600lb Baby

The TarRaCe is having a quiet night, which is a nice thing for a change. Especially in these troubled days. But that doesn't stop business from going on, and people from meeting. At a corner table, Telamon Lupecyll-Atlon is looking across at his guest, a neatly-dressed young man of fifteen winters with a striking, wild shock of red and gold hair. Tel appears to be trying to conceal a fit of laughter.

"He did -what-?" Telamon sputters, giggling in spite of himself. "That's -ridiculous-! Gods, Tomas, if it was anyone but you telling me this..." He slaps the tabletop, unable to restrain the laughter. "Let me guess. He also had some snide comments about me as well, right?"

Tomas, the redhead, nods with a faint grin. "Indeed. I won't repeat them, but suffice to say he was rather rude... though I suspect his fortunes have taken a downturn after -that- debacle."

The Goblin pauses in the doorway leading to/from the baths. Her robes look freshly washed, and have been ironed and pressed, with not a single wrinkle to be seen. Her hair is covered with a small towel, keeping her short-ish hair from flopping around while it dries.

With the place being quieter than usual, Telamon's laugh is readily identifiable, and Simony begins her way over, wet foot prints following along behind her.

The general sounds of joviality has her grinning broadly by the time she reaches the table, and she pauses, waiting for either acknowledgement or a suitable moment in which she can interrupt.

<OOC> Telamon says, "Roll to inform pose..."
GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (14)+25: 39

Telamon snorts loudly, and lifts his glass of wine. "Well, I'll drink to Otho learning his lesson. Hopefully. One can pray to the gods that's the case." Taking a sip, he catches sight of Simony out of the corner of his eye, and smiles. "Ah! Simony, it's good to see you again! Please, sit down, join us."

Both men rises from their chairs politely, as Telamon continues, "Tomas, may I present Temperance Simony Smithsdottir? Simony, this is Tomas Barraster, heir to the barony of Kensievel." Tomas offers a bow, before pulling out a chair for Simony.

"We've eaten already, but we can order something if you like, Simony," Telamon remarks as they are all seated again. "Tomas just got back into town and we were trading stories."

The Goblin's cheeks flush a deep red, trying to get seated without troubling either of the others, but graciously accepts the seat offered by Tomas. She offers a suitably deep curtsey, and settles into the chair. "My thanks, my lord Barraster. And thank you, my lo... erm, Telamon." Her head shakes lightly.

"I have had an evening meal, here, right before I went into the baths. My thanks, though."

Simony rubs lightly at her cheeks. "Erm. Why does Otho sound familiar? Oh, a recent Guild mission, perhaps? I... think I saw the name up there, somewhere? Oh uhm, Otello, that was it, my mistake."

"As for the stories, erm, all good ones, yes?"

Telamon smiles fondly at Simony. "Anything you'd like to drink then? There is wine, obviously, but if you'd like something else I'll spring for it."

Meanwhile, Tomas regards Simony with interest, but shakes his head. "No, it was one Otho Redwater. Evidently he sought to go into... competition, I suppose, with Master Telamon regarding magically infused wines..."

Tel makes a face. "I'm not even in -business-, that idiot was just peevish because I wouldn't sell him the book on libations."

Tomas continues, "And, well, his first outing did not go well. From what I saw, and the guild report, he managed to summon water elementals into his winecasks."

Her blush deepens. "I would be happy with a glass of wine. And thank you for offering, I will happily oblige. But, just one. Apparently at the recent wedding, I was... enthusiastic about colour theory with Skielstregar, and he was far too polite to stop me... though I suspect he was also drunk."

Simony looks to Tomas, and nods lightly. "Oh.. hehe, that's what happens when you have a reputation. People hear you're coming up with the next big fashion or money making scheme, and they become ruthless trying to be 'first." The Gobbo rubs her chin lightly. "Yet, Telamon. You're not in the business yet..." She offers a cheeky wink. "How... how does one summon creatures /into/ a cask?"

Telamon pours Simony a glass of wine, and shakes his head. "I have no idea. If the man wasn't an unmitigated ass I'd offer to trade some lore with him -- you never know when you might not have water to work with in a summoning." He snorts. "And honestly, those elementals were -not- friendly. I suspect being summoned into something that wasn't water made them a little aggressive, to put it mildly."

Tomas nods. "Lord Hazelyard was there, and he said they were -very- angry about the whole thing. I believe you did mention something about 'never call up something you can't put back' once during a Chalice discussion, Master Telamon."

Tel chuckles. "Quite. When you play with arcane energies and conjurations, the first rule should always be 'can I turn it off?'."

The doors to the TarRaCe had been relatively quiet, but they opened again as a large egalrin ducks inside, closing it gently behind them. Reithak pauses at the door to shake off their hat and jacket, before returning it to cover the tuft of feathers on their head as they stride inside. There's a pause at the bar as they survey the room, only for Reithak to take a quick jog over to a table where there were at least a few recognizable faces. "Evening miss Simony, Telamon, fancy seeing both of you here, and someone else I don't believe I have had acquaintance with." The egalrin greets cheerfully, doffing the hat again to offer a low, sweeping bow, necessary from the sheer size of the bird. "What's got you all in here today? I heard something about turning things off?"

Simony chuckles, "I will be sure that my arcane studies will be thorough. I'll be sure to summon only wine elementals into wine casks, as is appropriate." She giggles lightly, patting the table a few times. The waiting glass of wine gets her attention, and she takes a small sip, and nods appreciatively. "That's tasty, I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I would drink more of this one. An after-dinner wine?"

The Gobbo nods to Tomas, "Indeed, that is very sound advice, I would say. Once it is freed, it is no longer your friend." She blinks and squeaks lightly at the arrival of Reithak, offering a wave. "Reithak, this is Tomas Barraster, heir to the barony of Kensievel. Lord Barraster, this is Reithak, I believe she is one of the Temple's own here in Alexandria?"

The doors slam open; same effect as Reithak but with thrice the oomph. Carver strides into the service room, only to be very quickly stalled by the local help who understandably have some firm words with her. Her gesture are emphatic, and then less so, and by the end muted almost as she grumbles to herself. The inner thoughts manifested as grumpy self-dialogue ends when she sits with the others, most of which are relative strangers. Even the list of titles does not impress upon her the dignity of those she shares a table with. Instead, she dips a hand into her tunic and fishes out her coin purse to start counting. Can she even afford this place?

As people trickle in, Telamon's eyebrows rise with interest. But he does rise to greet Reithak, nodding politely. "I believe we met in passing, yes. A pleasure as always." Tomas, however, glances at the large gnomish clock hanging over the bar, and shakes his head. "Thank you for the meal -- and the meetings, Tel, but I have to run. I have to drop by the Chalice meeting house and check on things -- I know, that's not my job any more, but old habits--"

"--die hard," Telamon finishes. "Go on, Tomas. I'll see you in a few days." As the young man leaves, Tel turns his full gaze on Reithak, his eyes glinting with stars as Carver comes striding in. "Huh. I know her... I've seen her before. Where was it?" He rubs his chin, expression thoughtful, as he glances back to Simony and Reithak. "Please, sit down, I'm just catching up with Simony." His eyes become... not exactly guarded, but a little more contemplative. "And I've a trip to make soon -- not a long one, but I may need some help."

"Any wine is an after dinner wine if you're thirsty enough." The large egalrin chuckles loudly. "If it's good, that's what's important, but I'm no sommelier or vintner. Pleasure to meet you, Tomas Barraster the younger, and nice to see you again too Telamon, glad I'm at least recognizeable!"

The large egalrin sits down, and turns to see Carver showing up and sitting abruptly. Reithak laughs and pats the ranger on a shoulder. "Good to see you too, Carver! Don't worry about counting your coins just yet, least I can do is buy you food and drink after that last job, you know?"

Simony, too, will stand, offering the Egalrin an enthusiastic hug, before regaining her seat. She offers a nod to the departing Tomas, "Well met, Tomas... erm, Lord Barraster. A pleasure. If you're in need of Navos' services at some time, I would be happy to assist. Good evening!"

"One of the Chalice members, too, Telamon? Neat! Known him for a while?"

The Goblin takes a longer sip of wine, peering curiously at Carver as she barges in with a slam. She grins, and settles back into her seat. "I think I have seen her around also." Simony glances as Carver sits. "Hello!", she offers cheerfully. "How are you doing, this evening?"

Her ears perk up at something Telamon says. "Oh? What is it, Telamon, I'll help out if I am able."

Carver pauses in her scuttling recount of coins, when someone offers to buy her lunch. Whom she graces with the widest, gap-toothed smile that her little face can rictus and twist into. "Aw, gee! Thanks, I'll take you up on tha' kind offer. Whoowee, famished and this place is good for a quiet bite." She lets her gaze then travel across the other two, the grin fading. Recognition, but uncertainity. Adventuring is a business that means you see a lot of faces. Cross a lot of paths. She can barely keep her own name straight. "Me? I'm doing jus' fine. Couldn't be better even. I interrupt some fancy business?" She waves idly to the departing man. Not saying goodbye so much as acknowledging he was once here.

Telamon shakes his head at Carver. Ah, now he remembers. "Nothing important. Just two friends reacquainted." He nods to Simony with a grin. "He's the youngest member of the Chalice. Fifteen summers and a bona fide sorcerer. He left a while back to do some exploring and adventuring on his own, but had to come back here for some family business -- such is life."

As Reithak gets ready to order food and drink for herself and Carver, Tel looks thoughtful. "It's not dangerous -- well, I don't think it is. I have to collect a package that's being sent here, and make sure it gets to a specific destination. The details... well, you might think I'm mad if I told you."

"Aw, always happy to give a friend a hug." The large egalrin laughs, picking up the goblin effortlessly for a second to return the hug before setting them back down gently as they took their seat. "Well, if that wasn't just asking for help from Simony, figures I could offer to help as well, if you need it. Don't worry, I haven't seen a quarter what some of the folks here have, but I've seen enough to not think you're mad most likely."

"No problem, least I can do. Just nothing off the top shelf, alright?" Reithak chuckles as she gets her order squared away. "Well, wanted to make sure. You got chewed up something fierce by that plant monster, wanted to make sure you're fine after that."

The Gobbo gestures to Telamon with a small hand, shaking her head. "They were chatting and laughing when I so rudely imposed myself upon them. If I can get away with that, I think you're good.", she says to Carver. "If you're allowed to order what you want, I would suggest the beef stew tonight. Very savory, the beef is perfectly cooked, and there are big chunks of potato and carrots. It was delicious and the food coma almost got me. A free ale comes with it also, but I had tea, and there's freshly baked, crusty bread. If you lean more towards vegetables over meat, the tomato soup is good, I've had it here before. Nice and thick, and you get that previously mentioned thick, crusty bread for dunking."

The Gobbo looks to Reithak, and giggles. "While I would hazard a guess that you're technically correct, I can hear the wine aficionados penning strongly worded letters addressed to you."

She laughs at being lifted into the air for a return hug. "Oh gosh, plant monster? Even more of a reason to eat vegetables. For revenge!" Simony laughs again and looks to Telamon once more, slowly settling back into her chair. "Telamon. It's Alexandria. We've seen things most people wouldn't understand. Mage duels off the shoulder of Orion. The last stand at the Tan Hauser gate. Demons, devils, vicious fey out for bloody revenge. Uhm.. frankly if it's not even slightly weird, THEN I would think you mad."

"Well, that would mean that it was a natural one. I don't get that impression. Conjured maybe? Besides, wot plenty of things taken their best shot at causin' me harm can't be taking an interest in all of them. Beef stew and ale for me, thanks." She sweeps her coins back into her small purse, tucking it away once more. "It was a long story. Short side of it was pretty simple though. Me and the boys got sent off to rescue some sort of tracker from a hole, and when we went lookin' to fish him out, all the moss took to livin' and bitin'. Got a piece of my backside. Priests helped me along the way, so it's as pristine and nice as the day as I born now."

She watches the hugging with a passive expression, before looking back to Telamon. "Mad has hazard pay, donnit?"

"To each their own, Simony. Not everyone likes wine. I'm not fond of ale, myself. So, fair's fair." Telamon takes a sip from his own glass, looking at the others with a raised eyebrow. "Alright... I received a message, in a dream, from my mentor, who is called the Watcher In The Stars. A large ... well, let's call it an egg, for lack of a better term... sent by his kind is coming to Ea. It was supposed to land in the ocean, but due to the vagaries of fate, it will come to rest on dry land."

Tel's eyes twinkle. "I'll be happy to pay expenses, and hazard pay if we're attacked, but I think the worst problem will just be getting it from the forest to the ocean." He pauses. "Ah, and it's an egg full of newborn flumphs."

"Well, if they're going to get uptight about the proper use of wine, then while I appreciate their knowledge, but I can still tell them to pound sand." The large egalrin shrugs. "Being too uptight about the proper ettiquette is how creativity goes to die, within reason."

"It was pretty nasty, and Carver there's understating it." The egalrin sighs. "She was pretty bloody coming out of that hole, but glad to hear everything went well, and that posterior of yours is in good shape!"

One of Reithak's brows raise, and the egalrin nods once. "That's settled then! If you need my help I'll offer it, seems a real good use of my time, saving a bunch of lives. I've heard of them before, they probably don't mean any trouble at all."

"Ah, nothing like moss biting at your toes to make you want to set it on fire. I am glad your behind was repaired to your satisfaction. And beef stew is a good choice.", the Gobbo says to Carver.

Looking to Telamon, "I can manage more of wine, I think, than ale. Certainly better than hard alcohol." Simony's head tilts slightly. "Flumps... like, the Watcher?" Her ears perk up. "Isn't he a long way from here, I mean... I went there. Felt like a long way away." She rubs at her cheek. "And uh, well, we could hire a cart, perhaps, to make it easier to move? I uhm can't imagine how big or small it is... Why are we taking it to the sea?"

The Gobbo shrugs to Reithak. "I'm not the silly one making the rules or upholding them.", she says with a light laugh.

Carver wrinkles her nose at Telamon, as soon as he identifies the source of his information. Ah, now she remembers him. "Pretty Man and your stupid fey bullshit again. Can't you do somethin' normal like a busy orc camp raid, or goblins mucking with people's farms?" What even is a flumph? At both Reithak and Simony mentioning they've heard of them before, though... "Oh, yeah. Those things. Right. The floomphs. Sweet, uh, things."

Telamon snorts at Carver. "I -wish- it was normal. Go back to handling diplomatic wrangling and trade negotiations. But the gods had something else in mind." He leans back in his chair. "Lana will probably insist on going along, and I know better than to try and tell her 'no'." His lips quirk. "Such is married life. Wouldn't trade it for anything though."

He tilts his head at Simony. "Funny. I asked him something like that and he told me the numbers wouldn't mean anything to me. So I guess the answer is 'Yes, a long way away.' It makes me wonder how long he's been waiting for this to land. Laying plans just in case -- for a friend to rescue the egg in case it went off course." He smirks. "Considering the distances involved, I'm glad it's landing on Ea at all!"

"Just don't drink too much wine even if you feel you can handle it better." Reithak chuckles. "Believe me, some of the worst hangovers I've had have been at parties where the wine was flowing a bit too liberally. As for that? Who knows if it even travelled in a normal way to begin with? Could be messing with the planes to get here in the first place, and times moving differently between them. Not going to say no to more help though, the more the merrier!"

The large egalrin regards Carver, and chuckles again. "Nature of our work like we were just saying Carver, much as you want a royal flush you gotta play the cards you're dealt, and who knows? Still might come out on top." Reithak offers. "You want a hug too by the way? Offer's open, and I've been told I give real good ones. Something about being so fluffy and all that."

The Gobbo huffs at Carver, "Define normal, really. Nothing is ever straight black and white. It's like the mists when they come down, shades of grey." Simony shrugs her shoulders. "It can always be a lot worse. Like messing yourself and getting lost in the sewers below, with a demonic remnant hunting you."

The Goblin shudders and closes her eyes, when they open they are glancing in Telamon's direction. "Judging from what I have seen through the telescope, and reading a few of the maps, the distance is... Well, mind boggling comes to mind. So uh, he was planning it for some time, then? Gosh. Well, you know where you can find me, the Navosian monastery at the spire. I'll help!"

she nods then at Reithak. "Oh yes, those are terrible. I've had one or two and never again. Such a headache."

Carver shrugs at Simony. "Yeah, well, don't have to like it so much. When things from the stars start lookin' at the earth, most of the time comes with bad news even if they mean well an' most of the time they ain't. Got enough problems without the planar runnin' 'mok." She squints in thought at Reithak, not put off by the suggestion so much as surprised by it. "Raincheck on the hugs, Big Bird. Never know wot makes for a better time for it."

"How big is this egg thing anyway? Are we actually talkin' cart like she said, or like one strong person carryin' it on their back?"

Telamon's expression lightens in amusement. "Drink water first. And try not to imbibe on an empty stomach. You last longer that way." At Simony's shiver of memory, he reaches over to pat the goblin priestess on the shoulder, before continuing. "The world's harsh enough as is. Probably can't go wrong with a hug or three."

"Mmm. To answer your question, Carver, it's about two, maybe two and a half feet in diameter. Greenish-blue color, not too dissimilar from the ocean in fact. I... really can't say how heavy it is, because I don't know. I can't imagine it weighs, like, tons. Let's be cautious and say six hundred pounds."

"Always best to go drinking with a plan, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that one of the best way to mess with any plans is copious amounts of alcohol." Reithak chuckles. "Sure I can go in planning to drink lots of water, keep that up for a while. If you can get it into a good habit though, you might fare well with that though!"

"Raincheck noted Carver, feel free to cash it in any time." The egalrin smiles, more of a twinkle in their eye given the beak situation. "Sounds harsh Simony, but hey, that's why we've got friends to help out when we're in trouble." They sigh, patting the goblin as well right before their meal and drink arrive. "Well, could probably get a big guy to carry it, but given it's well, some manner of egg, you don't want to go jostling it too much. A cart'll be smoother, and you can line it with material to keep it secure and in one upright position."

The Goblin shrugs back at Carver, "Yeah, many don't like it, and a few do. But well, most stuff that starts looking at us may eventually become a problem." She smacks a fist into her open palm. "And we'll deal with it when it comes. I mean, that's all you can do, right? Life your life, fight when you have to."

Simony nods to Telamon then, "Oh, water is the trick? Not greasy bacon and eggs with toast?" Her smile seems to fall off as she sits up. "Six hundred pounds?! That's a heck of a lot of baby. What, is it all the flumph babies ever?"

She giggles at Reithek and nods, accepting the pat with a smile. "I only suggested a cart because I assumed that we would not be so lucky that the egg would be a very manageable size. But I figure with a good horse or two, and some luck in searching for it, the cart would be a fast, and possibly comfortable, way to transport it. Lots of people could ride along if needed, too."

"That is big, um, for flumphs." Carver says with absolutely no conviction in her voice. She still doesn't even know what that is. In the meantime, her food and ale arrives and she drinks before she eats. Noticeably so. The ale is pounded back with a wide open guzzle, one that has foam left on her upper lip in a pale imitation of a dwarf's pride and joy. Then she's digging into the stew like the which of a starving man, who last touched food a fortnight since.

Around her mouthful, she's polite enough to thanks for the free grub though it is garbled at best. Swallowing, she pushes ahead. "Why the ocean anyhow? An' why would this thing need protection? Is somethin' like hunting them?"

Telamon sighs. "One hundred forty-four young, Simony. I... don't think flumphs have relationships -quite- like we do, to put it mildly. He spoke of himself and his fellows crafting this egg with their young. I guess they're... larvae? Hells, I don't know. According to the Watcher, it's common for flumphs to initially grow in aquatic environments, before emerging after a year or so."

"But yes. I can teleport us there, and probably collect the egg, but at some point I'll need to get it on a ship to take it out into the ocean and drop it there. I don't think it needs protection as much as it can't -get- to the ocean on its own." His lips quirk. "The Watcher suggested it wasn't for their protection, but ours. He didn't like the interest aboleths had in our world, and their solution is to... well, send some of their kids to grow up and help us."

The Gobbo peers at Carver for a moment, and bursts out laughing. She sighs and nods, before looking to Telamon. "Big, for flumphs indeed. That is quite a bit of young. I hope we're worth it, Tel."

She stretches, and pulls the small towel from around her head. "I have to get back to the Spire, it's a bit of a run so..." Hopping down from the chair, she moves to hug at Telamon first. "If you wish it, I am up for an egg hunt, followed by a reverse fishing trip. You only need ask, Telamon. Be well!" The Egalrin is next up for hugs, "Be well Reithak!", she says cheerily. The Gobbo is about to hug Carver, but seems to think better of it, and she instead offers a wave. "You take care too."

"Water's the trick. It's counterintuitive I know, but alcoholic drinks dehydrate you something fierce, in spite of all the water you're drinking as part of the alcohol you're drinking." The egalrin shrugs. "Hey uh, ease up there Carver, there's no rush. I'll buy you another bowl if you're that hungry, anyways."

"Yeah that's, well, it's odd, but selfless. Hope they'll grow up alright here if that's the case. Big jellyfish like people Carver, they're usually nice to people they come across and have a tendency for helping folk. So helping them is helping other people indirectly, too."

The large egalrin pauses to give the goblin a hug. "No kidding, getting over there at this hour, you'll need a fair bit of running. I won't keep you longer. Good to see you Simony, take care of yourself!"

Carver waves at Simony's departure, not hooped at all about the lack of a hug. At Reithak's suggestion she slow down, she takes another bite, chewing this time actually. After a moment though, she shrugs. "I dunno, I've done guide work before. For refugees, down near the dwarf mountains. So, know how to cross wide terrain an' how to lead a group to do it too. Though you'd probably not want to bring too large of a crew for this. Better to travel with when you don't have a convoy. That always makes people curious what you got and when people get curious what you got..." Implied they try to take it.

"How is the Librarian anyway, Pretty Man? Last I saw her, she was all sad and maudlin about something. Don't even know who. Said she was mournin'. Thought you musta croaked on one of your... adventures, or whatever."

Telamon watches Simony depart, raising his hand in farewell to her. Once she's gone, his eyes turn back to Carver and Reithak. "Sometimes you find allies in the weirdest places. I know I've found a couple real strange ones, but... they're good peoples all the same." His gaze goes distant for a moment, before he hms at Carver.

"She mentioned something about a job for the Alexandrian government and the guild. Something about a keep that got overrun or something. I didn't get the details but I think it was bad -- real bad. Like, 'they might just tear it down completely and start over' bad." He sighs. "Sometimes you find things in this line of work, and you wish you'd never heard of them, never seen them."

"Well, depends on how dangerous it is, really. If people don't know what's going on, they can't really plan to do anything, and by the time you're moving through, enough people just might scare off anyone from trying anything. I can be real imposing when I need to be, of course." Reithak chuckles. "Yeah, odd doesn't mean bad, you meet all sorts in these places. And at least by my reckoning, the good tends to outweigh the bad."

"Takes a lot to get people to tear down a keep and not just scrub the blood off the stonework." The egalrin considers with a shake of her head. "If what carver says is true and she's not feeling a hundred percent, then you better do what you can to make her feel better, you hear?"

"Nah, I seen people be upset by the death of people. This was personal, someone she knew." Carver says. "The sort of sad that's in your bones and your guts. It don't matter, it's fine. Clearly she musta gotten over it at leas' a little." She wipes her lips with the back of an arm. "Anyway, I got to run. Thanks for the lunch, Big Bird. Iffin you need some ranger work, Pretty Man, I'm easy to find."

Telamon frowns. "It may be something else, then. I'll talk to her about it. Make sure she's okay. She's a friend -- a good friend -- and I'm proud to say that. She's seen some serious shit and while it's knocked her back, it's never knocked her down." His eyes glint. "A good example for all of us."

He knocks back his wine, before setting the glass down. "When the egg arrives, I'll post in the guild. Keep an eye out there. I'm the finicky sort so nobody will object if I pick and choose my team." He rises to his feet, putting down coins for the tab. "Be well, you two, and walk in her light."