Bertram
mentally notes the orders, and replies to their questions:
"Well, we don't have bears here in Orlane..." He smiles, confirming that he's joking.
"Life is good in our town. We are blessed with good weather, good food, and good company!" To
Myrtha, he replies
"Erm...we might have some buttermilk; would that do? If you'd rather, I suppose I can send someone to fetch a pail." He repeats the order (so far) back:
"You want three bowls of stew, a pint of lager, a plate of bratwurst, a cup of milk, and..." He trails off, a slight frown creasing between his brows.
"Water? Ah, you wish to bathe...of course!" His countenance clears with understanding.
"We have a wash tub outside; you can use it now, if you pay for lodgings. Or if you are really particular," his eyes narrow, looking at the group doubtfully,
"We can dump out the old water early, fill it with fresh water from the well and heat it for you, too. 5 seals!"OOC:
Just an aside: this "water confusion" interaction is based on a real-life interaction my family had in restaurants in France, many years ago. The waiters couldn't understand why anyone would want water except to wash one's hands.
Despite this pleasant-but-misguided conversation,
Theran and
Myrtha take the time to assess the room. It certainly has a different atmosphere than the
Inn of Eternal Rest back in
Hochoch. There is no gossip here, no pretty young women coming to ferret out details of adventures, nor is there a bard playing music. The people in the common room are serious, drinking silently at their tables, with no apparent curiosity about the newcomers, except for Bimmy, who sits alone, staring at the party as he takes long, slow sips of his pint. There is no conversation or laughter. No one makes a move to light the fire in the fireplace.
After a few attempts,
Theran manages to convince
Bertram that he wants water to
drink and the proprietor disappears through a door behind the bar, grumbling a bit about
"travelers and their weird ways"...but he returns a few moments later with four mugs and three trenchers, which he sets down in front of the party members that requested them.
"There you are!" The mug in front of
Myrtha contains the promised buttermilk.
"Let's say 1 seal for the buttermilk." Despite his talk of dirty bath water, the water in
Theran's mug is clear, sweet, and a bit cold, as if just drawn from a well.
"If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here in Orlane? Visiting, or just passing through? We haven't had so many visitors lately. Not that they're not wanted, but that the traffic we used to get has dwindled to almost nothing. In the past couple of weeks, the only visitor I can recall is that half-elf who came to visit the temple."OOC:
Note that if you haven't ordered already, you can still do so.
