Swords, horses, arrows, what's next, cats?[Mali]

[phrostphyre]

This will be slightly more difficult than I thought. Not only were there six men guarding the stables, but Convel undoubtedly had more after him. Escaping from prison, killing a guard, fleeing into Surda, then being caught, brought back to Teirm, and then escaping a different prison had that effect.

Convel was in an attic next to the stables, and the horse he wanted to steal was a large gray, almost black, war horse. Easing open the window, Convel caught sight of an archer putting his bow and arrows onto the horse, behind the saddle. The bow was slightly shorter than Convel, but that was alright with him. He could hold one hundred men from entering a valley, behind a rock in the valley, as long as he had the arrows to do it. Tally ho, let's go!

Convel stepped out onto the roof of the stable. the thatch was a bit wobbly, but Convel kept his balance. Staying low to roof, he made his way to where the horse was standing. A light drizzle picked up, which served to his advantage. Most of the guards stepped into the building, not wanting to get wet. Drawing his dirk, Convel dropped behind the archer.

"Wha-!" His words were silenced as Convel punched him in the face with an uppercut, wincing as the knuckles connected with jawbone. Standing to his full height, he followed through with a fist to the nose, causing blood to spurt out onto Convel's face and chest. A knee to the groin caused the nameless archer to double over, groaning in pain. While he was doubled over, Convel kneed him in the nose, then pushed him backwards, into the building his fellow guards were supposed to be guarding, but were instead [censored]ing around in.

"Quit screwing around, ye bastard sons of pigs! Ye'll nae catch me!" With a very loud whoop, Convel leaped onto the horse. At the sudden unexpected weight, the horse reared, neighing loudly and taking off. The thrill of the chase set in as the other guards mounted their horses, yelling at the top of their lungs for reinforcements, someone to stop the ugly jackass that just murdered an Imperial soldier, and various other things.

Speeding down the street, Convel headed into an alley, then broke through a merchant's stall onto another street, and then down a new alley. The fun of it suddenly ended when arrows whizzed by his head, coming from on the roofs of the buildings. With a curse, Convel wheeled onto a street, then dashed down another side alley. The horse high-pranced into a small alley off the one they were one, and into the shadows of it.

"Whew, that's taken care of. Now, time tae find a pub for a wee thirst-quencher."

[Mali]

Asleep, enjoying the warmth of the hay in the stables. Mali lay, slightly buried in the hay. She was in her feline form, which was the best for this resting place. It was a stable, she had no idea who owned it, but seeing a random girl asleep on their hay wouldn’t be a good idea. They would probably kick her out or possibly worse. In her feline form, she was safe from that; all stables had cats and other small animals around. Her ears pricked at the slight sound from above the stables, too lost in her warm bed to bother opening her eyes. She knew that someone else was in the stables, getting the horse ready, but they weren’t bothering her and she wasn’t going to bother them.

All too soon, her pleasant moment was broken by the shout of a man and grunts from others. Mali picked her head up, her eyes glinting from the pile of hay. What was all the raucous? Slowly walking out from her concealed position in the pile, her back arching in a stretch, she saw a man shout. Was he an idiot? Looking back to the guards that were standing around, she couldn’t believe what was going on. Who was stupid enough to test the guards? She knew that she wasn’t one to talk, seeing as she stole from them on many occasions, escaping and testing their skills in the chase. But it wasn’t like she stole with a huge sign that said, ‘Look at me! Look at me!’.

Her interest perked up a bit and her cat like smirk appeared. She was a little off in the scene that was happening, but as the man jumped onto the horse and took off, she had a moment to make a decision. She could walk back over and go to sleep, or, she could follow the idiot and see what he was up to. Dammit, why did she have to be a cat anyways? Her curiosity won and she soon took off after him, running on all fours. She followed as best as she could, eventually running a tad in front of his horse, sensing which direction he was headed. Stopping just a few feet away from his horse, she sat herself down and started to clean herself with her paws. She needed to change if she was going to keep a further eye on this interesting man.

Meowing briefly, she walked over to a darker side of the alley and changed forms, her hood falling down against her back. Looking out into the alley where his horse was, he heard him talk about getting something to quench? She didn’t understand a lot that this man said, which only caused her curiosity to grow. Stupid cat like instincts. She walked out of the alley a bit, watching him. Shit! Her hood wasn’t on. Her ears twitched, thinking for a moment, her tail waving about her. It was too late now to do anything about it. He would have already seen her anyways. Putting the hood up would be pointless now. “I saw you back there. Are you stupid?” she smiled to him, yawning a bit from her nap. “I was sleeping in there when you woke me up,” she looked to him, her face calm and placid, a lazy smile plastered on her lips.

[phrostphyre]

Convel was pondering things of great importance of the universe when a lass of about fourteen to his unpracticed eye stepped out of the darkness. That in itself would not have been unusual. The unusual part was the fact that she had a tail, and cat ears. Well familiar with cats, as his mother had had one named Adso, Convel also knew that not only was she slightly angry at him for waking her up, even with the grin on her face, but she wanted to know what in the Hell was going on.

"Och, nae, I'm nae stupid, lass. I needed a wee horse, and this fine beastie did nae seem tae have an owner near abouts, so I... liberated him from the clutches of that stable. Do ye ken if this here wee laddie has a name? And, while we're on the subject of names, mine is Convel MacTire, probably not at your service, unless ye have a wee problem with the guards guarding fish stalls." Convel winked at her, and flashed her a signature, patented, honest-to-God, Convel MacTire lopsided grin.

The warhorse seemed antsy, to Convel, so he bent down and started muttering small endearments in Gaelic to him, all the while keeping an eye not only on the cat-lass, but on the entrance to the alley and the surrounding houses. Calming the horse down, Convel took more notice of his surroundings. The alley he was in was dark and not that dirty, but the darkness made it seem filthy.

Reaching around behind him, he pulled the bow off of the back of the saddle and examined it. The string was well made, something he would use himself, but only for the hunting of men. The wood seemed to be yew, which Convel approved of wholeheartedly. An arrow he grabbed was made of oak, two feet, and the wicked tip was made not only for going through armor, but also to be difficult to pull out of flesh. All in all, Convel was glad he had "liberated" this set of arrows and this bow, along with the fine horse.

[Mali]

Mali looked at him, surprised. What was he saying? She had no idea how to understand what words were coming out of his mouth. Her gaze pierced him. This ‘beastie’ did seem something have an owner near by so he liberated him. If he didn’t have an owner near by, then there was no reason for the horse to be liberated. She didn’t see a reason why the horse would need to be liberated. She looked down to the horse. It seemed impatient and antsy. She wondered why. Maybe it was because the horse didn’t want to be liberated and was content where it had been.

She looked at him, confused. When did he get onto the topic of names? She hadn’t even heard him ask for hers. Unless he had said it with that foreign tongue of his. Mali walked over to his horse, getting a better look at him. She could see in the dark, she was a cat after all, but it was still straining on her eyes. She reached up to touch him, her smile still visible on her lips, before her brows furrowed and she pulled her hand back. What was she doing?

”My name’s Mali. I’m afraid; I don’t understand a lot of what you’re saying. Where are you from?” Looking down to the horse, she held it’s muzzle in her hands, nuzzling her head against the side of it’s head. She wondered if it was male or female. However, that didn’t matter at the moment. “I haven’t had a problem with fish stalls yet.” she smiled up to him, closing her eyes and kissing the horse’s head gently. She always loved horses. They were so lovely to watch. They were far more graceful than a cat.

Mali’s eyes yet again travelled to the man’s face. She was anxious, wanting to know why he talked so funny and what he was saying. As well, she also wanted to leave. She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t know if she could trust this man. She didn’t like showing her features to people so openly, not until she trusted them. However, this had been an accident, and she couldn’t do anything about it now. So could she trust Convel? “You were talking about quenching something?” she hoped that maybe reminding him of whatever it was that he had said, might lead to more insight about what he was doing. She was curious about him, something she cursed easily to herself.

[phrostphyre]

"Liberating horses is hard work, and it works up a thirst, lassie. Ye should nae take up that line of work. Same with lifting cattle. Not only do ye get half the damned Black Watch after ye, but the bloody King's Army is after ye too. Nae, I suggest simply something else. Something like..." Here, Convel ogled her, trying to figure out what type of work she'd be best suited for. "Running a pub! Och, speaking of pubs, where are we going tae find the best one here abouts? And, what about Donas, we can nae just be leaving the wee laddie here. He'll be gone quicker than grease through a goose." Convel jumped down from the horse, bowing and doffing his Tam O' Shanter as his kilt settled around his legs.

Rising, Convel reapplied his bonnet, scratched his beard, checked his sporran for money, and plucked three gold crowns from it. Tossing his plaid back over his shoulder, as it had come loose, Convel hid his dirk in it, against his chest. Grinning at the horse, the red-headed Alban put the crowns back into the sporran, mentally marked where they were in the map he carried in his head, then tied a seaman's knot in the reins onto a post sticking out of the ground.

"Stay here, laddie. I dinnae want ye tae be wandering off," Turning towards Mali, he offered her his arm. "Shall we be off, lass?"

[kanoinazuma17]

Andraste, heavilly cloaked, entered the town, pack on her back the same hue of deep olive green as the cloak. She had used magic to change her ears to look human for the time being while she was in Tierm and in towns surrounding. The only reason she was here was to restock her supplies before heading across the pass and down to Feinster where her employer was still plying his trade. Of course, she longed to be in the forge again. This traveling was wearing on her nerves. Unfortunately, Andraste did not question the reasoning for having Kano tend to the forge instead of her. He had more experience in the business of selling the tools than she did. Plus, she was more accustomed to the basic gruntwork. This was her apprenticeship for all intensive purposes.

As she walked by an alleyway a man stepped out in front of her, a large brute with muscles to beat a beast of burden. He had crooked teeth and nose, evidence of fights past. "What's a wee lass like you doing in the streets alone, eh?" He asked before pushing her into the alley and trapping her against the wall. He grinned. "I can take good care of you." He said as he pinned her against the wall. "I warn you, sir, I am more than you can handle." she said calmly before let out a loud booming laugh. "A feisty one ye be, I like tha...." As he spoke, Andraste, brought her knee to his groin, almost neutering him before punching him in the face and knocking him out cold on the ground. "I can't say I didn't warn you." She said before looking to see two people nearby. Certainly they had seen her fight like that.

She headed to the tavern, passing the two before opening the door and sitting down at the bar. She may have been a female, but she was tougher than any man could understand. She did not like people laying hands on her. She enjoyed a good fight, unfortunately she had not had one in a while. At least not one where the opponent actually fought back decently. Then again, what could she expect, she was an elf, they were human. They were just lucky she didn't want to use her sword.

She was silent for a while before the bartender looked at her. "Can I help you?" He asked. She looked up. "Mead please..." She said softly, masking her voice to sound like a woman so there would be no confusion. She was well mannered when she needed to be, but Andraste would not hesitate to be blunt and forthright with people. She was not one to conceal the truth.

[Mali]

The more he talked, the more Mali understood him. At least, the more she thought she did. It was difficult with his ‘nae’s and ‘ye’s but she believed that she had it down pat now. Even though she understood what he was saying, she had to admit that he had some weird phrases that didn’t connect in her mind. As she was ogled, she pulled her arms behind her, looking down. It felt weird, being ogled by this strange man. Running a pub? She looked like she should be running a pub? Was this man daft? She had ears of a cat as well as a tail. She didn’t think she should be running any pubs any time soon.

”I don’t know of any, I don’t eat in pubs,” she flashed him a small smile. ”But I hear that the one just over—she sniffed the air—there is really good. So I’ve heard.” she had pointed off towards the left, where upon further notice; she saw a man and woman in the alleyway. Looking away from them, hearing the thud from Convel jumping off the horse, she ignored the man and woman, getting a better look at Convel. Mali hadn’t met someone like him before. She had seen many red-headed people before, but she had never spoken to them. Mali wondered if all red-heads talked like he did. She looked down to his attire and found it odd. What man wore a skirt? “Are you wearing a skirt?” She clamped her mouth shut. She hadn’t meant to ask that aloud.

The sound of a man’s grunts and a woman’s voice flitted to her sensitive ears and she looked back over to the woman and now man on the ground. She wondered what happened there. Though Mali was a curious little cat, she knew when to keep her nose out, or else she risked her whiskers being burned, so to speak. Though she couldn’t help her curiosity and followed the woman’s scent as it entered the pub.

Convel brought her back from her thoughts with an offered arm. She looked down to it, then back up to him. She still didn’t know if she could trust him. Deciding that she could just scratch his face up if anything went wrong, she linked his arm with hers. Before walking anywhere, Mali pulled her hood up to cover her ears. Her head looked abnormally large now, from her visible forehead to dark, shaded cloak, but that didn’t matter to her. Mali wrapped her tail around her body, just under her skirt as to hide it. “Convel, have you met someone like me before? Like a cat?” she asked, seeing the woman pass them. Mali wanted to know what had happened, but bit her tongue as they entered the pub.

Knowing that she shouldn't, Mali softly whispered into Convel’s subconscious to sit next to the woman at the bar. It wasn’t as if he would know it was her, and besides, she really couldn’t help herself. She wanted to know. Damn her feline instincts.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

"Am I wearing a skirt? Nae, lass, I'm wearing a kilt, the traditional garb of the Alban warrior. The pattern ye see here is the hunting plaid of Clan MacTire, my clan. Nae, I've never met a person that has a wee kitty's tail and ears, but this land is nae like Alba. The skunks here are verra fearsome! I'd rather fight a wee bear than get into it with a skunk." Convel had been heading towards a table that had a chair in a corner, letting him see everyone in the pub, the door, the stairs, and the bar when he suddenly started wanting to sit at the bar. Shaking his head and grinning ruefully, Convel continued on towards the table.

"I'll have none of that, lass. I may not be able to stop people from getting into my head, but I can damned well recognize when someone tries tae. Much as I dinnae want tae, but I'll wring your scrawny little neck next time ye try tae. Taking the seat in the corner, Convel watched the door as a serving girl walked up.

"Two whiskeys, please. Make them your finest, lass. And a meal, please." Three guards walked in, wearing swords, daggers, and chain mail shirts. They were short sleeved, and to Convel's eye, the purses they were carrying were full, probably with bribes or unjustly taken taxes.

"Who here owns the gray warhorse outside? If none speak up, we're confiscating it for the Empire. If someone does speak up, we're still confiscating it." This is going to be funner than liberating the horse to begin with. Thought Convel

"Och, laddies, ye would nae steal my horse, would ye? Ye misbegotten sons of pigs!" Standing, Convel tossed the table at them, while kicking the chair out from under Mali, he told her, "Get down and stay down, lass. These bastards will be coming after me. Once I'm out the door, go back tae your stable." Convel drew his dirk, preferring it for close quarters work. One of the guards shouted something about Convel's mother being a dog and his father being a pig, which got Convel pissed off. Sheathing his dirk, Convel got into a boxing stance, and proceeded to curse the guards in Gaelic.

"Do máithreacha atá whores, Tá do aithreacha cat pox-mharcaíochta, cé go bhfuil tú chraobhóga poxed, lánúnas tar éis le chéile ag an oíche!" It succeeded in getting them to want to him with their bare-hands as they jumped into the fray, forgetting about their weapons. Flashes of red-hair, twinkling mail, fists, knees, and feet were visible as they brawled, leaving destroyed tables, chairs, and injured onlookers in their wake. Bets were placed, drinks were bought, and a general festive mood prevailed at the unexpected entertainment. Bets were suddenly exchanged at furious rates as one of the guards withdrew, sporting a broken nose, a bruised kidney, and injured pride. Now it was two to one, and Convel was holding his own. The second withdrew as Convel kneed him in the side, and then fisted him in the groin, leaving it Convel and the one who had insulted Convel's parentage. With a punch to an ear, a knee to the knee, and a headbutt the nose, the last one fell. Sitting on him panting, Convel said something in Gaelic that suspiciously sounded like, "Get up and say that again, pansy," which looks the same in any language. Nodding his loss, the guard asked to be let up. Convel obliged, and they promptly fell to drinking together, exchanging stories of fights, hunting exploits, and other tales of boastfulness. While the other guards were distracted Convel cut their purses, emptying the loot into his sporran, along with his share of the bets.

[kanoinazuma17]

Convel wasn't the only person dealing with the guards. Another had slipped past and started trying to put the moves on Andraste. She ignored him for quite some time, having substituted her mead for something a bit stronger: whiskey. She took the last sip and at that, the guard tried to force himself on her. "Fine then... If you won't go willingly, I'll have to take what I want." He said as he tried. That she did not like. Andraste stood up and backhanded the soldier with enough force to send him spinning backwards and to the ground. As she set the crown on the counter for the barkeep, she whirled around and readied herself as the man stood back up again and wiped the blood from his mouth. "So that's the way it's going to be, huh?" He asked as he stood up, chainmail clinking. He threw a punch, but Andraste merely sidestepped, but the punch caught her hood and revealed her burnished silver hair and hazel eyes, as well as her subtle facial expressions. She looked human except for the fact that her hair was oddly colored.

He was startled long enough for Andraste to grab his arm and twist it awkwardly so as to force him away from her. As he backed up, he decided to throw a punch again, this one she grabbed and pulled into her, silently, and slammed her fist into his face countless times before she let go and sent him to the ground. As the soldier's mail hit the ground, she looked down at him and kicked his gut. "Don't try that again." She said calmly, masking her anger.

She sat back down, cleaning her hands off and ordering another whiskey. She did not normally drink, but this was the exception. She had to keep herself sane at least until she could get out of this sespool of a city. She longed to be back in the forge, but she couldn't complain about her job. He paid her well, and treated her as an equal, except when matters of the business came into play, in which Kano took over full responsibility.

For some reason, she found herself glancing out of the corner of her eye at the odd girl and the man who was drinking with guards at the bar as well.

[Mali]

Mali shook her head. He would rather fight a bear then a skunk, because skunks were pretty fearsome? She didn’t believe it. It sounded like he was a big softy. The skunks here were adorable, as babies. As long as you don’t scare them, then they wouldn’t spray. And there was nothing to fear unless they sprayed. That smell, she didn’t even want to think about it. “I didn’t know it was a kilt. But really. A bear over a skunk?” she gave him a lopsided grin. He was too weird. Even with her short time with him so far, she didn’t think that she could understand him. His speech, she understood now, but who he was, she didn’t think it would be possible.

Mali cursed. So he had noticed it was her. She cowered back a bit. Even if he was a softy, she didn’t doubt his threat. She had seen him attack someone already, his threat of wringing her neck scared her enough to not try that again. She nodded her head quickly, biting her lip, fear slightly evident in her eyes. “Sorry sir.” She always fell back to formalities when she was frightened. She had learned from her life on the streets. When she was younger and had gotten caught stealing, the woman had let her off, telling her not to do it again because she had been polite and formal. Others had told the woman she should have cut Mali’s hand off, but she was thankful. It scared her into always using formalities when she was scared or threatened. She didn’t have enough backbone or talent to stand up for herself and speak however she wanted in those situations.

As soon as Convel placed an order, some guards walked in and asked about the horse. You mean Convel’s horse? She glanced over to him and noted the smile on his lips and the playful smirk in his eyes. She cursed herself. Why did she have to get curious about this trouble seeking man? She squeaked as she was knocked to the floor, looking up at him. But she hadn’t sated her curiosity yet! She wasn’t going to leave him until she had! Pouting, she moved out of the way and stood along the wall as he started to fight with the men. The serving girl brought over Convel’s order, recognising Mali from when she had sat next to him. She didn’t know what to do, but waited for the fight to end before trying to get Convel’s attention. “Convel! Your food and drink,” she whispered loudly over to him, hoping that he would come back over here and try to stay out of trouble from now on. Mali felt someone looking at her and subconsciously pulled her hood a little further forward, so as to hide her ears better. She wouldn’t want them to be found. Looking around anxiously, she caught that woman looking at her. The same woman that she had tried to convince Convel to sit beside. She looked over to Convel and saw that he was one empty stool away from her.

Feeling sneaky, she picked up Convel’s order, the two drinks and the meal and carried it over to him, placing it down, but not before she looked at the woman for a long moment. Sniffing the air, she smelt like an elf. Interesting. “Convel. Your order” She smiled to him, feeling awkward. Caught between two curious people and now she felt awkward? This wasn’t fair.

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[phrostphyre]

"Convel. Your order." Convel winked at Mali, a few drinks in him, the guards not suspecting him of anything and drunk to boot, he had stolen their money, and now he had food. His change of circumstances had left him with a warm feeling in his gut, but that didn't change the fact that he knew he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck standing up, Convel motioned Mali to sit beside him, with him separating her and the guards.

Reaching into his sporran, which was made of leather covered with badger-hair, he pulled out small, round yellowish balls.

"Do ye want a honey-ball, lass? I assure ye, they're very good. I made them myself. After being chased by two bears, stung by several bees, and growled at by a lynx. But it was worth it, for not only do they keep forever, but they're good for keeping the strength up on long marches, hunting trips, and raids." Smiling, Convel handed her one, putting one in his mouth and the rest into his sporran. Taking a drink of his whiskey, Convel was still ill at ease. The watcher was doing it covertly, not looking directly at him, but looking in the direction of the bar. His light blue eyes taking everything in, Convel noticed that one patron was looking at him funny. He was sitting at a table, slowly nursing his whiskey, wearing a cloak and a hood. While that would have not been unusual in itself, the fact that he also had a sword at his hip told Convel several things, the least being that if this was an elf, the best Convel could do was to try not to die. Shrugging, Convel took another sip of whiskey, feeling the fire go down his throat, and start a small fire in his stomach.

His meal was a smallish steak, with a bit of bread an some potatoes to go with it. Shrugging, Convel dug in, using his Sgian dubh to cut and eat the steak, while using a spoon for the potatoes. The bread was a bit tough, so Convel downed it with more whiskey, signaling the barkeep to buy the guards another round.

"I might not actually wring that pretty little neck of yours, lass, but I will be verra angry. I dinnae take kindly tae being told what I should do, in my head or not. I'm my own man, and as such, no one, not even this cursed Galbatorax'll take my freedom from me. Not only am I the man ye see before ye, but I'm an accomplished hunter, able tae take down a buck at over one-hundred fifty paces. I've taken a bear down at one hundred, but he was charging me, and I had nae choice in the matter. Now, if someone attacks ye, I'll step in. Or anything like that. I'm a friend. But never, never enter my mind again."

[kanoinazuma17]

Andraste, though just watching out of the corner of her eye, listened in on the conversation, her keen hearing picking up the conversations in the room. She would have to leave if she heard any talk of her. Hopefully it would not come down to that. Her olive green eyes flashed back and forth, making sure that she wasn't going to be hit on again. Twice in a day was two too many times in a day. She sipped on her whiskey and began thinking of where she was heading next. fingers mindlessly drumming on the countertops as she took out her map and spread it out in front of her. Her eyes wandered aimlessly across the map, looking to see where she was now and where she needed to be. Silently Andraste cursed as she saw the distance, the span of mountains and plains and even more Empire-controled city strongholds between her and her destination. It would be a challenge, but one she was prepared to accept.

Andraste sighed and rubbed her head, "This is going to be a pain in the arse..." She muttered to herself as she rubbed her aching temples. Just thinking about the journey was giving her a headache. She was going to need to get to Feinster some way, some how, without being caught by the soldiers that seemed to be mobilized everywhere. Everything about her situation seemed like a problem, an equation that was nigh impossible to solve. She shook her head and her eyes closed. "Blasted Empire." She muttered under her breath before rolling the map up and sticking it into a pocket in her cloak.

Silence, it wasn't here that they had it. But she could not wait to have it once she got out onto the road again. Andraste thought about this. She would have to completely avoid the roads between Tierm and Dras Leona if she was going to make it without much trouble. Even then, she would encounter some difficulties. However, the occasional fight with soldiers would bolster her spirits in the dreary humdrum of travel. The young girl that was with he man nearby looked over at her and caught her attention. Something about her caught Andraste's attention.

Slowly and cautiously she extended her mind to brush against the girl's consciousness. Andraste was curious, but certainly not reckless. She felt the consciousness and smiled slightly retracting. The girl was a werecat, which explained to Andraste why she was trying to hide her head. Obviously she had her ears out and was trying to hide them. She could deduce all of this with a simple brush of consciousness. One could wonder why exactly she took care to at least keep her mind open in case of attack. Otherwise she would be attacked without knowing it. Andraste was a strong spellcaster, but not good in any particular area with controlling things. Rather, she used it to draw something that she needed, whether it be ore, water, or even some kind of plant material. She enjoyed getting raw materials, but she could not shape them into what she wanted unless she specified. That was the one thing she continued to train herself in.

[Mali]

Mali was content to sit beside Convel. However, she was curious, far too curious to enjoy the moment and all the drinking fun that was happening around her. She hadn’t missed his wink at her, but she wouldn’t acknowledge it either. Sitting between a confusing man and a mysterious woman was quite frustrating. She couldn’t decide which to pay more attention to. She looked at him as he offered her a honey-ball. It didn’t look dangerous, and he had eaten one himself so she popped it into her mouth. It didn’t taste funny, it tasted sweet and sticky on her tongue. “Thank you.” she tried to talk but found the honey sticking to her tongue, making it a little harder to be understood. It couldn’t compare to the delectable taste of raw fish, but it was okay. She wouldn’t mind having another if she were offered one.

Now that she had finished watching Convel for a moment, she switched her watchings to the elf woman. She had a map out and looked frustrated. From what Mali could see, the woman wasn’t too happy about the route she would have to take. She heard the quiet murmurs she made to herself and her ears pricked up. That was right, blasted empire. She hated the empire; they had made it harder for her to get her fish. She could only get her fish once a week now.

A smile remained on her face when she felt something brush into her conscious. Frowning instantly, she looked around, trying to place who it was that had invaded her privacy and why. Her eyes landed on the elf woman and she looked at her, perplexed. Her map was now gone and she seemed to be curious about something. What, Mali wasn’t sure. Why would she enter her mind? Was there a need or curiosity in her that she wanted to enter Mali’s mind? She wanted to ask, to understand why she would do it, but she was afraid of what it might bring. But nevertheless, she felt that she needed to know. “May I help you?” she slowly coaxed herself into the elf woman’s mind, hoping that she would be able to get through as easily as she had into Mali’s.

Her head turned as Convel addressed her. Ears flattening back against her head, she looked down. Why was he saying this again? Was it because he had had too many drinks already? Or was he just paranoid that she might try it again? “Yes sir. But I didn’t try to do it again. I’m confused, are you warning me again or angry? Because I didn’t try to do it again Convel . . .” she was confused. No matter what happened, he still seemed to confuse her. Her curiosity was going to need a lot of time with him if it were to be satisfied any time soon.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[phrostphyre]

"I did nae live tae be an old man of seventeen by not being paranoid. Albans invented paranoia, so when I warn ye for a third time, it's because I'm a wee bit paranoid. Besides, I'm nae a 'sir'. I'm Convel MacTire, woodsman, hunter, and a soldier. When in need, cattle thief, horse-thief, and general all around Hell-raiser. I'm a fair hand at brawling, but I prefer to stay out of fights and keep my wee dirty nose clean." Convel was about to say more when the barkeep who was also the owner walked up.

"You! Are yous the one with the funny accent?!" He seemed angry, to Convel's eyes, which he was. Not only was he going to have to pay for the tables and chairs, but now he had to worry about bribing more guards to ignore the gambling going on upstairs. Among other things going on upstairs. Convel took a risk.

"Och, nae, good sir. I'm nae the wee laddie with the funny accent. It seems tae me that ye are. I've nae heard that one. Are ye from Uru' Baen?" His face turning red, the barkeep started sputtering.

"Now.. you- you listen here! Yous can either pays for my tables and chairs, or I'm sa gonna tell the guards you stoles my wife!" At this, the three guards Convel was drinking with started laughing uproariously.

"Och, really? Would ye be wanting a honey-ball then?" Speaking, Convel reached into his sporran, produced two, handed one to Mali, and shoved the other into the mouth of the barkeep. The guards thought that hilarious, and started laughing even louder, and one fell off his stool. Giggling helplessly, he started singing.

"For he's a" -hic- " a jolly good fellow!" The other guards joined in, hiccuping and burping randomly throughout, while Convel counted out the coins the barkeep wanted.

"There ye go sir, twenty crowns. I hope that's enough tae pay for the wee bit of damage. Did ye enjoy the honey-ball, lass?" Though the question seemed directed at Mali, Convel was actually speaking to the barkeep.

[kanoinazuma17]

Andraste smiled slightly as the Werecat tried to enter her mind. Actually, you can. I must ask, are you a werecat? Andraste inquired. She honestly wanted to know. Maybe these two would not mind joining her on the trip down to Feinster. Her attention was soon drawn to the barkeep, who seemed to her was causing more trouble than there needed to be. "Well, at least you're unharmed, for that you should be grateful, because your body doesn't fix as easilly as a chair or table." She said with an accent as clear as a smooth running stream.

When she spoke, Andraste spoke with authority. Her voice was harder and more clear than any voice may have been possible to be. She smiled slightly and turned to face Convel smiling a bit wider before turning to look at the soldiers who obviously had a bit too much to drink. "Damned fools..." She said under her breath as she looked at the soldiers. "I bet they're all a bunch of drunkards, the lot." She said aloud, motioning back to the soldiers and referring to Galby's army.

(blech, sorry it's so small)