River listened to Bria with pursed lips. The crossbow in his hands was very well crafted. To know that she could make better- He shook his head, a small frown pulling at his lips. "Make your workshop, experiment, or whatever it is you'll be doing, but I do not want advanced weaponry....not yet." He looked at the people unloading the carts and sorting the firewood from the building materials. "I do not think these people are ready for that just yet." River hefted the crossbow. "We'll introduce them slowly. Teach them to use these effectively and efficiently before we introduce something else. These are simple, peaceful folk. If we overload them too quickly..." they could become afraid of her. River understood her usefulness. He understood the world was a dark place and to have an advantage over it was something this small village needed, but they did not understand that.<br/><br/>"As for getting out of chores..." River scratched the hairs on his chin. He felt like she was trying too, perhaps he was wrong. "You had mentioned cooking as part of your education." He wasn't very good at upkeep within the home. "I will take care of the animals, fields, and general maintenance. I expect you to take care of the inside." River rubbed the back of his neck and looked a bit embarrassed. "It's not...something I'm good at." He hated to admit it, but he did anyway.<br/><br/>The embarrassed look on his face vanished as a pair of men waved to him. River nodded in return. "I'll be inside there if you need me." River brushed past Bria to join the men in their walk towards the white washed in. They looked at the crossbow with interest and River began to show it to them as they entered through the door.<br/><br/>______<br/><br/>13 men, including River, sat in chairs in a semi circle around a fireplace to one side of the inn. Many of them were puffing on pipes and a small cloud of smoke hung above their heads. "She's an asset." An old man said over his pipe, many agreed with him, while others shook their head. "She's dangerous! A woman roaming alone, with no recollection! A wizard...she could be in some serious trouble and not even know it! Who knows who, or what, could be looking for her." River took a few puffs from his own pipe, one his wife had carved for him, as he listened to the men grumbling with each other.<br/><br/>"She did create that crossbow. I've never seen anything so fine." A younger man spoke up. He was a weapons smith and, while he usually only dealt with swords or hammers or axes, he had seen a few crossbows in his days. "Who knows what else she could create? She's young! Perhaps her powers are still developing?"<br/><br/>"We would risk our lives, our families lives? That's dangerous thinking Parsifal..." A graying man with a beard said over his mug of ale. "We would become a target! Everyone within hundreds of miles would want our weapons! Or to test themselves against them."<br/><br/>"It would be great for trade." The smith, Parsifal, argued. "Think of the revenue. We'd grow exponentially." River's brow knitted. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea. It just meant more responsiblity for him. River cleared his throat and the men around quieted down.<br/><br/>"Why don't she stuck around and in a few months we can all have another meeting. She'll stay at my place, away from the village. That way I can keep an eye on her." The men rumbled their agreement and the council dismissed themselves. River exited the inn and went to find Bria with the news.