Part 5
It seemed a futile exercise trying to recover her precious locket lost to the Blackwolds. The trail so far had gone dry, but her bloody minded stubbornness found her sitting in a gloomy corner in the Combe & Wattle Inn, hood pulled down casting a dark shadow across her face. It was an ideal vantage point to watch the patrons. Apart from herself and Lizzie the landlady, there were only two other unsavoury looking ruffians playing dice.
Taala is not known for her patience and time drags when there is no company to keep. She was growing a little nervous, someone would surely notice how long she'd sat there without a drink. If Lizzie knew it was her, she would have her thrown out, and Taala could hardly blame her after the cruel trick she had played on poor Lizzie with Rastellion's help.
As wicked as they'd been, Taala could not help but grin, remembering that night. Lizzie had taken a shine to Rastellion alright, and he had played up to her right enough. She told him to wait in her room, warm the bed and help himself to a good bottle of rum, until she could join him...and that's exactly what Taala and Rast did, warmed her bed up and drank her rum before sneaking out the cellar door, quite drunk and giggling like a pair of naughty youths...if only Taala thought through the consequences of her actions at times...
The smile still played about her lips as she continued to sharpen her dagger with a whetstone.
“Hey Gorgeous, got any more of that dark stuff or am I going to have to go pay double in town?”
Taala looked towards the direction of the voice. Lizzie glanced up at the patron before her offering a gap-toothed smile. “Aye, Soir, I got a few jugs left, though you'll run through m' stock if ya keep drinkin' th' way ya did that foist noight." She pulls a jug from beneath the bar and puts it in front of him. Waggling her eyebrows she asks, "Sure there aint somethin' else you'll be wantin' t'night?"
The patron chuckles and shakes his head. "Thanks, Lizzie, but I'll be fine. I'd never risk complicatin' things with th' lass who pours my drinks, no matter how pretty she be!" He took the jug with a nod, then briefly surveyed the room probably for a place to sit.
It was at that moment Taala recognised him...Eroforth! She had met him the previous night outside of the Pony, and ended up in merry company with him...
Perfect...he was looking straight at her, she needed cover to continue with her observations. So...she licked the entire length of the blade of her dagger...she needed to grab his attention!...and it worked. With a raise of an eyebrow he moved towards her a slow smirk touching his lips.
"Now, seems t' me," he pauses mid sentence, then, blinking his face showing recognition, "... oh! I remember you." Settling down on the stool opposite "Tailia, right?" A mischievous grin passed over his face. "Followin' me about, are ya?"
Taala's irritation at Eroforth mispronouncing her name was short lived, as at that moment the door swung open and a gangly, scruffy looking, under nourished man with dark hair and a raggedy unkempt beard entered the Inn and joined the men playing dice. The man would not look at all out of the ordinary in a place such as that, but Taala's eyes were fixed on him like a predator stalking it's quarry, for the man carried a distinctive 'V' shaped scar on his arm...
