"What, right away?"  The man coughed as she clapped his back, before straightening rapidly.  "If you really think you can take on something as awful as this, we'll be happy to have you.  But you're sure you want to just head out now?  There's plenty of the beasts, last I saw."<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>The tavern wasn't very full.  The dwarven bartender shot Ildefonse a disapproving look as he entered, but the dwarf's face looked like it wasn't very accustomed to approval.<br/><br/>A few tradesmen were conversing around the tavern.  Just next to a table near the entrance, an older, worried-looking human man was conversing with a beautiful human woman, the latter clad in leather armor with a fearsome-looking battleaxe at the ready.