"Ah...." The man says, and taps the side of his nose. "That's what you-hem-you would think. But at this point, we're just a town fer the soldiers... an' soldiers don't drink terrible much when they're tasked with martial -hrmm- law."<br/><br/>The serving girl gives the man a curious look, and moves behind the bar to pour him a glass of water before continuing on with her tasks. Of course, in a water-damaged town like this, the meal would have to be soup... two heavy, rough wooden bowls filled to the brim with a brownish beef-and-grain mix. Tasty, to be sure, and thankfully heavy enough to chase some of the damp from the pair's bones, but hardly worth the ten silver the girl asks.<br/><br/>"So, wait..." Seraile says, turning and leaning forward to face the man. "Aren't there other civilians, though? I mean, you're here... and you're not with the guard, are you?"<br/><br/>The man laughs and shakes his head, covering his mouth to stop another chest-rattling cough.<br/><br/>"No, miss, I'm not... An' there are a few folks who stick around, simply 'cause this is their home. But I'd bet ya a gold coin against a loaf o' bread that the town is 80% military and noble now." The man moves to stand behind the bar, taking a deep drink of the water poured for him by the serving girl, and starts to re-polish the same glasses he had been cleaning when the Pathfinders arrived.<br/><br/>"If you two are lookin' fer beds, I got a couple o' rooms upstairs that are still serviceable. It ain't an Absalom hotel, mind, but it'll do ya fer a place to put your head down at night." The man gives each woman a wide, innocent grin. "And at five silver a night, that ain't half bad..."<br/><br/>Sheraile snickers and throws a look at Aquila, as if to say "I could get it cheaper," but says nothing. Instead, she turns back to her soup, and leans in close so she can talk to her partner better.<br/><br/>"Martial law, and a useless town council..." The witch says, fishing out a particularly large chunk of salt beef from her stew. "I know that it gets bad out here on the wound, but the town didn't look that badly damaged that they'd need martial law to protect against raids... did it?"