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Cordell takes a slow, savoring sip of his wine. He closes his eyes and lets the liquid slowly leak downwards across his tongue. Finally he swallows and lets out a contented sigh. Without opening his eyes he thinks out loud,'I wonder if this is good wine, or if it has just been so long since I have had good wine that I cannot tell the difference.'
Aemon grunts absently. "Mediocre. It's not like any of the really good Saldaean reds, but it's not trash." He glances up after paring off a microscopically thin shaving of one fingernail. "Where have you been getting your wine, lately?" His curiosity looks slightly piqued. "The Bowl?"
Claudia enters into the Inn followed by two heavily armed guards. She glances around coldly, casually before making her way to a table in the back corner.
Andruq strides into the inn, the black cloak shrouding all of his features except for his mouth and chin. His mouth turns upwards into a grin as he glances about and sees Claudia. He walks over to her, the grin still on the exposed part of his face.
Rhyne walks down the stairs slowly, her emerald eyes glance about the room as she takes the last step. She walks over to a table and sits down yawning slightly.
Grahndor enters the inn, a dark cloak covering his clothing. He moves over to the south corner of the room and sits back in a chair scanning the room. Calling a maid over he orders a mug of ale
Cordell shudders in disgust. He opens his dark blue eyes and peers across his goblet at Aemon,'I have been roaming this entire city looking for decent wine. I certainly found none when I was in the Bowl....' His eyes flick to the door as his voice trails off. He takes in and dismisses the two guards before taking a careful, examining look at the Inquisitor. An unconscious hum escapes his lips for a moment, then he sighs, shakes his head sadly and mutters,'A shame,' before turning back to Aemon.
Na'kar strides slowly through the doorway as if he's levitating through the air. The Black cloak covering his under garments, the enveloping hood shrouding his facial features. As he gets about four paces into the inn, he stops abruptly, as if he's watching Claudia and Andruq out of the corner of his eye.
The corner of Aemon's mouth quirks up in the barest of grins at his companion. "Isn't it?" he continues, "They really do have some decent wines here, though... but you have to know who to ask..." He trails off, and turns back to trimming his nails, flashing the briefest of glances towards Claudia as he does.
Andruq nods at the woman Whitecloak, the grin lingering on his face. "Light illumine, Whitecloak," he says mockingly as he pulls out a chair from the table and seats himself. "How goes? Torture any innocent civilians today?" The sword he carries is now clearly visible as his cloak parts open as he sits.
Rhyne stops a serving maid as she passes, whispering something to the serving maid she quickly scurries off. Rhyne's emerald eyes move over to Andruq and Claudia curiously.
Grahndor looks up as Na'kar enters and then turns his head slightly to watch Andruq. When the maid drops off his mug of ale he places some coins in her hand and takes a quick sip of his ale, he leans back in his chair watching the room with an intense gaze but spending most of his attention on Andruq and Claudia
Claudia smirks slightly and says coldly, 'Light Illumine, Darkfriend......I mean I presume you are a darkfriend. Only a darkfriend would call me a whitecloak.' She snaps her fingers twice quickly and the guards step forward saying with sneers, 'The Lord Inquisitor didn't invite you to sit down, filth.
Lor enters the Queen's Blessing and shuts the door behind her quickly. She runs a hand through her curls, now unbraided, and yawns. Looking around, she gives a start, as though just realizing all the people in the room. Glancing around nervously, her flitting gaze rests on Cordell and she quickly glides to his table.
Cordell takes another sip from his goblet, leaning forward and causing a soft thump as the front legs of his chair return to the floor. He swallows and sets his goblet down, gaze moving again to the Inquisitress. He licks the red liquid from his lips and without looking away from Claudia and Andruq he says in a distracted tone,'I really need to find out who to ask, then.' As Lor seats herself beside him, he finally breaks his gaze from the possible conflict to flash one of his better smiles at Lor,'Good evening, mi'lady fair.'
Aemon watches yet another Whitecloak turn immediately to intimidation, out of the corner of his eye. "I wonder... anything good coming out of Amadicia these days?" He asks Cordell, without looking up from his fingers. He wrinkles his nose at a particularly stubborn nail.
Andruq snickers, his shoulders shaking slightly. "Filth, am I?" he says in that mocking tone. "You Whitecloaks think so highly of yourselves." He pauses to sigh at the guards loudly. "I don't want to kill anyone today. I really didn't." He seizes Saidin and weaves two needle-thin darts of air that he sends flying at the guards' groins.
Grahndor grins as he watches the Whitecloaks try and intimidate another person, leaning back in his chair. His grin becomes pasted in place as he feels Saidin being grasped and wielded from the man in the enveloping cloak
Lor smiles distractedly to Cordell and nods to Aemon. "Evening, good sirs." She leans closer to him and asks quietly "What's going on?" tilting her head in the direction of the Whitecloaks.
Claudia's guards glare coldly at the man (Andruq) and Claudia begins to stand smoothly. She starts to speak when she notes her guards odd looks. They look down at their groins curiously (metal cups :P) then begin to unsheathe their swords. "DARKFRIEND"
Cordell reaches over and attempts to take Lor's hand in his own as he nods in the direction of the Whitecloaks. He leans in towards her slightly and whispers to her,'Just follow my lead. If I make any sudden movements, just make sure to get behind me.'
Andruq sighs as he wraps the guards' swords in air and tugs hard on them, attempting to pull them out of their hands. At the same time, he wraps Claudia in rigid flows of air, preventing any movement. "That," he says in a menacing tone, "was a mistake, Whitecloak."
Grahndor stands and peers intently at Andruq.
The cloaked figure begins to shift impatiently as he watches Andruq Preform. Suddenly the figure begins to shake uncontrollably, as if on the brink of snapping. "Y-Y-YOU!...." The figure shouts menacingly as he looks at the Whitecloak, for no apparent reason it seems. Saidin rips into his grasp, slowly drawing the power, increasing his power significantly. He looks at the other occupants of the inn. "The-they wi-will see...what the fool dragon has done to them YESs...They will...." He proceeds to weave Fire and earth, spinning them furiously into a lance. "ANother of the burned ones..." He looks at Grahndor suspiciously, mumbling, "You must die.. the light Deems it so!!...." The lance approaches Grahndor quickly, closing in. (Na'kar)
Aemon mutters, "Well that blows it." He looks over at Cordell just as Na'kar starts to rant, and a question dies on his lips as he sees the cloaked man. Without a word of warning, he drops out of his chair, throwing the table up in front of him and his company. A moment later, the tablecloth is yanked backwards behind the makeshift barrier.
Claudia blinks in surprise and her guards go white with rage. They try to hold on to their swords in vain and Claudia continues to try to move. She glares at Andruq and says coldly, 'I will have your head for this, Darkfriend!' then spits at him. She starts to continue when Na'kar's drama unfolds and screams at her guards, 'Do something you idiots!'
Andruq raises out of the chair, his mouth grinning widely. "They can't do anything, Whitecloak," he says as he raises his sword at one of the guards' neck. "They can't." A flame leaps from the tip of the blade and immediately, he turns to face the other guard, his grin turning into a vicious sneer.
Grahndor ducks to the side and runs towards the door.
Cordell acts without thinking as Aemon flips up the table, ducking behind the barrier with his companion, while attempting to drag Lor down out of harm's way, as well. From behind the barrier can be heard a long and inventive string of cursing in a very Cairhienin accent.
Aemon , who is now out of sight behind the overturned table, takes the wadded tablecloth in his hands and grabs up two goblets littering the floor. Quickly, he makes two crude knots, attaching corners of the cloth to both of the heavy goblets. He glances over at Cordell, and past him, at Lor. "Ready to make a break? Or shall we try and sit it out?"
Claudia's guard Charles growls and winces in pain, fighting the urge to scream out. Claudia looks over at her guard and blinks, muttering something. Her gaze moves back to Andruq and says coldly, 'Exactly what is it you want, Darkfriend? You think you'll get away with executing three Children of the Light in public? My comrades will have your intestines for lunch and make you watch them eat them as you die, you filth!'
Cordell frowns over at Aemon and halts his cursing mid-syllable. He squeezes Lor's hand and whispers sharply to Aemon as the Table erupts into flame,'We find another inn, of course.' Raising his voice sharply he calls out,'No, wood is inflammable. There is no such word as flammable.' Then he lurches to his feet and springs to toward the hallway to the east, dragging a stunned Lor along behind him.
Aemon pops up at the exact same moment, his legs bunching to hurl him across the space towards the kitchen doorway. As he leaps, he hurls his modified tablecloth, which fans out broadly as it flies towards Na'kar, interfering with the madman's view of the northeast corner of the room.
Andruq turns his gaze and sneer on Claudia. "Execute? You?" he says in mocking disbelief. "Of course not, Whitecloak. There are other plans for you. Your guards, however..." He trails off to glance at the other guard. "Well... They are expendable." He leaps up onto the table, then off the other side near the woman. "It's time to go." He lifts her up with the flows up air and weaves a skein of pure spirit that he stabs into the pattern, creating a Gateway.
Naled walks in quietly, the door swinging open only for a moment before Naled walks in, the two pins gleaming on his collar as he catches some of the light there. He takes a short step forwards and stops, spreading his arms on his chest for a moment as he observes the scene, his brow furrowed and eyes narrowly observing the people.
Claudia spits at Andruq once more as he jumps over the table towards her. She glares coldly at him then suddenly tries to struggle harder as she is lifted into the air and the slit appears. She screams out angrily, 'You will not get away with this!!'
"I'll enflame this place into Bloody Ashes!!! WHat An excellent pla...No...get in..get out..." He turns back to Andruq, who is directly near him, mumbling, "I guess so..." He falls back from what he was doing and makes his move towards the gateway. As Claudia struggles to get through, Na'kar makes his way into the gateway, awaiting the arrival of their late prisoner..
Andruq peers at Claudia as he moves her into the Gate. He starts to chuckle, then notices a new arrival at the door, a man in a black coat and two shiny pins at the collar. Cursing, he spins a few flows of fire and earth into a lance and splits them into four separate weaves, each of which he sends speeding towards the Asha'man. He then quickly dashes towards the Gate, the cape of his cloak trailing behind him, exposing the sword pin attached to his coat's collar.
Naled steps forwards, feeling the beckoning of Saidin as so much is being held, he embraces it after a moment, the menacing aura quite strong, as he notes the flows moving towards them, he draws his hand across him as if he were drawing a cloak, and a skein of air drops in front of him, deflecting the lance rather effectively, even if Naled does curse behind his make-shift shield. After dissipating the lance he drops his hand, and with it the shield. As the two move towards the gate he takes steps towards the gate, but probably only two before the men disappear.
Naled lets the frown show on his face as the two enter the gate and disappear. He mutters loudly, "Blood and ashes, of all the light blasted trolloc loving..." And he reaches out with his hand, sending a dart of air through a nearby table, uprooting it and setting it on its side out of frustration....."Blood and ASHES" He says as he sets his hands at his hips.
Cordell pushes the door open with his left hand and stalks into the common room, right arm cradled against his side. His hair is uncharacteristically mussed and a smudge of soot stains the middle of his forehead. Amazingly, his clothing seems untouched by the altercation. He spots Aemon and heads on over, seating himself with a tired sigh.
Aemon grins at Cordell, a bit wild around the corners of the eyes. "Nice to have a little entertainment around here..." He says, by way of a preamble. He rests one hand on top of his scabbarded sword, and pulls it towards him across the table, into easy drawing range. "Wasn't it?"
Cordell peers disbelievingly at Aemon for a moment, then raises his left hand to get a serving girl's attention. When she looks his way, he calls out,'Brandy, please. Preferably, good, but as long as it is strong I will not complain.' Turning back to Aemon, he says,'I like excitement as much as the next man.' A look of frustration verging on tearful rage crosses his face and he adds,'But that was the first decent bottle of wine I had found in over a week!'
Aemon tilts back his head and crows with unrestrained laughter. "Oh my, I guess I'll have to do something about that." He kicks back his chair, rising to his feet. He grabs his sword, winks, and says, "I'll go see what I can have them dig up... Just a moment."
Cordell's face brightens abruptly,'That would be very much appreciated.' He leans back in his chair and begins to prod at his right shoulder with his left index finger, occasionally wincing, as if he is trying to determine the extent of the injury while he awaits Aemon's return.
Aemon saunters off towards the door to the kitchens, with a spring in his step. He pushes his way through the swinging door, and disappears from sight.
Cordell winces again and rolls his shoulder, a pained expression on his face. Finally, satisfied that it still mostly works, he hugs it back to his side and glances around the room, casually studying the other occupants.
After a few moments, Aemon makes his way back from the kitchen, that familiar bounce in his stride. "Ah, its been a good evening..." he slides into a chair opposite Cordell, in the extreme corner of the room. "Apparently it's going to be a good evening for you, too, because the other day the Innkeep picked up a nice bottle of a particularly nice old vintage from Aringill..." He quirks his mouth into an overly self-satisfied grin.
Cordell grins and licks his lips in anticipation,'That sounds wonderful. More good news is that I do not think I broke anything, just badly bruised.' His brow suddenly furrows in thought. Just as suddenly his face splits into a mischievous grin,'I think I remember my new companion mentioning something about being some kind of Wisdom or Reader or something. Maybe I am hurt worse than I thought?'
A mischievous smirk hovers about Aemon's lips. "That may well be. Often I find that things are much worse, after the heat of the moment is past." He clears his throat, and his face straightens into a bland mask. "You'd better take it easy for a few days... moderately easy, that is. A little bit of exertion never hurt the healing process."
Cordell raises his left hand and snaps his fingers. In a tone of mock disappointment, he says,'I will have to put off my trip for a little while, it seems.' He shakes his head adds,'The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.' The mock sadness fades, quickly replaced by a broad smile,'I cannot complain when the Wheel conspires to give me some rest and relaxation. Rather nice of it to arrange a nurse for me, too.'
Aemon chuckles. "The Wheel is considerate of us Hunters." He leans back in his chair, and happening to glance over Cordell's shoulder. "As it has just proven, by placing into our hands this bottle of wine..." He grins, as a serving maid arrives with an antiquated bottle of wine, and two recently polished glasses. "The bounty of the Creator never ceases to amaze me."
Cordell eyes the bottle with an impressed look on his face. He says in an almost reverent tone,'Yes, we are definitely blessed this night. Shall you pour or shall I?'
Aemon pushes his sword out of the way, giving the maid room to deposit the wine. "You pour...and drink first." He flashes his teeth. "That way, if its gone to vinegar, I'll know in time to order a salad."
Cordell waits for the serving girl to uncork the bottle, then favors her with a quick wink,'Thank you.' He picks up the bottle in his left hand and begins to pour very carefully. His brow wrinkles in concentration as he fills the two glasses. He manages not to spill any, but the neck of the bottle tinks against the glasses a few times, demonstrating that he is very right handed. He sets the bottle aside with a triumphant grin and lifts the glass. He swirls it around in the glass for a moment, seemingly fascinated with the red liquid, then he takes a small sip. He licks his lips and breaks into a broad smile,'I am tempted to claim it has turned to vinegar to keep it all to myself.'
Aemon grins. "I would have insisted on drinking it anyway. Even good wine gone bad is better than water." He flashes Cordell a grin, and then turns his attention to his glass, raising it to his lips with an anticipatory gleam in his eye. He swirls it once, slowly, and then tips back his head, taking a short sip. He sighs, almost but not quite closing his eyes. "That is definitely not vinegar..."
Cordell shudders visibly at the mention of water and takes a quick gulp of the wine as if washing a bad taste from his mouth. He sets the glass down and nods,'I will not even mention that vile substance for fear of contaminating this good wine.'
Aemon chuckles. "Water...water..." He frowns. "People drink that?" He raises the glass to his lips and takes another delicate sip.
Thinking quickly, Cordell tries to divert the conversation from that horrible liquid,'Was that some of this al'Thor's madmen that stole the 'cloak back at the Blessing?'
Aemon suddenly sobers, his expression turning almost serious, a bare curve of his lip all that remains of his previous good humor. "Feel like getting involved in a little trouble, my man?" He asks Cordell in a low voice.
Cordell arches an eyebrow questioningly,'Trouble?' He purses his lips in thought for a long moment, then adds,'I can't fight it. I am always interested in trouble. I think it will be a few days before I will be of any use, though. Unless the trouble only requires wits.'
Aemon smiles, rolls his shoulders and spreads his hands in a broad gesture. "Mostly I just need someone to watch my back for a few days." He glances around the room, carefully maintaining a casual air. "I'm doing something a little, ahhh.. y'know. Iffy."
Cordell nods slowly and lowers his voice,'Well, my eyes are fine. Not sure I'll be much good if I do spot anything, but I can watch.. maybe even slow down anything coming from your blind side. What you have in mind?'
Aemon grunts. "That madman at the Blessing just now..." He grins, the expression totally contrary to his tone of voice, "...I recognized him."
Cordell picks up his glass and empties it in one gulp. He eyes Aemon askance,'You know that thing and admit to it? Well, at least you can spot and avoid him a little. But you are not telling me everything. What do you plan to do about it.' He reaches for the bottle and carefully refills his glass while saying,'And I am not entirely ruling out leaving town.'
Aemon toys casually with the stem of his own nearly full glass. "I don't know... It's a bit tricky, you see. He's the same one who did for Tellanin, I think." His eyes seem to roam casually about the room as he speaks, "And I think he's got friends among al'Thor's trained thugs." He flashes another brilliant smile, as though at a joke. "You still want to play?"
Cordell shakes his head slightly,'I don't know...' His voice trails off and he seems to slip into deep thought. Very slowly a grin begins to work it's way back onto his face. He shakes his head again as if trying to shake loose some undesirable thought. The grin flickers, but each time it comes back on, it is a little wider. Finally he nods and says in a low, but excited tone,'We are most likely going to die messing with them, but if we win... imagine the stories they'll tell of us!'
Aemon smirks. "Exactly." He continues to scan the room, but leans forward slightly, and begins in a low tone, "Here's my plan..."
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