Feral Flame Tavern - A Collaborative Fantasy Adventure

[TarnishedPrincess]

She felt her eyes crinkle with an unconscious grin at his cocky jest, and at the next one, she laughed. A surprising sound, spontaneous and filled with genuine mirth. One she hadn’t heard from herself in…too long.

When he complimented her eyes, they widened slightly, her grin smoothing into a bewildered, somewhat guarded smile. She lifted her mug and hid the rest of her expression behind a long, measured drink, withdrawing from the suddenly sincere moment.

She nodded when he went out to chop wood, and busied herself inside by cleaning their mugs and the other dishes used.

When he returned, she still had her cloak around her, hood still drawn. “Since we’re getting me new clothes tomorrow, I should probably wash tonight. Is there a—” Her speech cut off when Asvard removed his cloak and tunic, as her eyes took in his strong physique. Then her brain reconnected and she continued, hoping her gawking had not been noticeable. “—Is there a stream or creek nearby where I can bathe?”

 

[Nico231]

He stood up and asked, “If things were to go South tomorrow, do you have a weapon or anything to defend yourself with?” He went into the side room and grabbed a dagger.

The dagger itself was well crafted, forged by a friend. He put it in its sheath and went to her. “So now what are you doing? Make sure you get some sleep, the bedroom is upstairs on the left.” He listened attentively to her question and responded, “There’s a lake just outside, feel free to use it, but I’ll also need to use the lake, hunting leaves you a sweaty mess at times.”

He hung up his cloak and tunic, then he went over to her, and put her hood down. “Relax Elle, no one comes to these woods, and if they did, they’d turn tail and flee at the first site of my fence. If you’re that worried about it, I could stand guard for you...” He seemed a little shy about the prospect.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

She took the dagger from his outstretched hand and examined the blade as he hung his cloak and tunic—so Elle didn’t notice when he came up beside her and suddenly pulled her hood down.

The cloth fell away from her head and she froze, shocked, face fully exposed for the first time since he’d met her. But the part that made him blink in surprise was not how her pearlescent skin seemed to shine in the moonlight pouring through the window; nor how wide her jeweled eyes looked in the slimness of her delicate features…

No. What startled him most were the ears poking through her mop of dirty blonde hair. Ears with pointed tips—the telltale sign of the fae.

She whirled to face him on instinct, brandishing the dagger at him with a snarl. “Stay back.”

 

[Nico231]

He didn’t flinch when she pointed the dagger at him, instead he smiled. “You’re pretty cute Elle. And your hair is like gold.” He saw her ears and asked, “So you’re a Fae, and that’s why they want you?” He sighed, and took a step back. “Elle, I’m not gonna turn you in or anything like that, in fact seeing that you’re a fae I have more incentive to join you.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a butterfly shaped pendant, the mark of the butterfly was an exclusive symbol of the Fae. “When I was younger I made friends with a Fae in Avalhorn, he was a kind, and gentle soul, but not that tough, so I protected him from people that wanted him dead. He gave me the pendant the night he was killed, and in doing so I swore an oath that as long as I live I won’t let any harm come to Faes.”

He spoke with clarity and honesty, “I will accompany you on this journey, and if I have to earn your trust, then so be it.” He turned away from her, and said, “Let me show you the lake.” He exited his cabin and went West towards the lake.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

Bewildered by his response, she paused. “Something like that,” she answered when he asked if being fae was why they pursued her.

She wasn’t used to how casually he took the news of her heritage. But she had seen his pendant and knew instinctively that his words were true. So she put away the dagger and follows him to the lake, considering how this might change her plans.

 

[Nico231]

He walked through the woods with her for a bit until they came upon the lake. “So how do you wanna do this? Do you wanna bathe at the same time, or in turns? I don’t have a preference.” He sounded uncharacteristically shy when asking the question.

He took a deep breath and relaxed, his long chocolate colored hair swayed in the wind. “Out of curiosity do you have a preference on what kind of raiment I should procure for you?” He asked that with genuine curiosity since he wanted to know more about his travel buddy.

“I would love to chat, but we can save that for when we hit the road tomorrow.” He sat down in the grass and enjoyed the wind. Being a barbarian, he enjoyed nature more than the average person, and hated cities, which is why he stayed in a log cabin out in the woods.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

His shyness made her feel less afraid of him, so she nodded at his options. “Together, then…it’s getting late and I’d rather turn in soon. This day has gone on long enough… I’ll get in first.”

Waiting for him to turn, she stripped from the rags left around her and waded into the crisp waters. It wasn’t that she was self-conscious of nakedness as most humans were, but rather she didn’t want him to see the rest of the marks and bruises on her body.

Once fully in the water up to her neck, she called to him that he can enter as well.

 

[Nico231]

Upon hearing the all clear from Elle, Asvard dropped his trousers, and then his braies. She could see his whole body now, and it was about what she expected, a muscular body covered in scars. He waded into the lake and began to wash his body, he swam over to her and hung out near her.

“When was the last time you bathed? I noticed your hand was covered in soot back at the tavern.” He was considerate of her despite what she thought of humans like him. He ogled at her hair, “Despite being on the run and being squalid and unkempt, your hair is radiant.” He tentatively ran a finger through her hair, it felt like silk.

Compared to her, his hair was rough, thick, and tough to maintain. He dunked his head underwater and washed his hair as best he could. When Asvard surfaced he turned to Elle, “If you need help with anything, let me know.”

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

As Asvard entered the lake water, Elle dunked her head and massaged her scalp, trying to untangle the matted mess of her golden tresses. Just as the barbarian had observed, what seemed dirty blonde before now sparkled like rose gold after being rinsed in the clean waters.

As he approached her in the water, she held her breath. He was massive compared to her. He could easily take advantage of this situation, if he were deceiving her about his code of honor.

But as he washed himself and stayed a respectful distance from her, she relaxed.

At his question about the last time she’d bathed, she snorted. “I wouldn’t let them get close enough to bathe me, so they refused to let me do it myself. I don’t know how long it’s been since they took me. A week—a month?”

All the while, she fiddled with the tangled strands, the tip of her tongue peeking out of her glistening lips as she concentrated. Again, she didn’t notice him approach until his fingers danced through a section of hair she had already untangled, sending a wave of shivers through her.

Thankfully, he ducked his head to wash his own hair before he could see the flush rise on her pale cheeks, making them shimmer even more—like the pearlescent sheen of an oyster.

She nodded and turned away as he surfaced and offered her help. “If you could…help me untangle my hair…”

She kept running her fingers through the locks in the front, but pointed to the back of her head where she could feel some small twigs or leaves caught and tangled.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

As he started helping her with her hair, she answered his much earlier question.

“As for what kind of clothes to get me, it depends on our cover story. Who am I to you, and how am I going to disguise myself convincingly enough with that backstory? If you buy some makeup, I think I can cover my skin well enough, and with some temporary hair dye, I should be able to darken it’s shimmer to a shade more commonly seen in humans.”

She finished combing out the rest of her hair as he continued on the back, then started rubbing her body to get the dirt and weeks of grime and travel off. Despite the briskness of her purpose, every movement still carried the unnatural grace of her kind.

“We want my role to be believable and inconspicuous. Something that will make the guards hesitate to check or look too closely. The clothes should fit that role, but also cover me up as much as possible. My body is different than humans…I’ve been told. Even though I see little difference to some slighter human women,” she grumbled at the end. “Regardless, the clothes should be easy for me to move in should we have to make a run for it.”

 

[Nico231]

As Asvard untangled her hair, he smiled, and started to rub her shoulders, his great strength and enormous hands were able to easily work out all her knotted muscles. “Being on the run leaves you stressed and your muscles all screwed up.” He took diligent care to not hurt her as he rubbed her shoulders, shoulder blades, and back.

“Something easy to move in... How about an undertunic? They’re loose enough to not hinder movement but won’t fall off and leave you nude, at least I hope.” He moved his hands down to her calves and massaged them “Your legs must be killing you after being on the run so long.” He realized Elle had some decent leg muscles.

“I bet you could kill an assailant with a couple kicks from these.” He wasn’t good at compliments but tried his best anyway. He finished getting all the crap out of her hair. He stood in awe at how different it looked now. “Your hair is even more beautiful now, like a sovereign’s gold...”

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

As he began massaging her, she flinched and began to pull away. But then he spoke and she realized his intentions were innocent, so she allowed him to continue.

“Ahh,” she gasped as his hands strayed over some fresher bruises on her shoulders. Her eyes screwed up involuntarily as she remembered how she got those bruises.

At his questioning glance, she shook her head and leaned against a nearby rock in the lake water, allowing him to lift one leg of hers at a time to massage. Those weren’t as bruised.

At his comment about her kick, she smirked, “I believe the men who dared touch me learned that the hard way. They couldn’t walk for a full day.”

When he finished with her massage, she rolled her neck, the waterfall of golden tresses shifting and sparkling in the moonlight. At his compliment, she peeked up through the curtain of hair, one emerald-sapphire eye visible.

Sovereign’s gold… She smiled bitterly at the irony, before parting her hair and beginning to plait two quick braids on either side. They hung over her shoulders and floated in the water.

“Do you…need any help?” she asked awkwardly, trying to get the attention off of herself.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

“Also, an under tunic would be fine for tonight. I am loathe to put those filthy rags back on….”

 

[Nico231]

He didn’t know what to say. “Well you could try rubbing my shoulders but it won’t be easy, they’re like two rocks.” He chuckled, “I think I have a spare undertunic back at the cabin, from when I was smaller if you could believe it.”

He parted her hair to get another clear look of her face, and ears. “Faes have a beauty that humans could only dream of. I’ve never had a travel companion as fair as you.” He meant that with absolute sincerity as he lowered himself into the water so she could reach his upper back.

“Don’t be afraid to be rough if you deem it necessary. I’m like a walnut.” When he let his guard down he was a bit of an oaf, but he could quickly put his guard up when he needed to. He began to think about what she could reasonably disguise herself as.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

As he parted her hair and complimented her yet again, another blush stole up her neck to her cheeks. This time, he got to see the pearlescent sheen work its way up to her cheeks and shimmer.

She exhaled with silent gratitude as he turned away and lowered himself into the water. She was used to her beauty being gawked at and complimented by humans, but it always felt cheap coming from the ones she had met. His attention felt genuine, unassuming…and it made her feel strange.

Using her fingers as pressure points, she went to work on his shoulders, kneading them to warm them up, then switching to her elbow for leverage. He was surprised that she could dig into him as well as she did, though it still wasn’t enough to truly loosen his knotted muscles. It had helped, though.

As she worked on him, she continued their discussion about disguises, every now and then exhaling from the exertion of the massage. “What would keep the guards from asking too many questions, and still allow me to wear enough makeup to cover myself should they decide to look more closely? My first thought is that I am your—hmm, not family relation, since there’s no way I could pass for your blood relative—but maybe a close friend’s daughter? I look younger than I am, so that might be best. Whom you are taking with you back to your home to treat some disease or sickness—highly contagious.”

 

[Nico231]

Upon seeing her blush, she could see a smile crack on his face. Asvard thought about it, “Yeah, you do look like you’d pass for an Avalhornian. But we need to come up with a false name as well... How about the name Elyna?” He sighed in relief at her deep tissue elbow massage.

“It’s not getting all the way in there, but I seriously appreciate that Elle.” When she stopped, he began to swim around in the lake, he swam quite gracefully for someone of his stature, like a fish almost. She could feel the water moving around her with each mighty stroke of his legs.

When he resurfaced he asked, “Can you fight with a dagger Elle? I need to know what weapons you’re proficient at using so we don’t fail to get out of Lerinal if we have to fight.” He swam over to her, a curious look on his face.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

She looked at him dubiously at his assertion that she could pass for one of his people. “Are you sure? If your women are even half as broad as you are, there’s no way I could pass for one. Not to mention my features are far more fragile looking. Not that I am, mind you. I can take care of myself in a scrap. I can use the dagger you gave me, but prefer a bow. And I have a few other things I can do if need be.”

 

[Nico231]

“Well Rosepond is relatively close, only about 10 miles East of here, and if I recall correctly, there are a lot of women with a similar body type to you. I think you could pass for a Rosepond woman.” He got out of the water and grabbed his clothes, and said, “Let’s head back, I need to show you something.”

He was perfectly willing to walk home naked, he didn’t feel embarrassment like most. When she was ready to head back he started walking home, when they arrived he took her hand and lead her to the side room. The side room had a few weapons and a grindstone to sharpen the blades.

On his wall of weapons was a short sword, a mace, and a recurve bow along with a quiver of arrows. “If you can use a recurve bow, then feel free to take it, I don’t get much use out of it anyway.” He got his pants on and took his axe to the grindstone, where he sharpened it a bit.

“I know Faes can look the age they aren’t, so how old are you anyway? I’m 19.” He was a bit young to be a Sterker, especially one with his level of experience, but he climbed the ranks like nobody had seen before.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

As he emerged from the water, she followed, unbraiding her hair. It fell over her shoulders and across her breasts and back in damp waves, covering her petite figure somewhat.

She walked slightly behind him to avoid his gaze, still somewhat wary of humans and overly conscious of her bruised body.

At the cabin, he left and returned with the promised undershirt, and she slid into it quickly. It fell well to her knees despite his claim that it was smaller than his usual garb.

Taking her hand, he led her to another room. At the warmth of the gesture, she felt calmed, only now aware of the nervousness that had been building within her.

In the room of weapons, he handed her a braid of leather, which she tied around her waist like a kind of belt, making the shirt look more like a shift or short dress.

She nodded appreciatively as he handed her the recurve, smiling at the familiar bends in the wood. “This is perfect, thank you.”

She raised a brow at his age. He seemed far older, whether due to his people’s physical maturation rate or the scars and battles marked across his skin. “We mature slower than humans, at least in our own realm. I’m probably 21 in human terms, though I’ve seen many more years in my homeland.”

 

[Nico231]

He was a bit surprised she was older than him. “I look old because I’ve fought many battles.” He finished sharpening his axe and looked at the edge. “This axe of mine is a great weapon, and my shield is great for a bludgeon.”

He went over to her, “You look great now that you’re out of those rags. Do you still have that cloak of yours? It would cover your ears nicely.” He went out of the weapon room and put his brown blouse that he hung up in the living room on. He went back to her, and told her, “The bedroom is upstairs, rest up for tomorrow.”

He went to the living room and laid on the floor. He tiredly said, “Good night Elle...” A while after that he fell asleep on the cold floor, to him it felt like home.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

“Good night…Asvard…” It was the first time she had said his name, and it felt strangely intimate. He had been kind to her—one of the first humans to do so in a long time—and she felt an odd mixture of gratitude and fear. After all, it was the nice ones that could hurt you the worst…

Heading up the stairs to his room, she closed the door behind her and leaned a chair against it as a makeshift alarm system. Then she untied the leather cord at her waist and crawled into the barbarian’s bed.

She could smell his masculine scent everywhere. Musky and woodsy and strong. It calmed her with each breath, her eyelids heavy as her head hit the pillow, and she fell asleep almost instantly.

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

((Shall we fast forward through the next day, you securing a tunic top and traveling pants for her, riding boots, and disguise makeup/hair dye? Maybe the plan is to get a horse and have her laying in a small cart tied to it, playing sick and covered with a tarp tent for cover?

I can set the scene at the city gate in the evening twilight, the best time to leave when it’s graying and harder to see.))

 

[Nico231]

((Yeah that’s fine. I can set it up.))

 

[TarnishedPrincess]

((Ok, cool—go for it!))

 

[Nico231]

At dawn, Asvard woke up, he grabbed some black and white cloth he had and went into town to a seamstress store. He stumbled upon a place called “Needle Point”. “Perfect.” He said, and then he entered. The seamstress was an older lady who spoke in a shaky voice, “Hello Asvard, Do you need your blouse mended?”

Asvard shook his head no and replied, “Not this time Ruth, I need you to make a woman’s tunic and travel pants, for a slight woman.” Ruth sighed, “Found your huntress have you Asvard?” He got flustered. “No! No it’s not like that at all! I just found her in the woods, battered, afraid, and adorned in rags. She needs some proper clothing.”

He set 6 silver coins on her counter along with both streams of cloth. “Just a tunic and travel pants, please.” Ruth responded, “It’ll be an hour and a half.” With that, Asvard took his leave. He went into the forest and secured some Volcano Lotus in the forest, a black flower that when crushed up can be used to color hair.

After he found enough Volcano Lotuses, he searched for Beige Polkweed, an herb that when crushed up can serve as a foundation when applied to the skin. He brought the flowers home and then set out for the horse stables, where he retrieved a horse, the horse was a mare named Pearl. He rode her to Needle Point where he went to pick up the clothes, and returned home.

He opened the door and handed Elle her brand new black tunic and white travel pants, neatly folded by him. “Here you are Elle.” Once he finished gifting her the clothes, he began grinding up the flowers in a mortar and pestle, until the Volcano Lotus was a liquid, and the Beige Polkweed was a coarse powder.