’ve never had a job? Well, I hope this one is a good introduction to the world of occupations. For both your sake and mine.”

(I gotta go to bed now. Goodnight! :) )

“I hope so too. Pray to the gods nobody dies, eh?” Shadul laughed raucously, probably more than expected when saying something like that. “We should choose a task, though. They’re going to get picked clean soon.”

(goodnight!)

(Night!)
"Yeah…let's hope." Caspian laughed nervously. "What task do you recommend for a newbie like me?"

“Something easy. Like… recovering stolen artifacts. Or maybe helping somebody build a home or help with their business. One of my first quests was killing a rival, so.. I don’t know what constitutes as beginner-friendly.”

(i think i’m gonna turn in too! goodnight!)

(I was busy moving back into my dorm after the break, but I'm back!)

As Yama was chowing down on his lunch, he overheard the entire conversation regarding the treasure-hunting mission. There were multiple job postings, each one offering bigger rewards than the last, but none really caught his eye. Then again, it had been a while since his last adventure, and he could potentially bring in some business through a sort of demonstration of his new products. He arched an eyebrow at the thought, so he decided to listen further before joining.

(Sweet! Welcome back!)

"It's gonna be a group decision, though. If you guys want, I can go up and take a few that catch my eye and bring 'em back to the table."

“That’d be great. Thanks, Shadul.” Myrin’s gaze drifted around the tavern, landing on a draconic figure with firey scales. She tilted her head, intrigued.

"What're you lookin' at?" Shadul followed Myrin's gaze, also noticing the figure. "Woah."