x![Image](https://i.imgur.com/oOMF6dE.png)
x
Aierford blinked and looked up in surprise from the kill he was untying
from his belt. "what?" he blurted, and inwardly flinched- that sounded
ruder than intended.
"I asked- what are you doing in these parts?" the woman on the porch of
the tavern huffed and blew a curled lock out of her face. the arid desert
air beat upon the two as the sun began to set- "work," Aier replied, curtly.
the woman didn't seem to get the hint- or maybe she did, and didn't
care. the second option was seeming more likely. "what do you even do
that ends you up in Deadland?" Aeir's annoyed grimace turned to a
poker-face. did she seriously not see the massive sword strapped to his
back? the wagon full of supplies and surrounded by a jostling crew?
"mercenary work."
her eyes lit up in satisfaction- not surprise. it seems she just wanted
to make small-talk. "that's about what i thought- no one ever comes
past this town lest they're seeking something." Aierford nodded and
turned back to strapping down his bounty.
"so? what does it entail?"
"i'm sorry?"
"mercenary work. i assume it's more than just killin' crooks and hissing
at tavern owners."
ah. so she was the owner. damn, so much for asking for that group
room discount.
"are you normally this chatty with guests? someone might deck you for
too many
questions."
"are you shaming me for trying to find someone to talk to in this ghost
town?"
she had a point- everyone he'd seen so far was so old they were
practically grave shopping. toothless, deaf, senile or a combo of the
three. certainly not the ideal conversation partner.
"we travel. we kill for coin, defend for coin."
"i could have guessed that much. i mean normal stuff."
Aier blinked. normal? what did she even mean by that? the owner must
have picked up the confusion from his face alone.
"i mean like what you eat ! how y'all clothe yourselves. chores. y'know.
stuff that's benign to most people."
"why do you even want to know? seems like useless information."
"because those are the the only things from your line of work that i don't
hear from drunks telling tall tales."
Aierford sighed, he's lost. if telling her how he tied his boots would quiet
this persistent tavernkeep, so be it. he could hear his crew laughing at
his clear discomfort- they knew he was a leader out of necessity, not
because he enjoyed talking with people.
"we travel in our wagon."
"uh huh."
"by that i mean our supplies does- we stop at outcroppings to camp."
Aeir glanced at the keep, she nodded for him to continue.
" we polish swords, oil glocks- forage for herbs. we have a few medics
on hand."
he sighed exasperatedly- "look, Ms. - ?"
"Fletcher. My name is Fletcher."
"Can I just have a drink now, please?"
She laughed, "I suppose so- you've entertained me for so long. i'll ask
your friends about the rest."
[500/500]
┌───────────────────┐│
│
│
│
│
│
xx x x x x
✦
bull ─ sentimental_androidx │
│
│
│
│
│└───────────────────┘
![Image](https://i.imgur.com/LfTa07q.png)
┌───────────────────┐│
│└───────────────────┘
┌───────────────────┐│
│
│
│└───────────────────┘
┌───────────────────┐│
│
│
│
│
│
│
│
└───────────────────┘
┌───────────────────┐│
│
│
│└───────────────────┘
┌───────────────────┐│
│
└───────────────────┘