<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/orTDitJ.png)</div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Name:</strong>        </td><td>Ubara (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=340173.msg16119828#msg16119828)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Affiliation:</strong>        </td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Time:</strong>        </td><td>TA 3014, Winter</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Apparel:</strong>        </td><td>Woolen Tunic &amp; Trousers, Warg-Hide Boots | Scent of Sweetgrass &amp; Clover</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Condition:</strong>        </td><td><strong>!🐺!</strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Location:</strong>        </td><td>By the Fire</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Tagging:</strong>        </td><td>Galad &amp; Lirion Specifically | Everybody <sub><em>(most are mentioned)</em></sub>!</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Ambiance:</strong>        </td><td>Mood Music (https://youtu.be/QRg_8NNPTD8)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Note:</strong>        </td><td><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Approval</div><div class="spoiler_body">I consulted with Bowen and mainsnoires to ensure consent and fairness.</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><hr/><br/>The fire flicked shadows around half of Ubara’s face as she sat sideways to it and supped while the door opened, ushering in a blast of winter air that tickled the flyaways along her hairline but did not make her shiver. At first, she paid no mind to whoever had entered and chewed a mouthful of turnip and carrot, wiping her chin from a wayward droplet of broth with the back of her hand; but as a vibrant shade of blue came into her periphery, the firelight reflected in her eyes as she glanced up from her bowl to stare with a deadpan expression that belied her curiosity.<br/><br/>Unencumbered with the benefits of a comprehensive education or an understanding of etiquette and social norms, Ubara made no effort to hide her study of the black-haired woman at the bar. The stranger’s back was to her but she could still picture that striking face – had she ever seen anyone so fair, or foreign, or<em>clean</em>before? And what were those clothes? The cut was unlike anything she had ever seen but it was the color that struck her the most, and not the blue that caught her eye, but the<em>white.</em>Travelers smelled like horse and came in muddy and sweat-stained but<em>this woman</em>appeared almost ethereally polished.<br/><br/>The door opened again and had the wind not carried the unmistakable musk of wolf, Ubara would have continued staring; however, the scent caught her attention instantly and she looked towards the door as a white wolf padded into the tavern behind an elf. Ordinarily, the elf would have garnered more attention since Ubara had never met an elf before, but a wolf in the city was a threat liable to be met with bloodshed and her protective instincts flared.<br/><br/><em>What are you doing here?</em>she asked herself and as if hearing her – which of course, he could not since Ubara was not using any spells – the wolf looked back with perked ears. Concentrating on that primal, internal, open space inside of her, the disguised Beorning eyed the elf, who appeared civil, and then the wolf again, reaching for the beast’s feelings to judge what his relationship with the elf was. Was this a pet? A captive? A soon-to-be meal? Was he lost? Was he under the elf’s control?<br/><br/>The wolf padded closer to the fire where she sat; tail motionless and maw open to pant through as he regarded her with fierce yellow eyes. A drunk patron with a gaunt, red-faced screamed, pointing to the wild animal and staggering backward only to trip over one of Ubara’s warg-hide boots. With an unceremonious holler, he fell onto his arse, where the airborne contents of his mug landed on top of him.<br/><br/>Ubara remained unfazed, gazing intently into the wolf’s eyes as he approached, and for the first time since she’d arrived at Bree, she<em>smiled.</em>She could sense happiness and oddly,<em>respect</em>for this creature’s elven companion. It was impossible to parse more without tapping into her abilities, but she learned enough to realize that she was, potentially, in the right place at the right time.<em>I was right to come here,</em>she realized as the intrigue continued. A mysterious maiden, an elf, and a wolf had all arrived within moments of each other, which was odd to say the least.<br/><br/>She pinched a bite of beef from her bowl and without a trace of fear, tossed it to the wolf. She had eaten around the meat, not because she didn’t consume it but because she didn’t want it, and now she knew why. It was for him. Tossing another after the first one quickly disappeared, she licked her fingers and then dared to reach out and ruffle the snowy fury between the wolf’s plush ears, smiling softly at the beautiful animal with something akin to a mother’s love in her eyes.<br/><br/>Another man entered the inn, looking dapper but with a simple and jovial air about him, and then<em>another</em>elf! This one bubbling with as much joy as a springtime brook despite the bitter cold he’d just come in from, and with little knowledge of elves at her disposal, she checked the door to see if a wolf would follow him too. Alas.<br/><br/>However, when the door opened<em>again</em>and Ubara caught the sharp scent of steel, her lip curled as if there was something amiss with the soup she’d been eating. Eyeing a tall man with curls and a pompous expression she wanted to bear-slap from his skull, it was safe to say that Ubara disliked him instantly and made no effort to disguise as much from her face when he addressed the innkeeper as if he were an authority figure.<em>Men,</em>she thought grumpily. If she were more expressive, she would have rolled her eyes.<br/><br/>Amidst concentrating on the wolf, whose name she did not yet know but would soon learn, the bear-lady caught a whiff of animal blood and looked up with sudden attention, her eyes zeroing in on a seemingly anxious man with dingy clothes and a weathered face. It was coming from his direction but she could not tell that he was the culprit. He had not noticed her, for there was nothing odd about a woman eating soup and looking around, but as she inhaled fully and confirmed her suspicions, her vigilance urged her to finally act. She knew she needed to get involved but how? Conversations were not her forte and she had few insights to offer politically or historically, but she could tell that<em>this,</em>whatever this was, was exactly the sort of event she’d been waiting for. Now that it was here, the only thing left to do was seize it.<br/><br/>Standing from her chair, she revealed herself to be much taller than the average human woman, and as-tall-as or slightly-taller-than most men. Her woolen tunic hid her statuesque physique but her shoulders were wide and her stature was imposing; dripping with the casual confidence of an apex predator at rest. She breezed through the crowd, bumping drunkards and sots with her shoulders like water off the prow of a ship until she cast a long shadow over the table where the odd party was gathering itself.<br/><br/>Her amber eyes settled on the wolf’s elf and when there was lull enough in conversation to interject (which might have taken a few moments and made an awkward first impression since she stood in stony silence until then), she said,<strong>“You have a fine choice in companion”</strong>with a sultry alto as smooth as honey. She dropped another bite from her bowl to the wild canine.<strong>“How did it come to pass?”</strong><br/><br/>Her eyes shifted to the others – the redheaded woman with the sweet voice, the mysterious traveler with white garments, the elf with his quill – and then finally, lastly, landed on Squint. She inhaled slowly, trying to parse the scent of blood.<em>Could be a butcher and nothing more,</em>she reasoned. Still, her visage did not reflect any reservations she was creating for him and held his gaze in an unblinking appraisal before severing it to look again at the curious elf.<br/>