(PF) Rise of the Runelords: Burnt Offerings IC

[maggie_mcknife]

GM post

Setsuna's Perception check:

Spoiler

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You notice only a few citizens of Sandpoint in the street going about their business, given that it is getting late. Otherwise, the street outside the tavern is relatively quiet.

*****

Red

Red looks warily at Setsuna, concerned at the odd lilt in the tiefling's voice and slightly annoyed at being thus accosted. Nevertheless, she sighs and indicates the bench opposite her with a jerk of the head.

"...Yes. Miss Setsuna. You said you wished... to talk?" Red takes a sip of her water, eyeing Setsuna over the rim of the cup.

[Desril]

Setsuna

Setsuna sits down and looks at Red for a moment, How do I start? After a second she starts to speak, not drunk but just intoxicated enough to not stress about being overly delicate, "When we were trying to get information from those goblins earlier, I...saw something in you. You were hiding a great deal of anger, pain, and guilt. I do not think any of the others noticed, and I will not tell anyone about it, but...trying to lock all those feelings away will just end with them eating away at you from the inside, Red-san."

She pauses, not wanting to push too far and waits to see Red's reaction to this particular conversation. We only just met, so I don't expect her to trust me, but she needs to find someone before she drowns in all of that sorrow.

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Bluff check required for the half-truth? (1d20+2)[12]

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

Dice rolls:

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Sense Motive check vs Setsuna's Bluff: (1d20+6)[23]
Bluff check to disguise feelings: (1d20)[13]

Red says nothing at first, merely raising her head and taking another sip of her water, the hand grasping the cup trembling ever so slightly and slopping some of the water down her chin. Inside her chest, something constricts. Like there was wire around her heart being pulled tight, a fist being closed.

How did Setsuna know? Red hadn't said anything. Done anything. What did she mean that she had seen something? Maybe tieflings had magic powers or something. Or maybe it was some Minkai trick...

Nobody outside her family knew except for Rathi. She hadn't even told Rico. How did Setsuna...?

"...Miss Setsuna," she says finally, placing her cup down on the bench with just a little too much force. Taking a deep breath, she wipes her mouth and looks the tiefling right in the eye, her voice low and quiet. "...I believe this is... really none of your business."

[Desril]

Setsuna

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Sense motive to oppose the bluff: (1d20-1)[15]
It doesn't work on PCs but Diplomacy to defuse the situation (1d20+7)[17]

Setsuna returns Red's gaze compassionately, trying to show that there isn't any ill intent before she responds, "No, it is not. I simply can not stand idly by when I see someone suffering though...especially when it is someone who I wish to become friends with," she continues with a sad smile, "I did not wish to upset you, but I saw no other way to try and help. Can you forgive me for overstepping like this?"

I hope I haven't gone too far, maybe I should stop here and talk to her again another time? But she may not give me another chance...

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

“…You wish… to help?” There is a bitter flash in Red’s eyes, despite the deadly calm in her voice. Reaching behind her back, she slides one of her kukris out of its leather scabbard and carefully places it on the table between her and Setsuna. The heavy blade makes a faint ringing sound as it meets the table, the polished aurochs horn handle gleaming cold in the moonlight.

“…Then we do not… speak of this again. Ever. You will…forget whatever… you saw.” Red breathes out heavily and looks away, one hand stroking the ivory rosary beads around her wrist. “I did not ask… for your help. I do not want it...”

[Desril]

Setsuna

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Diplomacy(1d20+7)[14] (oh yeah +1 from Alluring?)

Seeing the kukri, Setsuna thinks of her own black blade and the blood on her hands, and concedes to leave the subject alone for now, "If that is what you wish, I shall not mention it again, but if that is to be the case, then please think on what I have said." Again she tries to express the sincerity of her words, "You may not desire help, but that does not mean it is unneeded or unavailable."

Deciding it would be best to let the red head think in solitude, Setsuna gets up and starts back inside, intending to retire early after getting rid of the goblin stench with a nice bath.

[Miraqariftsky]

Rico grimaces in an awkward amalgamation of drunken, embarassed, guilty and enraged but sways on her knees, calms herself down enough to follow in the prayer. She'd never been one to strictly follow any one deity's doctrine, but given the alternatives she has, knows that this one probably has the least risk in immediate repercussions.

She smiles as the prayer reaches its climax, remembering all the other times, few and far between, that she'd gone in for counsel. Those long, quiet walks with Red. With Sister Seraphina at Solku with the... Sunny Sisterhood, during the hunt for Case 401, Akhbar al-Assad, Qadiran drug trafficker and she'd been forced to stay the week during a severe sandstorm.That one night of guts-spilling with Whisper...

...Rico grimaces again as her vision throbs and heat pounds within her. One hand rises to her temple to ease the pressure.

She lets one callused hand rest Cipriano's knee and hangs her head. For a long while, she kneels with him, simply still and silent, listing every so often as she combats the drunkenness...

~~~

…and come the morning when her warrior’s senses stir her awake, just around dawn, Rico suddenly recoils from Cipriano, bunching the blankets around her and nearly pulping his head with a massive fist that barely misses his face.

Her eyes are wide with panic and utterly confused barely restrained rage. One hand gropes at her qunt, her bush matted with blood and other bodily fluids. She pats around desperately, then rips free the backup dagger strapped to her thigh.

Naked steel glinting in the pale light, she jabbers, “HWAT DAH FRAK DIDJU DO, YEH FRAKKER?! Sarrehsrakkeh, HWAT did WE do?!”

Blade shivering, she keeps it and the blankets between herself and Cipriano, resheathing it only when she hurriedly throws on a tunic and her greatcoat. She stumbles out of the room, muttering a barely audible string of curses.

Once outside, her survival senses kick in and she =tries= to stick to the shadows. If she finds Ameiko or one of her servers already working, with wide eyes and a growl she demands the strongest pot of coffee the house has got and asks as well of Red’s whereabouts.

Rico looks for Red desperately and when she finally does find her, she engulfs her in a seemingly panicked, frightened embrace, muttering hurriedly, "GAHahgIgh!Pleasepleaseplease!Solongasweretoge ther PLEASE!=NEVER=!LemmetouchanothercuppaSlayer.Scared .SCARED."

A moment later she releases the little rogue and says, “Sorry-sorry! I… hope I didn’t hurt you? No ribs broken? Um-um… could we, um, I, do this in your room? Duntfeelsafeouthere…”

[ProudGrognard]

Sirus

Sirus spent the night listening to his companions talk, contributing little. He rarely if ever drunk alcohol , and today 's experiences reenforced his conviction. When Rico and Cipriano started their wrestling match, his left eyebrow shot up in surprise, the second time in one day. Usually, it took a whole year for him to get surprised twice.

Initially, he misunderstood their intentions for a friendly match. Unconsciously, he started analyzing their movements. Rico had strength and power, but she was not coordinated. Cipriano was slick, bit it was more luck than anything that he survived.

And then the real significance of the match came to his mind. Sirus almost shook his head. Such actions rarely resulted in anything good. This is why he himself was very careful on how he managed his basic desires. He knew they could not be denied, nor should they. But they must not be blindly indulged either. A fine balance. But tomorrow he would see how his companions fared.

As he was ready to go, Red and Setsune next to him had barred blades. A more cautious glance told him that no violence would be coming. Good.

With that, he bowed to his companions and went to his room. Tomorrow would be an interesting day. But as he climbed up, a part of him, the part that had nothing to do with the Whisperers, with the Taldan gangs, with the violence felt listless. There was a price to pay for such strict discipline. Leaving a very heavy sigh, Sirus stopped in the middle of the stairs, looked back at the festivities and continued up to his room. He would have to think on all this.

[maggie_mcknife]

GM post

Day 2: 23 Rova, 4707

The Rusty Dragon is extraordinarily subdued this morning. It seems that last night's excitement and shenanigans wore Ameiko's patrons and guests out, and many of them are sleeping in. In fact, a fair number of them are still snoring away on the floor, having been much too drunk to make it home safely on their own. Ameiko herself, however, is far too excellent a tavern owner to be caught lying in herself. For her, it's business as usual in the kitchen - you never know when you might find some travellers in need of succor.

Those of you awake and ready to begin your day, you head downstairs to find an elderly halfling maid carefully stepping around prone bodies as she gives the dining tables a brisk scrubbing. Whatever's cooking in the kitchen, it smells delicious. There are only a few other early-risers around right now, blearily sipping hot coffee and working away on their various breakfasts. At least one of them gives you a respectful nod as you approach, recognising you as one of the heroes of last night.

[North_Ranger]

Cipriano Verneti

The next morning, Cipriano woke back to reality with a screaming half-orc at his face and a dagger at his throat. Usually that would have meant that it was Oathday during the summer, but this time he was in a bed, the half-orc was a woman... and she was naked. Slowly, too slowly did Cipriano understand that maybe his understanding of the situation had been wrong.

"Rico, wait! It's not like that! In Cayden's name, I swear it..."

"...isn't", he whispered the last word when the door slammed shut heavily when Rico stormed out.

Congratulations. Now you truly done frakked up, he cursed himself as he sat there, alone on the messed up bed. Best practice as you preach, then. Make amends with her. AFTER she's done breaking a table or two.

Sometimes later, Cipriano emerged from the basement, his hair in disarray and his clothes thrown on. He retrieved his armaments from the bar and walked up to his room where his saddlebags were waiting. A quick wash, a change of clothes and an hour of prayers later, Cipriano re-emerged from his room. He was still feeling weighted down - not by his drinking as usually, but by a tinge of guilt. He'd need to talk to Rico...

But first, some breakfast. And some hair off the dog that bit him...

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

Red watches Setsuna go in stony silence, one hand still fidgeting with the rosary beads on her wrist, rubbing the round beads between thumb and finger in a semblance of prayer. It is not until the tiefling has retreated back into the Rusty Dragon that Red finally relaxes, her breath coming in a shuddering sigh and her shoulders slumping as she reaches out for the kukri, sliding it back into its scabbard with a smooth practised movement.

Maybe Setsuna did mean well. Maybe she didn't. But Red didn't know her. And Setsuna sure as hell didn't know Red. What in hell made her think that Red would be all right with her knowing stuff even Rico didn't know? Stuff Red hadn't even told her last girlfriend? Stuff that Red's siblings didn't dare to bring up in front of her? It really was none of Setsuna's goddamn business what Red's father had done to Red when her name had still been Sera.

On her way up to her room, Red pauses on the floor that she knows Rico is on, looking forlornly down the darkened corridor. Perhaps she ought to knock on the door, like she'd wanted to. Give Rico some water. Make sure that Cipriano wasn't doing anything Rico didn't want him to. But if they were really... busy... with each other, then it would be rude to interrupt.

Sighing heavily, Red continues to climb the stairs.

*****

The next day, Red has barely stepped back through the doors of the Rusty Dragon after running a few errands about town when she is swept up into Rico's rib-cracking embrace. Instinctively stiffening at the overwhelming combination of unwashed half-orc and beer breath, it takes her a good few seconds before she realises just what Rico is babbling about.

Once Rico sets her back down on the ground, Red massages her side and manages a weak grin, wheezing slightly. Her grin fades slightly when she sees the panicked and dishevelled state that Rico is in, however. Damn it all - so much for hoping that Rico had at least known what she was getting herself into last night.

"I'm fine... Don't worry. Here." She drops the key to her room into Rico's massive paw, patting her friend's arm and looking around to check that as few people as possible are paying any attention to them. "...Go up first. I need to get something... from the kitchen."

A few minutes later, balancing a large mug of steaming water in one hand and a blanket she'd begged off one of Ameiko's maids, Red nudges her room door open with one foot. Letting Rico have the room's only chair, Red sets the mug down on the window sill before tossing the blanket at Rico. Making sure the door is locked, she returns to the mug and removing a slim packet from her vest pocket, shakes its dried up contents into the mug. She frowns at the muddy colour that the water turns - maybe she ought to have asked the kitchen for a spoon as well? Too late for that though. She'd just have to let it steep on its own.

Leaving the drink where it is for now, Red steps over to the wash bucket and rinses out a clean rag, looking the half-orcess over with concern. She didn't want to assume the worst - from what the maids had told her earlier in the morning, Rico had seemed quite happy to take Cipriano to her room. But she didn't know if Rico had done anything like this before, and if Rico was so upset, maybe she hadn't... That still left Cipriano somewhere else in the inn to deal with later. Oh boy.

Shaking her head, Red moves over to Rico and offers her the wringed out rag. "...Are you hurting?"

[Desril]

Setsuna

Setsuna opens her eyes after a good night's rest, thankfully not hungover but not wanting to move from the comfort of the bed. Not one for lazing however, a quick review yesterday's events, especially her rash use of the magic in her sarashi and ham-handed attempts at speaking to Red gave her the motivation to get up and review her grimoire in an attempt to put it out of her mind. As long as we are in town I won't need to start any fires, so I'll practice with something else today.

Spoiler

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Arcane Pool IIII
Spells Prepared:
0: Ray of Frost, Detect Magic, Arcane Mark
1: Frostbite, Shield

An hour later, her memorization of the spells she can hold within her mind complete, Setsuna notices her sarashi has returned, mixed amongst her clothes, and gets dressed. Just in case the curse isn't quite gone, I'll test it at the end of the day, when I'm alone...until then, I need to see about repairing Rico-san's skirt... That thought in mind, she takes what's left of the skirt and proceeds out of her room, asking the nearest person for directions to a tailor.

[Miraqariftsky]

Her head still throbbing from the liquored hell-blast
Strange ache in a strange place
Shards of memory through her mind flutter fast
The panick on her face
Gives way to slow
And broken understanding
Nostrils flare at the strange drink's show
Then without knowing what, her friend just trusting
Drinks the lot in one good glug
And at the strange taste, coughs and spits vilely, forcibly sets the drained cup down
"Achin' where wun't no ache afore. An'... dis not coffee? Thanks anyway" says the lawdog thug
She scratches her black-maned crown
Whilst that dark brow furrows in slow-dawning comprehension
"Red... thank you. Now would you please help me conduct an inquisition?"

Rico squeezes the rag and scrubs her face to full painful wakefulness
Battle-fever pulses, eyes narrowing in a hunter's seeking
She storms out the door, scowl set, dagger bared
With a kick and a curse, into her room fared
She emerges full-clad, arms glinting
Tracks Cipriano down, does bless

The priest's table with a quivering Scarzni-etched arrow
Open on a fresh page, her journal she does throw
And a sturdy inkpot and quill as well
And makes plain with naked sword fell

~~~

Smirks humourless and says as she sits, "Red here's yer friendly torturer fer today, please maek yershelf at 'ome. Case 469, sapplemental entry three, reshtricted ackcess. Fer the record, yer mind's likely unmarred bah deh Slayer. This questioner requeshts..."

The face breaks into a grimace then a scowl and then a blush and then a table-gouging growl. "...woht dah frak 'appened lash naht?"

[Mithric Gunn]

Manraiv awakens early, glad he only sipped a drink. Looks like interesting times coming. Well, it can't all be sex and partying. He shakes himself, forcing himself into the ever-more-familiar habit: He pulls out his spellbook, and begins memorizing...

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2 color spray
1 grease
1 enlarge person
Enchantment: Sleep
Standard cantrips
Oh, and below casting prestigitidigititadtion...

Finally finished, he cleans himself and his clothing with a brief spell, and heads down to get some breakfast.

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

Red sighs and yanks the arrow out of the table. Whatever it was Rico wanted out of the priest, throwing arrows at him first thing in the morning was not going to help.

"Mister Fox," she says gently, glancing at him. "I'm not... torturing. Just want to make sure... nobody kills anybody else. Yet. But I do not think... you will tell the truth... if I sit here and listen. This is something... how do you say... delicate?" She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Rico. If you need me... I will be over here."

Red retreats to a nearby table and sits on its edge, close enough to run over and prevent Cipriano from being throttled if Rico lost her temper. Or to kick him if he tried to run off without giving a good explantion. She did hope Cipriano wouldn't run. It would be a pity to kick him. He didn't seem to be that type of man.

Sighing again, she fishes a rather squashed half-eaten bacon and stale-bread roll combination out of her other pockets and gives it a thoughtful chew. It was a pretty good squashed bread thing. Ameiko had let her swipe some food in exchange for helping to get firewood in this morning. Not many innkeepers trusted Red that much. It was nice to know there was at least one inn in western Varisia where she could always find a room.

Red is still working on finishing off what's left of her breakfast, keeping a careful eye on the conversation between Cipriano and Rico, when the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Turning her head towards the stairs, Red's eyes narrow slightly at the sight of a certain tiefling.

"...Miss Setsuna," she says quietly, no malice in her voice as she looks away. "Good morning."

[Miraqariftsky]

Out of the corner of her eye, she watches Red walk away. "Aaaaaaaahhhrrrrrrggghh..." Rico groans as she slumps over the tabletop, headbutting her crossed arms repeatedly.

She snorts loudly, sheathes the sword and lets it hang by its strap from her chair's back. "I... parddly... emember... stuff. KSHNORT. She's right, y'know? Y'don't... smell... corrupt. Um... and... sorry 'bout almost killin' ye thrice. An' deh other stuff. Wot dah friggen frak 'app'd lashnight, eggzackly? Sumthin'-sumthin'--- ivvestigation? Don't spare nuthin'. I've taken a 'unnred lashin's an' still alive. Asmodeus' arse, whersh dat coffee? And iffen ye please, make it snappy--- ggggguuuuuuhhhh--- I've got tables ta cobble."

[Desril]

Setsuna

Getting to the main room, Setsuna spots Cipriano and Rico having a quiet discussion as she hears Red's greeting. "Good morning to you as well, Red-san." She looks sad for a moment as Red looks away, I guess she probably isn't too happy to see me, but approaches her anyway. "I do not suppose you know any tailors in town who will allow me to work for them as payment? I want to restore the skirt Rico-san gave me, but I am lacking in coin."

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

Red considers for a moment the merits of ignoring Setsuna completely and continuing to eat. (It really was a very tasty bread thing. Was Setsuna even worth the interruption?) Then sighing to herself, she looks dully down at the last few bites of her breakfast before carefully placing the leftovers on a clean-looking bit of the table.

Too young. Lots of stupid things done last night. Worth staying angry for? And if she never tells... Does it matter?

"...Yes. Miss Rhyshinn. But Rico's clothing... comes from someone else. Missus Mila." Red folds her hands in her lap and looks sidelong at Setsuna. She hadn't noticed yesterday, with all the excitement and alcohol - just how young Setsuna looked, once you put aside the white hair and the woman's body. Gods, was she even old enough to be running around with vanishing clothing? "You could just... y'know. Work it off to Rico. Owe her a favour. She won't mind."

[Desril]

Setsuna

Oh, I didn't even consider that, that's a good idea, Setsuna beams at that, "Oh, thank you Red-san, I did not think of that. I can do that and once I obtain some coin I can buy her a new one from this 'Missus Mila'."

For a moment, she's unsure of what to do, but seeing that Rico is still involved in her private chat with Cipriano, Setsuna continues talking to Red, not noticing the general tension in the older rogue, and speaks as if the encounter from last night didn't happen, "Are you free today? I am new to town, and with the goblin troubles I will probably stay longer than I had planned. Could I talk you into showing me around?"

[North_Ranger]

Cipriano Verneti

Spoiler

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Okay, daily spells...

0: Enhanced Diplomacy, Guidance, Detect Magic, Read Magic
1: Summon Monster I, Shield of Faith, Bless
Domain: Protection from Evil

Channel Energy: IIIII

Rico and Red found Cipriano in a surprisingly relaxed get-up for breakfast: instead of the lamellar armor and the sky-blue surcoat, the Caydenite cleric had come down for breakfast wearing only a blue tunic (his favourite color, apparently), a pair of trousers and boots, his metal grieves strapped on his legs. On his loins he carried his weapons belt, the finely-crafted rapier resting against his thigh. The only hint that the young man expected to do something more than simply relax and sit in the inn was the fact that he had brought his armaments down with him, clearly intending to strap himself into the suit of steel lamellar once he was done with breakfast.

He was in the middle of writing something, having just asked for breakfast (porridge, bread, cheese, a few slices of bacon if there was any, some fruit and tea), when the two women barged in. At least he had the decency not to look surprised - well, except the time when Rico stuck the arrow in front of him.

"I think you told me just yesterday that Miss Kaijitsu doesn't fancy weapons stickin' out of her tables", he still tried to joke, but grew serious when he saw the red in Rico's eyes, and the worry in Red's. He nodded when he heard what the matter was, and dusted the parchment before setting it aside. "'Salright, Red. I won't make a run for it, if that's what you're worried about."

When he was alone with Rico, he took a small pouch from his belt - the same that he had used when calling the bluff on Voss's state of unconsciousness. "Here... I think you need this more 'n me. Alchemist's kindness. Helps for hangover. Ingested orally, though", he said with a small smile before leaning closer and lowering his voice. "You said you wanted my counsel and confession. Involving this bard? Whisper, I think you said her name was. I advised you to go an' talk with her, let her know how you felt about... y'know, what she did. After that... well, you said you wanted to thank for lis'ning. I thought it was what you wanted, so I didn't stop ya, 'though you were drunk as a dwarf on Merrymead."

Cipriano sighed deeply and looked Rico right in the eye. "Look... I don't pretend to be a moral man. But I try t' be a good one. An' if what we did last night... if that hurt you in any way, I'm sorry an' I'll do my damndest to earn your forgiveness. As for... the things you told me? Those things stay between us an' the gods. I'll take 'em to th' grave with me. On that, you've my word. May my manhood wither an' wine turn t' ash in my mouth, if I play you false."

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

"...If you really want... to know things, you should... ask Rico. Or Mister Mandraiv. They grew up here. I just... pass through." Red looks wistfully down at her callused hands. Sighing for what must have been the hundredth time that morning, she picks up her breakfast and finishes it off in two quick bites.

Pausing to dust the crumbs off her pants, Red swallows and continues, glancing over at Rico's back. "...Miss Setsuna. How old are you?"

[Desril]

Setsuna

Maybe, but it's you who I really want to get to know quickly, and Rico-san looks busy anyway. I wonder what they're talking about?

Before she can ask Red about it, she's caught off guard by the sudden question about her age. Setsuna hesitates for a moment, not sure what to think of Red's seemingly random curiosity, before replying, "Seventeen, at present, why do you ask?"

[maggie_mcknife]

Red

Seventeen... That was really young. Not much older than Red herself had been when she'd run away from the monastery. And how many silly things had she done then? She'd lost count of the number of times she'd almost died during that nightmarish first year. Just a foolish little girl, swinging her stolen kukris like she knew what she was doing...

Almost reflexively, Red places her left hand over her heart, thinking of the ugly scars criss-crossing her slender body - scars she hadn't needed to get, scars that wouldn't ever go away. It'd been hard at age seventeen. So hard. And if Setsuna was so far from Tian-Min at age seventeen, then just how young had she been when she'd left her home? Sixteen? Fourteen? Why would anyone leave home so young? Where were Setsuna's parents? Why weren't they taking care of her? Maybe Setsuna didn't have parents... Or maybe there was something else wrong... and Setsuna had to go away...

Red looks up at Setsuna, something in her eyes softening as she tucks some stray strands of hair behind her ears. "... I must... take Mister Sirus to sell... the goblin things. But I am... free. After that."

[Miraqariftsky]

Rico stares blankly at the pouch as she listens as best she could. Poison? Lies? Narcotic? Wait, Red didn't explain what that other whatchamacallit was... but I trust her. This'n... ehhhhhh... All the while, like a magistrate's scribe--- or rather, a beat cop who knows the value of notes, her hands mechanically take down Cipriano's account, word for word.

A hardened, inkstained hand closes on his and pushes the pouch away. A thick black brow rises as she finally breaks the silence after hearing him out. "No, no tenkye. I take my consequences, good or ill. Hellsteeth, truth be, I'm 'alf-minded-a muster out an' get meh t'th Sisters. Not THAT kind uh nunnery, ye wanker. Deh nun-o-book-an-blade kind. An' ORALLY? Speaking of orally... what the frak... IS... that strangeness claffding ahp me mouth an' gullet?"

"Moral, schmoral." Rico snorts, then drones, "Decent's fine by my books. So long as yer not filed under Abuse, Theft, Murder, Mauradery/Piracy and Tampering with Records, yer not immediately incarceration/execution-worthy."

"...hurt?" She ponders aloud, then nods her thanks at whichever wench had brought her coffee--- then reels her in and growls for some proper food. "...yeah, hurt. Similar yet different to that--- other incident you'd mentioned. Strange... sort of aches. Felt a little bit like my first kill. Neighbour's son saw my fish was bigger'n his. Tried ta gank't. Fought. Head caught t'railing. Went overboard. Me second kill... was a cust... er, pirate scum. Got too rough wid me mudder. Got angry. Mmmmmm. Got me first forty lashes at half-a-score. Me first cutlass eleven moons after. You, 'member yer first kill?"

Feeling marginally better on treading more familiar ground, after gargling half a cup of steaming coffee, then downing the rest to wash down a good chunk of bacon, bread and bananas--- and back to her standard scowl, Rico grunts, "Right. Yeah. Well..."

And then she crackles her knuckles and extends a hand, "...well and done. Appreciated. Arrighty. Comrades?" When he does take her hand, she pumps it once, then pulls him close and growls into his face, "Next time that ye do yer... minstrations... make sure that yer parishioner's clearly sober an' on the level. Otherwise, daht falls dehn unner the 'not in full control of body or mind' clause. Criminally culpable, felony Abuse."

"Are ye... accounting. Accounting. Are ye absolutely sure nei'r owes nother nothing?" The scarred halforc then stands, straightens her coat and says, "Hrrmph. Still the first hour. 'Sgood. Lots ta do. Ye says ye wantsa 'elp? Fine. Keep a weather eye on Red an' Setsuna, help wot ye could, make sure they don't come to harm. More deh lattahr dough. A frigg bit too young fer safety's sake. Red's right good't wot she does. I've got a good lot ta do's well. Dishwashing. Bath. Table-cobbling. Other matters. HUH! And why the hellsteeth do I keep remembering the word 'professional'?"

She then gathers up her misplaced weapons and makes for her room, saying over her shoulder, "Mr Vernetti. That order did not come from me."

Rico returns her greatsword and longbow to their respective racks in Maestro's former room, now her room... Not clean enough! These things are out of order! Drop an' gimme fifty! Yer weapon is yer life! Then clean yerself and the racks! ...then twitches, a couple of breaths drawing short. Unconsciously, when she leaves the room and makes for the kitchen, the weapon is back, strapped into its trusty baldric. She grunts the other wenches away and sets to work with mechanical efficiency...

...and by the second hour she is already at the plaza, finishing up gathering the bits and pieces of her goblinstained weaponized table and making for her favourite workbench at the local Carpenters' Guild.

At around the fourth hour, she drops her thanks, as well as a five-silver due, she makes for the Rusty Dragon, the freshly-cobbled table over her shoulder. Fortunately, it seems that only main piece had come off and splintered into a half-dozen pieces. It wasn't anything that a reinforcing underpanel and quad-struts, as well as liberal and judicious application of nails and wood-glue couldn't fix. The top she just cleaned off of dust but left the dents, scratches and bloodstains on, as per Ameiko's instructions.

When she finds the cheerful taverner, she bows and says, "Sarenreh smile on yer smile, Keep. 'Ow ye doin'? Cobbled an' better'n new, as ordered. Where'd ye wannit?"

After setting it down where Ameiko orders, she wipes the sweat off her brow, reaches for a pitcher of water and says, "Ye mind iffen I 'elp meself to 'ouse water? Thankee kindly. Lassnigh'... uh, sorreh 'bout the disturbance? An'... ye were serious 'bout that? Free week's rent? Oh, by the way, how's yer brother doing? Um... ye seen Whisper around, 'ave ye? Still in 'er room as of last listing, or leff town arready?"

[Desril]

Setsuna

Spoiler

Show

Sense Motive to figure out why Red asked that and why she didn't respond to Setsuna's asking: (1d20-1)[8]

"Oh, well that is perfect" Setsuna says in reply to Red's statement, contemplating for a second, "I need to talk to Rico-san about replacing the skirt she gave me, but she seems somewhat distracted at present." A statement confirmed as Rico gathers up her weapons and retreats to her room, "I shall join the two of you, and speak with her at a better time. I am curious as to just how much all of the spoils of yesterday's" she struggles for the word for a moment, "incident are worth anyway."

After a moment, Setsuna looks curiously at Red again, still not sure why the human wanted to know her age, at least it's not another lecture about how I'm "too young to be fighting" before thinking of her own question, "What about you, Red-san? How many years have you seen?"

[North_Ranger]

Cipriano Verneti

"First... kill?" Cipriano asked, wondering for a moment why Rico had started talking about such things. It took him a few seconds to realize that what had taken place last night must have been one of the firsts as well. For his credit, Cipriano had the decency to blush red as a beet all the way to his hairline. "Well... they say it... 's always a little painful th' first time. I couldn't tell it from you, though... You seemed... uh, lost in th' moment. If them aches persist, though... Lemme know. I've some remedies that can help."

"As for my first", the young cleric started, then falling silent for a moment. He sighed deeply. "Four years ago, when I was still an acolyte. I was visitin' some kinfolk in the Varisian camp down in Beacon's Point. A cousin... was bein' accosted by some drunken Sczarni thug. I'd probably drunk too much sittin' with my uncles, so I told the bugger to... well, lessay I said his stench would make an otyugh vomit an' someone'd switched his ass an' face around. Point is, I got him mad, right an' proper, an' managed a lucky knife in his armpit when he was wallopin' me. No guard was called, an' since he wasn't one a' Jaijarko's boys, no blood feud, either. My mentor said I'd done right, all in all, defendin' my cousin, but I should never try an' pick a fight if I coulda talked him into livin' my cousin alone."

When Rico offered her hand, the small cloud of gloom that the story had lifted upon Cipriano's countenance dissolved. He didn't hesitate to take her up on that offer, and even managed to smile when she told him to keep his lusts in line. "Yes, ma'am, I'll remember to do that in the future", he said - in the exact same tone he had used when Rico had clobbered him before the festival. "As for accounting, I don't keep score. I leave that to them Abadarians", he chuckled. "But if we end up in another fight, I've got yer back if you've got mine. You're a good lass, Rico, an' I'd be proud to fight an' drink with you again. As for the other things... I'll remember it fondly, but let's not do that again after Slayers, Dwarven or otherwise."

After Rico had left the table, Cipriano sighed deeply. Well... that's a story I'll never tell, or she'll rip me a new one, he contemplated. But then again... he didn't feel like telling that story to anyone either. What had happened was something special, circumstances notwithstanding. And he didn't wish to sully the memory by reducing it to a tall tale. Smiling a little at the idea, Cipriano finished penning his parchment. Picking up the parchment he walked over to one of the exposed wooden beams along the wall, just behind a table large enough to seat him and his current companions. Perfect.

Whistling, he then turned to look at the room. "Miss Red, Miss Setsuna... May I ask for your help? And pardon me, ma'am", he said politely when the halfling maid came by him. What might surprise the halfling was that he took a knee, looking her in the eye at her level, instead of issuing statements from on high. "Would you be so kind as to fetch Miss Kaijitsu, please? I promised I would not do this without her approval."

[maggie_mcknife]

GM post

Rico

On hold for now.

*****

Cipriano

The halfling maid is visibly stunned by your gallant gesture. Blushing slightly, she nods and leans her cleaning brush on a nearby table before vanishing into the kitchen. A few moments later, she returns, the lithe form of Ameiko striding along behind her, an apron tied rakishly around her waist. Upon seeing you, she tips you a jaunty salute.

"Hey! Berthana said you were looking for me?"

*****

Setsuna's Sense Motive roll:

Spoiler

Show

All you can tell is that Red is thinking about something - she seems to have a lot on her mind. As to what she's thinking about though, you can't tell.

*****

Red

The question brings forth a faint smile from Red as she counts off on her fingers. "...Twenty... three. Four, once winter is here," she says with a glimmer of pride touching her corners of her lips. Damn straight, she was twenty three years old and still getting older. Her father had always said she was weak. Runty. That she would never make it past childhood. Guess who was laughing now?

Noticing that Rico had finished talking to Cipriano, Red is about to excuse herself to check on her friend when Cipriano approaches her and Setsuna.

"Of course," she says, nodding genially. "... Is Rico... all right?"

[North_Ranger]

Cipriano Verneti

"I think she is... She just wanted to make sure what happened last night", Cipriano answered to Red, as comfortingly as he could. Still, he chose to keep most of the conversation to himself. If Rico wished to tell Red, that was her call, not his. "Just... remind me never to order a Dwarven Slayer without casting an endurance spell on myself first, okay?"

When the halfling maid returned with Ameiko, Cipriano washed away his worries from his face and smiled broadly. "Yes, that I did. I believe we agreed I would not nail anything to your wall without your approval. Therefore... Lady Ameiko Kaijitsu, proprietress of the Rusty Dragon Inn of Sandpoint, may I have the honor of nailing the holy word of Cayden Cailean to this post, and thereby offer this establishment the blessing of the Lucky Drunk until such a time that you kick me out?" the young cleric asked, his words a combination of rakish charm and priestly pomp as he rolled open the parchment. On top of the page he had written in bold letters the title The Placard of Wisdom; or the Divine Words of Cayden Cailean, followed by a list of short aphorisms and wisdoms appropriate to the god of brewing, adventuring and freedom. Some of which included:

Don't piss in my drink and I won't piss in yours.

You break it, you buy it.

Drink to remember, not to forget.

A pint of ale shared with friends tastes better than a barrel of wine by yourself.

If you can't remember what you did last night, it was probably fun. And don't worry, someone will remind you. Whether you want to or not.

[Mithric Gunn]

Mandraiv glances at the paper, "Now theres a god I can get along with! Heh, that last one's especially good, considering what happened last time the Accidental God got that wasted." He grows somewhat contemplative, "Hmm, I wonder if he likes being reminded."

[North_Ranger]

Cipriano Verneti

"Well, let's see", Cipriano said and looked up into the ceiling.

And looked.

And looked.

"Hmm... no thunderbolts from the sky presently. Though you might want to have a cup of ale. If it tastes sour in your mouth, you've managed to piss Cayden off."