Shadul took it. She had a strong grip, and she certainly didn’t take any measures to hide it. “Alright. Caspian.”
The Fat King Tavern and Inn // CLOSED
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Caspian pulled up her legs so she was sitting criss-cross in her seat. "And what's your name? I couldn't find a name on the flyer. You should probably re-do your advertisement. It wasn't very informative."
“What can I say? I’m no writer, and it gets the point across well enough. My name is Shadul Hagu.” She gave her a smile, although the orc tusks made it a tad bit difficult to perceive as something other than a snarl or grimace.
“Uh, and I’m Mylin,” she muttered after their host, her words rushed and shaky. Curses, she sounded nervous! “It’s nice to meet you, Caspian,” Mylin said with a shy smile.
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Caspian clasped her hands together excitedly. "It's so nice to meet you both too! I'm so glad that my first job has such nice people like you two!"
She nodded. “Of course, of course. Caspian, you said you aren’t from here. Do you have a place to stay for your time here?”
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"Well…I did find a nice little tree on the way here. The branches looked really comfortable…" She trailed off, placing her hands on the table. "But I think a bird already had a nest up there. I don't want to disturb it."
“Tree. Right. Affordable as the Fat King gets, it stills runs expensive on nights like these, and it’s hard to get a room. If you’re looking for a place, I have an extra bed. Well, mat, I suppose, but.. beats sleepin’ in a damn swamp tree.”
“I have an extra bed in my room here,” Mylin offered. “Employee benefits and all. But whatever you want to do is fine! I think a tree is an admirable choice.” Oh gods, she was the worst! Myrin never really had a chance to make friends, and here she was, looking incredibly weird and awkward.
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"It would be nice to sleep indoors for once." Caspian muttered mostly to herself. "Sure, a bed sounds nice. But just so you know, swamp moss is very soft. It makes for a great pillow."
“I’m sure it does. The outdoors provide a lot if one pays attention,” Mylin said wistfully. “I would not be averse to bringing some moss into my room, just so you know,” she added quickly, playing with the stray hairs from her bun.
“Soft, but it stinks.” Shadul wrinkled her nose. “You have your pick, I won’t be offended at whatever you choose. Except the tree. Choose the tree, and I might be offended that you think it’s better than one of our homes.”
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Caspian reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a small, fresh clump of moss she had collected on the way to the tavern. Now that Shadul had pointed it out, she was starting to notice the smell. She held the moss out to Mylin. "You can have this if you want."
Mylin smiled. “Aw, thank you! I’ve never really gotten a gift from anyone before,” she admitted. She tucked the moss inside a pocket of her knapsack, not caring about the smell. Was this what having friends felt like? Mylin shook her head. She had to be prepared to move on, so she couldn’t afford to start liking these people. She schooled her features back into neutrality.
“Never? That’s sad.” She tilted her head, curious now about Mylin’s story. “Why do you keep making your expression so.. neutral? You’re among friends now.”
“I- it’s difficult, for me to stay anywhere for long,” Mylin tried to explain. “It’s in my blood. Gotta keep moving, or something bad always happens. Always.”
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Mylin's explanation sounded familiar to Caspian. She had never stayed anywhere too long, afraid that the past would catch up with her. Caspian just nodded silently, fidgeting with one of her necklaces.
“Sure, sure.” Shadul’s tone was almost reminiscent of a mother’s. “If you’re uncomfortable explaining this, you don’t have to.”
“You’re probably right. Thank you.” Mylin was very grateful for a way out of that conversation. It was not going to be a very comfortable one, to say the least. She was on the run more than just literally, avoiding difficult topics as much as possible wherever she went. It was easier to ignore her issues than face them.
“But don’t expect to be able to ignore them forever.” Her tone was blunt, yet caring. “I’m saying this as someone who already cares about you- and who can relate to the shred you’ve told us- you can’t run from yourself like that. You have to face it one day.”
Mylin looked away, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. How had this woman who’d known her for so short a time already figured her out? Was Mylin that obvious? “All I can do is run. There’s nothing else for me.” Her voice broke on the last word, quivering from the fear of being understood.
“At the bare minimum, you have your guild now, and to be frank, I know for a fact that I won’t let one of our members just run away. You’re in a family.” Shadul took another sip of her drink, looking around the tavern. “What you feel isn’t uncommon. I can guarantee that at least half the people that join these guilds feel the same way.”
“That’s nice to know.” A small smile began to find its place on Mylin’s lips. “Guilds are kinda a new thing for me, and it’s good that I can rely on you guys to watch my back.“ She paused. “But I’m always gonna need the option to cut and run. I’m a coward, plain and simple,” she explained with a sigh, scratching little circles into the worn table.
“Of course.” She nodded, glancing at the table. “Are these knife marks? Or teeth? Can you tell?” Shadul pointed to a cluster of long and deep scrapes on the wooden surface.
“Could be either. This is a place with a penchant for fights, as I’m sure you know.” Mylin ran her finger along the grooves. “Seem more like teeth to me, though. The way they’re clustered, with consistent distance and relative deepness?” She tried to backtrack, afraid of looking like a know it all. “That’s just my opinion though. No expert here.”
“Alright, so next question? Was it a detached jawbone or did someone just get fucking slammed? I think someone’s open mouth got slammed. Look at how close it is to the edge of the table. Easily far enough to be someone’s top jaw.” She thought for a moment. “It wouldn’t even make sense to waste a bottom jaw like that, everybody knows you harvest the teeth and keep the rest for broth.”
“Uh, yeah, everybody knows that.” Myrin shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “What do you do for a job?” she asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Oh! I’m a skullmonger. Every week, I go out into the market with my big basket of skulls. I sell all kinds. Best sellers are human. I don’t ask why.” She shrugged. “None of my business. I’m just there to collect their coin and go home.”
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Caspian watched as the two spoke about the marks on the table. She hadn't even noticed them until they were pointed out. Caspian wasn't one to inspect small details or want to figure out why things happened. She just kind of accepted the fact that things happened, and usually didn't care why.
“Ah, that’s… interesting. Sounds lovely.” Myrin did not want to dwell on where Shadul got her skulls, so she pushed that fact to the dusty little corner of her head that she didn’t let herself explore. “I assume that’s why you know a lot about damage done by skulls?”