Gorla Ambershield

The door of the Lion's Pride banged open hard enough to rattle the mugs on the nearest table, and a very wet dwarf stomped in out of the rain. Gorla Ambershield shook herself off like a dog right there on the mat (rifle, braids, cloak, all of it dripping) and squinted around the common room. She didn't head for the bar, which was a first for her. She headed straight for the big human leaning by the door instead. "Evenin'. Right. I'll be quick, I'm drippin' on yer floor. Skinny lad, about yay high, brown cloak, nose like a turnip, carryin' a satchel he holds like there's eggs in it. Came this way in the last hour or so? He owes me eleven silver and a pair of boots' worth of walkin'."

Merrit Hale

merrit looked down at her. then at the puddle. "lot of skinny lads in goldshire." he didn't move off the wall.

Gorla Ambershield

"Aye, I'd noticed. It's the turnip nose that narrows it down, I'd have thought." She wrung out the end of one braid onto the floorboards, then seemed to remember she'd said she was sorry about the drippin' and stopped, looking a bit guilty about it. "Look, I walked him all the way down from Ironforge. Through the tram, out past Kharanos, the lot. Fed him. Biscuit carried his pack for two days because his poor wee shoulders were sore. And the minute we cross into Elwynn he says he's off to find a privy and I never see him again." She dug in her belt pouch and slapped a couple of coppers on the nearest table. "I can pay for a drink while ye think about it, if that helps yer memory any." ((Biscuit is her bear, he's sitting outside under the eaves looking miserable lol))

Merrit Hale

he glanced at the coppers. didn't take them. "keep it." a pause. he tipped his head, barely, toward the stairs at the back. "came in wet about an hour before you. paid for a room with a gold coin. new one. didn't want change. that's not a skinny lad who's short eleven silver."

Gorla Ambershield

Gorla's mouth fell open a little. Then it shut. Then her face went a sort of brick red that had nothing to do with the cold. "A gold. He paid fer a room with a gold coin." She said it very quietly, which anyone from Thelsamar would have told you was a lot worse than when she said things loudly. "He told me he'd been robbed on the road from Menethil. Told me it right to my face, he did, with his wee sad eyes. I gave him half me cheese." She took a step toward the stairs, stopped, and looked back up at the doorman, because even angry she wasn't daft. "I'm guessin' ye've an opinion on me goin' up there and bangin' on doors."

Merrit Hale

"yeah." he pushed off the wall. the bad knee made it slower than it should've been. "not your inn. not mine either. but i get paid to keep it quiet." he looked at the stairs, then at her. "you wait here. i go knock. he comes down, you two talk at a table like people. he doesn't come down, that tells you something too."

Gorla Ambershield

She thought about arguing. You could see her think about it, the whole thing went right across her face, and then she plonked herself down at the nearest table with her arms crossed. "Fine. Fine! Like people. I can do like people." She pointed a stubby finger at him. "But if he goes out a window I'm not waitin' on ye, I'm goin' round the back. And Biscuit is round the back. Just so ye know."

Merrit Hale

merrit went up. took his time on the stairs. a knock, low voices, a door that stayed shut for a while. then it opened. he came back down a minute later with a skinny lad in a brown cloak in front of him. nose like a turnip. the satchel was still held like there were eggs in it. merrit steered him into the chair across from gorla with one hand on his shoulder and didn't take the hand away. "talk," he said. to both of them.

Gorla Ambershield

The lad opened his mouth. Gorla held up one hand and he shut it again, which was the smartest thing he'd done all week. "Eleven silver," she said. "That was the price, and I'm not even countin' the cheese. And ye'll tell Biscuit ye're sorry, because he carried yer bag and he liked ye, the great soft idiot." The lad looked up at Merrit. Merrit did not look like he was going to help. After a long, sad moment he fished in the satchel and counted eleven silver onto the table, one at a time, like each one hurt him. Gorla swept them up, counted them again (twice), and stood. "Pleasure doin' business." She jerked her chin at the door. "Biscuit's out front. Go on. Say it nice." ((I'm imagining him going out and the bear just sniffing him and wandering off lol))

Merrit Hale

merrit watched the kid go out into the rain. took his hand back. leaned on the wall again like he never left it. "you want that drink now," he said. "you can pay for it this time."