Meddle Not In Their Affairs

[Yukaida]

Yukaida had split apart from the explorers for the time being. They were heading back to their base to report on the latest discovery regarding the Tavros, and Yukaida had no desire to see Arcadia. She came out to see humans, not other dragons sitting on their high perches. Instead, she made an agreement to meet them in one month's time. Since she did not understand the human passage of time, they agreed to meet at a certain spot on the full moon. She was able to figure out when that would be easily enough.

She'd decided to do a little more exploring, and that had brought her to a rather lively port town along the north western cost of the continent. Lively seemed like a bit of a lacking term to define the port with. Insane might be better.

Humans running to and fro with such ferocity. Large men hauling boxes and barrels, wagons of goods and such rolling down the streets, peddlers hawking their wares in one of many stalls, it was a dizzying spectacle. Yukaida placed a hand on her temple, the constant noise of this place causing her no end of headaches. Interesting, yes, but also obnoxious to the extreme.

She ducked into a smaller building that looked like the one she had sat down with Djute and Zach inside of. Sure enough, there were tables and chairs and signs of food and drink about the place. She noticed, as she walked in, that all eyes went to her almost instantly. The patrons of this establishment were mostly larger men, though this was not without exception. Still, the atmosphere seemed to shift dramatically when someone like Yuka walked inside without giving a second thought to anyone else.

Brave or stupid? No way to know.

[Palenax]

Ah, that salty air of a port town. That hustle and bustle of Humans as they fritter about hither and tither. Palenax walked along the street, whistling to herself as she came into the marketplace. Her last little nap lasted a couple months now and she needed a bit of time to stretch her limbs, both Dragon and "Human". She made note of a couple stands as she walked through the market, stopping here and there. Primarily she stopped at shops that boasted jewelery and paintings, things that she much appreciated.

Truth be told though, it was all somewhat mediocre. Sure, there was a nice piece here and there she exchanged some gold for, but by all accounts, the marketplace was rather underwhelming. The draconic woman continued on her way, catching another scent in the air, the scent of food from a nearby tavern infact. The regally clothed woman had to admit, that smell was rather enticing and it'd be quite some time now since her last meal. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stop in.

As Palenax entered, she received a few stares, though some nodded to her as well, sailors that likely recognized her visage from elsewhere. She spared them a nod herself before looking around for a good sea- Oh ho... There was a rather cute looking violet haired woman. Perhaps she'd fulfill more than one appetite while she was here after all...

Palenax walked over to her table, stepping in front of the brown cloaked lass. "Excuse me, mind if I sit here?" She was already pulling out a chair and doing just that. "Of course, if I'm intruding, I apologize."

[Rago]

Hrm? Rago sniffed the air for a moment, something smelled a bit different all of the sudden. It was shortlived however, as whatever it was was masked by the smell of sea air and cooking seafood inside of this inn. In many places he stood out, but here he blended right in. He had the look of one of these human 'laborers' which is, as he understands, a human that does physical labor for a living. He wasn't insulted by the comparison, but he always found it a bit amusing. There was the sounds of scuffling in front of the door, but he was preoccupied watching this human cook. He's seen it done countless times, but she was doing it differently.

It was loud and chaotic in the town, but he kind of liked that. It was better then the stark silence of the mountains, where there wasn't a sound of life around for miles. It was so desolate and lonely, but this place was just the opposite. Full of life, full of activity. People trying to sell their things as novel prices, and others carrying large crates that were full of many things. Fish amongst them, which really caught his attention. He loved fish, almost as much as pheasant. It was interesting, just two hundred years ago this town was so small and quiet. Now it was ten times it's original size with peddlers and traders coming to and fro. He remembered coming here when it was just a quaint little fishing village, now it was some kind of trading place.

He turned around to see who else was in here, and his eye caught on two people specifically. He's been in this town for three months now, watching each and every human that came in and left and for the most part he could recognize most of them. The regulars anyways, the travelers were more difficult, but he recognized some of them from the other towns he's been to. These two, however, had unusual and vibrant hair, and to be frank looked quite out of place in this inn full of fishmongers. They also had a weird feeling about them, but then again they were just people and probably didn't deserve him eyeing them. So he just went back to watching the woman cook.

[Goboroh]

Goboroh had never been more relieved to be in a human city than when the ship he had been on had finished docking. He had nearly knocked several people overboard in his rush for the gangplank and even then, he had heaved over the edge of the dock for several minutes afterwards. Needless to say, he would never set foot on another boat as long as he lived. The only reason he had done it this time was he had wanted to get far away from the side of the continent he had grown up on and see the world. Goboroh had secured passage aboard the ship by promising to perform some of the labor along the way, but he had only been able to do that for a couple of days, as sea sickness had soon kicked in, and he spent the rest of the voyage wrapped around the railing on deck. Bears, it seems, were never meant to travel the seas aboard giant wooden vessels.

When the retching finally wound down, Goboroh returned to his feet and realized just how thirsty he was, despite never wanting to see water ever again. As he made his way into town, he regretted not asking the captain for directions, but that was probably for the best. The first few times that the man had asked him to do his share after the sea sickness set in, he had, unintentionally, received a face full of vomit. So, instead, he made his way into the bustling town, occasionally stopping to stoop down a bit and look into the windows, which drew more than a few stares. However, it was necessary, as he had never bothered to learn the human language and could not read their signs. Eventually, he managed to find a tavern that suited him and gregariously pulled open the door.

He entered the rather busy establishment with his usual smile across his seat and took a seat at the bar, the stool looking rather small beneath him. He ordered their largest mug of ale, and, when it came, he chugged it with glee. Wiping the foam from his mouth, he ordered another, before turning his back to the bar and watching the other customers.

[Cecil]

He could practically hear that northern salmon calling his name from the bar across the road. The best part about being a bard was all the free meals. Who needed gold when you had pork roasts and brew that could slap a man in the face? As long as the pitiful coin he had could buy him new strings, he would need nothing else in life but the vibrant clothes on his back.

Just like the town the bar was about as noisy and jovial as it could get at midday. His face was a welcome sight to see inside, not like it ever wasn't. Not many people didn't like music with their food and drink. Cecil sat down next to the door and strummed a soft tune on his mandolin, as he waited for the salmon and crab he just ordered up front. Breakfast was just hard bread and a bit of old cheese. For a big man like himself, that was just an appetizer. He could hold out a little longer, there was nothing short of a Bear Taguel that could move him from getting his lunch on.

There wasn't anyone too special-looking, apart from two girls with strange hair that walked in between a few minutes of each other. The woman that was cooking in the back though, she was something else. He shrugged to himself and closed his eyes as he continued to play the song by heart. His eyes flew open when a burly man that smelled like bile barged in and chugged it at a speed he'd never seen before and would never see again. The biggest flag that went off in his head was he was bear bare-chested and wore a necklace of something that looked like bear teeth. A bear taguel in a port town? "Nonsense." he muttered to himself.

He was about to go up and strike up a conversation with the man when the cook called him out with a thick voiced "Bard!" easily heard over the other customers. He set his mandolin down and half-jogged to the steamy platter of seafood that awaited him. Right next to the big man. "So," he said through a mouthful of crab. "Big guy like yourself, in some watering hole. Any special reason why you're here?" he was a little taller than Cecil, which meant he towered over the other men and women.

[Yukaida]

Yukaida was enjoying the brief reprieve from the noise outside when someone approached her table. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the woman who sat down across the table from her was not it. The garb she wore was odd, but Yukaida thought she'd seen it before. It looked like a seafarers garb, but that covered a lot of things.

"By all means. Is there something I can help you with?" she asked. The concept of someone moving next to her with no purpose was foreign, but perhaps it was normal to humans? Never the less, she figured it was innocent enough to delve into this mysterious woman's intentions. It wasn't like she posed any serious threat to Yukaida. A few other people entered the bar and took up various seats, but Yukaida paid them little mind. This white haired woman stood out from the norm, and that made her interesting.

"Your clothing marks you as a seafarer, unless I miss my guess. What use would someone who sails the seas have with me?" she questioned. There was no hostility in her question, just simple curiosity.

[Palenax]

"Your clothing marks you as a seafarer, unless I miss my guess. What use would someone who sails the seas have with me?"

"Ah, it's been some time since I have sailed. But really, I just figured another woman would be better company than the usual fellows around here. Nothing against them now, but hey." Palenax chuckled before continuing on. "Palenax, by the way. And you are?" Palenax grinned, friendly enough without letting on her real intentions.

"So what brings you to this small port town? You don't look like you're in for the wares." After a moment, a barmaid came up and asked for their orders. Palenax's order was... rather large. The barmaid seemed stunned for a moment before asking if she was sure, only to be met by a nod and filling it out. "Heh. I haven't eaten anything for a while now and I feel quite famished." After the poor woman finally finished writing down the tall order, she looked over to Yukaida for her's.

[Rago]

It seemed today was an interesting day for all sorts. It wasn't just the two vibrant haired lasses, there was another folk that found his into the bar with quite the commotion surrounding him. He came barreling in demanding ale, and the man was no common sight. Rago would know, he's seen all the common sights countless times. He was large, larger then most men he's ever seen, but he wasn't normal. No... something was off about him, he didn't act like a normal human in mannerisms or words. It was hard to tell over the sea air, but he didn't smell like a human either. He smelled like vomit mostly actually. Then again he was just a distraction, and he went back to watch the cook only to learn that he had missed the last bit of the food preparation. Well damn. He'd have to come back tomorrow to watch it all the way to it's completion then, so he turned his head to catch something else to focus on. He looked a little out of place, surely. A man sitting in the corner of the room just turning his head around to look at everyone.

That's when he noticed who the meal was going to. He heard a voice, and the person that voice belonged to. Yes, that bard. He had seen him earlier, but he was preoccupied and didn't pay too much attention, but he was clearly a travel hardened folk. Tall, brawny, with an eyepatch and dark purple hair, yes he stood out of the crowd. He was talking with the bear of a man as well, it seemed like as good of a place as any to start.

"Hey." He had a grin on his face as he strolled towards the two. He didn't pay the other man too much attention. "You're a bard right? Do you travel often? I think I've seen you before." He has, several times in fact. He doubted the bard would recognize him though. He was eating the seafood the cook was preparing before, which reminded Rago just how hungry he was. He could eat a cow. Literally. He should have eaten one earlier. "Mind if I take a seat?" He said as he pulled the chair next to him out and sat himself down.

[Goboroh]

Goboroh had barely begun watching the other customers when one of them sat down next to him with a large plate of seafood that made his stomach speak up. He identified the man as they one who had been playing music only moments ago on some sort of stringed instrument. An interesting profession to say in the least. Back in his village, music had always been a communal event, done for special events and ceremonies and it was odd to see it played in such a casual setting. Which was not to say he didn't enjoy it. In fact the opposite was true, it was just odd to see music being played and practically no one listening to it. It was a shame really. Music was supposed to be listened to intently, not hidden in the background as some sort of extra flavor for the meal. However, he wasn't about to start forcing people to shut up and listen to it. It simply wasn't his place, especially as a foreigner to this place.

From the seat next to him, the bard spoke up between mouthfuls, curious about the reason for his visit. Goboroh, glad somebody was interested, spoke up in his usual jovial tones. "Goboroh is here to see world, he started with a smile, "He spend whole life in small village and now, he come long way on big wooden ship that make him woozy. Unless you wonder why he is in tavern. Then is because big ship and rough water makes Goboroh's stomach empty and dry, and Goboroh must change this. Is food good here?" He asked, eying the man's food hungrily. "Oh, yes," he continued, "Goboroh almost forget to ask music man his name!" However, before the bard could reply, another man appeared and asked him a question. Something about traveling and if he could join them. Before his new eating companion could reply, Goboroh spoke up. "Of course! Sit! Is always room for more, yes?" he said, roughly patting an open stool.

[Cecil]

Cecil didn't respond to any further questions until he inhaled the last bit of the salmon and slammed the knife down as dramatically as he could. He'd let the current food settle in his belly before trying to convince the cook to prepare seconds for him. Eating too much seafood at a time for someone who wasn't so used to it would produce a similar effect to what happened to poor old Goboroh.

As the other burly man sat down to the two of them, the bard noticed that he was the one being paid attention to instead of the foreigner. In any other situation that wouldn't be different from normal. There was just so many things about the man who introduced himself as Goboroh that made you want to look at him. That smell of vomit made you want to look away and wipe your eyes of the tears, though. "Listen, friend. Drinking on an empty stomach, especially after your voyage? Not one of your better ideas." He looked at the other man who sat down beside him, then back at Goboroh. "My name's Cecil. Music man's one of my titles I guess. Bard works better though." He took a good long look at the other man who had decided to plop down beside him.

"Oh yeah, I remember you! You still owe me fifty gold for that time you put a spider's egg inside my-- ...nevermind." He said with a little bit of malice. That was a long long time ago, maybe two years? "Your name is...Ragu, right? Ragon? Rago? Rago sounds about right." He wasn't all that mad about what happened anymore, but he still wanted that gold back. Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember why he left without paying. He just woke up from a nap that one day and Rago was gone, like he just grew a pair of wings overnight and soared off. They did chum it up pretty well while they knew each other, though. "I'm not sure why you're here of all places though, Rago. Last I saw you was what, on practically the other side of the continent? You sure don't look like a fisherman in that outfit. More like a bandit. You know what a bandit is, right Goboroh?"

[Yukaida]

Yukaida listened to Palenax explain her reasoning. It seemed simple enough, these large men were probably not the best conversationalists. "Yukaida," she said, introducing herself simply. When Palenax asked why she had come here, Yukaida thought for a moment. Was there any danger in hiding her motives from this sailor? No, she didn't think so.

"Oh, just wandering around while I wait to meet up with some friends. This town certainly is louder than most I've been to. So what brought you here? For some reason I get the feeling that you move with purpose, call it a hunch."

In the middle of her question, another human came over, this one asking if they wanted anything. Oh right, it was her job to bring them food that they purchased. She listened to what Palenax ordered, and her stomach growled a bit. It had been quite a while since she'd had a full meal. She hunted in dragon form, but that limited what she could get if she wanted to avoid flattening a forest. She'd had one of her companions from earlier look at the coin pouch she had 'acquired', and they assured her that she had more than enough money to live for a month. Since Yukaida had been sleeping in a cave to the north (such things as a stone floor did not bother her true form) and hunting for herself, she'd saved much of it. Well, why not have a little fun with it?

"Yes," she said to the waitress. "That sounds good, I'll have that."

The waitress blinked for a moment before nodding. "You mean to share?"

Yukaida arched an eyebrow. "Of course not, I would not take food out of her mouth. I will simply have a copy of what she is. It sounds delicious."

The poor waitress nearly dropped her tray in shock, and more than a few mummers came up around the bar. They had both just identified themselves as women with money to burn.

Of this, Yukaida was blissfully unaware.

[Palenax]

"So what brought you here? For some reason I get the feeling that you move with purpose, call it a hunch."

Palenax chuckled, she was perceptive. "Well really, I'm here to see the wares and obtain a nice meal. Perhaps see if other concerns catch my eye as well." She paused as Yukaida placed her order, blinking for a moment of surprise. A huge appetite to match her's usually meant either another Dragon or perhaps a Taguel. She could see no signs of animal heritage though, but perhaps they were just hidden beneath the cloak she wore. It wasn't often the bird tribe hid their wings, but the ones that came to human civilizations certainly seemed to prefer to most of the time. The ursine tribe also tended to be more subtle, but she certainly didn't have the usual physical bearing of one.

Still, the reaction of the waitress was rather priceless, even as she walked back to the kitchen in bewilderment. "Well, that was a rather amusing reaction. Say, from where do you hail? I don't find many people who's appetite can match mine."

[Rago]

They seemed to not be opposed to him taking a seat, swell, that made things less awkward because he was probably going to sit there even if they didn't want him to. not that he was inconsiderate or anything, okay maybe he was a little, human lives were too short to spend it getting bent out of shape over such a small infraction. He'd just have to wait a short few months or years for them to get over it, and then he could try it again. He grinned, looking a bit wild as he settled down. His ears picking up sounds and his nose smells. For the most part he was always using his dragonstone, just a little bit, to focus his senses. There were so many interesting sights and smells and sounds that so many people miss it was crazy.

"Ah, that's right! You're that guy. Cecil, I remember you now." He remembered him before, but he wasn't sure that it was mutual. Now that he knew it was, he didn't need to feign ignorance. Humans often found it disconcerting to have someone remember them they did not know, he once told a man that he knew him as a baby and the man nearly threw him out for 'telling lies'. Some people, right? "Yeah, it's Rago. Sharp mind for remembering, you meet a ton of people. I should be honored you remembered me." As for the spider egg thing, how was Rago supposed to know that humans didn't find spider eggs tasty? They were like the human popped corn, only crunchier and occasionally poisonous.

"I'm just traveling, checking up on friends you know. I took a ship to get here." He did too, he was wondering to see how being on a ship has changed in the last twenty years. Not much really, flying was so much faster. Still quick enough for humans that lacked those flying mounts. "You're not the first person to say that." He added shaking his finger with a grin. "I would be offended if it didn't happen so often." That's when he remembered the other man was there as well. He was larger then either of them, though Cecil was taller then Rago to begin with. In his human form of course, he towered over all of them as a dragon. "I'm Rago, nice to meet you Goboroh."

Nearby he heard a woman ordering food, and it sounded just about divine right about now. He stopped the waitress as she was walking away, clearly befuddled and confused. "Oh hey, you know what those guys are having? I want that too. Maybe throw in an extra shark too, I'm kinda hungry." He could see the woman's mind break after hearing this, it was that look in her eyes. "You guys want anything?"

[Goboroh]

Goboroh shrugged off Cecil's comment with a light chuckle. While he appreciated the man's concern, he knew there was no reason for it. His stomach was like iron. After all, he usually ate most of his meals raw and that had turned his stomach into something much stronger than that of the average person. Of course, that didn't change the fact that it didn't fare well when shaken about by the churning waves of the sea, but he had never expected that anyways. Either way, Goboroh wasn't going to let something like an empty stomach stop him from enjoying a good drink. Of course, an chance of him stealing a bite of the bard's food vanished as he gulped down the rest of the meal in a very surprising bite. It looked like he would have to buy his own food. Fortunately, he had some spare coin that the captain had given him and he was certainly going to spend it on food.

The other man, it seemed, had accepted his invite and had begun to order his own food. When asked if they were going to order, Goboroh spoke up. "Goboroh will have what other man is having." When the waitress gave him a look that contained both confusion and annoyance, he explained himself. "Goboroh is me. I am Goboroh. Food is for me." She rolled her eyes at him, but seemed to understand what he meant. Turning back to his beer, he addressed the bard's question for him. Goboroh is familiar with bandits, yes. We get many who come to village to rob, but Goboroh send them packing each time. Er... most times. But that is not concern now. No longer in village, yes?" He added, quickly trying to push away that painful memory.

[Cecil]

The bard watched the traumatized cook walk back into the kitchen, and he could've sworn he heard her sobbing a little bit behind the closed door. "Gods, I understand Goboroh over here eating so much, but you're either a tapeworm nest or a taguel." Cecil chuckled at his joke as he got up to get his instrument. He could talk with the others while he played, couldn't he? He walked past the two odd women who sat right next to the door and picked up his things. He made eye contact with one of them and gave a curt "Afternoon" to the big eaters. No way they weren't taguel or something as well. It made him wonder just how many disguised people were in this town, but it wasn't like they were bad news or something. Villagers were simply too superstitious, if they got out to see the world they'd like ease up a bit on other races. He did admire the other races' shape-shifting abilities. Being human meant you usually couldn't afford to be arrogant like some of the older specimens of dragons and taguel.

"I think I'll hold off on seconds for now, I'd be lucky to get another meal by tomorrow. It just seems like a bad idea to ask her to make something right after four of you ordered the entire menu and then Rago asked for something they don't even have." How much did an entire shark cost, anyway? "Could just go and catch one yourself, if you're feeling that desperate." He sat back down on his stool and started to pluck a few strings, just to make sure everything was still in tune. The tune he settled for was just a slower-paced, lyric-less version of a drinking song, those were always fun to play. It wouldn't put you to sleep and it wouldn't get your heart pumping. "Either of you got a request? Not much of a chance I'll be goin' anywhere before it gets dark besides going to book an Inn room. Those places sure pack in during the fall and there's just nowhere to camp outside of town. Unless you like waking up with your throat feeling like it was violated by the salt in the air."