Before any more conversation about what they were doing in such a wretched place could take place, Arclan moved from the bar to join them and tossed a key to Steiner, who caught it. "You and I are sharing a bunk," he said in a tone that allowed no argument, and though she scowled at him she didn't fight him on it. A key was tossed to Jenn, who caught it with a fumble, Alex who almost caught it but then dropped it, and Ryon who caught it smoothly. "You lot get a barracks, five little beds, don't make mommy come and chaperone for you~" he said teasingly, to which Daniella and Ryon simply rolled their eyes, Alex blushed, and Jenn glared flatly.
The knight settled at the head of the table, right beside professor Steiner, and continued; "The rooms were paid for ahead of time, don't concern yourself with reimbursement. We'll be staying down here to meet the rest of our party, have a few drinks, some dinner if the food isn't too foul, and then... See where the night takes us!" He slid his gaze across the table to settle it on Ashley, the farthest from him, with a smile that as as frightening as it was charming, both eery and enticing in what it conveyed he might have meant.
"How long will we be waiting?" Steiner asked impatiently, but Arclan simply shrugged, "as long as it takes for our companions to show up."
Ashley studiously ignored Clay's gaze. She still had some hope for where the night might take her - even if she and Jenn were in with the other three students, at least Steiner wasn't there to say they couldn't share a bed - but if he thought it was going to take her into his arms he was in for disappointment.
After a moment, she looked about the tavern, wondering if they'd have to wait long for the others - who probably included orcs, though she didn't see any reason to assume there would be no others - or if perhaps they'd be eating dinner first. If they did that... well, learning what was going on was important, but if Clay intended to stay up and 'see where the night took him' she could certainly dismiss herself up to their room with a headache or something. Jenn would probably catch the signal, and they might manage some private time before anyone else came up.
With nothing further to speak of, Arclan took a seat at their table, and then they waited. Silence reigned at first, everyone looking to the knight expectantly, but after a few minutes of watching him sit there twiddling his thumbs they hesitantly broke out in conversation. Another few minutes later and an orc woman in a tavernmaid's dress came by, her red hair messy and long and her clothes doing as little as was reasonably possible under the circumstances to conceal her voluptuous figure. "Food? Drink? What're you lot havin?" she asked, and a general call for wine and dinner came with a promise of stew and Arclan rolling his eyes and throwing down a handful of gold coins that the orc gathered up and stuffed into her bosom before wandering off.
They got drinks first, followed by bowls of warm beef stew. The wine was cheap and poorly aged, hardly of good quality, but the stew was thick and filling, and more than one of their party asked for seconds. Arclan simply rolled his eyes again and coughed up a few more coins, seemingly uncaring for the money spent, but if Ashley was hoping to drag Jenn off for a tryst while everyone else was busy she would be disappointed. The water mage seemed more interested in trying to weasel information out of Arclan, and despite the man's deft evasion of answering any of her questions with a straight answer, she continued to persevere. She would wave off any suggestion of going off alone, even giving Ashley an annoyed look if she proved insistent, and it became readily apparent that her lover wasn't interested in doing anything tonight.
The place would fill gradually over the course of the night, the common room becoming rowdier by the hour, and while sitting about Ashley would notice a few dark looks sent their way be a group of armed and armored orcs who had entered, stopped upon seeing them at the table that Arclan had chosen, and then gone off to a different one. Before long, however, a group entered the tavern and, rather than pick a different spot, approached them. They were twelve in number, exactly enough to fill the rest of the chairs at their table, and all were armed and armored for battle. Not all of them were orcs, however, as among them also were a lithe night elven woman with an athletic figure and a blonde haired woman in battle armor with a sword hanging over her back. One of their number, a tall, broad shouldered orcish man with black haired tied back into a braid and squinty blue eyes split off from their group and approached the table.
"You Arclan Clay and the lot from the Academy?" the approaching orc grunted under his breath, low enough the only those at the table and those behind him would overhear. "Ahhh, yes I am. Are you.... Jiub the Slaver?" Arclan replied pleasantly, ignoring the shudders that went through Daniella and Alex or the angry glare from Steiner. "Heh, so I am!" the orc replied, and then motioned his group forward. They took seats along the table, forming a counter to the existing group and edging it in somewhat, and as Ashley was off to one edge she ended up seated beside one of them, specifically the night elf, who shot her a half smile and a nod of greeting before turning her attention back to Arclan and Jiub.
The rest of their number were of an odder assortment on further inspection than one might expect from a warband, at least if one was familiar with orcs. There were three other women among them, unless the one still hiding their face behind a thick steel helm carved like a roaring dok-cat was also female. One was a tall redhead who swept an imperious grin over the mages before folding her arms and looking to Arclan as well with curiosity in her blue eyes which seemed to match those of their leader perfectly. Beside her were two orc men, one on either side, one paler and thinner than the rest with pointed ears, blond hair, and a bow strung over his shoulder, and the other a thicker set orc with blood red hair and eyes to match, clad in black armor and wielding a wicked looking halberd that was thankfully hanging off of his back. To their right was another orc, this one of a more composed sort by all appearances than the one with the halberd, his bright green eyes staring calmly towards Jiub and Arclan without even glancing across the rest of their party before he sat down, the stout broadsword at his hip and the thick round shield on his back both ringing slightly as he rested his huge bulk onto a chair that seemed too small to hold his weight, though it held up just fine in practice. To his right was another orc of similar mindset if one was to judge by how set his expression was in a contemplative scowl, though he was smaller in stature if not in build while being just as bald, and the twin waraxes at his hips making similar noise.
To his right was the elf, next to Ashley, and going back left one would find the lion headed knight seated beside the pointy eared orc on the redhead's left, who made no sound besides the creaks and rattles of their armor and of the immense spear and shield on their back. Beside them was the next woman of the group, another orc woman but with a much lither build, and clad only in furs rather than in any sort of armor, though the greatsword on her back suggested that she was also a warrior despite her lack of armor, and she glanced across them with her violet eyes narrowed before looking back to Arclan and Jiub with a toss of her mane of wild raven hair. Beside her was the blond human woman, who seemed to have attention only for the matter at hand, and after that was another orc woman, the last, whose red hair had streaks of black in it and was cut into a narrow line running down the central line of her forehead and was clad in lighter chain armor rather than scale or plate like many of the other warriors, a longsword of a style more reminiscent of elves or Badarian duelists than the heavier blades favored by orcs hanging at her hip. Finally, beside her was Jiub, then Arclan, and a still scowling Professer Steiner.
"So, finally calling in that favor eh?" Jiub said in apparent humor at the idea, "I was startin' tah think I'd die of old age before you called me on that! Don't suppose you could spare a fellah a drink fer 'is trouble, eh?" Grinning boyishly in what seemed like the first sign of good spirits they'd seen from the faerie knight, Arclan chuckled and nodded, "drinks are on me tonight! Feel free to.... Indulge a bit at my expense. But... Not before we have time to discuss business, I hope!" Another round of drinks were ordered, ales for most of Jiub's party while Arclan insisted on more wine for them, though only Ryon seemed to have any interest in sampling it by this point while Daniella, Alex, and Jenn all huddled as far from the orcs as they could get while not looking like they were doing so.
"So... I suppose you-" Arclan began, but Steiner cut him off by sharply spitting; "Skip the theatrics and get to the fucking point already!" Jiub burst out into open laughter, as did the redheaded orc woman, and beneath them Ashley would detect the lion headed knight and the elven woman chuckling softly. "Been jerkin your Academy runts around have yah? Hah!" the slaver grunted between guffaws, "I like that one! Means we might actually live through this, if the rest of 'er crew's got half as much spirit to talk like that to the Winter Knight!" Arclan, who had turned to Steiner with a humored smile upon the woman's outburst, finally let out a chuckle and turned back to the table at large, and despite the humor and tension paralyzing everyone else Ashley wouldn't miss the grim note in the man's voice when he said; "It... Just might."
He paused a moment, letting the reaction to Steiner's outburst fade, and then continued in a conversationally solemn voice; "Well, if you'll indulge me a few... Theatrics..." He shot Steiner another smirk, "I'll get to the point. As some of you may know.... I managed to call in a favor owed to my court to bring this bunch of helpful little munchkins all the way out here," he swept a gesture across their party, "and then called in a personal favor from an old... Friend," he repeated the gesture towards the orc group, "and have brought every one of you here... For a reason that not a one of you has yet been told." He paused dramatically for a few seconds, just to make Steiner fume it seemed, before continuing; "As you may have guessed, our quest will be... Quite dangerous... Specifically... We are going to be taking something.... Something that is not ours. Something from a being we would best not alert to our intent... We are going to break into a dragon's hoard, into its most treasured vault to be specific."
Interested looks were sent his way, most tinged with incredulity, but Arclan paused only a moment to let that sink in before he continued; "Specifically.... We are going to break into Karthus' vault, in the Northern Wastes." Eyes went wide all around, but how much Ashley knew of the Tyrant Dragon King might determine how much of the rest of Arclan's explanation she would understand.
Ashley had long-since given up on getting anything out of Clay by direct questioning. It was clear to her that the only way he was giving something up was by either a slip or by spying on him. Still, she gave off trying to hint to Jenn that perhaps they could be more productive upstairs as the place started to fill up. Maybe he wouldn't give anything up, but his choices of companions might provide hints.
When the twelve others finally came, she felt somewhat vindicated to find that two of them weren't orcs. She felt... considerably less happy to hear their leader's name. Or rather his title. A slaver. One of the more vile institutions in the world, especially to women. And there were more in his party than in that from the Academy. That probably wouldn't matter as long as Clay was there - he wanted them for a purpose, and didn't seem likely to abide fighting - but while the mages were all powerful, she wasn't kidding herself that the other members of their party would be just as good, in their own way. And once the job was over, all bets would probably be off pretty quick.
She considered the other group carefully. And after a while decided that even after the job was over and Clay suddenly vanished - as seemed likely - it wouldn't devolve to fighting. Perhaps the slavers could overwhelm the mages, but they didn't seem like the sort to attack without a clear, lossless path to victory. They'd have to keep on their toes not to find themselves at a major disadvantage at any point - keeping their own watch at night, and similar - but there was a pretty could chance of parting in peace. Probably.
The wind mage turned back to her companions. None of them looked any happier being paired with a slaver than she was. Daniella and Alex seemed particularly affected. Professor Steiner looked angry, but that was hardly unusual after the Knight pulled out a surprise of any sort.
Ashley accepted a second glass of wine, but only briefly raised it to her lips, and didn't drink. The memories of her last time in a tavern were a bit too fresh to risk getting drunk again. Once the group had settled down, Clay finally told them what the job was.
The wind mage grunted slightly, nodding. It made a sort of sense. A theft of some sort had been one of her earlier speculations. Certainly if it were some sort of legitimate job, the Knight would be using the normal forces of the Fae court. Or perhaps supplemented that with particular individuals from outside. The way he had simply requested any mages with particular elemental focuses it seemed more like... well, like he was planning a heist, and wanted to fill each of the roles. Of course, stealing from a Dragon...
She didn't know much about Karthus in particular, except the passing references she'd found while researching daemons. Those said that he was regarded as one of the more powerful dragons on the continent, and not known as a thinker. But both of those were among dragons. Where even the least of them was regarded as deviously cunning, and more powerful than any mortal beast. He was a Daemon in physical form, living most of his 'life' as one of the great lizards. But he would also be capable of shifting into practically any form imaginable. Stealing from him wouldn't be easy.
Ashley opened her mouth to ask what, exactly, they were going to steal. Then she closed it again. Of course he wouldn't tell them. And even if he did, it would almost certainly be a lie. They'd get into the vault, and he'd take what he wanted.
She turned to the others, who seemed to be reacting with somewhat more shock, and waited to see if anyone was going to explain why. She felt herself starting to get irritated, and suppressed an urge to start forming stormclouds about her head.
"Bwaaaahahahahahaha! If I didn't know ye I'd think you were havin a laugh on us Arclan!" Jiub said, bursting out into laughter. "He isn't lying," Steiner said coldly, still holding anger and suspicion at the knight nonetheless. "But is he insane?" the tall red haired orcess sitting between the pointy eared pale orc and the one in black armor with a halberd asked speculatively. "Insane or no, we are bound to this task... What specifically are we stealing? Presumably we won't be trying to make off with his entire hoard in one go," the night elven woman asked with a tilt of her head.
"Well, you'll be able to take your pick of what we find.... But I'm after something specific which I'll recognize when I see it," Arclan replied, but then Steiner countered; "You aren't going to tell us what we're actually doing this for, are you?" Arclan offered the ever snarky instructor a charming smile, but his voice was icy as he replied; "I am not, but only because I do not yet know specifically what I am going to find."
He let that hang in the air, but after a moment the warrior in the lion-headed helm asked; "What else would Karthus have in his hoard? We've all heard the usual stories of riches... But a high knight of a fae court does not get sent with markers to call in favors in order to acquire material wealth." Arclan quirked an eyebrow but did not matter, and it was Alex who answered in a quiet voice that he tried to pass off as a grunt; "Artifacts." the young man shrunk as the table's attention turned to him, but after a moment he added; "It's probably something invaluable... Something that the fae couldn't just make for themselves, which means that it's something either very old and very powerful, or something made out of iron."
That opinion seemed to take some consideration, even from Arclan, but there was little more to be said on it. "And what of Karthus?" the orc woman with the mohawk sitting next to Jiub asked in a low rumbling voice, "what can we expect of him? The tyrant is well known among our people, and we would not do well to earn his ire." Arclan answered; "The plan is to not get caught.... But if things don't go according to plan, I imagine our choices will boil down to being murdered in the defense of the dragon's treasures or boldly fleeing for our lives. We're going to be contacting a security expert on the final approach, not another member of our group but someone who... Will have details on Karthus' vault and its defenses."
"Who?" Steiner demanded. "Yeah, who?" Jiub added, mimicking the professor's scowl. Arclan hesitated for a moment, but then sighed and said; "The specific expert is dead, but I know where her spirit ended up. The ghost itself you won't have heard of, they've been dead for a long time, but the medium that has it... Is Camrona the Cold." The orcs, save the blond woman, only seemed confused as to why such a name might earn a collective start from most of the mages at their table, as every member of Ashley's party and the one human among the orcs all looked shocked again at this name. This time, however, Ashley would know why.
Camrona had been a teacher at the Academy, long before Ashley had been there but still legendary. He had been unpopular in his time for being too severe on his students, often coming up with fairly creative punishments when his students offended him. He had been a tenured professor at the time, but had advocated for training every student that came through the Academy's halls as full battlemages and for making the school itself a proper military installation. Some had whispered of his intent to try and organize the school as its own nation, one that could unite the rest of Crolia against its enemies, and in whispers some had thought he sought to lead for his own personal power rather than for the pragmatic and altruistic aims that he espoused in public. He had eventually been kicked out when it was discovered that a private mentoring group he had established involved brutal outlawed combat training that had resulted in the deaths of two young acolytes. After all of the litigation, the former nobleman had been exiled from Therion, his family's holds and accounts confiscated and his own name stricken from the list of Theronian nobility. It had been quite the scandal at the time, at least according to the locals, and many still mentioned him as what could happen when a wizard went bad.
"That's.... Are you serious? That's crazy!" Daniella said, but then Ryon shrugged and said; "Perhaps, but less so than trying to rob a dragon. What about this... Karthus? I'm not familiar with him. It is a he, right?" It was the orc with the mohawk who answered first, her tone incredulous; "I thought you people lived at a school!? How could you have not learned the names of the great dragons!?" Steiner, seemingly taking offense to that, turned one of the glares normally reserved for Arclan upon her and replied; "We focus our teachings on... Other matters. More practical ones, usually, though there are those who choose to study magical beings." The orcess looked affronted, but before the conversation could get any more heated Arclan sighed and said; "Enough!"
The knight turned to Ryon and explained; "Karthus is one of the elder dragons, the oldest and first of their kind. He was one of the beings who first took the form of a dragon rather than any other, and some call him king of dragons because he claims that title. Not many are capable of denying him to his face, and while his kind have been in hibernation up until he recently he is well known in circles with longer memory than your Academy. There's nothing in his history that need be noted now, but more recently he has broken the taboo of meddling in mortal affairs and taken sides in your little war, favoring the orcs. Luckily only by offering his aspect, but supposedly he has been seen talking to the orc king." Arclan seemed skeptical about that, but unless Ashley offered any questions of her own he would pause, leaving the floor open, and when it went silent for a few seconds he would say; "Alright then... I know everyone already, but for the sake of expediency, why don't we all introduce ourselves? Lets start over there." He gestured at Ashley, leaving her to start things off.
As the others spoke, Ashley only listened with half an ear. Occasional facts added themselves to the bundle already in her mind, and new connections formed. Before long, one jumped to the top, flashing big, angry red letters. She kept her face smooth by considerable effort.
Each of those from the academy had been recruited to fill a role. She already knew her own, and Jenn's. The others became more clear with the nature of the job - a theft would be helped by illusion, and skill at enchanting might even be useful if - when - they reached the dragon's horde, to help identify what they found with more accuracy. And of course the dragon was an intensely magical creature, explaining the professor's involvement.
And it seemed likely that the others had their own particular skills as well. Mostly in fighting and thievery, she suspected. And while the details of that didn't seem significant at first, the one specialty she knew had suddenly leaped out at her. The leader of the others, and likely the most important addition to the group... was the slaver. Stories of exactly where the dragonkin had come from presented themselves to Ashley. Along with several less than ideal - from her point of view - methods for getting into the dragon's lair. Or even trading for whatever it was that Clay wanted. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she was suddenly working hard not to produce stormclouds around her head.
Of course, she couldn't just come out and accuse him of that, not at this point, in a crowded pub and faced with a group of likely-complicit strangers. But making sure the others were aware of the possibility was paramount. All the more reason to get some alone time with Jenn. Or even not-so-alone time. But not yet. Best to try to learn a little more, first.
She blinked, and realized she'd been addressed, replaying the last few seconds of conversation for her conscious thoughts. "I'm Ashley, a wind mage from the Academy." After a moment, she decided that making them underestimate her wasn't the best tactic, if her suspicions were right. "I fought in action against the orcs, helped hold off the Invasion at the academy, and saw the Artmist incursion through to the finish."
"No family name to go with that?" Jiub asked curiously, "I thought you humans were all about lineage." He didn't seem to think less of Ashley for it, but seemed merely curious despite the somewhat rude tone he took. Some of the orc party at least seemed impressed by her list of accomplishments, though in most cases it was difficult to tell. However Ashley responded to that, afterwards they would start going around the table, each member of their group offering an introduction one by one.
"I'm Jennifer Lamal Elmer," Jenn said, "an ice mage from Therion."
Next was Alex, who cleared his throat and paused for an awkwardly long moment before saying; "I'm Alexander Kovisto, enchanter. Also from Therion!"
Next was Ryon, who simply said; "I am Ryon Toma, originally from the Amazon but now a resident of the Academy."
Then Daniella, who seemed hesitant but took less time than Alex to actually respond; "I'm... Daniella Boulay, of Tarth. Evoker."
Last of their group, not counting Arclan, was Steiner, who coolly said; "Professor Laura Steiner, assistant head of the study of magical creatures division at the Academy."
Arclan, rolling his eyes at the tension still in the atmosphere, jovially said; "Arclan Clay, former knight of Therion, now knight of the Winter Court! At your service, as ever~" That turned a few heads from some other tables, and out of the corner of her eye Ashley would see a figure in a gray cloak rise from their seat and head out the door a few moments later, albeit in no apparent haste. No one else seemed to notice as they went along with the introductions.
"Jiub's the name! Slaver some call me, though I've no call for way," he said in tone similar to Arclan's, though the smile that he adopted at the end was perhaps more sinister than it ought to be. "Formerly of clan Brugdunein' - that's Bloodhammer in yer tongue - and now the head o' this little outfit," he added with a dramatic sweep across his, much more populated half of the table.
"I... Am Nilsin~" the woman beside Jiub said in a high, piercing voice, the slight croon at the end of her name making her sound like the stereotype of a witch. "Also of Brugdenein' and now of Jiub's little band. The Red Wind some call me... Or just the Red with my name up front... With luck, you'll get to learn why soon enough~" Her eyes bulged, and while Jiub and the blond human beside her both rolled their eyes the sinister eagerness in her tone implied a love of violence that Ashley had rarely heard the like of.
Next was the only human of their group, who composed herself to keep the obvious disgust she held for her comrade out of her voice. "I am Karena, formerly Ser Karena Arselone, now bondswoman to clan Brugdenein' and to Jiub," she said, and Ashley would feel Jenn shiver beside her. Bondsmen or bondswomen to orcs were essentially slaves, albeit ones with much more freedom than one could expect a slave to hold in human lands. They had shown enough loyalty, or perhaps more accurately been broken enough by their masters, that they were given leave to fight beside those who had captured them or perform functions beyond the normal simple physical labor that most slaves were given. Such was the fate that many warriors could expect if they were captured by the orcs in battle.
"I am Ylsig of the Dragonblooded," the next in line, the woman in furs with the longsword and the red mohawk said. "Indebted to Jiub, and honored of clan Brugdenein' and the grand army of our king," she offered a challenging look to Ashley, who had spoken of fighting against the orc's, but seemed more intent on testing for antagonism than starting any.
Beside her was the one who had yet to reveal their face, the intricately carved full helm hiding their visage entirely and even masking their voice as they solemnly intoned; "I am Dornhall... The Troll Slayer, at your service." The figure offered a half bow while sitting, their voice and figure masculine but their covering not making it entirely clear.
Next was the paler orc with the pointed ears, but he was not next to speak. The woman beside her waved a hand in his direction, grinning, and grunted; "This one' is called Dalmen," she gestured to the more normal looking orc with the black armor and the halberd, "and this one's Gronkor. Both of 'em are my bondsmen, so unless ye want to work out a trade ye'd better keep yer eyes and hands to yerselves!" She didn't seem to realize that no one in their party seemed the slightest bit interested in her two apparent companions, not even the paler one who was at least conventionally handsome. "I'm Grumush, an' I'm the one what keeps my little brother Jiub here out of trouble!"
Jiub simply rolled his eyes and let out a quick grunt of laughter, but the elvish one to her left coldly intoned; "We are bondsmen, yes, but do not think of us as slaves. Our customs are not yours. I am Dalmen, of clan Bloodhammer, at your service." The other orc that Grumush had pointed to gave a comical roll of his eyes, "ee's a bit touchy bout our position in life. Like Grumush says, I'm Gronkor. Pleasure tah make yer acquaintances!" His deep, grunting voice and accent didn't mesh well with the obviously forced efforts to seem sophisticated with his choice of words, and Dalmen gave his own roll of the eyes in response.
Next was the largest of the bunch, the humongous orc who looked oddly calm, and he simply grunted; "Name's Scortha."
After him was the orcd with the two axes, who offered a fairly friendly smile much like that of the night elf sitting next to him. "Greetings, I am Caragor, of clan Bloodhammer as you would say. This is my wife, Ayelia," he said, gesturing to the night elf beside him who gave her apparent husband an affectionate pat on the arm. It was well known that orcs didn't follow the same customs as humans, and indeed didn't even call their version of marriage marriage, though he might have simply been speaking in terms that he thought they would be able to understand. "Pleased to meet you all," the elf beside him said in a gentle voice, slowly looking over the whole of Ashley's group with a half smile like the one she'd shot at Ashley when they'd all sat down.
Ashley ignored the slaver's question, instead looking to Jenn to continue the introductions. The lack of a family name wasn't a huge deal to her most of the time, but being reminded that she was a bastard was never something to relish. There were no real surprises among the mages, which was hardly surprising.
More interesting were the introductions from the new members of their group. Eleven of them. Seeing the racial makeup, the wind mage had held out some hope that they had come from several places, with only one or two actually being of a party with the slaver. That hope quickly faded. Six at least - the slaver himself, his sister, and their four bondsmen and women - were obviously going to be together. All the orcs had identified as the same clan, too, and for some reason the night elf was married to one of the orcs. That left at most one - the one with the odd helm - that might have been picked up along the way.
But best not to count on that. If it came down to a conflict, it would be eleven against six. And while Ashley had no doubt of the skill of those from the Academy, there was every reason to believe that each of their new companions was just as good.
So now they had a group, a goal, and the basics of the method - they'd find Camrona, talk to the spirit that knew the dragon's defenses, and then exploit them.
Or at least the basics of what Clay would tell them. Some of it was probably true, but Ashley would eat her boots if he was telling them everything. She turned back to the Winter Knight, waiting to see what was next.
"So, that's everyone!" Arclan said briefly, "we're all going to have to... Live with each other for a little bit, so I suggest you all start making friends now, or things will just be so awkward for the whole trip!" He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes, "so, while Jiub and I see to sleeping arrangements, why don't you start getting to know each other?" He rose and motioned to Jiub, who did the same alongside Karena, and the three walked off.
An awkward silence ensued for a few seconds, the two groups simply staring at each other, but eventually Grumush would roll her eyes and turn to Steiner, "so, you lot are straight outta the Academy eh? How'd you lot think on the choice to take back Gods-Reach?" Steiner scowled, "we aren't discussing the war. Not unless you want to start it at some point... And for your information, we're all glad we kicked your kind out of that place." She shot a challenging look at the rest of the group, none of whom met her eyes or made any effort to disagree, but Grumush actually smiled broadly and allowed the matter to drop.
Another awkward silence followed, Arclan, Jiub, and Karenna still occupied over at the bar, but eventually snippets of conversation began, starting with Alex apparently wanting the silence to end and thus addressing the orc woman with the mohawk who had introduced herself as Ylsig. Gradually, other conversations started, mostly over casual things, and after a moment the night life casually turned to Ashley, maintaining a friendly smile, and said; "So... You fought in the invasion? And at Artmirst?"
Ashley cautiously returned the night-elf's smile. She wasn't one of the orcs, which made things a little less tense, but she was still married to one. And one who associated with this slaver. Still, they had to work together, and there was nothing else obviously objectionable about her, so the wind-mage decided to answer honestly, if not completely.
"Yes. I helped hold the invaders at bay with a storm while the rest of the academy brought the ship down. And then was part of the effort to mop up the survivors. And I was involved in the events at Artmirst as well, though I'm still not entirely sure how much we really helped, in the end." Ashley paused, then returned to the matter at hand. "And what about you? Why were you chosen to help our friend the Knight?"
"Impressive," the elf replied, seemingly earnestly, though not without adding; "Even for one using stolen power." There was no apparent malice in her voice, her remark about magic the sort that Ashley had heard from orcs before and spoken more as a matter of fact rather than as something meant to be an insult.
"I'm sure that you did more good than you imagine.... As for your questions, my husband and I are of the clan, and Jiub requested a group to go and perform a mission in response to a favor owed. My husband and I answered. Jiub is a clanmate and a cousin to my husband, and a great reward was promised." She eyed Ashley during a brief pause, "why have you come along? Seeking more adventure? It is good that one so accomplished does not grow complacent!"
Ashley suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She knew what orcs thought of mages, nonsense though it was. She just hadn't expected an elf to have absorbed that particular prejudice.
The rest of the elf's response was more interesting. If the rest of the group were beholden to Jiub personally - at it seemed that a substantial fraction of them were, even more than she had expected - then Clay might have picked him more for the extra help he could bring rather than for his own personal 'skills' as a slaver. It wouldn't do to grow complacent, but perhaps things weren't stacked quite as badly as she'd thought.
The wind mage hesitated in response to the next question, though. She could hardly say tell them that she'd been caught having sex in public and was told to go along or be expelled. "Yes... I've finished my studies, at least for the moment. A little time off to consider what I want to do next couldn't go amiss." She smiled. "And I can hardly think of something more... interesting... to do." Her eyes darted sideways, to Jenn, then back to the elf.
"Ahhhh, some more excitement to help decide what to do next... Always a good choice," the elf said amicably, though she grinned as she noticed the sidelong glance at Jenn, who was simply watching their conversation without trying to be obvious about it. "There are, of course, distractions that can help one unwind... Do they still do the Neiriad test?" she said playfully, including her question which was fairly odd to say the least.
The Neiriad test had been banned nearly sixty years ago, and had been a test of self control for aspiring members of an outlawed group that had hunted dangerous magical creatures. They had to escape from a binding while faced with a pair of faerie seductresses - sirens - without losing control of their own actions in the process. It had been controversial even then, and had been banned even before the order that had created it had been destroyed for their scorched earth policies when dealing with certain creatures. The only people that would have been likely to know of it, however, would have at least been to the Academy, if not been a student there at some point.
Ashley raised her eyebrows. The change in direction of the conversation was abrupt, but not really startling. "Not for generations. " She considered a little further. "I'm not even certain I remember exactly who the test was for, though certain details do stick in the mind."
The way the elf was talking about this, though... the familiarity, but uncertain if it still continued, when it hadn't happened in Ashley's mother's lifetime... "... when did you attend the Academy?"
"Ohhh... About ninety years ago," the elf replied, "I suppose I'm not surprised.... Still, I liked that test! It was enjoyable, and in some ways more practical than most... Certainly moreso than any of the sit down exams!" She seemed intent on dwelling on nostalgia for the moment, as she continued; "How are things around there these days? Still trying to keep students from having fun at every turn?"
Ashley nodded, first at having her guess confirmed, and then at the woman's question. "Oh, certainly. Even on this 'trip' they seem to discourage wandering off in pairs even more so than wandering off alone, for somewhat different reasons." She resisted the urge to glance at Jenn again, and wondered where this was leading..
"Eheh, of course they do~ No problem sending their students into life threatening danger, so long as they aren't getting laid! That's precisely why I left!" the elf replied, and in the meantime Jenn and the elf's apparent husband were simply staring at each other, sizing one another up silently, though Jenn seemed far less calm about it. The water mage wasn't panicked by any means of course, but she also seemed distinctly uncomfortable around so many dangerous individuals.
The others, in the meantime, were having their own conversations, which at least kept the table from going quiet. Ryon was speaking to Jiub's sister, Grumush, while her two slaves sat at her elbows looking disinterested, the amazonian boy alone among them in not looking uncomfortable. Daniella was talking to the Crolian woman, Karena, and while the latter seemed intent on prying into details about Theronian noble life while reminiscing - much like Ayeila in some respects - about her own former life, Daniella seemed extremely uncomfortable about it. The redhead wasn't being obvious about her discomfort, but Ashley had gotten to know her well enough to tell that she didn't want to be talking about this particular subject with this particular person.
Jiub and Arclan were chatting amicably, Jiub doing the brunt of the talking but the faerie knight at least creating an excellent appearance of having an interest in what tale the slaver was telling. Ylsig and Steiner were having a curt conversation, the orc knight and professor exchanging words of little meaning themselves but obviously trying to size one another up for social weakness. Alex was going at length, seemingly in stride and quite passionately for once, about enchanting to Nilsin and Trogo, a conversation that the still fully covered Dornhall seemed to take some interest in as well if the tilt of his helm covered head was any indication.
"Still... That never stopped some of us~" the elf continued playfully, and gave Ashley an unsubtle wink before bursting out into girlish giggles. "Have you and yours already eaten?" she asked more conversationally after getting herself under control, to which Jenn answered; "Yes... And you know, I'm actually a bit tired." She turned towards Ashley with a look that subtly pled for support, "think we should try to get to bed early tonight? Before things get too.... Rowdy?"
Ashley nodded once before catching herself and making a non-committal grunt. The elf was perfectly correct, of course, but Ashley didn't quite agree with the decision to leave because of rules against having sex. At least, given that the rules ban it altogether.
The wind mage took a moment to glance around at her companions. Aside from Daniella - seeming unreasonably uncomfortable given what seemed to be a relatively benign subject - the others seemed... if not exactly happy, at least accepting of the situation. But more importantly, the professor was intent on her opposite, even if they weren't talking much. And it didn't seem likely they'd get much more of use out of the group this night. Which added to the current conversational topic with the elf to leave Ashley starting to speculate in a more concrete way about how to convince Jenn to come upstairs with her...
At which point the same thought seemed to have occurred to Jenn. Careful not to sound too eager, Ashley responded "Yeah, we probably won't have real beds again for a while. Maybe not until we return here, on the way back to the Academy." She turned to Jenn, and if the water mage really seemed ready to go, she'd stand up.
But before they left, she'd turn back to the elf. "We've had a long few weeks. If you'll excuse me?"
"Goodnight then," the elf said amicably, apparently unconcerned. Steiner looked up as Ashley and Jenn both rose, but she only nodded, and similar gestures came from the various other members of the table. Only the armored one, who had yet to remove his helmet or even speak so much as a word since his introduction, watched them go for more than a minute as Jenn led the way upstairs. They entered a room using a key gained from Steiner, and Jenn immediately sighed upon finding themselves with some privacy, pushing the door closed once Ashley was inside and then going over to one of the many beds, kicking her shoes off, removing her outermost layer of clothing until she was in a pair of panties and her undershirt, pulled her bra out from underneath it, and then flopped down onto one of the narrow beds.
Ashley followed Jenn into the room, and then over to the beds, where she too started stripping down. Her clothes made a pile next to Jenn's until all that was left was her panties - the enchanted pair Jenn had given her - her bra, and a light shirt. With a glance at the door, she deliberately moved into Jenn's field of view before stripping off her shirt and bra, reluctantly pulling the shirt back on afterward, and climbing onto the bed next to Jenn.
She kissed her lover lightly, then pulled back enough to speak, murmuring into the water mage's ear. "We might have a few minutes before anyone else comes..."
