Charles
Belladonna of Taemar
The Velvet Swine, Vallen, Taemar

The sorceress stepped off the carriage, feeling relieved of finally getting down of the carriage. She was used to the odor as she frequented the towns, so she didn't even flinch at the disgusting odor.

"The royal family does know about bathing, they just don't share it, my Lady" Bella remarked as she followed the noble inside the inn.

The place reminded her of the lodge, but with *Way* Less plants. Oh the lodge, she couldn't wait to go back, to her own room and her dear animal companion... Animal companion, the same that had been following the whole trip...

*"Oh no she must be exhausted"* She thought to herself.

Belladonna came back to the present when Surany started to walk upstairs. The posing maid followed suit.

She took the keys and smiled kindly as she did a curtsy.

"Yes my Lady. I must refresh myself from this trip, but I will join you as soon as I'm able to"

As soon as Bella reached her room, she closed the door, leaned her back on it, and let out the most tired sigh of her life.

"Mother Nature give me patience, cause if you give me strenght..." She murmured as she went to the window and opened it wide.

A couple minutes later, the black raven stood there, exhausted as she had never been. Belladonna pet it's head and fed her some treats she had brought in her scarce luggage.

...

Bella walked down the corridor, her clothes changed into a new and clean maid gown, and her dark brown cascading freely down in waves. Surany had told her to join, so it would either be for wine or talking.

Either way, as much as the Lady could be somewhat annoying to Bella, sometimes it could be entertaining to have a chat with her.

She gave two knocks to the door.

"Lady Surany? It's me" She waited for a response before entering with her key.
Michael
**Aria Griff**
*Vallen, Taemar* 

An agreeing hum echoed from the hunter after listening to her new companions. "Yeah. It is hard ta get things properly done with arses like that bloody royal ass in charge. There is a good reason we haven't had a decent change in helpin' folks and aimin' for peace. And, well, we got this damn plague ta thank for a lot of the tensions going on." With a heavy sigh, Aria rubbed Gwynt's breast, letting his feathers comfort her somewhat. She still grimaced at the dirty knee, making a loud "Ugh" As she tried to remove her skin from the area. 

"But enough of this! We're in Vallen, and I owe the lovely Lady here," She gestured to Wilhelmina,"A drink of thanks. And don't insist on paying, it's all on me. I have a friend of mine who paid me a lot ta join him here." She looked to the dwarf and smiled. "I hope ya will join us. I think it would be nicer ta have some talks over a big pint and some good pig food. At least that is what Taemar seems ta get right around here." Her eyes lit up as she recalled something. "Oh! Me cousin mentioned a place 'round here that she was gonna spend at. I can bet that she is already there anyways. She does have some nice wines that I can get a hand on."

**Surany Torok, Lady of the Wine**
*The Velvet Swine, Vallen, Taemar*

"Come on in!" There was a nice lit to her voice as Bella entered her room. Doing so, the source of the voice spun around, a wide smile drawn on her face. 

The most obvious thing to notice was that Surany was out of her fancier clothing. Instead, she had donned a simpler outfit; a nice brown dress with short sleeves and only reached her ankles, with golden stitching and patterns adorned on the the ridge. Brown, leather boots peeked from under the skirt, golden buckles keeping straps in place. She was currently attempting to place a purple corset with more gold thread around her stomach. "Help me out, would you? I can't seem to keep this in place long enough to thread up the back!" 

If she were to do so, she explained. "Since we're here, I thought it would be nice to bring some joy to the people of Vallen. From what I recall, their King is... Well, let's just say that he might be too obsessed with his pigs and has become rather pig-headed!" Laughing at her own joke, the Lady let out a tiny "Oof" At the tightening of the corset. "Sorry Bella. No matter how much one wears these, it never gets easier to adjust to their rather vice-like grip. I swear my dear aunt Lady Marisak died from these rather than the sickness." 

Once finished, she turned around and admired herself, looking down at the dress. "Help me choose some gold. I want to make sure I can rival the most glorious, pompous-looking noble in the kingdom. And let's be honest," She winked, "I already do." Another laugh and she started to scavenge through the jewelry, humming as she did so. "Did you remember to check for my lute? Or perhaps I should use the viol tonight. What do you think Bella?"
Edith
**Wilhelmina Ulster**
**Vallen, Taemar**

Wilhelmina sighed. The dwarf's assessment was more than fair. Those in the higher bloodcastes generally tended to look down upon anyone not in their caste or above, with some notable exceptions. As for what the woman said, after that whole ordeal, a drink sounded like a very fine plan. 

"No, no. You have a very fair point, sir. All too often do those in the higher bloodcaste treat others like dirt simply because of their position in society. It is disgusting and not fair. I have attempted to bridge the gap between the people and the nobility as I have come from a merchant's background. Unlike most nobility, I had to work for my position, and even then, it is not as if I am some lord with many subjects. The Iron Plaine's Councilor of Agriculture will do just fine. I like my job because it allows me to be among the people, to hear their complaints, and relay them to the rest of the nobility." 

Her face turned sour for just a moment. "*Not that it does much good, mind you. Why does common decency have to be so rare with those in power*?" 

After that, Wilhelmina's expression warmed up again. "I will gladly take you up on that offer, ma'am."
Wyatt
Golifred Ironbeard
Vallen, Taemar

He had to think about the proposition for a moment, scratching his beard as he thought. Another drink? Sure he felt a little tipsy and his breath smelled of Ale, but he wouldn't mind a second wind. "Aye, I suppose we could go a few rounds with the ale and the good company."

Golifred adjusted the cap on top of his head with a smile, feeling a little more excited about the evening now that he could drink more with new buddies. It was the thrill of meeting new persons that made him feel more like them, and not like the half-dwarf that he was. Being accepted wasn't a common occurrence for him, so even this small moment felt like a special occasion. Of course, he didn't let his guard down - his stubbornness poked at the back at his head, the feeling that he shouldn't trust strangers and that he was better off protecting himself. But if he didn't make friends, what purpose did he have? He needed allies. It would not only help him, but it would help his business as well. Maybe even help fulfill his dream.

"It helps the little people when we are allowed to flourish." Golifred looked over to Wilhelmina with a more serious expression, as the topic was somewhat important. "Of course not everyone fulfills their dreams and desires, but when it comes to the difference between nobility and us, it's hard to compare them living out their dreams to us not having the ability to live ours. Fer the longest time, I've lived tryin' to make mine a reality." He sighed, shrugging. "Hopefully it can come to pass."
John
**King Dennon Bigsby, Kirk Pinewood, Queen Lucrezia Scheer, and James Pinewood
The Home of James Pinewood in Vallen, Taemar**

Once the small caravan had been unpacked, Kirk's uncle sat with the newly arrived guests in his parlor. "Your wedding sounds like it was very romantic," James said after hearing about the early days of Dennon's terrible fate.

"It was!" Lucrezia said with a smile, taking her husband's hand next to her on the couch. The king did his best not to resist.

There came rattles at the front door of the house, and all heads turned toward it. "My daughter must be returning." James said as the door opened. A young woman entered the room.

"Hello." She said upon her arrival. After a few seconds of looking at her father's guests, her eyes widened.

"Leah, tonight our guests are the king and queen of Ibethiel and-"

"KIRK!" She exclaimed excitedly before running toward her cousin.

Kirk stood up from his seat. "Hey, Leah," He managed to say just before she jumped into his arms. "*Ugh...*" Noises of pain came from his mouth because of the splinters that were still in his hand after an unpleasant run-in with a pig at an inn.

The highly energetic reunion made Lucrezia and Dennon make eye contact for a moment and raise their eyebrows before looking back at the scene. "You're hurt." Leah said with concern, looking him over. "What happened to your hand?"

"Damn pig shoved me out of the way when I entered an inn. I slapped the wall, and it gave me some splinters," Kirk said, holding out his hand.

"Let me fix it. Come sit over here by the light." She led Kirk to a couple chairs behind her father. Dennon could see them both over James's shoulder as Leah went to find tools.

"I think I should probably get ready for the evening." Lucrezia said suddenly, taking advantage of the lull.

"I've had the maid clear out the master bedroom for you," James informed her. "I can take the guest room. Kirk, you can..."

"Kirk can stay in my room!" Leah interjected quickly upon returning with some tweezers. "Just like when we were kids."

"Fine," James agreed. "I'll have some blankets put on the floor."

After Lucrezia went to bed, Leah set to work on her cousin's hand by pulling out slivers of wood. "I've missed you, Kirk. So much."

"It's- Uh... It's been a while, yeah." Kirk poorly attempted to reciprocate the energy.

"It's difficult to bend over." She said, sitting up straight.

"I can lift my hand if it would be-"

"Not necessary." Leah cut Kirk off. She reached up and undid a button near her collar, exposing more of her chest. "That's better," She said with a smile.

"Dennon, did you hear me?" James asked, getting the attention of the king, who had been staring over his shoulder to watch the exchange in a trance.

"Yes. What did you ask again?" Dennon asked, trying to remember the conversation.

. . .