The Journey begins

When you open the door, a small body flops to the floor in front of you. It jumps when it hits, and looks up at you with drowsy eyes. "Unggh...Valor? Oh, you're up. Are you okay? Do you need anything?" Your left eye is swollen shut, and your right eye is puffy enough to limit visibility. Your neck hurts severely when you turn your head, and your jaw is stiff and a little painful to move.

Valor looks around in the darkness and tries to figure out who's talking to him but can't make out their face. But he is at least able to hear them and make out what they're saying. "Well I could use a cleric and someone to cuddle with." It hurts his face when he smiles but his smile instantly disappears when he rememberer's Aeryn. He reaches his arms up and tries to grab the person standing in front of him. "Wait, Aeryn where is he? Is he alright?"

The person in front of you grabs back and steps in for a hug. He holds you for a second or two then puts something hard and warm in your hand. "Aeryn's been outside your door with a present for when you woke up. I hear he was really scared for you. If you drink this, it might help with the pain. It's not a cleric, but it was made by one. It's all I've got that can help." He pauses for a moment. "The guards want to talk with you, but not till morning. I don't know what time it is now though. Aeryn wasn't sure if you would have been startled by someone in the bed with you, but now that you're awake he can ask if that's okay. He'd hate to waste the chance to sleep in a bed at the Pale Prince." You might see the person in front of you smile a bit.

(Put yourself at 1 nonlethal HP. You heal nonlethal at the rate of 1/hour.)

(my heart...It broke while reading that)

Valor drinks the potion and instantly feels better. It does not reduce any of the swelling but it at least eases the pain of the wounds. He gives a slight smile. "All right, lets go to bed." Valor slightly hobbles out of exhaustion to the bed and collapses on the left side of the bed. Falling asleep again within seconds.

You drink the potion of cure minor wounds. It heals 1 HP and 2 nonlethal. You're asleep before Aeryn even makes it to the bed.

You wake up 6 hours later with the morning sun streaming in the window. The door is closed, and the tent bag is on a table. As you look around the room, you see Aeryn sitting on top of an empty bookcase looking out the window. You see he has both backpacks up there with him.

Valor wakes up and rubs his eyes he looks around the happy that he can now see clearly again. He looks around the room and sees Aeryn sitting on the top of an empty bookcase and sees to be in deep thought. "Hey Aeryn, what you thinking about?" Valor asks swinging his legs over the side of the bed and looking up at his friend.

Aeryn keeps looking out the window and doesn't look at you. He sits in thought for a minute and then slowly answers, "I'm just... wondering what we're going to do... I mean, he's right there and..." He sighs and then finally looks down to you. "The guards wanted to see you when you woke. I put your stuff up here so nobody could steal anything else, and I locked the door just in case." He sheathes his knife and climbs down the bookcase onto the table and then hops to the floor. "We can talk with them while we eat, come on." The room you're staying in is on the second floor. After descending the stairs, you and Aeryn hop into chairs. Many of the people eating breakfast look at your bruised and swollen face with pity. The barkeep from last night sees you two coming down the stairs and, moments after you're seated, he emerges from the kitchen with a pitcher of milk in one hand with two small plates stacked on one arm and a plate with steam rising from it in the other hand with two cups balanced on the other arm. "Ooh, I'm glad to see the swelling went down, Master Valor." He sets the table for both of you talking while he does so. "Thievery and assault in my inn! I try my best to keep my patrons safe and have their favorite drinks available at all times. I go to fetch them some Burny Mouth Beer, and look what I get for it! They beat and rob my patrons while I'm in the cellar, and throw a cup at the guards when they arrive to restore order!" The steaming plate has scrambled eggs, two sausage patties, four slices of bacon, four halfling sized pancakes, and a chicken, cheese, and tomato omelette that was cut in half. "The guards will be here to talk to you in a few minutes. Please, Masters, shout to me if you need anything. I am at your service." The bartender begins clearing a table for other patrons while patiently listening to their criticism of his service. Aeryn takes some eggs, two pancakes, a slice of bacon, and a sausage patty. He pours milk for both of you and then starts eating.

Valor stacks his plate with some eggs, a sausage patty, two slices of bacon, and two pancakes, and half of the omelette. He begins to eat for a little bit and regain some of his strength. About a quarter of the way through his meal he turns to Aeryn. "Aeryn, thank you for watching out for me. But I got you into this mess you don't need to protect me." Valor turns back to his food and picks at it taking a few small bites waiting either for Aeryn's response or for the guards to walk in and talk to him.

Aeryn takes a big bite out of some sausage, chews it for a second, swallows, and replies light heartedly, "Heh, every time you're trying to talk while eating someone says something right when you take a bite." He leans forward and his voice gets quieter and a bit vicious. His eyes look angry. "When you were unconscious, you sure needed protecting. If some of the shitty people in this town would stand up for each other, nobody would need protecting." A guard with a purple dragon emblazoned on his breastplate walks in, looks around for a moment before spotting you, and starts walking toward you. Aeryn speaks faster and with more fury. "When we live in a world of humans who can beat us up, take our stuff, and get away from the guards who are supposed to keep us safe, you need protecting. We both do." The guard reaches you and speaks, "Terrible thing happened to you both last night. I'm impressed you managed to knock one of them out. Whenever you're finished here, we can proceed with justice." The guard sits in a chair facing away from you and Aeryn.[/color]

Valor sits with a straight face slowly eating his breakfast and he thinks about Aeryn's words. Humans always put down on halflings and think they are lesser. Even the guard was impressed that they could drop a lowly drunk. But even with his anger building up in him. He had a overwhelming sense of happiness in him as well. Aeryn's protection didn't go unnoticed and Valor was very appreciative of it. He tried his best to keep a straight face. But couldn't help but give a slight smile thinking of his friend. Once he finished his food he looks up at the guard. "Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

(Ask yourself where that overwhelming happiness comes from for Valor. What about Valor allows it to overwhelm his anger unlike Aeryn? You don't have to write it, just think on it.)

Aeryn continues eating while lost in his thoughts and rage. The guard turns in his chair, "Firstly, your friend tells me that those men last night took your coin pouch while you were out. The Waymoot Guard should know exactly how much was taken. Secondly, the man you were able to subdue is in the square outside in stocks, and his punishment is to be at your hands. Multiple witnesses from last night have testified against him, and he has been found guilty of assault and theft. The extent of the law of Waymoot dictates a beating for a beating, and when a thief refuses to return stolen goods or reveal their location, it is a lashing for every 10 gold stolen with a minimum of one stripe and a maximum of 40 stripes. If you're finished here, we can proceed."

Valor drops his head a bit thought while the guard speaks to him. He wonders why the only man that was put in stocks was the one he knocked out. Did the others escape or were they let go for other reasons. He didn't know and chances were he wasn't going to find out. But for now he had to deal with the man they had captured. "I don't believe it is my place to punish this man sir. You are the law of this town so you can deliver what ever punishment you see fit. I want justice to be severed not vengeance. He looks over at his friend Aeryn still eating in rage. "My friend here on the other hand was also attacked. And he may wish to carry out the punishment for me instead." Valor keeps his head turned toward Aeryn waiting to see his response.

The guard turns to Aeryn who had set his fork down and was now looking at you. "What of it?" Aeryn doesn't acknowledge him and speaks to you, "What is justice, if you're just going to let him go? You were just fine with fighting back last night, and now you're suddenly over it? He'll never stop hurting people around him, and even if we went to another city, which we can't now because him and his friends took all our money and I only have enough food for one day maybe two, he'll just keep running around and hurting good people and taking what he wants from them." He becomes more angry and looks a little lost like an abused child who knows that this simply isn't right. He is shouting now and points an accusing finger towards the door. "Now we can't have our adventure because HE doesn't know how to treat other people well. So what is justice, Valor? What is justice if not punishing those who do evil in this world?" He looks at you while his face turns red, his brow is furrowed, his nostrils flared, his jaw trembling, and with eyes filling with burning angry tears.

Valor looks into Aeryn's eyes and gives him a look of determination. He grits his teeth and grabs hold of Aeryn's shoulders ignoring every one else but him. "No one can take away your dreams Aeryn, if you want to go on an adventure then you can do it!" He lets his head fall down so he isn't looking Aeryn in the face but tightens his grip on Aeryn's shoulders. He begins to speak again but in a very soft voice. "We are responsible for our own happiness. Don't allow someone else to take that away from you."

Aeryn's breathing slows and he stops trembling, but he looks at you with a hard and tired looking face. "If I'm responsible for my happiness, then I'll be happier when he takes responsibility for what he's done. Guard, I will administer justice."


They leave the room and exit into the street.

(Aeryn is angry about more than just losing the adventure. He's tired of living in a world where evil seems to be greater than good. He's confused about the way the world "should" be and how it is. He needed answers about that and not about how to get the adventure back.)

(yeah, I thought about it for awhile and realized that I couldn't provide an answer so I tried to change the subject)

Valor takes a deep breath and follows Aeryn out the door to watch him punish the man. After the beating have taken place.
(assuming he doesn't have a change of heart or something)
Valor walks up to Aeryn and stares him in the eyes with a look of worry. "Feel any better?"

(Just in case someone asks you the question in the future, you knew that there is a difference between justice and vengence. The difference is that "justice," in Hebrew, was a synonym for healing. Healing for the offender AND the offended. Waymoot uses a more Babylonian form of justice which is essentially just revenge.)

Aeryn walks up to the man after the captain of the guard makes a speech about the man's crimes. He speaks to the man and points to you, the man looks at you and chuckles. Aeryn punches him in the face, yelling in his face between hits. "Look at him!" *hit* "Look at what you've done!" *hit* "See the pain you've caused" *hit* "to innocent and defenseless people." *hit* "You still think all five of you were tough against us two?" *hit* Everybody watching sees blood dripping from the man's nose and mouth. Aeryn then takes a bundle of leather straps and hits the man's back between 5 and 10 times. He throws the whip on the ground and storms to the inn. That is where you find him, sitting on top of the bookshelf. You ask your question, he glances at you, then resumes staring out the window much like that morning.

(this is going to be a short post. But I only know to do what I would want someone to do)

Valor stares at him for a few more seconds as he watches Aeryn stare out the window. Then without saying another word he walks over and sits and the bottom of the book case and waits for Aeryn to say or do something.

After half an hour of silence, the inkeeper who also tends the bar comes up to the door. "Excuse my interruption, young masters, but I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to keep this room tonight, then I'll let you stay for 5 gold instead of 10. I'll need it by lunch at noon. Starting tomorrow, it's full price for you two. Excuse me." Aeryn sighs in defeat. "Looks like we're moving again. Catch." He tosses the backpacks down to you, climbs to the table, drops the tent to the floor, and follows it. "I only have 4 gold. If we work for a day or two, between the both of us, we should be able to get enough food to last us to Dhedluk. I don't want to spend all I have on a room here tonight then wind up on the street tomorrow with nothing. Wanna go find a job in the market, with the loggers, or in a refinery?" Aeryn shoulders his backpack and the tent bag and unemotionally waits for your response.

Valor doesn't pick up his bag, instead he just walks to the door without responding. "You stay here and don't worry about it. I'll be back by lunch." Valor walks out of the room and closes the door behind him. He immediately goes to the stocks looking for the man they had caught. If the man isn't there. Valor checks the bar for the men. If they arn't there he checks all over town for them.

possible search check: +1

The member 'Valor' has done the following action : Dices roll

'd20' : 9

The man in the stocks is still there, he sees you exit the tavern and walk toward him. He calls out to you, "Too bad, little man. Should've beaten me up earlier. Missed your chance." He laughs a cocky 'I wish I was drunk right now' kind of laugh. There is a guard posted at the stocks who nods at you in acknowledgement when you get closer, but he says nothing to you.

Valor ignores his remark and sits down in front of him sitting with a emotionless face and attempting to hide his anger for the man he speaks in a calm but determined voice. With his eyes closed "You or one of your friends stole my money. Where is it? Or who has it?" He opens his eyes and stares deeply at the man waiting for his answer.

The man laughs that obnoxious laugh again. "How in the 7 hells should I know?... or was it 8 hells? You kicked me in the manhood, and I was out like a torch in a Dragonmere storm. They've probably drank half of it by now anyway." More disgusting laughter, he looks at you like he's achieved a great victory. The guard says, "I can be needed elsewhere if you two need some alone time."

Valor stands up so he is at eye level with the man in the stocks.  He keeps his emotionless face on as he speaks to the guard. "Yes, I would greatly prefer some time alone if don't mind." He waits for the guard to walk away keeping his eyes locked with the prisoners.  "Your friends seem to have abandoned you.  You are now alone, are you sure it's wise to make enemies?"