She gave the man a nod as he traded his name for hers. Nolan. But no affiliation? Well, she supposed that wasn't too odd. Plenty of lone wolves out in the world just trying to get by. That was exactly what she'd been before meeting Esme, after all. Then again, maybe he just didn't want to give away too much about himself to a stranger. Had she? Who the hells knew.
"Yeah, that's easy enough to see." she said. This town wasn't even technically in the Silent Plains, but the dry heat was almost as unbearable as the humidity of the Arlathan forests. She definitely missed the proper weather back home. Or at least down near Kirkwall.
At his question, Ceren's eyes lifted from her tankard to meet Nolan's. There was something in the way he said the words that she knew there was more to it all. But, not knowing the man, she hadn't the faintest idea of what that something more was. A challenge? Judgement? Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked at him, unsure of exactly what he wanted from her. But, again, she couldn't just sit there and state at him. She would need to say something.
"I don't work for nothing." she said, then took a sip of her ale. "There's jobs I won't take. Don't confuse that. But doing good just for the sake of it don't feed me, or my horse. I've been paid to look into things." She shrugged, facing the bar and settling both her elbows on it's surface. There were plenty of folks out there that stylized themselves as protectors of the innocent, the weak. Sure, she wanted to do good in the world, and had the ability to turn away from the seedier side of mercenary work. But she wasn't some idiot that thought herself a saint.
Just then, a familiar tingling sensation needled at the back of Ceren's neck. Blinking, she took a breath and released it slow, feeling for that strange connection to Andor. He was flying, circling above the town and had spotted some kind of commotion not far from the tavern. Of course, it was difficult to understand more than that from their bond, but it was enough to pique her interest. Standing, she waved to the bartender.
"Later, on the bath, yeah? Gotta go see about something." The bartender gave her a nod and grunt similar to the one he'd given before. Ceren drank back to last of her ale and set it down on the bar. As she turned to leave, her eyes caught Nolan's again. "More coin at the end, if the raiders are handled." she said. Then, as she reached the door, she added "If you're interested." If more hands were needed after finding the raiders, she could send for one or a few of the other Salamanders. But it wouldn't hurt to have some backup in the meantime.
Outside, Ceren squinted as she searched the sky, one hand blocking the worst of the sunlight. Andor soon flew overhead, swooping down slightly as he spotted her, then banked sideways to lead her to what he'd found. Not much further away, an elven woman was following behind a man, begging for something, but Ceren couldn't yet make out what she was saying. The man shrugged away from her, then made to move more quickly down the street. The few other people that were out on the street at this time were giving the woman a wide berth.
"Please!" Ceren heard the woman saying as she got closer. "I don't... I can't..." She was crying. The tears had created streaks along her dirty cheeks. Her clothes were threadbare, over-worn, and too dirty to tell if they were brown or just covered in so much dust and grime. Ceren turned an eye skyward again in time to see Andor land on the roof of a building near the woman, one large eye looking directly at Ceren and then down at the woman.
@Nolan Reid
"Yeah, that's easy enough to see." she said. This town wasn't even technically in the Silent Plains, but the dry heat was almost as unbearable as the humidity of the Arlathan forests. She definitely missed the proper weather back home. Or at least down near Kirkwall.
At his question, Ceren's eyes lifted from her tankard to meet Nolan's. There was something in the way he said the words that she knew there was more to it all. But, not knowing the man, she hadn't the faintest idea of what that something more was. A challenge? Judgement? Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked at him, unsure of exactly what he wanted from her. But, again, she couldn't just sit there and state at him. She would need to say something.
"I don't work for nothing." she said, then took a sip of her ale. "There's jobs I won't take. Don't confuse that. But doing good just for the sake of it don't feed me, or my horse. I've been paid to look into things." She shrugged, facing the bar and settling both her elbows on it's surface. There were plenty of folks out there that stylized themselves as protectors of the innocent, the weak. Sure, she wanted to do good in the world, and had the ability to turn away from the seedier side of mercenary work. But she wasn't some idiot that thought herself a saint.
Just then, a familiar tingling sensation needled at the back of Ceren's neck. Blinking, she took a breath and released it slow, feeling for that strange connection to Andor. He was flying, circling above the town and had spotted some kind of commotion not far from the tavern. Of course, it was difficult to understand more than that from their bond, but it was enough to pique her interest. Standing, she waved to the bartender.
"Later, on the bath, yeah? Gotta go see about something." The bartender gave her a nod and grunt similar to the one he'd given before. Ceren drank back to last of her ale and set it down on the bar. As she turned to leave, her eyes caught Nolan's again. "More coin at the end, if the raiders are handled." she said. Then, as she reached the door, she added "If you're interested." If more hands were needed after finding the raiders, she could send for one or a few of the other Salamanders. But it wouldn't hurt to have some backup in the meantime.
Outside, Ceren squinted as she searched the sky, one hand blocking the worst of the sunlight. Andor soon flew overhead, swooping down slightly as he spotted her, then banked sideways to lead her to what he'd found. Not much further away, an elven woman was following behind a man, begging for something, but Ceren couldn't yet make out what she was saying. The man shrugged away from her, then made to move more quickly down the street. The few other people that were out on the street at this time were giving the woman a wide berth.
"Please!" Ceren heard the woman saying as she got closer. "I don't... I can't..." She was crying. The tears had created streaks along her dirty cheeks. Her clothes were threadbare, over-worn, and too dirty to tell if they were brown or just covered in so much dust and grime. Ceren turned an eye skyward again in time to see Andor land on the roof of a building near the woman, one large eye looking directly at Ceren and then down at the woman.
@Nolan Reid
02-20-2025, 03:39 PM
