Finally back to regular posts ...

Here's today's offering! I need to have a prolific day on Friday, but at least I have no school that day!

Suddenly, the sword slid itself into the scabbard withough Man’s direction, startling him. Somewhow, the enlarged point of the sword went smoothly into the smaller channel of the cabbard, without cutting into its edges as he thougt it should. He could feel a an aura of smugness emanating from the sword somehow as it slid home. “Thought it wouldn’t work, ejh, boy? I’l have you know that not aonly am ­I a magical weapon, but even my accessories are magical! There’s no way I would allow my majectic ans unizue shape to be oscured by an ungainsly conker of a scabbard!” it muttered firther about the unsightliness of a scabbard that obscured one’s particular beauty as Main shrugged and strapped the scabbard to its his belt with the starps that were attached to it. He turned to the Librarian and said, “let’s go. Those party members won’t find themselves!”

CHAPTER 7
>in which Main finds his party members, gets a room, and has dinner. It is good.<

Main and the Librarian went into town, Main looking around nervoiusly for the creepy herb wivefe who had drugged him earlier (he was afraid hshe was going to cathch him and drug him again in the belief that any more movement would kill him, whi ch at the moment he wanstn’ so far from believing), and th e Librarian looking at him lovingly, wondering why hae was quite so nervous looking. She hoiped it wasn’t her.

She led him to the Three Daggesr and a Mace first, as it was the choice tabern of many an adventuring party as the beer was good, the rooms cheap and the women of questionable virtue numerous and flirtationus. As she approached the tavern actually it was Main who approached the innkeeper, winking covertly at a few blowsy women inb the hope that they would notice and the Librarian wouldn’t, as the Librarian herself waited in the common room, sconsidering buying some food to eat on the way, as she had not eaten that day. She was not igiven thae chance, however, bedcause main’s covnversiaton with the innkeeper went somewhere along these lines:

“so … have you have any ew travelers lately?”

“deoends on what’s asking.”
Coins clink into the man’s hand. “three silver is asking.”

They clink some more as the innkeeper hsakes hisn hand thoughtfully. “names? Appearance?”

“pale man, kind of creepy? Flirtations elf woman? Confused looking guy? Muscle bound idiont with almost no hair? Elf iwith a lute and al lotof eagerness? Disgusted looking guy? Any of these ringing a bell?”

He frowned, then pocketed the coins. “Nope. Sorru. No dice.”

Main frowned back, unhappy at the prospect of losin tthree silver to a hopless cause, but turned anyway justa a s the Librarian was about to hail wone of the serving girls, who looked like they moonlighted as the lblowsy ladies currently hanging three to a man, and garabbed her elbow again, towing her out tof the tavern. “that was a dead end,” he said curtley, disabppointed at having lost his three isilver, “what’s the next one?”

The Librarian took him next to the next most expensicve inn in the town, the King’s Kneecaps. This inn had wine in addition to its excellent beer, and rather fewer rflirtations women clogging the inn roon. However, main had as little success in this inn has in the last one, and again lost three silver (this time it cost him an additional copper) and toewed the Librarian out before she managed to get any food.

When they reached the last remaining inn in the town, the Fox and the Curiously Shaped Button, they didn’t need to bribe the innkeeper, much to Main’s relief; however, he wa less relieve to find out that his praty appaerently thought seducing the local maen in droves, being drunk before noon, annoying the local populace, fighintg in bars, skulking in dark corners, and glowering while yuelling for tea were acceptanble behaviousr for a an adbventring party on an off day. Main first dealt with Polo, who was at that o=point nursing a black eye after being tossed onto the bar by a man twice his size, but by upending a cup of water over his face. He slputtered, and shook his head, the maddened look on his face dissipating wuickly. Polo looked at Main regretfully, saiying, “I was fighting, wasn’t I?”

Maim looked at him sardonically and said, “Yes. Yes, you were.” Polo looked dwon at his toes, mumbling something about regrets. Main left it at that and went off to try and stop Charlie from drinking himself unconscious. He decided to calle the oeffort a dubious victory when he conviced Charlie that a nap would really be great right noew. He wasn’t even close to as successful with Someone – ihe was so deep into his musical bliss state that he only interprseted Main’s orders ans requests for more songs. He finally gave it up as a bad job, writing it off in him s hmind as the bard practicing (although he was seriously reconsidering having a bard in their band), and moved on to Last First Milddle. He was as unsuccessful with her as he was hwith her pbrother – all the succeed3d in doing was transferring her attentions from shop boys to himself. After extricating himself, Main went gasping obver to Mr. Iam Woon., as he llokked a lot less menacing than Lord Squigglebottom Fancypants did (although it was a tough call for him). However, Main soon gave it usp as a bad job (as Mr. Ian Woon dumped the scalding remains of the tea that had been brought but deemed unsatispfactoruy) and retreadted to a safe corner, loking for the innkeeper. After the innkeeper had been located, Main loked around him for any irate or flirtations party members, and quiclkly scuttled over to him. “How much for a room?” he asked furtively.

“Copper for the floor, copper for the stable floor, copper ofor a five man roo-“

“How much for a one man room, eh?” Main had his hand clapped to his belt pouch (he attached it there after he found that his new pants didn’t have thte same money hiding properties hie kilt had had) and a desperate look him eye. The innkeeper tired a little subterfuge.

“Weell … it’s usually two copper … but I’ll let you have it fer one if you buy yerself a bath and a meal.”

Main was glad of that; he had been planning on getting those thinks anyway. “Deal. I want stew with real meat, a tankard of … ummm … actually a bottle of wine and a cup, and hot water in my bath.” He sifterd through his money pouch, before looking up a little sheepishly and asking, “How much does that come to?”

The rather unimaginative innkeeped r said, “ … Three? Three copers?”

“Done,” said main instantly, amaze d= at his good fortune. He dumped the coins upstairs and wae in hthe mans hand and headed upstairs with the chit the man handed tp him rather dazedly. Main took the stairs two at a time and located his room with eashe, dumping down the small pack he had begun to ignore due to its smallness, and stretching out happily on a real mattress (that was actually mostly lump free and softer than he excpected, which was only a scotch softer than the ground). He was pleasantly surprised onwhen only a few minutes later, kan attractive oyoung lady entered his room back first, as she was carrying a trya laden with stew in a bowl cleverly fashinoned out of the bread that was meant to accompany it, alnong with another slice of bread to scoop the stew out with in case Main didn’t have a spoon (which was, thankfully, not the case), and a pottery ug and cup, marked with the dormouse shape that featured on its sign, which Main presumed was his wine. Main judges the wine wouldn’et be enough to make him drunk, which would be unsioghtly this early in the day, and with a greatful smile that mad e the serving maid swoon, took his tray, wetting it beside him on the dabed. She similed at him soppily and backed out again, only to reemerge a few momentys latre with a rather sizeable tin tub, which Main moved over to the hearth (which had a nice fire laid in) for warmth. She and a few other maids took the next few minues to cart in a number of seteaminig kettles to empty into the tub, which became hot to the touch. Main decided, upon seeing the temperature that the tub reamianed oat was still pretty uncomfortably warm, to eat his dinner fisrst , then bathe in perfect warmth. The ladies had left another kettle waring on the fire, so e shoud be able to keep his abathe nice and warm.

The stew was delicious; full of potatoes, carrots, beef chiunks, and sage herb, it was filling and hearty, and not so soupy that the bread was soaked through before he finished it. The gravy was flavorful enough the at the bread didn’t nee d any butter to add salt; Main used the slice to sop up excess gravyk, then ate the bowl chunk by chunk. The wine, he sacved for while he was f after he was finished bathing; it would be very enjoyable to soak by the fire in a wram bath, while drinking cool wine. He sample the wine first, though, to make sure it would bw enjoyabky to drink; Main was satisfied with oit, though.

Main dfished a sliver of soap out of hie small pack and plopped it into the water, along with a small cloth and – he hoped nobody saw this – a small wooden duck. That duck was a part of his childhood. He never batherd without it, although now it was more a friendly presence thanm a plaything (although occasionally Sir Quiacky was still called upon tho save the kingdom from the mighty Kraken. Or even some rogue dolphins).

He quickly striped off his new clothes, separating heis braies from the reast. They neede to be cleaned. H efished a new pair out tof the pack, then carefully hung his chain mail over the back of the straight wooden chair that stood in one corner. It was best not to let it get wet. He folded his shirt and breeches on the chair as well, being a meticulous soul in some ways, and carefully placed his new braies, stockings, and boots aon top of them, and positioned the chair well away from the hearth and the tub, or at least as far as he could (the room was rather small). Finally, Main cautiously unwoulnd his bandages, seeing that his stitches had scabbed over slightly; he resolved to sit in his tub upright enough that they wouldn’t dissolve. With a sigh of contentment, knowing that his room ata least was in order, Main slid into the tub, which had cooled off a I mean Main dipped a finger into the tun to test its warmth. Finding it a little chlilly ofor his tastes, Main got a mi I mean some iron tongsd, Main stook the kettle off the fire and dumped its contents into the tub. Main stirred the water around a bit with an arm, then finding it warmed to his starifactcton, he slid in, sighing happily. After soaking for a few moment, he got out his soap, working it up into a lather, washing first his body (being extra careful about his scabbed over stitches), then wetting his hari and cleaning that too. IHIe noticed that his wounds didn’t appear to be bleeding anymore; he was cglad that his exertions had not irritated them.

Main soaked until the water cooled too much for it to mbe comforatable abnymore. He heave d himself out of the bath, bdrying himself off with the small towel provided by the inn’s staff.
--