RP with @Fraust

"Well… depending," Aesir sighed, "Because I might be able go get whoever it is to stop and make any necessary reparations. But I don't know if the quest giver would be alright with that. It's up to you guys. We can look into it more, but if things look troublesome, we can back out."
"You're intent on protecting them?" Castor asked, "I thought you'd kind of abandoned that life."
"There's an understanding," Aesir replied, "A kinship, of sorts. People steal for all sorts of different reasons, but for many- at least those independent of guilds- it's usually out of necessity."

"Fair enough," Aesir replied, "Hopefully, it won't be a hassle, and we can get it done."
Castor tilted his head. "And if not? Got anything else in there?"

Castor skimmed the papers.
"I see. I'll look at the rest later, if things don't work out here," he said, "We should get on that, then."
Aesir agreed, emptying their mug.
"Yup. I'm ready whenever you lot are."

"I think we can manage between me and Nich here," Aesir replied, "Let me see that location once more?"
Castor stood up with a slight groan. He pressed a hand to his side and massaged around the wound gently.
(Thief perhaps new character? 👀👀👀 Just not a rogue archetype thief)

(Yeah! I'll have to think a bit, but I'll probably have them figured out tomorrow. Probably some sort of magic user though)
"We need to get some stuff signed off, actually," Castor said, "While we're at it, we might as well pick up the reward."
Aesir finished looking over the paper as well. "Yeah, and this trip should be fine. Like he said, it's not too horribly far. It makes an almost perfect triangle between here and the school."

"Well, it's never really too late. We have people of all ages taking classes there, although it is mostly younger adventurers," Aesir explained, "You can always get someone to sponsor you, too. I didn't have the money, so that's what happened to me."

Castor nodded. "Same here. After working with some of the right people, they recommended the school to me and helped me pay my way."

"Speaking of which, why are you guys here?" Aesir asked, "What pushed you to make the decision? I came because I thought it could maybe help me do something with my life besides thieving for a living. And since I was able to get a sponsorship, money ended up working out. Actually… the person who gave me the sponsorship lives here."

Castor shrugged. "Well, I basically explained it already. I accepted the financial help because I wanted to grow stronger, so I can take on harder contracts when others can't. I want to be able to protect people."

"No one was gonna question how you got the money 'til you brought it up," Aesir laughed, "That said, I know better than to press on it."
Castor gave a halfhearted smile in response

"Yeah, yeah," Aesir sighed, "Let's collect that pay, get our papers signed off-"
They got up and walked ahead of the others before giving a little wave to the barkeep.
"Thanks for everything!"

Castor got up from his spot, letting out a deep breath as a stitch of pain lanced up his side. He would be fine to travel, probably, but it sure kept him quiet.

"Right. We can always use some of the money from this quest to fund accommodations for the next one, too," Aesir suggested, "Free inn rooms are better, but we should have the means anyhow."

Castor let out a deep sigh. "Sure, but could we maybe… not room together this time? You and me?"
Aesir frowned and gave a little shrug. "If you have a problem, you can say that straight out, y'know."

"It seems wasteful to all go separately," Aesir sighed, "And to clarify, I was literally just reading until I fell asleep. I'm not really sure what his problem is unless it's just my presence that gets on his nerves."
Castor glanced at his feet. "Maybe I just shouldn't have said-"
"I don't really give a damn. My feelings aren't hurt. I'm not for everyone, and I'm well aware of that? And have I maybe struck a nerve with you a few times? Yeah. But getting all huffy about it has helped exactly none of us. To be fair, I don't know you all that well. I don't know what makes you tick."

"That- that's fine," Castor sighed under his breath, shoving a hand in his pocket.
Aesir shrugged. "Also fine with me. We could set up a bedroll on the couch, and it'll be comfortable enough."
They took the head of the group, trying to steer them back towards the farmhouse so they could get their pay and their forms signed.

Aesir turned their head back to chat with the others, and Castor held up the rear again, staying pretty quiet. He didn't feel nearly as bad as before, but something about getting hurt in battle made him want to close off again. They all seemed to get along so well, but he had to cause problems. Maybe if Aesir would just keep their damn mouth shut-
"So, Nich," Aesir said, twirling a dagger in their hand, "D'ya know Bud the Violent? The half-orc who runs that bakery in town? He apparently was an adventurer for a while. Attended the academy at some point. I wonder why he didn't help out with the gnoll situation."

"Well, upon further thought, I guess if he didn't have the backup, it would've been nearly impossible. He's a bard like Finn," Aesir explained, "More of a healer than a fighter."
Castor finally spoke up from the back. "A… half-orc who's a bard… and runs a bakery? That's almost unheard of. Most of the orcs at the academy are fighters or something like that. Maybe learn a handful of healing spells or wards for tight situations."
"Well, yes. But that's because orcs have larger statures than most of the rest of us, giving them the edge in fighting. They also on average have a lower affinity for magic. But that doesn't mean they can't do those things. It's just a lot of them have to work twice as hard. Actually, my half-orc half-brother is a sorcerer. Bud's not the only of his kind."
"Aesir, with all due respect, you always sound like you're fucking lying."
Aesir threw their head back and laughed. "Right? I wish I had the imagination to make this shit up."

"I'm sure he had his reasons," Aesir said with a shrug, "And it sounds like a name he may have picked up if he ever lived in an orc stronghold- maybe it's even his given name. But who knows?"
Castor went back to keeping to himself. It was a shame he couldn't really find common ground with the others, when even Nich and Aesir, who had never met before, seemed to be hitting it off.