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The inside of the shabby building was dim and stuffy, but not as hot as it was outside, and there were a number of good smells coming from the kitchen behind the bar. There were quite a few people sitting in the main room, and several looked up when they entered, but no one seemed very wary or unwelcoming. The elderly bartender gave them a nod and set down the glass he'd been polishing. "Afternoon. Can I get you folks something to drink?"
Charlotte hesitated. "Whatever you recommend on draft," she said finally, looking over at Rick as they sat at a table by the grimy window.
"I'll take the same," Rick added cheerfully, leaning back until the chair creaked. "What've y'all got to eat here?"
"Roast chicken's fresh today," the old man said. "And there's always vegetable soup if you prefer."
"I'll take both if that's all right. You want anythin', Miss Charlotte?"
"Just the soup, thank you." Charlotte set her bag down beneath her chair and nearly tucked her slim figure in the rickety wooden chair, hands in her lap and gaze cast down.
"Coming up." The man left, whistling tunelessly.
Rick took a casual look around the room and twiddled his thumbs. "Kinda surprised we ain't gettin' more stares. These people must not be the curious type." He caught sight of something and raised his eyebrows. "Welp, never mind, that guy's staring at us pretty hard. Can't find a single tavern without somebody sketchy in it these days." He shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothin'. We won't be here long anyway."
Immediately Charlotte looked, expression hard. She met the stranger's unwavering stare with steel in her eyes, one of her free hands creeping down towards her bag and her weapons.
(Ooof, sorry I missed ya)
The stranger–who seemed to be an ordinary farmer of some kind–quickly dropped his gaze. He returned to his meal, but still appeared to be watching them out of the corner of his eye.
Rick tilted his head. "Well, goodness, no need to be alarmed or anythin'. I'm sure he was just admirin' our collective good looks or something like that."
(Noppe I'm here)
With a start Charlotte looked over at Rick. "I–" Then, with a choked back snicker, "Yes, I suppose so."
(wuuuut heck yea)
He grinned. He'd managed to make her laugh! It was an achievement to be proud of, he thought. "Anyhoo, I think I see our orders headin' this way."
Sure enough, the bartender had returned with their meals, which were piping hot and looked quite good. "You folks need anything else, just let me know."
It had been a very, very long time since any compliment had been paid to Charlotte, and as heart-wheathered as she was… It felt good.
"Thanks, sir." She pulled her bowl closer to her, inhaling the scent of fresh food. "This doesn't look half bad," she commented quietly.
"It looks great." Rick dug right in happily, very hungry after their long walk. "So, if we keep traveling at this rate, I reckon we'll get to the meetin' place with time to spare. If you want, we could actually slow down a bit, save some energy. What do you think?"
"I… guess so, yeah. Maybe we take some time to rest then, here or somewhere further south," she suggested, taking small deliberate spoonfuls of her soup.
Rick noticed how mannerly she was being and tried to slow down a bit on his own food. "Sounds good. D'you think we need any other supplies from this town, or should we head right out as soon as we're done eating? I think I've got everything I need, myself."
"Maybe we can scope the place, find out as much as we can."
She noticed Rick's eating slow, and pointed it out to him. "Did you order too much?"
"H-huh?" Rick looked embarrassed. "Oh, naw, I just thought I'd try to follow your example and be more polite about it. This is actually less 'n I'd usually order." He cleared his throat. "Taking a look around sounds fine to me. Shouldn't take long, I only saw about ten houses out there."
(again. Your mercenary is very adorable)
Charlotte's eyes widened– follow her example? "Oh, uh… Right. Okay. My bad."
Silence fell again. She diligently kept at her soup, pausing only to sip her beer. "Maybe we split up, make it even faster," she said after a while.
(hee hee yes he is >w< )
"Works for me." Despite having slowed down, Rick was still almost done with his food, and now he finished it off in one fell swoop. "Right, I'm payin'. You can go on ahead, if you want, I'll catch up."
"You sure?" Charlotte asked, stood up and slinging her back onto the table to pull out the necessary cash.
"Thanks, but I'm sure," Rick said firmly, waving her off. "I'll be right out."
Silently nodding, Charlotte headed outside with her bag. She stood by the entrance of the tavern to wait, examining the village before her. If he took the far East Side and she the far West, then they could meet in the middle and leave from there.
(I gtg, seeya tomorrow!)
The village was much more quiet than the tavern. The children from earlier were still staring at Charlotte from across the muddy street, hiding behind a rickety fence. One of them worked up the courage to wave at her.
(Goodnight! =
Charlotte noticed immediately, her heart fluttering. She smiled and waved back before walking towards the gang, figuring she could start on her questioning. "Hey, kids," she called lightly.
"Hi," the brave one responded, showing off a shy, gap-toothed grin. "I'm Thomas. I live here. This town is more like a village, Dad says, but more like a settlement, Uncle Ben says. We saw you earlier when you came into town. That guy with you is really tall. I might be taller when I grow up, though. And this is my little brother Will. He's three. I'm five. How old are you?" He stopped abruptly and gazed at her with a serious expression.