Fantasy World Creations

"Hahahahaha~" A small creature in the high beams of the inn tavern burst into laughter at the scene before it, along with the rest of the crowd in the room. An unlucky, drunken grump had just been her victim of the hour, finding his ale in his lap and his chair tipped over backwards with him still in it. It might seem to all the others in the room like it had been his own fault, but Callista knew the truth. She had seen that it would take only a little of her help to make it happen, otherwise the chances would not have been one hundred percent. The faerie enjoyed knowing she had played a part in making so many others laugh.

Whoever had said that humans were horrible beings must have been a drab, grumpy fae. These humans were not nearly as bad as she had been told. They were a riot of laughter. They were perfect for pranks. Of course, they were still scary. All larger beings were scary, though, and Callista Fae had no choice but to dwell in human lands for the time being. She still did not know a whole lot about the world outside of the faerie lands she had grown up in, having just recently been exiled, so she still did not even let her presence be known most of the time that she was in public places. Even though she could make her form larger and closer to human size and hide her wings, she was uncomfortable being among them.

After nearly falling off the ceiling beam from laughing so hard, Callista repositioned herself and looked to see what the man was doing now. He had risen from his fallen chair, leaving the chair the way it was. His face was red and he was ranting about something that seemed totally unrelated to his "accident." A pair of large men were making their way towards him and the faerie leaned forward eagerly to see what was going to happen. As she did so, she felt the dim sensation of being watched. Callista brushed it away, caring more about the events unfolding below her.

[spoiler]This freeform roleplay is to introduce Callista to the guild. What happens in it depends on who joins in her story.[/spoiler]

The warmth of the inn's fireplace, the friendly barkeeper and staff; Annia always loved this particular inn. It was only a few blocks away from their guild hall, and if she wasn't on a mission, sparring, or elsewhere, many times she would be found relaxing quietly in the tavern sipping away at a cup of plain apple juice. At times she would be talking with the barkeeper, or exchanging news with other people, but most of the time she came there to relax. The location was nearby, not out of the place, and if anything was happening in any of the nearby areas, Annia knew she would be quick to make her way to where she was needed.

Annia had to admit that such a place wasn't all perfectly fitting for a knight of the order of the Golden Dawn. The temples, or even standing guard at some important location would have been more fitting: a castle, some gates, or standing by where there was known to be trouble. It was, after all, the daily tasks that Ania became used to and had done when she had been part of the order. She still wore the golden-hued armor from her station there, but she has since removed the sun-shaped emblem of the Golden Dawn, replacing it with an emblem of the Guild of Galas'nor. Though at times she would think fondly on her days at the temple, she eventually managed to tell herself that leaving the order was the better choice. It was strange for her to admit, but the variety of the members of the guild was something that had become intriguing to the paladin. Not only did it satiate her curiosity, the company made keeping her own so-called "evil" katana that much more acceptable. At least compared to the temple.

The tavern was usually a quiet place, well, usually. So she kept her eye out on the larger and louder bunch that had come in sometime ago. Annia understood taverns were a great place to relax, even though some individuals had their own view of what "relaxing" was, different from Annia's which was to simply sit and drink apple juice, she knew that it wasn't her place to decide how one should spend their free time and what they considered to be the best form of relaxation. Nonetheless, Annia didn't quite look too fondly on those who drunk alcohol to the point of being obnoxious or loud. She furrowed her eyebrows at one particular man, who was rather exceptionally obnoxious and loud. He was telling a story of one his adventures sailing, waiving his arms wide to explain the dramatic points of his retelling, increasing the volume of his already loud drunken voice at the times where the story built up to its climax, and even rocking his body and chair to more explain the large waves and the shaking felt upon his vessel. It didn't last too long however, as soon enough, the man found himself tipped over; his weight just barely enough to unbalance the chair.

This of course was met with a roar of laughter from the patrons of the tavern, and even Annia had smiled slightly from the scene. Yet, there was something that seemed off to the perceptive knight. Mixed in the roars of laughter was a light higher-pitched laugh. As two larger men made their way forward to the fallen drunken man, Annia had seen the source of the laugh; it was a small humanoid-like creature wearing what looked to be... a mushroom dress?

She rubbed her eyes, making sure it wasn't just her eyes playing tricks on her, but the creature was still there peering down at the situation that unfolded down below.

W-what is she?

The first light that could be seen over the hill was that of the inn, which the young dwarf couldn't be more relieved to finally lay eyes upon. Gandin had taken his leave from the previous town at dawn and had been journeying eastward that entire day, not stopping for anything aside from meals. He had run out of food by lunch, though, as he had believed he had enough food to last another full day before there would be any need to acquire more. He was wrong, and now he was growing hungrier than he had been in months, making the sight of the inn that much more alluring. The first meal that came to mind was a delicious salted pork plate served with corn and mashed potatoes with a pint of ale to wash it all down. His pace quickened as the image formed in his mind.

His person consisted of more belongings than most people would be able to find a place for on a journey like his. He had enough weaponry to fend himself off from quite a large group of enemies; weapons like a crossbow for long-range attacks and a battleaxe for hand-to-hand combat and everything in between, he would like to believe. On his back, he carried a sleeping bag large enough for two of him; a small bag with all his cooking and eating utensils, namely a pan, a fork, a knife, and a medium-sized plate; a warhammer; a walking stick; and his empty sack of food, all of which buried the shield he couldn't ever recall using in the battles he fought in. On his belt was a small knife he would have used for gutting a meal that day if any animals would have been found, a pouch in which he carried his money, another pouch for his pipe, which had run out of tobacco by that time, and his quiver full of arrows. Anyone passing by him along his journey might think he was homeless or traveling salesman of some sort, but his business was his own and he didn't care much to share it with anyone else.

After another five minutes or so of moving the quickest he had moved since his day began, he found himself at the door of the inn and made his way inside to be met with such an inviting sight that he barely even noticed the drunkard who must have just tipped his chair over backward, or the laughter that filled the room because of it, or the higher-pitched laughter of the faerie above him, or the rubber chicken nailed to the wall in the far corner. No, the first thing he noticed was the counter sitting in front of a doorway labeled "kitchen", which he immediately made way for. Luckily for him, there was nobody in line, which meant less waiting for him before he could fill his gut with his favorite foods.

It was a delightful moment when he stepped up to the counter. Or rather, it was until some jerk decided he just had to get there first and got to the counter barely a second before Gandin did. He was tempted to just grab his knife and stab the man in the neck on the spot, but something told him that would have got him thrown out of the inn and possibly sent after by the authorities, so he resisted the urge, albeit with some difficulty. The person was very scrawny, most likely a man as he stood about as tall his one and a half Gandins, and looked like he could be knocked out with one suckerpunch to the face. Gandin simply tapped his foot and glared intensely at the man until he finished. It seemed all he wanted was a mug of whiskey, anyway.

It seemed as thought the two bigger men had been tired of the drunken man's antics. They grabbed him by his upper arms and roughly escorted him out, telling him to go home and sleep off his drink before coming back again. Well, that was no fun. Callista was sure that she could have gotten another good prank out of him if he had stayed. Now she would have to find another victim. That, or retire for the night. She had made herself a cozy little bed out in the stables up where they kept the straw bedding for the horses. She had gotten the idea from a boy who seemed to work in the stable as a stable hand, as he also seemed to sleep up in the straw on the other end from where she had chosen to nest. But Callista was not tired. It was not even that late into the night.

Plopping herself back down on the beam, the faerie contemplated what sort of prank she should play next. Another on one of the customers or one on one of the workers of the inn? She was a little bit hungry, maybe she would make the inn's cook believe the "ghost" was making food disappear again. 'Or maybe,' she thought, eying a dwarf who had walked in and looked hungry and impatient for food, 'he might be a more fun option for the disappearing food prank.' Who knew, maybe she could get this ghost thing popularized. It might make the inn famous! But how to go about it? Shrink her body down to the size faeries seemed to be known for and sneak about? Use her magic to make herself invisible? Or she could make her body bigger so that she looked like a young elf child and try to pity him into giving her food.

Eh. That last option should only be a last resort for if she really needed food. Sneaking about in just her smallest form might get her squashed like a fly by the strong-looking dwarf. Going invisible it was, then! She decided to shrink her form anyways, to help minimize the chances of collisions with moving bodies in the room. Using her faerie magic, Callista made her now tiny form invisible. This was going to be a blast!

Lifting off from her perch, the invisible faerie flew down to where the dwarf was. Since the dwarf had not yet received any food, the faerie alighted on the large pack on his back and sat down to wait. He would probably find a place to sit besides at the counter bar, so it would be easier to just have him take her than trying to follow him around.

The night was young, and Aria had spent most of it sitting quietly in the Guild courtyard. Her body seemed completely relaxed, while her head lay straight back. She had watched the entire sunset in complete silence, and had continued to sky gaze until the moon rose. A few had attempted to speak with her, but she gave them no response. Not because she was upset with any of them, or upset in general, she was simply much too focused to conjure up a response. The way the clouds seemed to constantly shift and change appearance, it was greatly entertaining to the elf. But, as her neck grew sore from staring up for nearly five hours, she thought it was time to find a new activity.

Aria strolled down the city road, occasionally glancing at the moon as she did so. ?Where to gooo?? The elf wondered aloud. While she had met a couple of guild members, she considered few of them friends. It was hard for her to get close to anyone most of the time. In fact, sometimes it felt as if people were actually avoiding her. Those thoughts didn't cloud her mind for long though as the laughter and voices from a nearby inn caught her attention.

Aria entered the establishment, swaying as she walked. One might have wondered if the elf was already intoxicated. She stood in the middle of the room for a moment, her deep purple eyes looking for either a familiar face, or something fun to do. ?Oooh.? She spotted Annia then, a pretty paladin clad in golden armor. Aria had met the woman once or twice before, and she couldn't help but find herself drawn to her. She had what Aria considered to be a friendly aura...She also couldn't shake the feeling that she was drawn to the girl for other reasons as well. Aria took a seat beside Annia, noticing the paladin seemed momentarily distracted by something. ?Hmmm? What's so interesting? I saw a lion today you know. Oh, and a dragon. Mhm. Pretty pretty.? The animals Aria had been referring to were actually just shapes she had seen in the clouds, but the elf had no intention of adding that in.

"Aria!" Annia said as she recognized the elf who had come walking into the inn. Annia had only encountered the elf a few times, and save for the elf's awkwardness and her name, Annia knew little else of the lady. The elf seemed to be gentle and pleasant enough too, so Annia was glad when the woman made her way to Annia's table, taking a seat beside her. Annia didn't always have someone to spend time with at the inn. The few times when random strangers would gather enough courage to approach the armored lady and attempt conversation, Annia would always be pleasant enough, the conversation lasting not all that long.

So it wasn't that surprising that when Aria took her seat besides Annia, the knight had smiled widely, glad for the company, and especially for the fact that it was another guild member. This of course resulted in losing track of the fairy Annia had spotted earlier, and when she looked back to attempt to scan for the creature again, she could no longer see it. There as a part of her that was dismayed at the lost, and more than once she wondered if she was simply seeing things. Perhaps it was some sort of illusion someone had conjured up? She narrowed her eyes again attempting to find any evidence of the creature she had seen, but it was to no avail.

"Hmmm? What's so interesting? I saw a lion today you know. Oh, and a dragon. Mhm. Pretty pretty."

"I thought I had seen a... well, nevermind. A lion? And a dragon?" Annia blinked a couple of times, her curiosity from the fairy moving to how or where Aria had seen such creatures. She knew lions were usually only found in zoos or far off lands, while dragons on the other hand were a rare sight, most of them keeping low from would-be dragon slayers.

"Were they big?" Annia asked her eyes in wonder with a tint of fascination in her voice.

The dwarf waited, tapping his foot very impatiently as he waited for the man who cut him off to notice there was someone else in line, but it was to no avail. Much to Gandin's bother, however, the filthy man in front of him lent no gaze to anything but the man behind the counter, who was now reading the labels on the barrels of assorted liquors to find the one the man had ask for. Gandin consider kicking the man in the back of the knees for a moment, but again came back to the realization that he might never get his meal if he made a scene, so he instead glared even more. Eventually, the bartender returned and handed the man a pint-sized mug of the bars "finest whiskey" and sent him on his way. Gandin was a bit dismayed that the man had never noticed a dwarf tapping loudly and glaring intensely behind him; unlike the less antisocial crowd, this dwarf actually relished in the discomfort others felt when they looked upon his angry face, and he was proud of the fact that people were almost always made very uncomfortable by him when he wanted them to be.

When the man finally left with his whiskey, Gandin stepped up to the counter, which came right up to his chin, and looked at the bartender for a moment before interrupting his usual "What can I do for you?" greeting.

"I want the salted pork," Gandin seemed to blurt out, his stomach rumbling as his hunger suddenly grew, "with corn and mashed potatoes on the side."

The bartender appeared only slightly annoyed the the dwarf had waiting until he just barely started speaking before interrupting, but years of dealing with rude customers had made it easy to hide his distaste.
"Will that be everything for you this evening?" he asked.

Gandin thought for moment, thinking there must have been something he forgot in his order as it seemed a bit too small for what he usually had in a meal. He looked the bartender in the eye. "Double the order," he said. Even so, he was still sure something was missing. The bartender looked as if he was just about to close the order when the dwarf suddenly realized that he had forgotten one of the most important parts of a meal: the beverage.
"And a pint of ale!" he finally added.

The bartender nodded and left for the kitchen, where Gandin assumed he would be telling the cooks to start on the dwarf's meal, and then returned. "Your food will be finished shortly. Until then, you can wait at the bar." He pointed the dwarf to a group of seats situated right in front of the counter his left. The dwarf complied and sat in the seat nearest to the counter. The rest were full of other people, all of whom appeared so drunk that Gandin wondered how they were able to stay on their seats.

Aria?s head had tilted slightly, confused as to why Annia had jumped past the question about what she?d been so interested in. But, she was more than happy that the paladin actually seemed interested in conversing with her. She couldn?t help but blush slightly now that Annia had directed all of her attention toward the elf. Aria?s expression had remained rather emotionless though, despite her glee. ?Oh yes, very big,? She held her arms out wide ??and fluffy, too. Yup yup.? Aria explained. The elf?s eyes began to wander a bit then, noticing a dwarf who had just entered. She looked past him though, to the wooden counter he sat himself at. The texture of the wood was greatly intriguing, and she focused on that for quite a bit before returning her gaze to Annia. ?I want to visit the biggest tree in the world some day. Mhm mhm.? She suddenly stated. Her stomach growled then, reminding the elf that she had completely forgotten to eat that day. Aria had no idea what kind of food the inn offered though, and instead sat there with her arms wrapped around her stomach. "Food food..." she mumbled.

Fluffy lion? Fluufy dragon? Fluffy lion-dragon? Annia eyes went wide attempting to imagine what a fluffy lion-dragon looked like. She imagined that the creature must have looked majestic, and of course fluffy.


As she thought about the gracefulness a lion would have, combined with the sheer power of a dragon, she couldn't help but be completed fascinated at it. The mane, the agility, the strength; she wondered if she would ever get a chance to see one. At that moment, Annia made it a point that if she ever seen one, she would try pet it. She wanted more than that of course, such as having it tag along like those wizard companions, or even something like riding it. Oh that would have been absolutely wonderful. But she knew a knight shouldn't get too carried away with their own personal desires, so just petting the majestic creature would have to be enough.

Annia bit her lip, but again, focused her attention on Aria. She mentioned something about visiting the largest tree in the world. Annia had quickly thought about it, but her mind was still filled with images of feathery dragons, that in the end Annia had only smiled. Seeing the largest tree and the fluffy lion-dragon would be grand.

"If ever you decide to venture out to find the largest tree in the world, be sure to look for me! Now let's see what we can do about food. Do you want anything in particular? I'm about to go and order something." Though the knight had been content with her cup of apple juice, it was true that the mealtime was well on its way. Annia looked over to the counter near the kitchen, and noticed that the line was empty. True they had barmaids to obtain orders, they were usually fast, but it was quicker to simply go to the kitchen and ask for whatever food they have. Annia wasn't entirely picky, the temple foods that she had been given when she was in training were all meager, in the attempt to teach the students humility and frugal living.

The dwarf seemed to have gone from impatient to highly annoyed as he waited his turn in line. 'Kukukuku~ This was going to be great!' The longer he had to wait, the more loudly he tapped his foot, and the more the small faerie felt the bounce of the pack she sat upon. Callista was tempted, oh so tempted, to open her mouth and listen to her voice bounce, too, but she knew that would give her presence away.

Finally, the man at the counter moved away and the dwarf stepped forward to make his order. Salted pork? Eh... It was not the faerie's favorite, so she guessed she would let the dwarf keep that for himself. The corn and mashed potatoes would be good, though. Oh! A double order? Awwww~ How thoughtful of the dwarf, buying her her own plate. This would make it a lot easier to filch food; as the dwarf worked on one plate, she could work on the other. Maybe she would take some of that pork. Of course, there was the chance that the cook would just pile it all on one plate. That was not cool, but Callista could not do anything about that.

Callista clung to her seat as the dwarf moved over and sat down to wait for his food. Waiting was boring for the faerie, but she guessed it did help build up the suspense. It would certainly build up their appetite as they smelled the food coming from the kitchens. That was good; it meant she would eat more and put a more noticeable dent in the dwarf's meal.

It was a short while after Gandin lost track of time before a barmaid emerged from the kitchen with Gandin's double-order and a large mug of his favorite alcoholic beverage, much to his relief. He stomach already felt like a vacuum when he arrived at the inn and the time it took for his meal to finish felt like days because of that. The thought occurred to him that he probably should have ordered an appetizer or something small too sink his teeth into while his salted pork was being salted and porked. But since it was clearly too late to ask for that, he simply watched with a face the wasn't quite grumpy, but wasn't quite entirely happy, either. It was more of something that showed how glad he was that he would finally get some food in him.

And then he wanted to tear his own heart out (hat or barge into the kitchen and demand that they work faster), as the barmaid was carrying two dishes. Neither, as it turned out, had the salted pork, mashed potatoes, or corn that he had asked for. The meal was intended for the two other men sitting in the last two barstools next to the wall whom he had not noticed until just now. They must have finished ordering their meals just before he entered the building. He rolled his eyes in utmost annoyance as he turned his gaze back to the kitchen and glared at the sign that read "kitchen". Unfortunately, the sign didn't have feelings nor could it tell that he was glaring at it, but it still made him feel better all the same to think that sign had just made a powerful enemy. His battleaxe looked real nice right about now.

He was so focused on how mad he was that his meal hadn't been the top priority of the chefs that he barely noticed that the barmaid had disappeared back inside the kitchen, so it came as something of a surprise to him when she came back out again only a minute or so later with two more plates. Both, he was delighted to find, had the same meal. As she approached him, he grinned so slightly that only elf eyes might be able to catch it. He took a knife in his right hand and a fork in the other as he watched her set the plates one after another onto the counter in front him and the pint of ale to the left of those, hardly noticing at all that the barmaid had said something to the effect of  "Have a nice day, sir".

By the looks of the meal, perhaps it was worth the wait. His mouth watered as he immediately stabbed the slab of pork on the first plate and cut a rather large piece off and shoved it into his mouth. It was great; perhaps worth even three-quarters of the wait. The ale and potatoes would make up for the rest.

Aria had continued to look at Annia. She could see the knight getting lost in her thoughts, something Aria could easily relate to. "You would really come with me?" Aria questioned. Despite joining the guild, the elf tended to fly solo most of the time...not that she exactly enjoyed doing so. "I really do want to go you know, mhm mhmm." She had no idea where such a tree was actually located, but now that her mind was on it, she'd be sure to find out later. Someone in the guild was bound to know such information. Or maybe, taking a visit to the library would give her the answer. Her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment as she played out the adventure in her head. Together with Annia! She imagined it would be wonderful~. Another blush washed over her. Aria pulled her hat down slightly to hide it.

At the mention of food, Aria was brought back out of her thoughts. "Fooood...Hm hm. Do you think they have rabbit?" She wondered. She imagined a little bunny then, sitting beside her chair. It was white and fluffy. Could she really eat something so cute?...But, she had done so before, hadn't she? The rabbit tilted its head at Aria. "You're really cute, you know. But tasty too~ yup yup." She had spoken to her new imaginary friend aloud, not thinking for a second that it might seem out of place to anyone with her.

Annia smiled at Aria's antiques. She had seen her enough times to know it was expected. She knew there were others who were really perplexed from the strange character, but Annia had thought of it as something unique and almost like a curiosity. It was fascinating. Annia thought as she continued to look over Aria's actions. The elf enjoyed the moment, and was capable enough of finding her own mirth and joy in even the smallest of things. True Annia herself would be drawn towards the unexpected and curiosities of the world, but even she did her utmost best to not conceal her inquisitiveness to the outside world. Aria on the other hand was completely free about it - not worrying about what others thought, or even how they reacted. It was something Annia couldn't always do, she was after all supposed to be a knight.

"Of course Aria. An adventure to seek out the largest tree in the world... That would be grand." She wanted to suggest more, a somehow intense curiosity springing up within her. She wanted to suggest seeking out dragons, finding a portal that would lead to the world of fey, playing pranks with faeries, search for the fluffy lion-dragon, to name a few of the ideas that were going through her head. But in the end all the knight did was bow gracefully.

Annia watched as Aria talked with someone invisible beside her, apparently some sort of bunny? Annia instead took that as a hint of what the elf had wanted. After she made her way towards the counter, she quickly asked the bartender for some salad, two cups of apple juice, and "a bunny". It wasn't long until the food was prepared, and Annia made her way back to the table. She sat beside the elf again as she handed her the rabbit and the cup of apple juice.

"I hope that was what you wanted. Apple juice is pretty good too..." Annia said. She was entirely sure if that was what the elf had asked for, but she realized one couldn't go wrong with apple juice. It was always something she drank, and she had never knew anyone who had any particular disliking to the drink.

As she and the dwarf waited, Callista looked around the tables once again. The table the dwarf was seated at was near a pair of girls. One looked like a human knight, the other looked like some kind of elven witch or something. Callista couldn't be sure. Their conversation seemed rather random, first talking about going somewhere, then talking about food, an then the elf looking down at the ground and told something that it was cute and tasty. What in the world was she talking to? Was it some sort of invisible creature? The faerie thought she could see most things that were invisible to others' eyes. This thing must be something new, something different that she had never encountered before.

The human did not seem as interested in this invisible creature as the elf and Callista were. In fact, she had decided to get up and order food. Maybe she knew of it as well? Rising from her perch, the faerie flew over to investigate. She slowly moved forward, towards the area where the elf had looked, with her hand outstretched. Slowly... Slowly... Until she realized that she was exactly where the girl had looked and still did not feel anything. Could the invisible creature be a ghost? Able to let things move through it as well as be invisible? She pondered the idea for a while before realizing that the dwarf's food had already arrived.

'Oh no!' She was going to miss out on her meal and prank! Callista quickly flew back up to the table and, after looking over the feast, plopped herself down in front of the plate that the dwarf had not yet started on. She was happy that the cook had put the double order on two plates instead of one. Reaching over, the faerie took a piece of corn in each hand, making them go invisible before lifting them from the plate and beginning her meal. She continued to eat the pieces of corn, scooping a handful of potatoes every now and then and leaving small craters in the mass of mashed potato that she hoped would catch the dwarf's attention when he finally pulled the plate forward to begin on it. After all, part of the point of choosing him to share her meal with was to see his reaction to missing food. She just had to make sure she was ready to fly out of the way if he got angry enough to flail about.

The elf quickly nodded, agreeing with Annia. Yes, juice was amazing. Refreshing, sweet, she adored it. Carefully taking sips from the glass, Aria?s eyes wandered about the room, eventually falling upon the dwarf she had noticed once earlier. The meal he had received looked absolutely delicious?of course, the meal Annia had delivered was going to be ten times more amazing ? Mainly because Annia had been the one handling it. Just as she readied to continue her and Annia?s previous conversation, something caught her elven eye??W-what?? The dwarf hadn?t noticed yet, but Aria certainly did. She watched carefully as pieces of food went missing, as if vanishing into thin air. Was the dwarf using some form of telepathy to eat? Maybe she was just seeing things again? She shook her head, telling herself it had to be some weird illusion. Quickly turning back to her meal, Aria took hold of her fork and knife, carefully cutting the rabbit into tiny pieces. By the time she had finished, the meat had been cut so perfectly, one might have wondered if the chef had done it. ?A-Annia?? Aria began, a bit nervous. ?Do you think you ever see things?but they aren?t really?things??? The elf asked.  She shifted uncomfortably .

Her words were cryptic, but the knight had an idea what she meant, seeing first-hand the invisible 'bunny' she had talked to, or at least Annia thought she must be seeing a bunny. Annia didn't know whether or not it was something to be jealous of, though she did find it very curious. What kind of wonders does Aria see? Annia watched as Aria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. There was a slight pang of empathy for the elf. Usually alone, with no one else quite exactly understanding her or seeing things as she does (quite literally in some aspects). The knight placed her hands gently over the elf's in an effort to both calm and placate her nervous shifting.

"Many times... in dreams or wishes. But if you mean what you see, well... that's something a bit more special."

The dwarf's cheek muscles flared with the delectable taste of the pork as he shoved more and more into his mouth, hardly taking anything else happening around him into account. His mind was so focused on the taste and texture of this pork that was so magnificent, so fantastic, so ridiculously scrumptious (if only because he turned out to be just a little more hungry than he thought he had been) that he as well have had his eyes closed for about a minute straight. It was only when he stopped eating long enough to take a breath that realized he suddenly had no idea what was going on around him and noticed something subtly off about his meals. As his eyes fell upon his mashed potatoes and corn, there appeared to be slightly less there than was there before. Additionally, the potatoes appeared to have had a bite taken out of them. Had he eaten some already and just not been paying attention? No, it couldn't have been ? there wasn't nearly enough of it missing from his plate. If he had touched it, there most likely wouldn't have been any left.

To his right, he could see that a new customer had entered the bar and was sitting two stools to his left. An elf, by the looks of him. Gandin would never mistake those pointy ears. He was petite and potentially the perfect suspect if he were to blame someone for having stolen his hard-earned sweet, delicious, savory meals. He shot a glare in the elf's direction as he cut a piece of meat off of the pork and shoved it quite sloppily into his face hole.

Of course, he had no confirmation that this elf was indeed the culprit for his missing food. He returned to his meal, more or less repeating the same antics he had employed to scarf down the first slab of pig meat (which he had indeed already finished, albeit while only narrowly avoiding eating the bone that it was stuck to). Much like last time, he went completely oblivious to his surroundings, almost immediately forgetting he had a plate full of corn and taters to keep watch over, and creating quite the spectacle as he tore into his meat as if he was some kind of dog playing tug-of-war with a much more powerful adversary (his fork). Lucky for the rest of the customers in the inn, he was magnificently proficient at making sure his food-horking abilities had developed to maximum proficiency and therefore any splatter that would have escaped the grasp of any filthy casual eater was safely caught by the expertly shaped meat, all of which would be shoveled hastily into the gaping black hole that was his mouth.

And that it was, but again, as he regained his ability to pay attention to what was going on on the table in front of him, he noticed to his dismay and disproportionate anger that even more of the corn and spuds had gone missing! He shot a fiery glare at the elf to his right, whom Gandin had suspected by now had developed dangerous powers of appearing casual in the act of thievery. The dwarf would have none of this! But he still had no proof it was the elf who had poached the plush potatoes from his plate; he had to catch him in the act. And he had just the plan!

Leaning back, he pretended as if he had grown full and was unsure as to whether he could possibly finished the rest of his plate (as if), and the looked to the door on his left as if to be on the search for a bathroom in which he could start making room for more. Distracted only for a second ? since thinking about the bathroom actually did get him wondering where they would be in case he needed one ? he turned back, believing it to be the perfect moment to catch him in the act of robbing him of one of his favorite side-dishes. This, or course, once more ended in failure, but to his fury, a great deal more of his spuds had gone missing since last time.

This was the last straw. Gandin was vehement that any horrible creature - an elf of all races - would DARE to steal from a dwarf int he middle of his meal! He shot up to his feet, sending his stool back several feet as it toppled over, and shouted as angrily as he possibly could at the elf, who seemed quite taken aback at the sudden outburst.

"How dare you lay your filthy disgusting fingers on my supper!" the dwarf screamed, his words sincere, but certainly not sweet, "Do you think this a game?! I swear on Celestia's beard I will end you!" He put his hand on his axe, but did not draw it. He may have far more angry than any living creature should be over what amounted to about a fingerscoop of spuds, but he had not lost his mind. He knew there might be consequences if he started a battle that large in the middle of a tavern. Still, his furious demeanor had created quite a scene, and after an outburst like that, there was no way he could just go back to sitting and eating his food. No, not here. He demanded retribution! No one would escape the punishment for stealing even a speck of his glorious feast!

Wow! This dwarf really enjoyed his food, didn't he? Callista watched as he seemed to shut the rest of the world out with every bite. He had looked around between bites as if realizing he was not alone and the faerie wondered if he had noticed the missing food. She watched as he glared at a nearby elf, but was not sure why he would do that. Perhaps he and the elf had bad history. It must not have been important, she decided, since the dwarf went back to losing himself to his food. The way he ate was kind of disturbing... But what did she expect of a dwarf? At least he did not make a mess and splash her with whatever juices were in the pork.

This time, when the dwarf stopped and looked at his plate, he immediately turned to glare at the elf. Oh! So he had noticed! But why was he glaring at the elf? Wasn't the elf to far away to steal food off of his plate? Besides, why would the elf take such small portions if he were stealing food? When he leaned back and started to look around, Callista couldn't help but wonder if he thought someone else might be stealing his corn and potatoes. Perhaps he was looking to make sure there was not some other culprit to the craters in the potatoes? Heh, oh well. She was just here to eat and enjoy the show he provided. And she did, scooping up some more potatoes. It was rather fun making craters in mashed potatoes.

Woah! Callista started when the dwarf suddenly rose from his seat and knocked it over. Haha! So he did think it was the elf who was messing with his food! His outburst was both hilarious and frightening at the same time. The poor elf. But there was no way she would reveal herself. Not when the dwarf was so angry. As soon as he reached for his ax, the invisible faerie decided it was time to move away, but not before taking a few more corn kernels to nibble on while she watched the show. She landed on the armored shoulder of the human whose elf companion had caught her attention earlier. She would have landed on the elf, but the girl might have noticed if something was sitting on her clothed shoulder. The armor of the human would keep distance between herself and the shoulder of the woman. Hopefully, the woman would not be joining in the battle or Callista would have to find a new place to sit.

What was this...? Aria swore her heart had skipped a beat as the paladin's hands met her own. The elf was beginning to wonder how much longer she could handle this - Her face was nearly matching a tomato at this point. She quickly ducked her head down, using her hat as a shield. She couldn't let Annia see her this way...Whatever way this was. Aria herself wasn't even sure - She had never acted like this around anyone else.

"Many times... in dreams or wishes. But if you mean what you see, well... that's something a bit more special."

Special? Aria couldn't quite grasp the paladin's meaning, but even so, Annia always knew how to make the elf feel better.

Aria's head shot back up, the sound of a stool meeting the pub floor startling her. She watched then as the dwarf she'd noticed just moments before sent angry words at a nearby elf. "His...supper...?" Aria thought. So, she hadn't been seeing things...? The food really was disappearing? She took another look at his plate, confirming her own thoughts.

Aria realized then she'd lifted her head without thinking. She quickly ducked her face down against the table, more concerned of what Annia would think of her current condition over the ruckus being caused by some dwarf. It wasn't uncommon for dwarves to be loud, anyway.

When the dwarf stood up and started accusing an elf of stealing the dwarf's food, Annia perked up. As she stood up, she noticed her shoulder felt heavier than usual. The knight shrugged it off however, it was a long day, and the day's weariness was probably just rubbing off on her now that she's had some time to relax and enjoy her apple juice. She keenly noted the dwarf putting his hand on the handle of his axe, and Annia wondered if a brawl was just about to start. She hadn't ever participated in them, finding the whole thing distasteful.

The elven male which was the center of the dwarf's attack looked like he was fidgeting around rather uncomfortably. No doubt it was because of the dwarf's shouting directed at him, but Annia couldn't help but notice the elf was rather very fidgety. The elf's eyes darting back and forth, from the dwarf, to the people in the tavern, shifting his eyes and making himself look very suspicious.

"The tavern might just get rough in a few moments..." Annia told Aria.

His cyan eyes quickly darted back and forth, scanning for any lingering stares. No sound was too soft, no movement too light; in a half-trance-like state, he was aware of it all. But by the gods, his disguise was flawless! Already several hours in and not one person had even managed to call out his name. The young elf smiled triumphantly, certain now that no mere mortal being would be able to see through such a perfect, such a flawless disguise.

"What're you grinning about now?" A melodic voice suddenly asked, interrupting his thoughts from atop the bar's counter. The raven had been carefully inspecting its master as they dined and after seeing the elf in such a state, it couldn't help but narrow its eyes and ask, all the while dreading the answer.

After all, seeing a young wizard smile bright was dangerous enough, but to see this particular wizard display such a bold, radiant smile was nothing short of a nightmare. Reflecting back on those times, this raven knew first-hand that no bird was truly safe during the mage's antics: a living projectile, a miniature meat-shield, a mobile practice target; The raven's master had found many uses for his familiar. Even to this day, the raven shuddered whenever it recalled the horrifying events involving the "Uli Arrow."

It hadn't even been long since a cold, oil-drenched turkey was flung the raven's way, followed by a box filled with slimy gruel. And though that particular event was not fully the master's fault, the familiar still grew more wary as a result. Today only reinforced that wariness when the elf employed his mastery over his ki and arcane powers earlier to sprout a mustache not only on himself, but on his familiar too.

[spoiler=Enter, Uli the Mustached Raven]
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/122814910/MysteriousRaven.jpg)
[/spoiler]

The venerable masters would be rolling in their graves if only they knew that their ancient techniques, to which they spent half a millennium refining, were used in such a way.

However, it was then, while the elf-who-couldn't-possibly-be-Lyolf was absentmindedly stroking the feathers on his familiar, that a nearby dwarf roared in rage. The elf's fingers stopped in mid-stroke as the dwarf spoke, apparently enraged that he had dared to touch "his supper."

"You hear that, Uli? He thinks your food. And his 'supper' no less!" the elf-who-couldn't-possibly-be-Lyolf whispered excitedly as an aside to the bird. Despite himself, he had never considered that approach towards the feathered beasts before and the dwarf's voracious thoughts intrigued him. Without warning he then made a grab at the raven and finally managed to hold it still after a brief struggle.

He had wondered what all those furtive glances were for and now he knew.

"He must really want to eat you."

"..."

Then to the dwarf, the elf slowly held out the reluctant raven at eye-level.

"Did you want a bite?"

Immediately, the bird renewed its struggle.

The flying raven reminded Annia of something. Or more specifically of someone. Why it looked just like Mimic after all, who was Sophie's familiar. The way the raven moved, stood, and weaved to and fro was just like Mimic who happened to be another raven. Annia of course was no expert in animals, much less any of the feathered companions, but she couldn't help but keep staring at the bird. So intense was her gaze, that her mind raced with all sorts of ideas both profound and mundane. Then a revelation dawned on her. If that was Mimic, then the so-called elf was actually really Sophie!

Was Sophie actually a man? The idea was shocking, but perhaps there was some truth to it after all. Their maid does manage to clean the entire guild hall in the shortest amount of time that she didn't think was humanly possible. It would take a whole lot of endurance, stamina, and strength to pull off such feats. Maybe she's been getting lessons from Golas? After all the large man always claimed to be the manliest in the guild.

When the-elf-turned-Sophie grabbed the raven and offered him as food, Annia was aghast.

"Sophie! You do not treat your familiars like food. They are companions to be respected and honored!"

Gandin's fury mounted with every second he continued to torment his eyes with the deplorable sight of the elf fiddling around before him. Surely he would have vomited by now if the action didn't mean he would lose the food he had waited so patiently for. He sturdied his stance as the elf reacted to his outburst, sure at that moment that the elf would either make a run for it like the wretched coward he was or attempt to fight back like the foolish stooge he was. He readied himself to grab his axe in the case that the elf really did retaliate. His glaring eyes pierced through the air into the elf's very soul.

But then the bewhiskered elf reacted in a manner most unexpected, which in turn only infuriated Gandin even more. The elf, in all his fidgety blather, was making every attempt to cast the blame of the thievery of Gandin's meal off of himself! First speaking to his bird and then, most irresponsibly, grabbing his raven familiar and offering it as a food offering in return for the unprecedented crime he had committed against the poor, innocent dwarf.

For a moment, Gandin legitimately considered the offer. Of course, the bird was no juicy meat jackpot, but the meal it could offer was potentially free and it had been ages since Gandin had been blessed with a meal so succulent as bird. It's wings actually did look pretty delectable once Gandin examined the bird for a second moment. Maybe he could chew on the bird while he contemplated the worst possible punishment he could bestow upon this vile elf creature before him.

Then a thought crossed the dwarf's mind. The elf, no doubt, was using the raven as a ruse to distract the dwarf and make his getaway! No doubt the elf was even planning to take the bird with him and leave Gandin with absolutely nothing! Not even the satisfaction of punishing this disgusting elf for the spuds scandal.

This, Gandin thought, was truly the most punishable offense he had ever been given the displeasure to witness. The dwarf would ensure that there would be no way on the face of this planet earth that the elf would escape the consequences of his sins. The verdict had already been reached in Gandin's mind and there was nothing that could be done to change it.

The dwarf's face reddened and his breathing grew very strong. Anyone observant enough might even notice the white of his eyes grow a tiny bit pinker. No doubt his blood pressure had skyrocketed by this point as well. He let out a livid roar as his anger overtook him. There was surely no turning back now.

"I will make you regret ever stepping foot in this pub!" No doubt every eye in the bar was now fixed on the elf and the dwarf. Surely this would be a performance they would never forget. They were the least of Gandin's concerns, however. They mattered naught compared to the wrath this vulgar excuse for an elf deserved. Gandin demanded retribution, dangit!

The dwarf retrieved the small hunting knife from the leather sheath attached to his belt and prepared himself for a all-out, knock-down, drag-out free-for-all brawl. This would undeniably be a night to remember.

"Woah!" Callista blurted when the human unexpectedly rose. The faerie had barely just landed and had not had time to settle herself in completely.  Dropping the corn kernels she had stolen to eat as she watched the scene, she caught herself from her fall and hovered in the air above the human. It seemed the armored human knew the elf being attacked. Would she join the battle in defense of her friend? Did humans do that kind of thing? Honestly, she was surprised the barkeep had not yet interrupted to shoo them all outside. Maybe he was used to it or did not care.

Shrugging it off, seeing as that was not her problem at all to worry about, Callista looked around for a new place to sit. A preferred location would be one in which she could watch the scene and that could offer her something to drink. She realized that while she had pretty much filled herself on food, she had not yet washed it down. ? Considering the human was now standing and seemed like she might join the battle, her mug of ? beverage would be left unattended. But how would she scoop out the drink? She could use her hands, but that meant she had to hang over the edge of the cup and wouldn't get to see anything that was happening.

Looking around, the faerie realized she really did not have anything suitable near her to use as a cup. If only she had one of those man-made faerie cups she had up in her hideout... or a leaf. A leaf could work, since she knew the art of molding leaves into useful items. But where could she find a leaf in this place? Maybe someone tracked on in or had one stuck in their hair? She reexamined the room. Sigh... Nothing. Oh well. She would have a drink later. It was not nearly as important as watching the scene which she had caused.

Plopping herself down on the table, Callista turned to watch the dwarf threatening the elf with the raven with a knife, completely unaware that her outburst and dropping of corn kernels may have caught someone's attention.

Kryas Windsel

Kryas awoke from a dark corner of the bar where he had been sleeping. This Inn was one of the ones he lent his bardic services to on occasion. The innkeeper and his wife had become relatively close friends of his and since their son had a bit of the wanderlust Kryas kept an eye on him when everyone else was to busy to do it. He still had several hours before he had to preform and his charge was nowhere to be seen so he was rather upset when his nap was disturbed.

Looking quickly catching the back half of the argument he stood up and strode confidently between the two men. His usually happy mood soured by the interruption he was not looking to play around. Both of you, quit down and return to your seats before I kick you out.? He did not shout, but his voice dripped with a magical pressure that he thrust upon the two men to listen to reason. However, focused the brunt of his assault on the dwarf. His first outburst had been the thing to wake him up after all. And, for once Lyolf seemed to be minding his own business.

Authority with word?s was one of the Bard?s strongest point?s but he normally used the power sparingly. As he continued to weave his power over the two mean pushing them further apart, and attempting to pacify the dwarf he saw something out of the corner of his eye.   He saw a kernel of corn drop to the ground out of nowhere. The owners had complained to him in the past of a mischievous spirit or so they assumed that had taken residence recently. They tried their best to ignore it and let it do it?s own business as it did no real harm.

But Kryas never knew of a ghost who ate corn, let alone such a small amount. The bard had a feeling he knew exactly what had caused this mess. There was a creature of the fey in the inn. somewhere playing it's tricks on the unsuspecting patrons.The question was how to go about catching the little mischief maker. He would have to deal with this dwarf first. 

"...Noisy..."

The lone dwarf muttered from his seat near a window. He'd finally gotten to a waypoint town on his journey, and was very much enjoying the idle chatter and ambient joy of the tavern thus far. Even his mutton had been pleasant. Yes it was a rare treat and much needed rest. Until the few outbursts some of the tenants. Of course, it wasn't his style to intrude in the matter of others. He wasn't one for debate and didn't make a good liaison for compromise. No, he very much enjoyed keeping to himself. It was easier that way.

But one thing he couldn't stand was disrupting the peace and joy of the area around him. And that's just what happened. Complaining, fighting, shouting, accusing; it was ruining the otherwise pleasant atmosphere around him. Finally, he reached a boiling point, getting up from his chair and turning toward the scene. He took a deep breath, stood strong and clenched his fists at his sides. Tensing, the air started to flow around him, with coursing sparks of electricity running through those currents sporadically.


The shout echoed through the room with force, even seeming to cause a breeze ear him. He released his tension, closing his eyes, and the static dancing in the air around him receded. In a short moment, he opened them, their pure white color a stark contrast to his grand, black beard and olive skin. It was obvious that he was a monk of some sort due to the shaved head and robes, as well as the quarterstaff leaning on the wall behind him. His rage subsided, he broke the silence he'd just made.

"...Want...Calm...Peace..."

The dwarf was ready for the worst, but he had no prepared himself for an intervention. He knew this elf would be easy pickin' against a dwarf with power so unlimited as Gandin's, and so he was already ready to take him on, win, and demand that everyone acknowledge that he is the unquestioned champion and leader of the universe. He was actually looking forward to it, so when this bard showed up to try and break up the fight, Gandin was about to flip his lid. Twice.

His anger only grew, although the man's attitude did inexplicably cause Gandin to be slightly less passionate about completely obliterating this pestilent little elf that stole a bite of his mashed potatoes. There was a lot of power behind the man's voice, as if he was using some kind of special ability to bend others to his will. He had either trained long and hard to be able to put that kind of ability into his voice or, more likely, Gandin thought, had discovered and read a spell from some kind of ancient book from a world far beyond the reaches of any ordinary creature from this one. A world where livestock roamed free and could speak! A world without humans, elves, dwarves, or any other similar creature that exercised its dominion over all other inferior beings! A world much more imbued with magical forces than this one.

The thought that this bard had potentially visited such a world before Gandin almost made him want to assume his final form and wreak havoc upon the entire city, but he felt it best to contain such a form (because he didn't have one) and instead attempt to have his way through other means.

But then he was interrupted again. A loud, guttural roar echoed about the inn, leaving most, if not all, bystanders absolutely speechless. Perhaps wisely so, for after all, was it really a good idea to invoke the scalding wrath of two furious dwarves?

'Yes,' Gandin thought, for some reason assuming this dwarf would automatically be on his side because he was both angry and a dwarf ? two very important traits for friends to have. Surely the two of them would be able to destroy everyone in this inn and still have energy leftover to fight off any other horrible elf scum that might think it was their duty to save to day! Ahaha! It was so brilliant! Nothing would be able to stop them then! Their team could unite and fight the crime of elf vandalism all across the land of?

"Sir, a-are you gonna eat... that?" someone suddenly asked. Gandin quickly turned to see what genuinely high-pitched voice would dare think he could get a dwarf to willingly allow anyone but himself to slither away with his supper.

But what he saw was the thing he least expected in the world. It was a boy, the much he could tell just from the voice, though that in itself hardly would have changed his reaction. No, what he saw was something much more relatable. The boy, in all his innocence and apparent hunger, had not a single possession to speak of, save for one precious item. Amidst his tattered, holey clothing that looked like it probably hadn't been washed in weeks, and under an armed that was scratched and bruised, probably from an encounter with some kind of mutant poodle, was a stuffed plushy shaped like none other than one of his favorite rock stars. It was a stuffed Maud Pie.

The furious dwarf's demeanor instantly changed, and quite a drastic change it was. His fury and unlimited disgust toward the evil filth that had stolen his potatoes was still deeply embedded into his mind, but to unleash his wrath on that elf in the presence of a boy with such magnificent taste in rock and rock-related accessories would be a criminal. And to let a boy of such style go on hungry when he could aid in his battle against malnutrition would be nothing short of taboo. So, against all that he had ever stood for and would ever stand for again, Gandin consented, just this once, to the boy's chowing down on the remainder of his meal.

There was a long silence as Gandin stood and looked at the boy, trying to decide the best way to phrase his next sentence without sounding like a completely flip-flop. Finally, he found the words he hoped he had been looking for. "Laddy," he began, still sounding as angry as ever, even amidst his hope to keep the boy from running away after the first word he spoke, "No one merely asks a dwarf if he is going to finish his meal! Of course he's going to finish his meal! That's why he ordered it in the first place! Why, what on Earth would I be trying to destroy this disgusting elf for if not for the fact the he is an elf! I mean the fact that he stole my potatoes! Gandin would never let one just walk away with his platter!"

The boy seemed just a bit (read: a lot) belittled by Gandin's lecture, but stood his ground other than the few steps back he took. He was obviously much more hungry than he was afraid to ask for a meal. Gandin admired this in him.

Then an idea struck that he believed would work in everyone's favor. Except for the elf's, but it was also in Gandin's favor to not be in favor of the elf. "But if there's anything I hate even more than losing food, it's losing it to an elf who dared lay a finger on it! It looks like I can't give this horrible excuse for a living creature what it deserves, but just to spite it and it's horrible familiar, I give ye all that remains on my plate!" After his short speech, he took a step forward, still showing a bit of anger in his eyes, "But never you forget: I am a dwarf, and I like my food. So don't expect any more favors." His last words to the boy were cold as ice.

A man who had been sleeping in a back corner of the inn seemed to have finally awoken thanks to the commotion. Callista had avoided bothering him previously because she had recognized him as a somewhat regular entertainer and he already knew a little about her pranks around the inn. Besides, it was more fun playing pranks on people who were awake rather than asleep.

The guy quickly moved over to the dwarf and elf, telling them to stop, calm down, and return to their own business or he would kick them out. Callista wondered why the owner had not yet kicked the two out like he had the other man. Eh, oh well. That wasn't really her concern anyways.

At the same time as the guy, another dwarf in the room who had been enjoying silence in his own space seemed to have grown rather annoyed with the current events. Not long after the first man spoke, the dwarf shouted for them to stop. Callista was shocked! That was the first time she had heard him speak the entire time he had been there and the first time she had heard anyone shout so loud since she had started living among humans.

And then, a miracle happened. The dwarf who Callista had shared food with had seemed to get excited about something when a small boy came up to him. After getting the dwarf's attention, the boy asked him if he was going to finish his food. The same dwarf who had been about to fight to the death with an elf over a tiny bit of food softened at the sight of the boy. Callista flew up into the air for a better view, clutching her tiny fists with excitement as she waited for the dwarf to speak. What would he do? What would he say?

At first, his speech was kind of a let-down. It seemed like he was just going to sit back down and continue eating like the one guy had pretty much told him to do. How boring. And that poor boy... Callista's hands relaxed and she sunk down a little. All that excitement, and then everything suddenly gets boring. But then, with a miraculous change of heart, the dwarf just gave his entire plate of uneaten food to the hungry kid. Several people who had watched the scene cheered him on, including Callista.

"Yeah!" She shouted along with the cheers of the others. "Go dwarf!" In all her excitement, she had failed to hear his last sentence and the cold, angry way he said it. The others had, however, and while she continued her cheering, the others had fallen silent, now wondering where the tiny voice was coming from.

"Good?" Shandon said from his seat once more, looking at the belligerent before shaking his in realization. "Prideful. Selfish." He said assertively with a nod, his eyes closed in resignation. Yes, the other dwarf had helped the child. But with such cold and shallow after-thoughts, it was obvious the action was not an altruistic one. If anything, it was like the dwarf was shooing the child away. Hardly a friendly thing to do. He was just about ready to interject the behavior, finally standing up and beginning to move toward the scene once more.

It was at that very moment that the dwarf heard something that stopped him in his tracks. A voice. Coming from where it shouldn't. It was fairly quiet and high-pitched, but definitely there. Shandon quickly looked up to try and spot the source. He'd completely forgotten about the scene near him now, focused on finding this oddity. There was a chance whatever was hidden in the rafters was the cause of this chaos, and he'd like it rectified if possible. But there was nothing there.

"Voice...where?" He muttered to himself in confusion as he continued to scan the rafters. Nothing was there. Thus, he scanned the crowd to see if anyone else had heard the voice. If they had, they weren't showing it, and that frustrated the dwarf. But one patron stood out, and it was the man who first attempted to dissuade the uproar. He was studying a piece of corn and occasionally glancing around as well. It seems Shandon was at least not crazy.

"In rafters...definitely."

The boy seemed conflicted, not sure what to think after being shown both kindness and callousness from the same person in the space of just a couple seconds, but he nevertheless scurried over to the food and chowed down. He undoubtedly hadn't had a meal in some time now, so Gandin's uncharacteristic change of heart was likely a godsend to him.

What followed, however, was the last thing Gandin cared to hear, even though it was surely meant to encourage the part of him that didn't want the boy to go on starving. It was applause. Nearly the whole bar had united in a standing ovation for the dwarf's kindness. Maybe it was just his disgust for his current situation - it had been a while since he himself had last eaten, after all. Maybe it was just that he hadn't been given time to cool down after such an angry outburst. Normally he might approve of such an event to boost his ego. Here and now, though, it didn't improve his attitude at all.

"What are you mongrels clapping for?! Mind your own business!" he yelled furiously. The enraged look on his face hadn't loosened up a single bit. He was just as angry as ever, and anyone who had just been cheering him on had fallen dead silent. Many looked on, aghast and perhaps a bit confused that he was just as angry as before yet had still been generous enough to share his meal with a homeless boy. Most, however, took the dwarf's advice and returned to their own meals and conversations, albeit much quieter than before Gandin's outburst.

Having cast most of the crowd's attention off of himself, the dwarf turned back to the elf, a fire in his eye as he made his words very clear, "You watch yourself, you little cheat! You ain't off the hook yet!" Turning away in disgust after torturing his eyes with that elf-spawn abomination, the dwarf stepped over to his overturned chair, picked it up, and returned it to its place in the bar. He had considered attempting to get himself another meal after the outbreak, but he eventually decided it wasn't worth even being in the same building as that monstrous mustached menace. He was ready to leave.

However, there was something that stopped him on his way back to the bar table. A little voice no louder than a whisper, although much more high-pitched, could be heard by anyone not already preoccupied with listening to someone else. It seemed to come from above, though at a glance, the dwarf couldn't see a thing in the roof. Was he hearing things? Had his anger grown so extreme that it was actually affecting his hearing? That had to be it. He took pride in his vision, and if he didn't see anything there, than nothing could be there! Right? Surely that had to be it.

But he couldn't shake it. Something had to be watching them. Something that apparently didn't want to be seen. They must have been hiding, which would explain why he couldn't see them. There were a lot of wooden beams holding the roof up, after all. Was it some spirit here to punish him for some crime someone framed him for? This had to be the elf's doing! That horrid creature! He had ratted the dwarf out! Gandin would have his revenge for sure!

He rethinked his intention to leave the bar at that point, deciding instead to stay in hopes of seeing the voice's owner. If it was a punishing spirit, he would punish it right back; right where it hurts! But if it was something else, he was interested in its powers of stealth, which could come in quite handy in exacting revenge on that disgusting excuse for a elf-being.

He faced the stool toward the rest of the inn as he returned it to its place. There he sat, facing the crowd, which had now mostly returned to its own inferior business. The disembodied voice had to reveal itself soon again. The dwarf wasn't going to miss it.