Egfor leaned his weight on the rough wooden pillar, like so many have done through the years. It was a popular spot it seems, and that didn't surprise the man. From this spot, one could see nearly the entire common room, save for the area that curved around behind the bar. He took a sip of his brandy, letting the sweet, amber liquid warm his throat. He let his gaze fall onto the crackling hearth fire, it's heat hasn't diminished the entire day, despite the madness that ran rampant through Bree this day.
The day started off calm and quiet, the man spent the morning baking and cooking away for later tonight. The rest of the morning and early afternoon he spent with Nathan. He preferred the man's company when the two of them were alone, or there wasn't an attractive woman nearby for him to chase, then he became a bit insufferable, picking on him constantly, Egfor felt.
They retired from Nathan's camp to the Inn to wait for people to arrive to rope them into joining an impromptu birthday party.
That's when things got odd.
A Watch officer walked in, and their conversation wandered to the latest gossip to catch her up on what Maerylin had missed in her absence. They started talking about the wrongfully hung man. Things started to get heated, the Watcher yelling, Nathan looking amused and Egfor bristling with anger between the two. He would have been calm and level headed if that woman hadn't started calling them liars and insulting Nathan. Why did a foreigner have more respect than a local? Egfor wondered if it was partially because he owned land and had a bit of coin.
Egfor agreed to go to the jail with her and look over the records. That filled Egfor with dread- the man was barely literate.
They bickered about the records, names, the journey from Bree to Rohan and many things Egfor would rather have forgotten. Finally, Egfor noticed something on the records. The names. The names did not match.
The Watcher realized the mistake, promptly and frantically apologizing and fixing the records, vowing to take disciplinary actions and amendments.
Satisfied, Egfor left and returned back to the Inn. That ordeal was the last thing he wanted to deal with on his birthday, even though he hated celebrating it.
He arrived back at the Inn and promptly dragged folks around a table laden with food for company and celebrations.
The night was filled with drinks, revelry, food and much merriment. There was friendly banter and jokes all around. Nathan, once again, prompted Egfor to tell the story of the dress at least a few times and even encouraged the man to go put it on, much to everyone's shock.
As the night wore on, people left and more arrived. He spied an elegantly dressed man he exchanged pleasantries with at least once prior before entering the Inn.
Mortermon. Egfor couldn't help but stare, feeling his jaw dropping a little bit as he pulled his eyes over that lovely figure. He was smacked suddenly and his daughter muttered "You're drooling…" That snapped him out of his daze, calling the man over promptly. More merry company and banter went around.
Egfor caught himself staring at the man seated across from him more than once. Their eyes locked and Egfor felt his face heat up, promptly distracting himself.
Egfor kept flirting with Mortermon, pleasantly surprised it was returned and not harshly rejected. He caught an amused look from Nathan and his blood boiled a moment. Nathan constantly flirted with any and every woman, but if Egfor even so much as looked at another man, he was called out for it. Egfor was starting to give up. He wasn't going to wait around like a hound under a table, chancing on a scrap to be dropped, waiting for Nathan to be bored enough of women or curious enough to try Egfor on.
Some point in the night, Lycaon joined them. His recent arrest made Em incredibly uncomfortable and made Egfor distrusting and wary of the man. His instincts were still screaming at him, that something was off and wrong about the man. He hoped Nathan's optimistic outlook on it was correct.
Soon everyone parted ways, all who remained was Mortermon and Egfor. One point, Mort called himself ugly due to his scars, though the conversation already ran off before Egfor could exclaim that wasn't true. Egfor's own body was riddled with scars and blemishes. A scarred face didn't bother him. He thought the man was truly stunning. He carried himself with purpose and confidence that radiated throughout the dim tavern. His keen eyes pierced right through Egfor, through to his very soul and heart. The man seemed young but carried a sharp wit and quite a bit of wisdom. He spoke of far away lands that enchanted Egfor. He had taken to Em and was fiercely protective and kind to the girl. Egfor asked his daughter what she thought of the man, as he had taken a habit now to ask her judgment on any man he fancied. Em approved of Mortermon. That shocked Egfor. Only other man she approved of and liked was the man he was with when they adopted Em. That was a good sign. Or perhaps a bad one. Her approval, however, filled the man with confidence as he approached this man.
His eyes lingered a moment on Nathan as the man left. Egfor leaned in, asking permission to kiss Mortermon. Before he knew it, he was suddenly grabbed and their lips collided. Egfor met the man in a second kiss, wishing to suddenly show the man just how beautiful he truly was using an unspoken language. He quelled his desires and kept it chaste for now, though his eyes spoke deeply of his desires.
Though they parted ways, Egfor could still feel the man's lips on his own. He roused himself from his thoughts, drinking more of his brandy. The liquor seemed bitter to him now compared to the sweet taste of the kiss. He thought to himself, 'Catch yourself, you fool. You said you wouldn't do this again. Not again. Yet here you are, a hopeless wretch of a man, a foolish romantic'. He sighs, looking around and noticing no one was around save for one woman sitting by herself...
