Maria
It was this hour of the day; the one when the inn is fully alive. Alcohol seems to ooze right off the planks of the building, and the laughs, the music, the swarm of the adventurers was, usually, a good show to spectate.
Sharing *Her* Table with the unknown lad, Dina was hoping for the silent kind. Maybe she was starting to feel too comfortable in the Horseshoe, because she didn't question any look from the stranger, or anything else, at this time.

Her attention followed the bustle made by mercenaries who wanted to show off; muscles and money, virility at it's peek, or so they thought. Living among men, the former general learned to look at those *Cliches* With some kind of tenderness. Maybe a bit of pity, too...

She was sipping her beer and just had lost interest on the arm wrestling competition when the voice of the man sitting with her raised. Her eyes found his right away, finally gauging him quietly before peaking at the figures settling their arms over the table. She frowned slightly. Why bet on the shorter one? For sure, determination could make more than strength alone, she knew that. But that was quite an unusual bet, for a random person. Unless you know the contenders.

**"Accepted."** She simply said with a nod, leaning the mug of beer once more against her lips.
Anthony
Quietly nursing his own mug of the bitter excuse for beer that the Horseshoe offered up, the Jack sat back to watch the debacle unfold. He'd seen something in the look of the shorter man, an uppity attitude that comes from being the brunt of one too many jokes in a squad of men, and thought that it might translate well enough to score the man a win...

...But the bigger man soon prevailed, his power simply being of the overwhelming quality that was nearly impossible to overcome. Terrance watched the shorter man's struggle and ultimate undoing with an equal lack of emotion, but even before the fight was lost, he reached across and slid a neat stack of ten copper coins to the woman across from him with a grunt of disapproval. 

Cheers went up elsewhere around the table as the big man overcame his opponent and raised his fists in the air in triumph, roaring like the bear of a man that he was, and money exchanged hands all around while the shorter man knelt, head lowered and shaking momentarily in his defeat. Before long, all had returned to normal. 

Only now did the Jack turn his attention to the woman across from him, studying her with casual scrutiny. "Just got in from Aismir," He said in a gruff voice. "There's talk of dragons down in the far south, and that whole battle school up there is full of eager fools wanting to run off and kill 'em." He shook his head and scoffed quietly. "Damned-foolest thing I ever heard."
Maria
The blonde woman planted her elbows on the table, observing quietly the outcome of this little fight with just the amount of interest required. Anything to amuse a lonely soul, but again, a very common show. Always tastier when you have something to win -or to lose- in it.
The corner of her lips twitched in a subtle smile when the shorter guy seemed to weaken; the sound of copper clinked at her ears and her smile grew bigger as she took the coins. She simply nodded, while cheers and talks filled the room. Soon the inn would come back to a certain calm.

Polite, Dina didn't allowed herself to stare and detail the mercenary at first, but now that he was addressing to her more directly, she took a good look at him. Scars were the first thing to notice. His eyes, under those furnished eyebrows, were dark, and lively. The shape of his beard, even after days of work, made her think he could be a fun person. She noticed the bow, and the greenish look of his outfit; a good old ranger.
His words made her snort a little, and even put her mug down for a second, her hands joining around it.

**"Dragons, hm? ... Yeah, those who go for that are either stupid or suicidal. Sometimes both."**

The guy seemed sympathetic enough; sharing a bit of a cynical view over their peers always helps. Enjoyable company wasn't an everyday blessing, so she decided to just go with the flow. It doesn't hurt to talk, she thought.

**"I don't recall seeing you around."** She paused, not wanting to go further into this. After all, she was, herself, more often wandering around than sitting in the tavern to spend her pay. A leathery rustling accompanied her hand as she presented it for him to shake. **"I'm Dina. It's nice to meet reasonable people."**
Anthony
Terrance shook his head, taking a sip from his mug once more before lowering it to the table between them. He considered her offered hand with a steady gaze for a long moment before extending his own to shake it. "Terr," He introduced himself simply in his rough voice. "And no— as I said, just got in from Aismir." He glanced around the taproom, then back to her. "Truth, this is my first visit to the Dale. I hope there's more to it than this pisshole. They're supposed to have orchards or something, aren't they?"

He pushed the mug away from him, a distasteful look on his face. "Guildhouses are all the same though. Pay ya a pittance of what ya earned, then take it back for watered down ale and day old stew." The corner of his mouth twitched. "But I suppose it keeps us moving from one job to the next. They wouldn't want any of us settling down in any of their pretty lil cities, eh?"

If he'd had any doubts before, her naming herself had cast them aside. Just like that, he'd found his prey— surrounded by a taproom full of male mercenaries who probably wouldn't think twice of stepping up to defend her. If he'd read her reports right, the men she'd been working with on her last job were probably already won over and half-willing to die for her already. There was no sense rushing it. He had her scent now. Dina Vonberg wasn't going far.