FE 11b

Quill: You guys go downstairs to the tavern.

10:19 PM

Ander: "...so...um...last night I got a bit drunk while you were out, and we all kind of got into things. ...like...who we are and stuff."

Ander: "...it's not fair of me to tell you other people's stuff, but you've been asking after all of us, so...I figure...if you still want the info, I should share what I am with you."

Ander: "...this is way harder while sober."

Vydea: What you are? If you already told everyone, why pull me aside?

Ander: "...cause Answorn doesn't know, and I'm not telling him yet."

Vydea: Oh, so it's less tell *me*, more don't tell him. Ok.

Ander: "Right...I'm an undead goliath man in the body of a halfling woman."

Ander: "...well...undead's wrong, I guess...I am a formerly dead goliath...well, goliath me is still dead."

Vydea blinks. "That's... a lot. Undead? Oh."

Vydea: So that's why the key gave you that arm.

Ander: "Yeah. And why I was asking about it."

Vydea: And, I'm guessing, why you want it back.

Ander: "Yeah."

Vydea tilts her head. "I have a couple questions, if that's ok."

10:26 PM

Ander: "...sure. That's fair."

Vydea, 10:26 PM

Well... you know I'm writing, sometimes about the group. Is this something you want me to avoid mentioning?

Ander, 10:27 PM

"...for now. It's not easy to talk about and it's really not something I wanna share with people I don't know."

Ander has a drink in her hand, for the record.

Vydea, 10:28 PM

I'm guessing 'Ander' is still what you want to be called?

Ander, 10:28 PM

"Yeah. Again, for now."

Vydea, 10:28 PM

And... how'd you die? What was it like?

Ander drinks with a very solemn expression on his face.

Ander

"...I...I was killed. ...the details of that are kind of personal, but it was in a battle."

"I don't remember being dead, if that's what you're asking. Like, I felt pain, than numbness, and then BAM, I'm on a table, in a hut, next to my own corpse."

Vydea, 10:31 PM

... weird. Also... less dramatic than I'd expected.

Well... thanks for telling me. I'll keep it out of my books until you're ready.

Ander, 10:32 PM

"...there might've been some drama...it's a long story. And thanks. If I open up any more, I'll let you know."

"...well, this was a thing, you can go back if you want. Or not. Whatever."

Vydea shrugs. "Nothing to do 'til morning, right?"

Ander, 10:34 PM

"...ok...buy you a drink?"

Vydea, 10:34 PM

Sure.

Ander brings over a drink for Vydea. "...so...you ever think how you're gonna end your snake story?"

Vydea, 10:43 PM

I don't know... talking at it seems anti-climactic.

Ander, 10:44 PM

"What if you had me run up and behead the thing with my sword? It has oil blood and stuff. Super badass."

Vydea, 10:45 PM

Do you miss being big?

Ander, 10:45 PM

"All the time. Being big is so much better than being small."

Vydea, 10:45 PM

Depends, really... easier to sneak or hide if you're small.

Ander, 10:46 PM

"Yeah...that's not really my style."

Vydea laughs. "You don't say..."

Ander smiles. "If you wanna try being small, I still have the rod of rattening. You can sneak and hide to your heart's content."

Vydea, 10:49 PM

I tried it. It was interesting. It felt... uncomfortable. Like I could just get squished by any little thing and they wouldn't know it.

Ander, 10:50 PM

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

Vydea, 10:51 PM

Halflings are a little bigger than rats.

Ander, 10:52 PM

"Yeah, but I was still hanging around my tribe for a while as a halfling. The proportions certainly felt even."

"...what's your family like?"

Vydea, 10:54 PM

Boring, really. Dad was a diplomat and always being sent on trips away. Mom was a retired adventurer cleric by the time I was born.

10:55 PM

"I bet she had some great stories."

Vydea, 10:56 PM

She doesn't like to talk about it much. That story's over, she says.

Ander, 10:57 PM

"That's a shame. ...but I can't exactly talk shit about people wanting to keep their pasts private."

Vydea, 10:59 PM

....I still wonder what the key would do to me.

Ander, 11:00 PM

"...if what Answorn says is true, probably nothing good. Even I have to admit, I only have a slightly better guess what would happen to me."

"Which is why I am trying to learn all I can about it. Which is hard when nobody actually wants to talk about it."

Vydea, 11:02 PM

Maybe we should get it back.

Ander chuckles. "Great, we just have to convince the really secretive inspector to tell us where the incredibly dangerous artifact of power is."

Vydea, 11:03 PM

I dunno... I can be pretty persuasive. Or sneaky. Whichever's more useful at the moment.

Ander, 11:04 PM

"...you're serious?"

Vydea, 11:05 PM

Are you not?

Ander, 11:05 PM

"...you are a bad influence, you know that?"

Vydea, 11:07 PM

I do, actually.

Ander smiles. "...well...let me put it this way...if you wanna try and talk him into telling, I'm not saying stop."

"...who was your dad a diplomat for? Anything I might've heard of?"

Vydea, 11:09 PM

Nah, pretty low-level official here in Song's Heart. When he traveled, it was usually to accompany someone else's trip.

Ander, 11:10 PM

"You ever get to go with them?"

Vydea, 11:11 PM

Sometimes. I've been all over the place.

Ander, 11:11 PM

"That must've been cool."

Vydea, 11:13 PM

It gets boring after a while. Fancy dinners and stuff.

Ander, 11:13 PM

"...huh...no offense, but you seemed like someone who would be into fancy dinners and stuff."

Vydea, 11:14 PM

Which is why I joined an adventurer's guild?

11:16 PM

"And did we not get a dinner in a very upscale brothel within our first two weeks?"

"I imagine more are to come when we become a big deal."

Vydea, 11:17 PM

There will be, I'm sure. It's not why I'm here though.

I'd have just followed Dad if that were the case.

Ander, 11:17 PM

"That's fair."

"...for the record...climactic or not...bold-face lying to a giant clockwork snake is pretty badass."

Vydea, 11:19 PM

Yeah? Sorry you didn't get to punch anything. I know you were looking forward to it.

Ander, 11:21 PM

"Eh. As much fun as punching the snake would've been...I feel like I wasn't prepared for the resulting ass-whopping I would've gotten. Besides, I'll be in a ring soon, once Vashti and I finish that paperwork...and I figure out what to fill in for "place of birth" and the like.

Vydea, 11:23 PM

You'll have to let us know when your first match is so we can come cheer you on.

Ander, 11:23 PM

"...somehow I doubt 'tent' is gonna fly."

"I most definitely will. I need to make sure my first epic victory is recorded for the ages by our great archiver."

"...if you don't mind me probing, any siblings?"

Vydea, 11:25 PM

Nope. Just me.

Ander, 11:26 PM

"Hurm."

"That sucks."

Vydea, 11:27 PM

What about you?

Ander, 11:28 PM

"Two brothers, both older. ...I don't think we'd be on talking terms right now, but they were great fun growing up. We made a good goat-ball team."

Vydea, 11:28 PM

Goat. Ball.

Ander, 11:29 PM

"You guys don't have it here? It's a lot of fun. You stand on these stones in a river and hurl these big balls made of goat skin at each other, trying to knock the other team off. Last team with a player standing wins."

Vydea, 11:31 PM

Sounds like fun... not so much for the goat.

Ander, 11:31 PM

"Well, we were already eat the ones we used the skin for...waste not, want not."

Vydea, 11:32 PM

That's not so bad then.