Kirss grins widely at the new human wandering into the bar. He liked that he gave a little nod at the room. While people generally did take note of him, it was to avoid him and not to nod at him. After the man finds a seat at the bar, Kriss slides one of his last ales along the bar to the newcomer and smiles a wide, toothy grin with too many sharp teeth.

~SE++

Kriss holds up a mug and stretches it out in a friendly gesture to the new man and the little elf. Grinning, he says, "Drink up."

~SE++

Ayla took the seat and smiled with relief at the large ogre. He must really be a kind man, she thought. "Thank you. My name is Ayla, and my friend is called Lily. Ah, I mentioned that already, didn't I?" Ayla's face flushed a little at the embarassment. "We're journeying to see the world. There are a lot of things that aren't familiar to us." she says with only a hint of sadness. "I'm glad that there are people like you out here." she adds, as Kriss donates another mug of ale to a newcomer. "Where do you come from?"

Kriss drains his mug of ale in a single large gulp and sets it down with a little too much force on the bar. Looking down at Ayla, he begins to speak, but stops himself. A moment later he says, "Nowhere now. Not welcome home. I walk around." He slides an ale to Ayla as well, and picks up the last one he has and drains it as well without waiting for a response. Setting the mug down, he stares down into it as if looking for answers to questions unasked. "Look at the world," Kriss says, still staring down, "but when you done, you should go home."

~SE++

Ayla smiles at Xel for his act of generosity. "I'm called Ayla, and this is Lily" she says, gesturing to the bird, who was excitedly flitting to and fro in the busy environment. "As for why I'm here..." Ayla tilts her head in thought. "I suppose I've been following the wind. It's easier to fly that way." Ayla pauses. "What sort of rumours were you looking for?" she asks, unaware of the presence of the small child who had come to clean her earlier mess. Upon hearing her speak, however, Ayla jumped. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there." Realizing her purpose, Ayla apologizes again. "Could I help you with that?"

Xel nodded back at the man named Felix and swiped a quick glance left and right, "Perhaps age had affected my hearing and I heard wrong, but you introduced yourself as a Lord? It seems strange that a man bearing such a title would travel alone, without a single guard."

"Hmm?" His eyes shifted to the small form that just appeared with a mop and bucket. He eyed the child with quiet intent, something... ...

"I'm called Ayla, and...", another voice turned his attention back to the conversation. Xel smiled at the lady, "A fine name, Ayla. And Lily, was it?"

He took a moment to admire the avian as he rubbed the beard stubble around his chin, "I have heard tales of a travelling bard, who slept along these paths and claimed he dreamt of three things. A gigantic sea monster rising from the seas near Bascay, a pouch of gold buried under a tree along these paths and a black knight slaying bandits and taking their heads as trophies. It was at this moment that he woke up in cold sweat and continued his journey, the details of the dreams nagged at him for days before fading away. Then, a couple days more, he woke to the sounds of fighting. A knight, cladded in black from head to toe, was killing what he reasoned to be bandits. Hiding behind the bushes, he witnessed the knight slicing off the heads of his foes and bundling them up before riding away. Terrified, he didn't sleep and hastily ran in the opposite direction of the knight. A few days later, he stopped to rest under a tree. The vision from that dream returned. There was where he found the gold. Needless to say, he dug up the gold and subsequently entered Kadas. He told the people who would listen what happened to him but most dismissed his claims as crazy, that Bascay had yet to be ravaged by a sea monster and the black knight was a fragment of his imagination. But none could explain the gold."

"-And that is a rather heavy rumor, Felix, the kind best not said out loud. Yet, I can't deny my curiousity in knowing how true it might be."

Kriss glances down at the man who had been introducing himself with a long-winded and easily forgotten name. Well, Kriss forgot the name, though he often forgot things. "How you know these things?" Kriss asked. "Is dangerous to badmouth a king. And... umm.... what is... umm... coo?" Fancy words from a fancy little man, this could get confusing fast. Kriss tried to straighten up out of the effects of the ale and seem like he was following along, though truth be told, he wanted a nap more than a fight in this moment. People often looked up and away at nothing when they were thinking hard, so Kriss stared up into the rafters looking for the little beak.

~SE++

"But you say King is sick," said Kriss. "Is it not better he be let rest and someone new leader? You said a 'General,' that is a soldier, yes? Soldiers strong, good leaders! Give King more time when better for daughter party." He looked down, clearly puzzled at the fancy little man drinking his fancy purple drink. Swinging his head down made him feel woozy again, and he gripped the bar to steady himself.

~SE++