Fantasy The Open Seas (with TheDarkButterfly)

[Shy2Infinity]

The stumble was all it took for the kraken to seize its opportunity and pull the rug right from under him. He kept a firm grip on his sword even as he fell and had the air knocked from him. The urge to scrabble at any available purchase was strong, but ultimately useless, so he ignore it and tried to slash through the tentacle dragging him towards the rail. But from this point of view, he couldn't get a good hit on the damned thing!

And then there was Patrick, swooping in like some pirate hero from ancient myth. With one powerful stroke, the tentacle was sliced in two - freeing Caleb from his soon to be oceanic prison. The lad shot Patrick a grateful look before leaping to his feet and continuing to fend off the tentacles.

The shot Alfred took hardly seemed to anger or even hurt the beast. But its attention was back on him.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick noticed the beast's distraction and grinned wickedly. If it was focused so intently on Alfred, then there was a window of opportunity to deal a massive blow to it. He took hold of a loaded rifle from one of the crew, them nodding understandingly at each other. Patrick wasn't as good a shot as Alfred, but that didn't mean he was a bad shot. He took a deep breath and focused, aiming the rifle. He waited for the right moment before taking his shot.

Alfred continued dodging the beasts attacks, knowing that it was purposefully aiming for him now. He glanced at Patrick and saw what he was doing. He grinned and took another shot at the beast, intending to keep its attention on him. If they could Patrick a clean shot then they might be safe for good.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

The beast was so focused on killing Alfred that it didn't notice what Patrick was doing, or really, what anyone was doing. Anyone else that got in the way was just collateral in its personal vendetta against the first mate. To the point that it didn't notice Patrick took ahold of someone's rifle, and in actuality, it didn't notice until mere seconds before Patrick took the shot. Its one working eye slid towards Patrick before the shot struck it. It reeled back, letting loose a pain filled screech. Slowly, the kraken sank beneath the waves - still screaming its unholy screech. And then, silence reigned.

Caleb stood there for a moment, an ear cocked for any sound that was out of the norm. He peered at his sword, face pulled into a grimace as he noticed the goo adorning it. The kraken had left them one hell of a mess to clean up. Still, he wasn't quite sure if the beast had gone or if it was just faking them out. But no matter how many seconds ticked along, all they could hear was the gentle swaying of the waves. All they could see was the ocean's waves, the grey clouds...

Suddenly, a rain drop splattered against his nose. Then more droplets began to fall.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

The crew panted in the silence, weapons still ready for another attack. The seconds ticked by slowly as it started to gently rain around them. Patrick cautiously lowered the still smoking rifle, waiting for the beast to emerge again. He waited a moment longer before relaxing completely. They had survived yet again, whether by the grace of the gods or just sheer dumb luck. Patrick and Alfred locked eyes for a moment and both men grinned. Then the crew let out a shout of celebration as they realized that they had driven back the beast yet again.

Patrick handed back the rifle and walked up to Alfred, the rain quickly slicking both men's hair to their heads. "I think we've performed a miracle." Patrick said to his first mate, still grinning as the crew celebrated. He would let them be for a while before he made them start clearing the mess that had been made yet again.

"It would seem so." Alfred replied. "You think it's done with us now?"

Patrick chuckled a little. "I would hope so, blinded in both eyes like it is. Or at least we've bought enough time to make it to port." He glanced over the ship, suppressing a grimace at the damage that had been done between the two attacks and the mess left behind. "It's all we could have asked for."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

After cleaning the blade, he sheathed his sword. As the cheers of the crew rose up around him, he rested his hands on his knees and panted for breath. The kraken attack had certainly put him to work and he wished that he wasn't as exhausted as he was. But even he couldn't help but to grin at the outcome. Straightening up, he silently observed the damage that had been done to the ship. There was definitely more than one place that had gotten a tentacle lashing and he wondered if he ought to check down below, just in case. But no, there were a few crew mates down below that had been manning the cannons.

Suddenly, hands encircled his neck and he grimaced as Irissa nearly knocked him off balance. "You did it! You did it!" She frowned suddenly and jabbed a finger against his cheek, "But if you ever scare me like that again, I really will feed you to the sharks!"

Twisting his head slightly, he rolled his eyes at her. "Noted." As annoyed as he seemed to be, he couldn't stop the gladness that radiated through his veins. They were alive. There were no severe casualties. Both of those alone was something to celebrate. His brows furrowed as he frowned at her still hanging onto his back and with all the sarcasm that he could possess -- "I hope you don't think I'm going to carry you around, I'll just throw you off."

She feigned a horrified gasp, "You wouldn't!" And he raised a slow eyebrow, the look on his face showing more than enough. She pouted and released him before skipping over to the captain and his first mate. "You're both more capable than I expected you to be~" The look of innocent mirth on her face suggested that this wasn't meant to be taken seriously.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Both men laughed. "I have to say, I don't think that Kracken attacks were on the contract." Patrick winked at them. "I might have to charge you double." He said playfully, casting another look about the damaged ship.

Alfred shook his head and set aside his rifle, unlocking the wheel. He adjusted their course, pointing them in the right direction again. "I don't know about you, but I think I could use a drink and a long rest."

"Well, I'm sure the long rest is a given." Patrick chuckled. "We'll have one hell of a story to tell, though, so you may get more than just one drink." He lightly elbowed his friend. "Alright you lot, start to clean up here!" He called out to the crew as the celebration started to die down. "A hot meal on me lies in store for you once we make port." The crew let out another cheer as they started the work of cleaning up the debris aboard the ship.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

"Good luck with that~" Irissa lightly teased before stepping back to allow the crew mates to go as they pleased. "Though if you absolutely need that money, I suppose me and Caleb can work something out!" She stuck her tongue out at Caleb, who was so obviously trying to ignore them up until then. Then his face snapped towards her - face a mix of exasperation and disbelief.

He sighed after a moment, knowing it would be fair after all that's happened. Especially with the kraken's attacks... If only there was some way they could get the word out about a kraken in these waters. His brows furrowed and he scratched his cheek thoughtfully. The Adventuring Guild would be nice. Although, they could also get the word out at the local tavern. Though, they'd have to be careful about it. Wouldn't want anyone to know that he and Irissa were with a group of pirates.

As the crew began to clean up, he sighed deeply. "A hot meal would be really nice..." And he wouldn't mind having a drink or two.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick chuckled again. "Don't worry about that. It's not like it was you two that drew the beast to us. Besides, we have plenty stored up to fix the lass up." He affectionately patted the wood of the ship. "Just a couple more days and then we call all get a hot meal. I'm looking forward to it as well."

Alfred nodded in agreement. "A hot meal sounds great. We'll have plenty of time to rest and do nothing while they fix up the ship. Let's hope the rest of the trip isn't so eventful." He looked at Caleb. "How's the leg? You weren't hurt when it grabbed you, were you?"

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Even knowing that they had nothing to do with the kraken, there was still that odd prickle of guilt. As if they had anything to do with it at all. She mentally shook herself, trying to banish the thought. After all, she was dead certain that she had absolutely nothing to do with it this time. Or the last time. Unabashedly, Irissa drew nearer Alfred and hopped up to sit on the rail. "Do you guys actually do pillaging or do you sell things as a side job?"

Caleb nodded along, at least, until Alfred's attention fell to him. His brows furrowed and he glanced down at the leg in question. In the middle of the fight, he hadn't bothered to give it any thought. Adrenaline also served to numb the pain, but now that it was wearing off, he could definitely feel the pain settling in. But as he cautiously tested it, he was relieved to feel that there wasn't anything broken, much less sprained.

"Hurts," he admitted. "But it's just sore, is all."

At this, Irissa winced. Considering his leg from her perch, she frowned. "You should probably go lay down then. Even if something's not broken, pushing yourself could make it worse!"

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick nodded. "She's got a point. Even if you just sit down for a bit, we don't want you to really hurt yourself." He pointed to a crate. "Take a seat and calm down for a moment before you head down to rest more, alright?"

Alfred tried to suppress an eye roll at Patrick's words. Yeah, like he was one to talk. He was the king of pushing himself and then to go lecture someone else about it! It was pretty laughable. It would be interesting to try and chase Patrick down to rest as well. At least the beast was hopefully gone for good and they could all rest. Just a couple more days and then Alfred could force Patrick to actually get some rest while the ship was being repaired. He decided to answer Caleb's first question before he gave himself a chance to comment on Patrick's words.

"We do a little bit of both. The merchant papers allow us to make it into ports and resupply on things that we need. That's just a front though. Our main job is to harass vessels not in our kingdoms waters, unofficially of course." He glanced at Patrick, waiting for a signal to stop but not getting one. He continued on. "When in the kingdoms waters we're enlisted to guard and escort our own kingdoms vessels. We act as a transport sometimes as well."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Caleb sulked silently. He wished he could say that he couldn't believe he was getting lectured by two people that were far worse than him, but truth be told, he wasn't the least surprised. For all of Irissa's talk of getting everyone to rest when they needed it, she could be worse when it came to not resting. With a sigh, the man decided to do as they said and trudged over to the crate, plopping down and resting his face into his hands.

While he sat there, he kept an ear cocked for Alfred's explanation. Irissa, too, listened with rapt interest. Seemingly unafraid of possibly falling into the waters, she leaned back as far as she could go and crossed her arms. Her brows furrowed as she considered this new information. "For pirates, you guys do a bit of everything, huh?"

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

"Sure seems like it." Alfred chuckled softly. "It works out well, though. It's beneficial for both parties. We get money and the kingdom gets someone to harass their rival kingdoms in an unofficial sense. If we get caught, nothing falls back on our home kingdom." He shrugged slightly. "It's only fair, really."

Patrick nodded in agreement. "The kingdom gets a cut of all our spoils too." He added. "Don't worry too much about it though. We won't do any pirate things until after we drop you two off at a safe port. Port Iefriid is well and fine, but it's not a place I could leave you two with good conscience. The kingdom it's a part of is not the most savory sort to deal with." He scanned the waters a moment. "So you'll have to put up with us a while longer after the ships repaired, I'm afraid."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

"The kingdom, huh..." Irissa mouthed it silently to herself, considering the sky sky before them with a frown. It was still raining lightly as the crew worked, and it seemed determined to continue raining for a while yet. Talk of kingdoms and royal towns and the like always served to make her somewhat nervous. She reached for the brooch hanging from her shirt and fiddled around with it self-consciously. "I try not to go to royal cities if I can help it anyway." It wasn't that she was a criminal or anything of the sort, but she'd dealt with them enough to know that they rarely meant good for her and Caleb.

Also... Royal cities meant luxury. To a bunch of rich people, luxury tended to mean at certain people's expense.

Coming back to herself, she smiled at Alfred and teased, "You almost sound like you want to get rid of us~"

"They do, genius," Caleb called from his lonely spot on his crate.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Both men laughed. "If we wanted to get rid of you then we would drop you at any port we'd first land at." Alfred pointed out. "Besides, it's nice to have some fresh company aboard. Keeps everyone on their toes."

Patrick nodded in agreement, slicking his hair back out of his face and leaving it looking more kept than usual. "Very true. I've got to say, though, the Kracken certainly made it interesting as well. You think we'll get paid for our story?" He nudged at Alfred with his elbow. "Maybe with a couple of drinks, eh?"

Alfred scoffed softly at his friend. "We'd be paid with getting thrown in the looney bin, I'd say. Who would believe a story like that? I certainly wouldn't and I lived the damn thing!" He gestured lightly at the damaged ship. "Most would think we just got into a nasty fight with another ship. We're lucky she's still floating after the damage she's taken."

Patrick nodded again. "True, very true. Seems like we have some good luck aboard our ship." He glanced at the two younger ones. "So, which one of you is the lucky one, eh? The princess or her knight?" He grinned playfully, rubbing his chin.

"Alright, that's enough. You're delirious. Go sleep. We've got it from here." Alfred made shooing motions at Patrick with one hand. "We'll grab you if something comes up, alright?"

 

[Shy2Infinity]

"Clearly," Caleb's incredulous voice carried to them easily over the wind. He rested his face in his hands and considered them with a brow slowly raising towards his hairline. "It's all an insidious ploy to gain our trust, in which case you'll happily rob us and throw us overboard - leaving us to sink to the bottom of the ocean and suffer painful deaths." Despite the deadpan way he said this, there was no suspicion in his gaze.

Irissa shot him a bemused look, "That's dark." She grinned and shook her head at him. The fact that he was able to tell dark jokes was a testament to how comfortable he felt around them. Of course, talk of the kraken made the smile freeze on her face. Then it faded, her focus shifting reluctantly to the two pirates. That kraken had come out of no where. She'd never seen anything like it, with all of her time spent in or around the ocean... None of this bode well for the rest of her adventure. If that was what she had to look forward to for the next year, then she was worried.

All she could do was be ready for the future.

"I'm not unconvinced that we don't need to be put into the looney bin," Caleb's tone was light as he glanced around the damaged ship. "Are shared delusions a thing?" As he turned back around, he moved his injured leg out of instinct and couldn't help wincing in response. He plowed right on though, as if he wasn't injured at the least. "Pssh, it's me of course." He sent a sly look towards Irissa. "Oh, but wait, I have skill~ Irissa can have the honor of being 'lucky'."

She blinked at the insult and made a face. "I'll have you know, 'luck' is perfectly valid!" She lifted her chin a tad, haughtily. "Luck is the difference between life and death!" As Patrick was being shooed off to bed, she waved rapidly from her perch on the rail. "Good night, captain~!"

Caleb sent a small wave, continuing his previous sulking.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick gave a small chuckled and a slight wave as he retreated below deck. While he knew the adrenaline pumping though his veins would keep him awake for a while, there was no point in arguing with the first mate over his sleeping habits again. Besides, he had to admit that he was starting to feel the affects of his poor sleep over the past while. The shot he had taken against the beast had been a lucky one. He settled himself on his bed, thoughtfully staring up at the ceiling a moment. Absently he hummed a couple of bars of an old tune to himself, perhaps a part of him trying to soothe the goddess of the sea that had once rescued his ancestor. Eventually he let his eyes close as the melody gently drifted in his mind.

Alfred sighed and surveyed the damage the beast had done to the poor ship. He didn't think there were enough deities to thank for having lost no lives and being able to limp to port. He snuck a quiet glance at their two newest companions. Perhaps one of them really did have luck to share with them. He adjusted the wheel slightly and couldn't help a grimace at the protesting groan the ship gave in response. While they were lucky to survive the encounter, Alfred would have prefered the luck of never having met the beast in the first place. Oh well, what done was done. The lass needed a good looking after anyways, so it was fine that she was going in for repairs. There was only so much that mantanace could keep up with. Hopefully the weather wouldn't be too hard on them for the rest of the trip to the port.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Chapter 2 - The Cost of Trust​

That's how the rest of those days were spent; worrying about another attack or the weather turning ill on them. Though they mostly just found something worth putting all of their attention into, whether that be work, or conversations, or striking up a game. Irissa and Caleb even ended up joining in a few. Caleb won a few and Irissa won... None of them. It seemed like they weren't intending on letting her win just because she was new. There were a few times when rain clouds would blow in, send them a light shower, and then be off again. They appreciated these light showers, it cooled them off.

When not doing the occasional odd job, Caleb could be found with his face tilted to the air, catching the stray breezes. After a few days, his leg had gotten better. It seems he'd escaped the kraken with only light bruising. There was still a stiffness to his gait when he walked, but his injury was far better than before. Irissa, for her part, seemed immensely displeased every time he put weight on his leg, which he took great pleasure in. She, in turn, teased him at every opportunity about his sea sickness.

Irissa continued to bug the pirate captain and first mate with her seemingly endless questions and she found herself glancing to the ocean more than once, looking for shapes in the water. Most people attributed it to her being wary about the kraken. And yet, over the course of those few days, she found herself relaxing as no vicious shapes emerged from the water. She was reluctant to admit that they seemed to have fully escaped it.

It was on a new day when it happened. Caleb and Irissa were with the pirate captain and first mate, the most former of which was using a stick (where had that come from??) to sulkily poke at the floor boards beneath their feet. Irissa was dangling her feet off of the rail with them being only inches from the ground. Unlike she, Caleb was eager to set his own feet on even ground and so, imagine his immense relief when they heard the call: "Land ho!"

He shot up, but a 'bout of dizziness made him plop right back down. His lips pursed, and he narrowed his eyes at the floor, apparently ready to start sulking again.

"Oooh! Where?!" Irissa hopped up and squinted towards the person in the crow's nest. His finger was pointed towards the northwest, so she lifted a hand over her eyes to block the glare of the sun and peered in that direction. It was only moments later when she could see a city looming up in the distance.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick shaded his eyes against the sun, trained eyes quickly spotting the port they were approaching. "Prepare for port!" He ordered and the crew lept to obey, practiced hands making quick work of their tasks. Alfred carefully guided the tattered ship towards the docks as they came nearer to them. They could see the dock workers eyeing up the ruin of the vessel as it gently drifted to a stop at them, probably wondering how it remained afloat and waiting for it to start sinking as they watched.

Patrick held a hand up to stop the two young companions from doing anything before he strode down the plank, legitimate merchant papers in hand and a slight smirk on his face from the looks he received. He talked with the port authority for quite a while, skeptical looks on the officials' faces as they passed the papers back to the captain. They talked a little longer before Patrick gave a thankful wave and returned to the ship. The officials gave one last dubious look over the ship before returning to their duties.

"All cleared for now." He informed them, tucking the papers carefully back into their oiled skin. "We're lucky there's a skilled shipwright in town here. They didn't quite believe me about what damaged the lass, but we at least are able to make land. We have to go talk to them before we can move her." He affectionately patted the railings. "Stay on the ship for now. Alfred, with me. We'll make our negotiations and come back. Be prepared to move her to the shipyard when we return." He got a chorus of 'ayes' as Alfred came beside the captain. "The two of you are free to do what you wish, but stay together. There may be guards around, but the streets aren't safe. Be careful." He directed at Irissa and Caleb. "If you decide to get off before we get back, meet us at the Dragon Inn on Southyard by dusk. Be sure to not be out when night falls."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Her heart was in her throat nearly the entire time they docked. Some distant part of her wondered if they should leave the ship at all. There was definitely danger to be had in the cities, even with guards around. But one look at a green Caleb, and she knew without a doubt that he'd opt to leave, as quickly as possible. He was already staring holes into the floor beneath them. She couldn't help being amused by the looks on the dock workers faces as the ship swayed into port. A smirk was quick to slide across her face, What's the matter? Never seen a ship hanging in there by a couple of loose nails~?

As she waited anxiously, she kicked her feet back and forth into the air. There was a beat. A pause, where she wondered if the dockhands would suspect something. Any moment now, she waited for them to call the guards. But Patrick was strangely smug about it all, so she hoped he knew what he was doing. The longer he was out there, the worst that anxiety grew. She pursed her lips, huffing silently. If something was going to happen soon, the universe better put her out of her misery soon. She absolutely hated waiting.

But soon enough, Patrick gave a wave and strode back to the ship; much to her relief. She was practically jittery with unspent energy until he gave the 'all clear' and then she sagged under the weight of her relief.

Caleb, on the other hand, was all about ready to bolt off of the ship. He was half tempted to go ahead and head off when Patrick addressed the both of them. He cocked his head back some to better stare the other in the face. "Of course, we'll try to stay out of trouble." Emphasis on try, here, he slid a sly gaze to Irissa. One that she either didn't notice or noticed and ignored. His mouth twisted. He was growing needlessly restless.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Patrick sighed a little, suppressing a smile at Caleb's words. "Try will have to do, I suppose. If you stay near the market, you should be fine. Try not to stray too far from there. If you're snatched up by some nare-do-wells, I don't think we would be able to help you." He glanced them over. "Just be sure to keep your knife close and your coins closer. I dare say there's plenty of pickpockets out and about." Patrick turned his gaze back to the groups on the docks. "Remember. Meet us at dusk. If you don't, I'm afraid you'll be on your own. Even I would not tempt the fates being out after dark."

Alfred nodded in agreement. "Right. You two be careful. Patrick and I will go right to the Inn once we're done with the shipwright. Feel free to join us there any time, once you're done exploring. I personally am looking forward to a hot meal and a cold brew once everything's settled."

There were murmurs of agreement from the crew as Alfred and Patrick walked off the ship and headed towards the shipwright together, Alfred giving a slight wave to the two younger companions as they went to barter their ship's repairs.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

Irissa nodded along, though Caleb could tell - just as he was sure anyone else could, that she wasn't really listening. He rested his chin in his hand and nodded along to the pirates' cautionary words. "We'll keep that in mind," he answered and then went to pat the spot on his leg where his knife hid. He could be the person to remind them that, before them, they'd had to survive on their own. At least Alfred and Patrick had the benefit of a crew, they'd had next to nothing. Unless you count those odd times where they snuck onto a merchant ship, but other than that? They were used to handling problems on their own. And yet, he doubted that any of this would sink in for them.

"I think you're the ones that need to be careful," he huffed.

"Mmm, some fresh food sounds good right about now!" Irissa finally piped up and if they weren't still talking, she might have raced off the ship entirely. As the two pirates headed off of the ship, she cast them a little wave. When they'd vanished from her sight, she looked over to tease Caleb, only to find that he was no longer there! Her brows furrowed and she twisted this way and that to look for him, only to find that he was already headed for the bridge. She gasped and raced ahead to catch up to him, "Heeey! You could have left me behind!"

All he could do was shrug and say, "Your fault for not paying attention."

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

Alfred and Patrick walked in silence for a little while before Patrick finally spoke. "Those two are certainly more than expected." He commented lightly to his first mate as they made their way around the docks toward the shipyard to hopefully get the Ragamuffin repaired. "I have to say that while they're young, they certainly have experience behind them. The little lady has a certain air to her, but I can't quite put my finger on it...."

Alfred nodded in agreement. "And the lad has a good handle on himself, seasickness notwithstanding. They had mentioned that family wasn't in the picture for this little adventure they're on, but....I don't know. Something's bothering me about the whole thing. Caleb said he's an orphan, that I get, but why would Irissa's family let her run free as she is?" He shook his head. "I just don't get it."

Patrick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose it's not our place to question them on it. Hell, look what we were doing at their age!" Both men lapsed back into a long thoughtful silence as the docks bustled around them.



It had taken quite a long time and a silver tongue from Patrick to haggle and barter with the shipwright to repair the Ragamuffin. The man had wanted to see her before any work was done and his jaw nearly hit the floor when the battered vessel came limping into his yard. He had said it was by some god's grace that she was still afloat and functional, although he had told them that a couple more days and she would have failed them. It would take a while to repair, he warned them, but Patrick's extra coin hastened the estimation of completion to two weeks instead of a month. His purse considerably lighter than before, Patrick and the crew gathered their essentials and left the poor lass in the capable hands of the workers.

Patrick shaded his eyes against the setting sun and sighed. "That took longer than expected. Hope the kids didn't get into too much trouble. Let's see if they make it to the Inn. I'm looking forward to a hot meal and a cold mug."

Alfred nodded in agreement and they set off to satisfy their growling bellies.

 

[Shy2Infinity]

"You don't think they know, do you?" The question catches him momentarily off guard and his first instinct is to shush her. He can't help but cast a wary glance around them, as if Patrick and Caleb might be looming over them somewhere. They'd long since left the harbor behind but that didn't change the fact that Patrick and Alfred might just so happen to be around somewhere. He'd much rather wait until they were some place alone, but... Admittedly, he was just as antsy as Irissa, regarding that thought.

He chewed the thought over. It'd be unwise to expect them to not suspect anything, especially while being on an enclosed space for days together. Even before Patrick's multiple near freakouts, he'd started to suspect that there was something off about him. He and Irissa weren't prone to bursts of anger or hysteria, but he had no doubt that those two would be wary. They were pirates, not idiots. "I doubt they know, in particular," He admitted after a long moment. "But they might suspect something." As they traversed there way further into town, he could see Irissa fidgeting with the brooch attached to her shirt.

He sighed. He truly hated going into town. There was just too many places for an enemy to hide, not to mention, the outrageous noise.


Eventually, they learned to get distracted from their troubles. Despite the crowded nature of the city, many people were polite. Almost overwhelmingly so. It was almost like culture shock, considering what had happened in the last city. A vendor let Irissa try a bite of their food (despite every one of their attempts at dodging that) and Irissa found it so good that she decided to buy some for herself and Caleb... He didn't have the heart to tell her that that was probably the ploy.

Caleb, admittedly, got distracted himself by trying to pet a cat, and promptly getting bitten. Irissa found that one so funny she abruptly doubled over! Poor Caleb and his insane ability to scare away every furry animal.

Though it wasn't all bad for him. There was a bard playing in the town's plaza. The notes that fell from the lyre were entrancing, to say the least. It pulled people in to sing along or dance. The bard was, admittedly, pretty. Just as pretty as the notes that fell from his lyre. With a serene and handsome face, his blond hair fell over one eye while the other was lowered to the instrument that he was so delicately holding. The main dancers were nothing to balk at either. With long, flowing skirts and hair the color of nightshade (were they twins, perhaps?) they weaved and danced around each other.

The bard looked up suddenly and smiled at them. "Care to dance~?"

He blinked and took in Irissa bouncing beside him. He raised a brow, "Looking for permission? Go ahead." And that was all that was needed, Irissa happily strode forward with all the grace that someone of he stature had. Multiple times the dancers, the bard, and even Irissa herself tried to rope him into dancing as well. But he was content in simply watching and being alert during all of this.

Soon enough, they made it to the inn without getting too terribly distracted. Stepping in, he was a bit surprised over how different the interior was from the outside. Despite the ever growing darkness, the inside was warm and livelier than ever.

 

[TheDarkButterfly]

It seemed that Patrick and Alfred had gotten to the inn first and were comfortably seated at a table near the fire, just starting to dig into their plates of meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Both men had already had a mug each of a sweet and cold ale that was unique to the inn and was starting on a second. Patrick had his back to the wall, and while his outer appearance was relaxed and cheerful, there was a keenness in his eyes as he kept an eye on the door. Alfred was close beside his friend, his eyes watching the stairwell for any odd activity that could happen. The mood in the inn was lively and cheerful at the moment, but both men knew that drinks could lead to fights more often than not.

Patrick saw the two young companions come in and waved at them, pointing to the two remaining empty chairs at the table that they had carefully saved. He took another bite of his meal, scanning the sea of the inn and watching for any undercurrents of a scuffle. "They made it." He mentioned to Alfred, who took a long drought of his ale.

"Glad they got here before the sunset. I'd rather they not be out on the streets after dark. They're lucky we got them a room too. I think we'd be hard-pressed to find one now."

 

[Shy2Infinity]

It took a moment of gazing about the inn to locate Patrick and Alfred. Caleb gently nudged his companion's shoulder and pointed them out to her. With a grin, she wadded through the ocean of people until she could stop at their table. "You'll be proud to know --" She started, and then laughed as she plopped into her seat, "That we haven't found trouble yet!"

"Key word, yet." Caleb hid his smirk behind a hand as Irissa stuck her tongue out at him. Instead of indulging her any more, he twisted and scoured the sea of people for someone that was working there. When he found one such person, he stuck a hand up and waited for them to take notice. Once they did he and Irissa both ordered for themselves. Considering how full the inn was, they couldn't help being surprise by how quick they got their food.

Irissa proceeded to dig, her stomach empty from a day out on the town. After eating for a moment, she quickly thought of something more to say. "Oh yeah!" She gestured a utensil at them, "Did ya get us a room? I doubt there are any left considering..." Well, it didn't need to be said. All one had to do was look around the room and see how crowded the inn was.