Fortune's Fury[Part 1] [PM to entry]

[Remus]

Most of the journey through Lycia had been easy. Pleasantly so. In-fact, Remus was grateful for that. That the children could enjoy a nice trip along the Lycian countryside and see sights that many Etrurians wouldn't see in their life-time. In-fact, these kid's had gotten to see so much of Elibe at such a young age, he wasn't surprised if they developed a serious wanderlust. So there they were. The small wagon that they'd been able to afford in Ilia was quietly being pulled by Dragon-Hero-Horse. Remus was sitting atop it at the front, the reigns wound around one of the wooden posts along the sides of the seat. The steady rumbling of the wagon occasionally jostling when a rock was rude enough to be lodged along the dirt road the group traveled down. Remus himself was propped back in a slight recline, staff nestled safely against his armpit and cradled by his arms as he gazed at the orphans. Amelia was sitting atop the two wooden crates immediately behind Remus. She and Owain had pushed all the boxes and crates of supplies together to make what was now known as "Fort Ameliawain Supreme,". By which that also included the wooden base of the wagon. She was herself was curled up in what would've looked like the most uncomfortable position ever, blankets matted into a mini Amelia nest.

Owain on the other hand was sitting on the edge of the wagon. Feet kicking slightly and taking in the rolling green hills of Laus. That wondrous immense verdite sea leading up to the fortified village they sought out. It was barely visible in the distance. Fairly sizable stone walls wrapped around as far of it as they could see. For the most part it looked perfectly safe. Which gave Remsus no small comfort, given that when their journey had started, all that could be heard of Laus was monster attacks. The dead walking. Corpses slaying people openly.

However, the setting they saw did have small traces. Patches of deadened ground dotted the horizon from time to time or spots where green faded to brown. So far, Remus remained optimistic however. Turning to look around, he saw the others and smiled brightly. After all, without them it wouldn't have been possible. Without Duma's skill, Don's wit, Perun's might, and Flynn's bravery, they would've died thrice over before reaching this very point. He could attest the happiness and health of his children to them as much as everyone. He only hoped the children wouldn't be too distraught when this was all said and done, and the group had to go their separate ways. He knew they were already viewing them as one big happy family.

[Duma]

Duma himself was sitting down at the edge of the wagon, next to little Owain in case if he fell off or lost his balance. He doubted the lad would do either intentionally. But, the rocks on the road made the wagon jolt and wiggle and random times. Enough to maybe jostle the child out of the wagon. Duma's anger against Remus and the group had lessened as time went on. Sleeping on a regular basis helped to set his mind back in order. With sleep he was able to refocus on things that were important. He acted like a fool back in the tavern and apologized to the group for his actions. He was able to refocus his attention back to the people around him rather then prospect of future threats. If the Ilian reaper were to return, well then he would have to deal with that problem when it presented itself.

He glanced back at Amelia. The child had made a fort out of the supplies. He smiled softly at the notion and the child's nature to turn anything into self centered fun. Duma really hoped that the crates and boxes of stuff wouldn't hurt her if they fell. He just had to hope that Donny or Perun would keep an eye on her and the shifting crates. Duma himself had done his best to make himself comfortable. He had removed the top layer of his clothes and sat there in his sleeveless under shirt and pants. His Sacean style cloak hung on a hook inside the wagon. His hair was braided neatly as per Amelia's request. Duma had a stray piece of yellow straw in his mouth while his hands fumbled around with other strands of grasses. He was busy weaving the green and yellow grasses together into a simple thread. This thread would later be used to make a hat.

[Donovan]

The silver tongued mercenary walked alongside the horse. He had an apple in one hand and his dirk in the other, slowly and deliberately cutting slices and sharing them apple between himself and the great creature that had helped them so immensely through their journey. This had certainly been the most incredible task Don had ever taken on, and in both mind and body he could feel incredible growth as both a warrior and a strategist. But more important to him was that for the first time since the attack on his troupe, he felt like he was home again, like his family was whole. Protecting the kids, the preacher, his friends and allies. Fighting alongside the Giant and the Mullet. They’d become a unit, skilled and dangerous and fierce. And since Duma had started to get more sleep again, Don could see the return of the crumungeny sword master’s rationality.

The day as it was, and good visibility about them, Don decided he could roam about without having to wear his leathers. The new sword on his belt felt strange each time he touched it. A humming seemed to course through his entire body with even the slightest touch. He had apologized to Flynn for breaking the Sacaen’s sword after only a few months of wielding it, and the silver tongue had wondered if he would ever stop break swords in the middle of life or death situations. Kitchi padded along beside them. He’d grown too big for Don to carry him constantly in his satchel, so the little terror begrudgingly had begun walking on his own. Suddenly, the fox dropped back, hopping onto the cart and onto the horse’s back, where he settled down, pawing Don’s shoulder and opening his mouth for a slice of apple.

[Perun]

The giant's feet hurt. He had been burned, beaten, drunk, thrown through the air, blackmailed by men who couldn't have weighed more than he did when he was only nine winters old, and his feet hurt. They ached for rest, to stop trudging along on the road behind the priest with his little children. His feet cried out for him to simply flop to the ground and hibernate for a week, without putting any stress on his legs.

However, his face wore a massive crooked smile through his fierce red-orange beard. Their journey was coming to an end, and save one tragic death, the group had gone without major casualty. Carter was gone, but his sacrifice was well fought for, the children and the priest would get to their reunion without the loss of their own lives. That was what had been agreed upon, and thanks to the mercenary who had saved Perun's best friend's life at the cost of his own, it would be seen done. So the Orange Giant wore a smile, because their long journey was reaching its end, and there was no sight of a little man with a large shield to send Perun crashing into a wall.

The air was thick in Lycia, and carried with it a certain stench that while inoffensive to the nostrils, tore at the heart. Still, something told the man from the Valley in the far North that the day would be a pleasant one. That any tears that may fall would be in expression of joy and relief, if there were any at all. The giant smiled as the children slept and sat, and as Kitchi begged Perun's SIlver Tongued friend for a slice of apple. "Perun iz being thinking Duno-ven should be being give furios-cious beast food when demand." Then the giant allowed a soft chuckle to escape through his grin.

He looked ahead to the little stone hearth far ahead of them. His eagle eyed vision could make out a few of the shapes, but he was still astounded after all this time how different all these little towns could be from each other, let alone his own home village. "Re-moose! Re-moose iz almost being done wiv us. How will little priest be being survive in big scary world?" The giant allowed himself another chuckle at his own joke. He killed himself sometimes.

[Remus]

There was a steady rhythm to it all. The rumblings of the wagon, the soft reverberations through the wooden panels as the large wheels turned atop worn dirt roads. The groan of wood and metal combined with horse hoofs and the faint but steady shuffling from Don and Perun and Duma all made for a surprisingly pleasant background noise. If travel had a sound, this was it. Though Don and Perun were quiet, Remus rose slightly from his reclining poise to gaze back at the stalwart defenders of the group upon hearing the orange haired ilian giant's first joke. Truly, the small fluffy fiend was a voracious eater as he grew. It had given Remus another concern for Owain's health now as the boy had begun eating less and feeding more to the silken furred creature.

It was out of a good nature though. Owain had, and likely always would have a good heart towards animals. Then there was the stiffed giggles he was now hearing. Amelia was likely awake and doing something silly tucked away within her fort of crates. It was, as Remus had learned, simply the "Amelia" way. Then, however, Perun poised a second joke that hit him a bit closer to home. Ahh. How indeed? So much of his life this past year had been in the company of others. People far more apt at combat than himself, who shielded him. Sometimes, literally, with their body. It was an uncomfortable prospect to say the least. That he'd been unable to defend himself for so long. That wasn't the case any longer at-least.

Now, as he'd learned when fighting with Nayru against the gargoyles, he could. No matter how small, it was progress that he would happily accept. The priest stiffed a chuckle though, lost in the merriment of the moment that had been spurred by Perun's laugh. The priest turned to gaze at the approaching gates, now able to discern in the distance the sight of men standing atop either side of a wall the gate was built into. He could even, though just barely, make out smaller figures of armed men standing before the gate. Village guards no doubt.

"Ahah..well..thankfully..once we are back home we won't have to worry as much. The children will live safely with my parents and ah..hopefully I will also. However if the church deems to send me elsewhere, then I will be visiting them as often as I can! Just knowing they will have a safe life again is really all I need though, heh. And what about you guys? Perun, Donovan, Duma? What is it you guys plan to do once our journey is over?"

[Donovan]

Don tossed an apple slice into the air, which Kitchi deftly sank his teeth into. The air, that is. The apple slice landed on the dirt and was swiftly crushed beneath the wheel of the cart. “Hurghmm?” Kitchi’s head turned to watch his prey be destroyed beyond all hope of consumption. A sharp laugh erupted from Donovan’s throat, and he gave another slice to the little fox. This time letting it eat straight out of his palm. “You’re right, Perun, I should probably make sure this monstrous creature doesn’t eat us all in our sleep. Keep him well fed.” Kitchi chirped in agreement.

“So… I suppose we should ask, are we escorting you all the way back to Etruria? Because, frankly, that is going to cost you extra. Etruria is a military state after all. But we will get you there, if you need us to. I suppose the only real plans we have after this are surviving, making a living.” Donovan looked over at Perun and grinned, “I think we’ve been playing heroes too long, Perun. Maybe it’s time we pull a few heists, do a few jobs for the criminal underbelly of Lycia for a bit. Let’s be bad guys.” The Silver Tongued mercenary hoped he’d invoke a traditional Remus reprimand for the road.

As they approached the gates, the armed men became more clear. Donovan’s mood was still light and he felt like the day couldn’t possibly spin sour. Even still, as they came closer and closer to the soldiers, he found his hand drifting toward the hilt of his newfound sword.

[Perun]

"Yes Duno-ven, iz smart to make sure Key-ch iz not be being grow angry wiv us." Perun answered his friend with a wide smile, and threw his head back in laughter as Kitchi missed the slice of apple thrown at him by a mile. The little animal was sometimes as crafty as a fox, which was apt, but on occasion he was an oaf as clumsy as a fat bear. It was always funny to Perun when the little thing's eyes lit up in confusion. When his laugh finished, he reached into his ruck sack and pulled at the bit of bread he'd been keeping in it for several days. He found that most people considered it to be too hard to eat, bread that was kept too long, but Perun didn't mind. Animals and beasts never seemed to care much either. He tossed the bit of bread flippantly towards the little fox, but turned before he saw if his small friend caught it.

The orange giant listened as the little priest recounted what he saw ahead of himself. It was a story that was hard to believe, the blue haired healer did not find trouble, no he was bombarded with it from all sides. Without the swordsman, the silver-tongue, and the thunderbolt the priest would likely have been dead five times over on their little trip. Two of those fives were just the slight man tripping on his robes. "Yes, will be costing Re-moose extra for full trip. No discount for friends." Perun listened as his friend pondered the pair's course of action. He laughed again, before adding, "Yes, Perun is being become too friendly. Should go back to growling an break fingers Duno-ven." In truth, doing good felt good for the giant, but so did eating four square meals a day.

[Duma]

Another bump, another glance at the child sitting precariously close to the edge of the wagon. The boy hadn't fallen off. But the sudden rocking caused the strand he was working on to slip from his fingers and onto his lap. Duma scowled softly and picked it back up. He had to be careful not to lose the twist at the end of the strands. He tuned in briefly to the ramblings of his companions. The priest was curious as to what his companions were to do once this quest was over. And for a while, Duma didn't exactly know how to answer him. Remus had intentions to return home and deliver the children safely to his parents in Eturia. And it would seem that Donny and Perun wouldn't give him a discount on the return trip. He didn't blame them. As a matter of fact he agreed with them. A return trip back to Eturia would be costly.

"I wouldn't return to Eturia even if you paid me. I can't stand what the country has become." His voice was serious and harsh. He truly hated what his homeland had turned into. A country of madmen ruled by fear. He hated the rise of the prophet and the military's control. He would never forget the day the prophet's inquisition came and systematically purged the city his family guild was based in.

"No offense." His tone shifted to a more relaxed one. He directed that towards Remus.

"I think I shall continue to wander the plains. I keep hearing talk about some sort of tribal meeting in the works.. so I'm kind of curious to see what going on." He wondered what sort of calamity would bring about a meeting between the tribes. Tribes that were so often at each other throats for things like power and revenge.

"You can give my pay for a return trip to those two." He leaned his head back a bit so as to get a glimpse at Donny and Perun.

"You two better not make too much trouble. I'd hate to see a bounty on either of your heads." He half joked.

[Remus]

Hmm. It really was a shame. Etruria when it was safer would've allowed for Remus to introduce his friends to his parents, and show them his home. Where he'd grown up. If the world were a safer place that was...

If his parents were still running their orphanage he could even imagine the kids clamoring over (and literally crawling all over) Perun. The sight gave him a soft chuckle before he gazed ahead. The road had dwindled greatly since the days start. How he could see the gates! It almost felt...surreal. The place he'd long since dreamed of going to since he'd learned of the young Thomas'es departure. The opportunity to reunite the family of orphans who he'd tended to for the past several years. A bright look of optimistic joy settled upon his visage and he made no efforts hiding it. Though his response was of a more dour topic, he couldn't allow his jubilation to falter.

"No my friends, I believe after this it may be best if we part ways. I know not if I have the funds available to afford your splendid companionship for such a journey back. Even if I had, it would pale in the rewards you all deserve for the great deeds you have done in our time together. Saved my own life, and the childrens more than once. I truly do hope that your paths take you to the joys you each deserve haha! Ahhh..and...here we are!"

The stone walls and wooden beams that line the length like a secondary outer wall loomed overhead with formidable shadows cast down. The priest couldn't help but note however, that at some points along the lengths, the wooden planks and beams had been sundered or looked to suffer severe damage. Had the town seen battle in the past when Lycia battled Etruria, and never saw fit to repair? His thoughts ended pre-maturely as Dragon-Hero-Horse drew to a halt a few feet from the gate. Of the four men that now stood before the gate, two had locked their spears across one another to visibly bar passage while a third unsheathed his blade from his hip. They all wore standard armor, steel plates barely obscuring the chain-mail beneath. The man who drew his blade however clearly stood out, his armor more decorated, and a spear strapped to his back where the other soldiers simply brandished a lances.

The man spoke out in a gruff tone, harshly staring down the group of new arrivals.

"State yer' purpose for bein' here. Londsford is on hard times, and I'll not allow troublemakers in my home. Come on now, out with it!"

A rather...abraisive man. Remus obliged him quickly however lest the situation escalate. He knew don's quips and Perun's temper could make for a poor first impression.

"My name is Remus Wache. I am a priest from Etruria, and I'd once run an orphanage south west of Aquilla. It wasn't a large one but it wa-"

The gruff man spat on the ground, relieving himself of phlegm before speaking abruptly and gripping his blades handle tighter.

"Oi! I asked yer' purpose not yer damned life story. Out with it you skirt totin' priss!. "

Abrupt, and startled at the curt nature of the man, Remus was briefly at a loss for words. At this point, the loud tone of the man had drawn the attention of the two children who were now both peaking their tiny heads over the cart to observe the scene.

"Ah. Um..yes sorry. One of our orphans snuck away to a caravan destined for this village. I'm here to retrieve him. Then we'll be on our way."

The man scoffed, spitting again after another inhale and crude expulsion of mucus while staring the priest down.

"Bah! Cloth folk are all the same. Thinkin' ya' can go where ever ya' please. I suppose yer plannin' to show us yer fancy faith while yer at it! Piss on that. Ain't no Caravan been through past some months. Ya' can go back where ya' came from!"

The man scowled towards the priest, who was now at a loss for words. In one of the rare moments of his life, the smile fell from his expression. His jubilation becoming more of a crestfallen expression.

[Donovan]

The Silver tongued mercenary sighed as he stepped forward to try and deal with the surly guard in his ornate armor. Certainly, after coming so many miles and besting so many foes, it would make the most sense that the creatons who guard the village they have been searching for, would bar them entry. “Sir, I appreciate that you are just trying to do your job. But we’ve been traveling for this… beautiful little village, for months now. You know how dangerous it is on the road these days. Bandits and highwaymen are nothing compared to the monsters that plague Lycia. The big man and I? We actually had to fight a giant spider. I swear. On my mother’s life it is true.”

Don cracked his neck and Kitchi padded up beside him, sitting idling by his leg. “Now we’re just trying to find the missing kid, get a good night’s rest and be on our way. There’s no qualm between us and yourself, I swear it, sir. But you see the Giant back there, sir?” Don looked back at Perun and winked. “He’s Ilian. Tribesman. Imposing and capable with an axe, but he doesn’t speak a lick of the common tongue,” He looked back at Perun and smiled at the farce. “Do you, big guy?”

He hushed his tones and leaned in a little closer to the ornately dressed guard. “I’m just saying that I’d appreciate it if you keep your tones and… demeanor friendly. He’s grown very protective of the kids and the preacher, here. And you know how Ilians can get.” Making nobility feel important always left Don with a sour taste in his mouth, but inflating the ego of guardsmen was always even worse. Nobility had nothing to prove, as far as they were concerned, the world was made for them to lord over. Guardsmen needed constant appeasement to believe they were being respected, but the occasional reminder that they weren’t worth much of anything goes a long way. And what a better way to show them such than to stick a giant, potentially angry Ilian infront of them and remind them that manners matter.

[Duma]

The wagon grinded to a halt and Duma grimaced a bit. He had lost his place in his little arts and crafts project and hung his head in shame. He sighed. No use worrying about that now. Looks like were here. He shoved what he could back into his pack. His fingers passed over the straw hat he had grown accustomed to wearing on long walks through the grasslands. Soon, he'd find someone to help patch the hole on the top of it. He glanced over at towards the front end of the wagon and saw the others whom were talking to a rather rude gate guard. He didn't fault the guard for doing his job but there was no reason to be rude about it.

So they don't want any troublemakers in their village. Well.. that's a problem. Both of them together are some of the biggest trouble makers I know. Duma didn't exactly look like a squeaky clean well respected member of society either. His semi patchy clothes and giant scar on his face kinda gave a "not a nice person" vibe. Duma sighed again.

"Owain perhaps you should wake Amelia and try to charm the guards." He suggested to the boy, in a half serious and half sarcastic voice. Duma then crawled over to the front end of the wagon and leaned his arms over the drivers seat. He glanced at the guards.

"If the village has fallen on hard times.. then why are you denying entrance to a priest whom could heal the injured.. Pay for a room in the inn to help your economy.. And possibly provide relief with wagon of potential supplies?" He asked in a voice that was both not threatening and not amused.

[Perun]

The guard at the village gate was less than cooperative, much to the chagrin of the priest and his guards. The priest tried the kind and subtle approach on the gaunt man leaning on his halberd, but that didn't appear to work. He seemed ambivalent to their own plight, and more interested in defending the town. That was almost admirable, and perhaps it would have been had the man not been in his way.

After the failed attempts of the short blue haired Etrurian, Donovan stepped forward and took a radically different approach. It was to coerce and to threaten, something the pair of mercenaries were familiar with. Perun in particular was fine to be a massive figure who stared down at the man, and was apparently his role to be just that. Donovan looked back at him with a wry smile, and mentioned that he couldn't speak the common tongue. Perun perked up at the mention of his name like a dog, his best impression of a buffoon. "Schto? Perun niitleg khel yarikh tögs chadvartai baidag."

He crossed his arms and huffed, letting his eyebrows knit and his forehead wrinkle. He stared daggers into the man, and flexed just a bit. His plain words had carried in them a sharp venom, that the man would be able to understand. In truth, all he had said was, 'What? Perun is perfectly capable of speaking the common tongue.' Of course, there would be no need to reveal that to his friends before they were past the guard.

[Remus]

The aging halberdier scowled. Bushy eyebrows, stained from a mix of golden blonde hairs and ashen silver ones, furrowed as Donovan approached. His hand instantly extracted the ornate blade at his hip from its resting sheath by a few inches. Metal hummed, ringing like a tuning fork freshly struck even as his darkened gaze swiftly darted between Donovan, Perun, and Duma. The other men at the gate instantly shifted with shields rising and spears lowering like a three man spear wall at the sight of their commander starting to draw his blade. The gate-guard's voice stained with brewing spittle while he snarled towards Donovan and the others.

"I don't care if yer' friend is a king or a demon or the damned lover o' Elimine! I said no and yer' about to get chased off the hard way! Are ye' funny in the head boy? Are all o' ye stricken with some damn ailment!? How in the hells ye-"

The man's words were halted as the monstrous doors of the moderate town wall began to open. Wooden boards groaning, and joints creaking while the town's entrance opened up fully. The first thing to be revealed, was a man sitting atop a lavishly armored snowy white steed. Shockingly well forged armor covering him entirely, and a spear hoisted into the air with a thin veil of purple hue dangling from the tip of the lengthy weapons shaft. Behind him were two other men atop armored steeds though their horses sported far less plating and they themselves were no where near as heavily adorned in platemail. The man gazed at the scene before him before spurring his horse slowly forwards before speaking up, as the gate guards slowly moved from a combat ready poise and began to look back and forth in visible confusion.

"Holtham, what's going on here? Is there an issue?"

The halberdier scoffed before clicking his weapon into his sheath and turning to look up towards the mounted knight.

"Ain't nothin' wrong, just tryin' to keep these fools out before they can start trouble."

There was a pause, before the mounted knight stared down with a hardened gaze towards the gate guard.

"Keep them out before they can start trouble...? Are you daft? Have you lost your damned mind?! Were on watch for a very palpable enemy. These people clearly aren't them, and clearly won't be any problem we can't handle. Let these people through! You are to guard the gate, not lean upon locked doors like a young lazy pup! Now, I'm off to patrol the hills. Guard the gate Holtham. "

With no further a word, the man spurned his horse ahead, brushing past the guards and briefly nodding to the caravan while guiding his steed around them and briefly off the road before picking up into a canter while the two cavalier's behind him mirrored his route before chasing after him and moving into a triangular formation while moving down the road and towards the surrounding series of hills. Leaving the gates open in their wake while the men in the upper portion of the gate-house who had opened it looked down quietly towards Holtham, waiting for his command to either close the gates or let the caravan pass. At which point it seemed everyone was. Remus himself was still partially in shock that such a blatantly rude person existed on Elibe.

Even as the guard to the man's left began to speak, Holtham snarled before taking a few steps aside and off the road.

"Ugh. Let em' through! Let em' pass."

He turned his gaze to the new comers with a scowl of dark mistrust while still holding his blades hilt.

"Don't cause trouble, or I swear ye'll never see the light o' day again!"

So it was, that they were granted entrance to Timberdale.

[Donovan]

“Lords and ladies above and below, what a twat.” The mercenary said to his companions once they were well past earshot of the town guard. “I mean, first off, what kind of town guard holds himself in such outrageous esteem that he wears such ornate armor as that? And second, what kind of guard threatens to murder children and refuses them entry to a town as inconsequential as this?” As the Silver Tongue looked around, he saw Timberdale in all of its glory: The Inn, the Market Square, the stables, the smithy and the guard tower all within 100 feet of the entrance, practically. Quite the jewel of Lycia this town was, truly in outrageous need of defending.

Now in reality, all he wanted to do was find a place to take a bath, but since he knew Remus would be like an annoying dog looking for a bone with this “Thomas” they were searching for, Donovan decided to take care of business first and stopped an npc ordinary villager, “Excuse me, Miss. There wouldn’t happen to be a lad around that got to town not too long ago, would there? He got here on a caravan with the smith, most likely. Goes by the name Thomas?”

Donovan hoped the girl would know something about the boy. He neither wanted this entire journey to be a wild goose chance that cost them Carter’s life if the boy didn’t end up even living here, and nor did he want to spend the next few hours looking for the kid when really, all he wanted was a gods damned bath.

[Duma]

Duma watched as the guard guided his hand towards his weapon and looked as if he was about to draw his blade. Duma was nearly ready to pounce. He was about to lunge through the gap between the wagon an the man. How dare he raise his blade against a man with children. But, fortunately for both parties the guard's superior came in. A man clad in heavy armor and riding a horse. Duma was silent as he listened to the superior bark at his subordinate. It seemed that this village was fighting a very specific enemy. Perhaps a specific army with a specific coat of arms. Or raiders whom had a specific color associated with them. Either way it was very certain that their enemies were very specific and the group clearly wasn't one of them. Once they were in the safety of the city, Duma let out a rather loud audible sigh. He agreed with Donny on how much of a d*ck that guy was.

"True men would not raise steel against children." He muttered. He hopped off the wagon and started walking along side the others. He took a moment to take in the sights of the town. This little place had so much to offer. A bath house, a smithy, a stable, an inn, yes this place was quite nice. He could see why it was in need of a good guard. He could also see why the opposition would work so hard to want to claim a place like this. He could see himself enjoying some time off once they reunited all the children together.

"Perhaps we should situate ourselves first before going off to find Thomas." Reserve a room at the inn. Give the animals a drink and food at the stables... bathe.