Vivian
Ves glanced towards Björn when he muttered under his breath. What had he said? *Father...* Her ears twitched as she studied her companion. She could sense the thoughts passing through his mind. What was he thinking about? His family? Ves frowned, her brow furrowing, but remained carefully silent. She didn't want to disturb him.

Ves looked over when the door opened and Varnis stepped back inside. It felt dramatic. Despite initial appearances, Ves could see the changes in the man. He seemed... Empty. Her frown only deepened as her ears lowered. Still she lifted a hand in a greeting, an invitation to return.

The table was quiet as Varnis sat down and pulled on his gloves once again. Ves sipped her drink nervously. She didn't like the silence, but she didn't want to be the one to break it.

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Thomas
*Varnis' appearance caused Björn to jump out his skin a little, the vision fading from his mind. He seemed slightly troubled for but a moment... Then he turned to Varnis with a nod.* "Welcome back. Are you well?"

** "I'm more than well. I'm... I'm alright." ** *The Incubus nodded his head with a nervous flitter in his voice for a moment. Then he saw to pulling a twig from his hair and then adjusting his hair back to its original shape and condition. As he worked, shimmers of ebony could be seen as impossibly sharp horns flashed in and out of view until they were hidden once more - as if they were never there.*

*Varnis then leant back in his chair, folding a leg over the other and smiled, the devilishly refined light coming back to his eyes as he sipped his wine glass.* ** "What did I miss? Can't have been too much right?" **

"Daggar offered me and Ves a job if we wished to stay for the time being. However, Ves wants to pursue hunting and tracking. I for one, am lost on which is best."

*Varnis nodded his head, watching them both through the warped view of his wine glass. Tentatively, he swirled the crimson juice with ease as he pondered for a moment.* ** "Well, hmm... It would be probably better for Miss Ves over here. Those ears are impossibly sharp from the offset, meaning she'd have a good ear if she learns to isolate flora from fauna. Her small stature makes her less likely to startle a deer too. As for you... Well, to be plain, you're tall as a small house and louder than an ox. It would be particularly difficult for you, but not impossible." **

"How so? If I can learn a new skill, I'd be happy to try." *Björn eagerly leaned forward, raising a bushy brow.*

** "Well, my strapping fellow, Goliaths aren't naturally stealthy, but Gantrick is cold and hostile. You could probably snap the tusks of a boar if you wanted to, as well... If you learned a thing or two from Ves, you'd be able to minimise your volume and profile. Take a page from her book, man.**

"I see..."

** "And I do know this, if you tried to use a normal bow, you'd probably snap it against your nose. No, you need some kind of war bow. Large, slow to draw but powerful. Kinda like you." **

*The Goliath nodded his head before shifting his weight to look to his ally.* "You've been pretty quiet, Ves. Any thoughts?"

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Vivian
Ves exhaled as the silence was broken and her heart felt like it skipped a beat. She immediately snapped to attention and focused sharply on Varnis, who adjusted his appearance. Her eyes shifted to give him privacy, returning to Björn, who seemed to have snapped out of it. She smiled a little as the two men began to converse, her eyes moving between them, ears perked with interest. 

Her scales began to turn red at Varnis' blunt statements about what she might be capable of. She shifted in her chair, obviously not accustomed to receiving such compliments. Perhaps he hadn't meant it to be taken that way, but Ves still blushed and squirmed and didn't know how to respond.

She glanced up from her thoughts as Björn turned to her. She considered the question for a moment. "Ah, I think I might also need a specialist bow. Something smaller to fit my frame. I bet there's someone in town that could help us, Björn. We just have to look." She felt hopeful about the future again. If they both became survivalists then there would be no stopping them from getting to Gantrick. 

Her mind was beginning to wander however. The alcohol was finally getting to her. And the room was starting to spin as she took another drink from her half-filled mug. It was probably for the best that Björn had thought ahead. Her tiny body was unlikely to hold much more. 

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Thomas
*Björn laughed a little as Ves slipped in her chair, seemingly without realising it herself. He reached over and grabbed the mug, moving it away and out of her reach.* "That's enough for you, little lady." *The Goliath looked to Varnis who had a hilarious expression.*

** "Ahem, yes. A modified bow would work well for you both. Ves, I recommend you find a fletcher tomorrow morning and acquire your bows and quivers... Well Björn may need a spear bucket at this point!" ** *He sniggered away to himself in the corner while Björn flipped him off.* "I really need to spend some time alone in the morning. Need to revisit some old memories. See what I can learn."

** "That seems fair. After all your mind is fragmented, Goliath. Your memories aren't exactly coherent. I know that from my time inside your mindscape." **

*Björn nodded his head as he quietly sipped his drink. His mind was a myriad of hallways and broken bridges - a labyrinth of memories laden with traps. One wrong move inside his own psyche, and he will remember more than he bargains for. He knew his mind had blocked out most of his childhood for some reason, he didn't know why.*

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