"What do you mean my coin's useless here? It's copper, isn't it?"<a class="link link--external" href="http://www.westofwest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/LloydTheConquerorPromos_28129.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Avery's</a>young face was scrunched up as he peered at the barkeep.  Was he a half-orc?  Or perhaps he'd been dropped too often as an infant?  Whatever the reason, the left side of the burly man's face was half again as large as the right side, making it appear that one was looking at him from an angle instead of straight on.<br/><br/>"Yous heard wot I said."  The big man pushed the two coins back with two thick, dirty fingers. They found their way into the lad's hands and his pouch, hidden beneath the ragged tabbard he still wore. The colors of his cloth were obscured by the dust and dried ash and blood on the fabric.  "That there be Wyndian coin; I don't take that bastard coin in me inn."<br/><br/>"Copper's copper." Avery muttered. His green eyes glared at the man.  "It's as good as any."<br/><br/>"Yous lucky I don't string you up fer havin' their tainted blood money."  The barkeep peered at the slim young man. Though he wore a sword and a dagger he looked too slim to be a proper soldier. Perhaps he was just a scrounger, wearing the wares of a dead man and spending a ghost's coin. "Where you from, boy?"<br/><br/>Avery felt his heart thump.  In Astra all it took was the accusation that one was from the enemy kingdom to get themselves strung up. He didn't very much want to see his neck in a noose. Truth be told, though, he didn't know where he was from. All he knew was that his name might be Avery. Or Avian. Or something similar.  Or not...<br/><br/>"Forget it."  He sneered one lip and started to walk away. "Your beer's probably watered down with horse piss." He was so wrapped up in hating the barkeep for not taking his money that he didn't notice the diminutive woman in the impressive armor until he nearly knocked her over.  Just as Avery turned away from the big glop of a barkeep, he came face-to-face with the tops of a soldier's head and was only a moment from knocking him down.<br/><br/>Or<i>her</i>down. "Oh!  Sir!  I... sorry I didn't see you."  His green eyes widened as he felt his foot hit something unmoving on the floor and realized that he was quickly losing his balance and would sprawl against the city soldier in less than the blink of an eye.