Grid: J-10
Location: Orion, a tavern near Millennial Park
Lord_Of_The_LEGO wrote:Thomas fumbled for words and then began to tell a halting tale on how he had Sir Dractor had met. Meanwhile, Adrian and Hans had scooted over onto the wooden bench next to Sir Dractor and hailed the waitress.
"So your parents were adventurers?" said Cate. "That's really interesting. Where was your father from?"
"He was a Dark Forester," said Thomas. "He served with Fallmir Kath for a while, before he met Mother."
"Whatever caused them to meet?" said Cate, bending over very interested, not even noticing as the attendant brought them food and drink.
"Father had just left the royal forces, and had travelled to Port Crowne, looking for a sword of all things," said Thomas. "It was to be a present for King Kath's jubilee, from his old regiment. He met Mother in Grandfather's smithy.
"It's funny," said Thomas, "Grandfather never really said what happened from there on. They were married in a year, and I was born there soon after. Grandfather never said why they wandered off the way they did, but when he retired it was to Father's hometown of Hemmerington. I was only a couple years old then."
Cate saw that Thomas was starting to get a little melancholy, and diverted the conversation to other topics. One included dressware for the Ball.
"Yeah, I've been to the tailor," said Thomas. "Bjarn made us." Bjarn laughed, and took a break from giving Adrian a fencing tip.
"You bet I did!" he said. "If I have to suffer those gilded robes, then the rest of the Forestman contingent is doing the same- unless they want to hand their invitations in."
"I almost wouldn't mind," said Sir Dractor. "I've got pretty much what I came for, thanks to Hans here."
"You abandon me now, and I'll have to excommunicate you, old friend," said Bjarn, half-serious.
"Since I'm not one of your subjects, that won't be so easy," laughed Sir Dractor.
Conversation took another nose dive, and some time later it came out again with the revelation that Hans and his friends had invitations.
Lord_Of_The_LEGO wrote:“Cool.” nodded Hans, “We’ll be able to see them, too…”
Bjarn raised his eyebrow.
“You’re attending the Emperor’s Ball?”
“We all are!” piped in Cate, breaking off her conversation with Thomas for a moment, “Hans, Adrian and me!”
“They’ve acquired tickets.” Sir Dractor inform Bjarn, nodding wisely with a twinkle in his eye, “How they managed that, I don’t know…”
As the younger ones continued to laugh, ("Then I won't be completely alone," Thomas was saying), Sir Dractor turned to Bjarn in a lower voice.
"Don't look now," he said, "but there's a couple of tough-looking types over by the bar. One looks like a Fright Knight, although I don't know that faction too well, the other could be a Bull, but he doesn't quite match the style of Barbod's men- either from the Resistance or from Bull Isle."
"Are they doing anything threatening?" asked Bjarn. "Otherwise don't worry. There's a lot of strange people in town for this ball."
"True enough," nodded Sir Dractor. "Those despondent knights down the bar being an excellent example. They look like they lost their best friend."
"They may have," said Bjarn. "Who knows? By the way, before I forget, how did looking over those notes Hans made go?"
"Not too good, not too bad," said Sir Dractor. "Most of the swords were eliminated either due to loss, destruction, or current ownership. I think I have four left that I can investigate."
Bjarn shook his head.
"My friend, you really ought to just go to the armoury and take whatever first comes your way."
"I have nothing better to do in Dametreos right now," said Sir Dractor. "I may as well indulge my tastes."