As you ascend the stairs you see a hallway to quite a few rooms. It seems as if there are more rooms than should be there. Each room has all the necessities and are decorated nicely, but not regally.  Some rooms are larger than others but they all have a pair of chairs, a table, a full sized bed and a string tagged 'pull for aide'.

Once Yana gets to her room, she takes a long bath and perhaps a nap. ..................

After, of course, barring and locking the door, propping a chair against it, and booby-trapping the door and window.

she doesn't normally do this when she stays in an inn, but she's feeling a bit......unsure of her safety at the moment.

Aramendel got to his room, threw his armor on to the chair closest to the door  and collapsed on the bed. Almost immediately a squeak rang out from behind him as the Spike baby jumped from his head on to the headboard before he got caught under the elf.    Slick then jumped on to the ranger's face and crawled over on to his chest.

"Too busy for you as well? huh?" he took a deep sigh and looked out the window. "I have to admit, I like it here, though, at least for now." He realized the door was open but didn't care too much. He just reached down and slid his bag, bow and mace under the bed.  Then he pulled his sheathed blade up and placed it under the pillow.

As he began to rest he heard a bunch of noises from across the hall.  Yana was nervous, and by the sound of it just trapped that door and locked it tight. Part of him wanted someone to foolishly open that door by mistake, just like how Edwyn did during a bout with some strong Dwarven Holy Water. Then he realized something.  Hopping to his feet he crossed the hall and knocked on the trapped door.

Finished with her trap, Yana sighed in contentment and stripped off her chain shirt.  She'd barely dropped it to a chair when she heard the knock on the door.
Letting out a breath of frustration, she stared at the room door as if it was making that noise just to annoy her.

Fharlanghn's Foot Fungus!  What now?  I just finished...sigh. 

Moving to her weapons, not sure if the "war ban" applied to the upstairs.  Who the hells could it be?  I might be Aramendel, wanting a private word.  Then again, it might be that scary giant Boone, wanting to show her his magical device.  She wasn't sure how she felt about that.  Maybe it was an inn employee, checking on her or delivering something to the room.  This place seemed fancy enough for it (which was certainly a step above her normal sleeping arrangements).  Though tempted to use her Hat of Disguise (which she wondered would even work in this strange place) she called out to the unknown person.

Hello, anything I can help you with out there?

He knew that he was too late to stop her half way like he hoped. The elf spoke through the door to the young lady, "You may want to take that trap down. It would probably hurt you more than an intruder, and I'm quite sure no one here will steal from you, or wishes you harm."

This was going to piss her off, but its better than her own trap shooting her just for her fear. Until he had a thought.

"So you can either take it down yourself, risk it, or I can take it down for you. I have learned a few new tricks since we parted ways." He always knew that working for those kobolds would pay off somehow.

How did he....sigh. Of course he knew that she'd trap the door.  He'd stayed in the room next door to her in a dozen different inns.

She chuckled at his words.Alright, alright!  You don't have to take THAT tone with me, O Great Lord Ranger.  I'll take it down.  I suppose it's unneeded in a place like this, anyway. 

As she disassembled the trap, she spoke through the door.

Since you're here, would you like to come in?  We can have a chat without people trying to kill each other nearby.

As she finished, she opened the door.

I still smell like road, but I can chat for a few minutes before I'll have to kick you out.

He could only sigh as she first replied. When she finished he calmly answered back. "I wasn't taking a tone with you. I'll make it up to you. While I'm up here I'll keep my door open and keep an eye on your door. No need for a trap then."

He didn't expect an answer to that, she wouldn't say yes nor flat out reject it for fear of seeming eager or impolite so he just listened carefully to the sound of the tumblers and rigging of the trap. Thank goodness she didn't ask him to do it for her. Judging by the sounds, she had gotten better than he remembered and he probably would have found a dart in his hand before he got the rest of the launchers off the surrounding wall.

"It would be a pleasure."

When she opened the door he just chuckled at at her comment. He lived on the roads, slept in stables, fought walking corpses, and stayed in taverns inhabited by sailors. "You know I don't mind," he said with a bow. He then followed her in to the room, waiting for a cue to see if she wanted the door open or closed.

Sighing in amused exasperation, Yana closed the door behind the elf.

No, you don't have to keep your door open and babysit me, though I appreciated the offer.  If you say this place is safe,then I'll trust you.  You're one of the few I do trust in this world.   Although, we're probably on a different world right now aren't we?

she shakes her head, chewing her lower lip, an old nervous habit.  She looks back up at him.

Sorry, I'm still feeling a  bit overwhelmed.  I thought I was doing really well, with fighting goblins, zombies, even that five-headed hydra last year, but this is a whole different level of odd.  Please, Aramen, tell me what you know?

She pours her friend a glass of water from a pitcher on the bureau and sits in one of the chairs (after tossing her armor onto the bed) and gestures for him to take the other.

He sat down in the free chair and tried to piece together words.
"Let's see. What do I know? Well, when I first got here things were pretty calm. You know how I don't trust inns, but this one was different. I found myself at the door and my body just seemed to carry me in. At first I met Vanessa and Mason, the ones that went into the other room before.  If there is anyone here you can trust besides me, its them. Oh and that Quintus fellow."

He wasn't exactly sure what to tell. The fight before might set her on edge and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

"We talked about where each of us came from, and as you can probably guessed, the places and times are as varied as the company. Even the same places seem to have different histories for different people.  Some places have almost no magic, but have devices and tools beyond anything we imagined. The big armored guy, Gallus seems to come from a place where he goes and visits the stars in the sky, and conquers them. . . "

He realized that last comment might be unsettling and gritted his teeth after he said it. Instead of dwelling on it, he put back on a smile and looked up at her.

"One thing I know, I was really happy to see you."

Nodding, Yana tries to absorb as much as she could, but she goggles, as Aramendel expected, at Gallus's particular occupation.

Conquers the stars....?

Suddenly, Yana is overcome with laughter, nearly falling out of her chair.  Her laughter is the mix of girlish and bawdy that the ranger remembered from good times their party shared.  She recovers quickly, wiping tears from her eyes as she shakes her head.

"Goes to the stars and conquers them."  Well, I'll be a goblin's wetnurse!   Now, there's a job I'd love to hear about sometime.  Too bad the "star knight" seems so tightly wrapped.  Then again, I'd imagine that the job is fairly stressful.

Looking at her friend again, she smiles.

It's good to see you as well, Aramen.   It's been a while since I'd seen a friendly face.  Long term friends are rare in our particular occupation.  Well, I suppose that if you're comfortable here, then perhaps I can stay for a while and see what there is to learn here.  I suppose that it's a rare opportunity.  Provided there are things for a girl to do here to earn some coin.

So, Quintus, Vanessa, and....Mason?   Let's see, that was the scruffy warrior with the shield, the underdressed princess, and the brooding man with the smoky glasses, correct?   If you say they're trustworthy, I'll take your word for it, my friend.

Oddly, Aramen's face was more sullen at this time than happy.  He stared up at those stars almost every night just wishing to know more about them. Then he came across not one, but two people that fight wars across them. One, even seeming to be kin. . . in blood at least, probably decended from one of those cocky highs.  What those stars seemed to do to them, how at the mere sight each prepared for battle, regardless of those around them, unnerved him deep.  If that is what the stars do to people, maybe it was better to be at such a distance.

He was glad, though, that Yana found pleasure at the thought.

"I'm sure there are things that can be done for profit, but coin seems not to be a concern here. If your coffer is low I have plenty to give. You know I never have much use for coin, yet always seem to stumble on a cache."

He chuckled at the descriptions but they were good as any. "I wouldn't insult Vanessa, I see quite a bit of you in her.  Granted she doesn't dress too proper, but I have a feeling that is normal in her where and when. And I wonder if Mason has any extras of those smokey glasses. I think I would look quite nice in them, would you agree?"

She cocks an eyebrow, tilting her head in mock dissapproval.

Oh, my friend, I'm not strapped for funds at the moment, just thinking of the future.  And, NO, silly man, I'm not going to let you loan me money again.  I know you don't care about such things, but it always makes me uncomfortable to owe money to a friend.

Her face gets serious for a moment.

Calling Vanessa a princess is an insult?  Well, I suppose being given a title you hadn't earned can seem condescending, like if someone called me a "Master Locksmith" or something similar.  Alright, I'll stop.   It's hard, though to look upon her and not assume she's a noblewoman stepping out to enjoy the seamier side of life.   If you feel that we have things in common, perhaps I will have to get to know her better.  And for Mason, well, I have to say, I don't know if you would look good in those strange spectacles, they are really quite odd, but it they truly block the light that much, he'd make a fortune selling them to the deep races like orcs, drow, and kobolds.

The woman giggles a bit at the thought of that.

You know, the little wizard Parker would actually look quite fetching in a pair of those!