Kellan flushed a hint of red at Foxglove's high praise, he was still unused to all the flattery he had received in the past few days as was pretty evident by his somewhat nervous grin. "As long as you left out the part where I scream like a little girl, I'm sure it's fine" he joked with a wink.

When Aldern's hiked up his boot Kellan took a appraising look at them. Weapons and armor were cool and flashy but Kellan had decided early on in his career that a comfortable pair of boots was the most important piece of equipment he could own. Aldern's offer was again far to generous for the young man so he attempted to wave off the offer "Well the pair I have will last for awhile, but perhaps when those wear out I will ask for his name, they are beautiful however"

As the others filed in he greeted each in turn, obviously enjoying the atmosphere and basking in the day's events. At Cato's question he nodded with a smile, seeming very curious as to what had occurred at the Barett's. "It was a good day, I certainly can't complain...what happened at the Barret place? Aeren still a little bothered by the attack?" It had been a life event for Kellan and he could only imagine what it would be like for a little boy to witness.

"Everything go alright at the shop after I left?" He asked Liseth and Pisca as they got settled, shaking Kerr's hand as he joined them.

It was so easy to be swept up in the charm and courtly manners of Aldern Foxglove.  He was every bit the model of the modern noble gentleman.  From the cut of his attire his nobility was genuine.  His manners were sublime, the epitome of royalty.  Honest not effete, flair without flamboyancy.

And so what was it that nagged at the back of Pisca's mind as she took the hand offered and climbed up into her chair.  Motive?  Were they themselves so charming that he would want to spend so much time with them?  Did he not have any greater friends?  Money?  Was this simply the way that all of the rich lived?  Or did he seem to be casting coin about as though it were water?

"I'm looking forward to tasting that secret boar-preparation recipe that you mentioned, Aldern."  The radiance of the smile on the gnome's face rose to the nobility of their host.  He was charming, and Pisca's doubts grew distant and faded into a hazy obscurity.

"How was your business of this afternoon?" she asked.  "Fruitful, I trust?"

Cato sat in his chair, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first course.

He leaned forward, including his fellow diners with a conspiratorial glance.  "I found out at the Barett's this afternoon that not all of the goblins fled the town at the conclusion of the attack.  Apparently one of the nasty little buggers hid itself in poor Aeren's closet.  The middle of the night troubles over at the Barett household must have been caused by the sneaky thing trying to get out."

Cato smiled a wicked grin.

"But there won't be trouble from it anymore.  When I got there, I was just trying to calm Aeren, but with the help of their dog, one I summoned, and some magic, we managed to kill the little beast.  I filled in the Sheriff before I got here."

Cato shook his head.

"A monster in little Aeren's closet.  At least no one got hurt...except, the goblin, I guess.

Liseth was still apprehensive about Mr Foxglove kissing her on the hand.  She knew that it was the courtly way for a gentleman to greet a lady, even though that didn't stop her from being uncomfortable.  It was too intimate; but withdrawing her hand would be very rude.

She was in fact very relieved that Mr Foxglove not only greeted Kerr but welcomed him to stay.  He seemed to have expected Kerr to be with her this time; which also offered more than a modicum of relief to her mind.  Though she did blush at his mention of her being the most beautiful lady in Sandpoint...and that she was being well cared for by Kerr.  "Thank you Mr Foxglove..."

Returning Kerr's smile, Liseth gingerly took her seat when he pulled the chair out for her.  Then she watched him take his own seat next to her, grabbing his hand in her own once they were both settled.

"Mr Vinder was actually friendlier once you left with Ms Shayliss; well, after he got over worrying that the goblins might come back..."  Liseth started to respond to Kellan, then looked at him quizzically, "Why isn't Ms Shayliss with you at the dinner tonight Kellan?  Didn't she want to come with you?"  Her face tinged with embarrassment when she realized that she was prying,  "Oh, I mean...you don't have to say if you don't want to."

"Um..."  Liseth changed the subject back to what Kellan had originally asked, "Well, anyway, Mr Vinder even gave me a really nice medical kit.  For free!  It has soft bandages, and rare herbs, and lots of medicine..."  The excited girl stopped describing the various contents of her new healer's bag when she registered the fact that not everyone present appreciated herbs and medicine the way that she did.

Liseth contented herself by merely holding Kerr's hand while the conversations continued around the table and everyone awaited the arrival of the meal.  It really did smell good.  She smiled at the other acolyte and was about to say something to him when Cato revealed that there was a goblin hiding in the Barret house!

"Oh!"  Her eyes widened in shock and she instantly looked towards Cato, "You killed a Goblin in Mr Barret's house?!  In his son's room!"  Liseth was clearly agitated, "How did it get in there?  Are you sure that nobody is hurt?"  She gasped, "What if there are more goblins hiding in other people's houses?!  And Pisca and I just assured Mr Vinder that there were no sneaky goblins hiding in Sandpoint!"

Liseth swallowed, suddenly feeling very insecure.  She edged closer to Kerr in her seat, "They could make a sneak attack when everyone is sleeping...or...or try to burn the Cathedral again!"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:58, Thu 31 Oct 2013.

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Aldern grinned at Kellan and slapped him on the shoulder.  “Not at all!  I thought your scream was quite manly!”  But he looked disappointed at the refusal of his offer to obtain Kellan a pair of the boots.  “No?  I assure you, they’re incredibly comfortable!”  He sat back in his chair, clearly wriggling his toes as he sighed with pleasure.  “One of the best feelings you can have with your boots on, I assure you.”  His mouth quirked in an impish smile.  “But if you’re sure, I won’t impose.  My offer remains open, however!”

Aldern sat forward in shock at Cato’s tale.  “You don’t say!”  He said.  “An actual goblin in the closet?  That must have been terrifying for that poor child.  It’s a good thing you arrived when you did, Cato,” the noble stood and lifted a glass to the wizard, and everyone at the table suddenly realized that they had flutes of sparkling champagne next to them.

“I propose a toast.  To heroes!  People are not born heroes.  Heroes are forged in the fires of action.  Many choose the easy path.  The safer path.  Few there are who choose to thrust themselves INTO danger for the benefit of others.  We call such people heroes.  It has been my pleasure to know a few in my day, and I count each of you among their number.”  He gave each person at the table an individual nod.   “Thank you for the service you have done me, and thank you for the service you have done Sandpoint.  To heroes!”  At this, the noble took an impressively large gulp of champagne.

He sighed as he sat and turned to Pisca, throwing an arm over the back of his chair.  “Business is business, I’m afraid.  If it was fun they wouldn’t call it ‘work,’ right?  But fortunately for me I am fairly talented at what I do, which allows me to enjoy myself during the times when I’m not working.  Like now.”  He grinned and gestured towards the kitchen.

As the group turned to look, they saw Ameiko Kaijitsu and a couple of her staff bringing the entire roasted boar out one of the biggest serving platters any of them had ever seen.  The boar had an apple in its mouth and was basted with some sort of dark sauce; the tantalizing smell was almost overwhelming.  As soon as the boar arrived at the table, carving knives appeared in Ameiko’s hand as if by magic.  She began to serve the board in a most entertaining manner, knives flashing and hands moving so quickly that it was almost a surprise for everyone to find a generous slice of roast boar on their plate when she finished.

By that point her staff had returned with several other dishes, including what looked like twice-baked potatoes topped with some sort of cheese and a sour cream, artichokes, baked apples dusted with cinnamon, fresh-baked biscuits with just-churned butter and homemade preserves, and what looked like a decorative salad made from iceberg lettuce and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, tiny halved tomatoes, and blue cheese.  All these were set on the table, family style, for all to partake in as they wished.

As she finished the table service, Ameiko bowed.  “It is ALWAYS my pleasure to have such eminent guests at my inn, and I hope you enjoy our efforts.  But save a little room; I’ve made my special soufflé for dessert.”  With a broad smile to the party and a saucy wink to Aldern, she and her staff swept back into the kitchen, leaving the group to feast upon the bounteous banquet they had provided.

---

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"A gobbie in the closet," the gnome marveled and shook her head.  "For two days.  It's hard to imagine that it could have stayed still and hidden for so long right there along side all those humans.  You have to wonder what it ate.  Better tell Amele Barett to make sure all her son's socks are still there."

When the toast came, Pisca raised her glass as well.  "To heroes!" she added, steadying the hummie-sized fluted glass in both hands to drink.

"I'd also like to propose another toast," she said as the food was being served.  "You've given us so much, Aldern," Pisca said, as she stood there on the seat of her chair.  "Since the day we met, you've been so very generous to us in ways other than simple material wealth.  You've gone out of your way to spend time with us.  You've opened yourself up to us in ways that go beyond someone who aims to repay a debt, beyond the ways of a benefactor.  I feel you've accepted us as equals.  As though you were one of us.  As though we were friends."

"So here's to friends."  The gnome lifts her glass high in both hands as though the culmination of a blessing.  "To friends."

Cato shook his head at Liseth's concern.  "I don't think it's very likely that there's a hidden force of goblins ready to attack the town again.  The only reason this goblin stayed in the closet for this long is because of the Barett's dog.  I think Petal's barking was enough to scare the creature into staying in the closet for so long.  Anyway, I've told the Sheriff about it, so if he hears anything suspicious, the town guard can take of it."

Cato nodded as Aldern began his toast.  "To heroes!" he echoed along, and took a sip of champagne.  At the conclusion of Pisca's toast, he did the same.  Sitting in the inn, surrounded by these people, he felt a great deal safer and more at home than he had perhaps at any point in his life.  Cato certainly hoped that feeling would last.  He had been deliberately trying to keep  busy the last few days, so as to avoid Brodert's final question before the Festival and the attack had begun.  His face darkened for a second, but he shook off the foreboding thoughts and concentrated on the present.

And the present was very nice indeed.  Cato stopped thinking about other things and spent the next several minutes eagerly sampling every dish on the table.  The salad and its delightful cheese, the baked potatoes and topping, biscuits, and of course boar all found their way from the table to Cato's plate to his rapidly filling stomach.

Trying to save a little room for the souffle, Cato held up his champagne glass again.  "I think we'd be remiss if we didn't toast the chef for this wonderful meal.  We might have brought down the boar, but Ameiko made it art!  To Ameiko and the staff at the Rusty Dragon!"

At least the Sheriff already knew about the goblin.  Liseth was relieved that he could move to counter any other sneaky goblins hiding in people's houses, or trying to make surprise attacks when nobody was expecting it.  And she trusted Cato; Liseth could tell that he was very clever.  He did work with a sage after all!  If he says that this goblin was an isolated thing, then she was ready to believe him.

Having been calmed greatly, Liseth looked at her champagne flute when Mr Foxglove proposed a toast.  "To heroes!," she chimed in with everyone else, then took a sip from her glass.  Then Pisca proposed a toast of her own, "To friends."  Liseth smiled before taking another sip; that was a toast that she was glad to make.  She had made so many new friends since coming to Sandpoint, and she hadn't even been in the town for two full weeks!

Liseth watched in amazement as the boar was brought to the table.  Everything was done so perfectly!  She could feel her mouth begin to water from the scent alone; it was hard to believe that this roast boar was the same angry monster that they had faced only earlier today!  As she watched Ms Kaijitsu carve the boar Liseth knew that her own skills as a chef paled when compared to the abilities of the proprietor of the Rusty Dragon.  Maybe Ms Kaijitsu would teach her a few things if she asked nicely...

Now that the rest of the dishes had arrived, Liseth found herself trying to fit a little bit of everything on her own plate; almost to be confounded by the sheer size of the slice of boar that had been placed there already.  But, moving it to the edge, she managed to get a sample of everything else portioned out.  Before allowing anyone to start eating though, Liseth closed her eyes and said a prayer over the table, "Sarenrae, we ask you to bless this meal with your holy light.  Erastil, please bless the spirit of this boar and keep it in your domain.  Desna, allow the wondrous night to wash away the trials of the day, that we might enjoy a moment of revelry amidst these troubling times."

Prayer finished, Liseth carefully cut a small piece from her slice of roast boar, eyes lighting up after she placed it into her mouth.  Chewing slowly to enjoy every moment, Liseth finally swallowed before turning to Kerr, "Kerr, this is amazing!  Do you think that I'll ever be able to cook this well?"

Then Cato called for another toast; another one that Liseth could really get behind, "To Ms Kaijitsu and the Rusty Dragon!"  Ms Kaijitsu had done so much for them these last two days.  Spending all that time cooking such spectacular meals for them.  Letting each of them stay in rooms at her inn if they wanted, for free!  She was a wonderful woman.  Liseth sipped from her champagne flute again.

She started to wonder if she should make a toast to something as well.  But Liseth wasn't good at making toasts.  Instead she looked at Kerr and Kellan, to see if they planned one as well.  At least it would give her time to think of something.

OOC: Not that I'm assuming anything; but if it matters, I cast Purify Food and Drink.

Kellan's mood instantly shifted as he heard about the goblin in Aeren's closet. He seemed to tense up a little and seemed worried.  "Another goblin? Oh... Amele must be worried sick...and I'm sure Alergast must be kicking himself.  Poor little guy...talk about saving the day man, I don't know what would have happened if anything had...well...happened.

He clasped Cato's shoulder with a squeeze "Thank's for taking care of them, I feel a little bad for not being here myself." As the toasts got going his mood seemed to lighten a little, but the others could easily tell he event was still on his mind. As it seemed everybody was adding a toast, after Heroe, Friends and  the culinary master Ameiko and her staff, Kellan waited until the right time to lift his own glass "To Sandpoint, and the people that make it such a great place to live"

After the toast Kellan resumed eating, although despite the wonderful food it seemed his appetite had been dampened. He smiled and carried on regardless but those that knew him could tell how deeply affected he had been by little Aeren being in any danger.

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Kerr smiled at Liseth between toasts.  “I think you ALREADY cook this well!”  He said loyally, trying not to savor his roast boar too noticeably.  “You’re an amazing cook, Liseth.  I bet if you opened your own inn you could give Ameiko a run for her money!”

Kerr was having a very good time; the food was absolutely amazing but he could not stop drinking in Liseth’s beauty.  He thought she must be the most gorgeous woman in the entire world, and here she was, sitting next to him and holding his hand!  He felt like he should propose a toast but every time he looked at Liseth and she smiled at him all the thoughts flew right out of his head except for how amazing she was, and he reckoned that “To Liseth!” probably wouldn’t be a very appropriate toast in this situation.  So he contented himself with enjoying the food, the company, and the conversation.

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Aldern Foxglove looked slightly stunned at Pisca’s sudden declaration of friendship.  In fact, as she progressed through her toast it seemed as if his eyes might have gone slightly misty.  “To friends,” the noble raised his glass along with the others at the table and repeated the toast in a slightly choked voice, smiling as a lone tear simultaneously rolled down his cheek, bowing his head in response to Liseth’s spontaneous prayer in an attempt to hide his emotion.

But Aldern quickly recovered to join in Cato’s toast.  “Hear, hear!  To Ameiko!”  He called, and was about to follow up on the toast when . . .

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. . . the Rusty Dragon’s door slammed open and a surly, middle-aged visitor of visibly Tianese descent bellowed out a sharp-tongued command in a strange language.

“[Language unknown: Santeroer vir ar t th wabetrut]?!?!?!”

He stalked into the tavern, wrathful eyes scanning the room.

Everyone in the Rusty Dragon suddenly grew very quiet and became extremely interested in their meals.

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This message was last edited by the player at 18:44, Fri 01 Nov 2013.

Pisca had a smile on her face, and the hummie-sized glass full of bubbling amber spirits was raised high in the direction of the ceiling (or, as high as a gnome's arms can go, that is) when the loud crashing report broke the festivities and shattered the mood.

Lonjiku Kaijitsu.  And very clearly not having a happy human life today.  The gnome picked through the words in what she could only assume were Lord Kaijitsu's native Tianese.  But, even though she already spoke eight different languages, picking up a new one after exposure to little more than a few words was a feat few if any could accomplish.  Two things could be gleaned from this, however, aside from the obvious fact that Lord Kaijitsu was upset.  First, the use of Tianese meant that the person for whom the words were intended would most likely understand Tianese, and the person currently in the room who most likely did was Ameiko.  Second, the tone of the words was commanding, indicating that Lord Kaijitsu wanted Ameiko to do something.

All these thoughts, ideas and deductions dropped through Pisca's mind, like little steel balls falling through a maze of brass pins.  At the bottom, the inevitable end for all these steely thoughts, ideas and deductions, was the dark hole, and it was in this dark hole that resided the ultimate question:  Should she get involved?  To Pisca, being the gnome that she was, the answer was clear.  It was barely even a question at all.  The answer was yes.

"Lord Kaijitsu!"  And so it was that the words left Pisca's mouth even before she was aware of her decision.  From her place atop her chair seat, the gnome bowed at the waist, a thing that she had heard they do in far of Tian Xia.  Even the women.  "Lonjiku Kaijitsu, please come join us.  We have a wonderful feast of boar here.  Far more than even the fairly large group of us can even think of finishing.  Come, sit and be welcome."

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Diplomacy Check, please.
And, Sense Motive check.

I'm also wondering whether Knowledge Local might grant certain factoids regarding the  laws, customs, and traditions of other countries?

Liseth couldn't stop herself from giggling happily at Kerr's response to her question.  He was so sweet!  "Don't be silly, Kerr.  I still have a lot to learn." Liseth favored the other acolyte with another beautiful smile, "But thank you for saying that.  Maybe tomorrow night, I should cook for everybody!"

Starting to sample some of her side dishes, Liseth noticed that another toast was being called.  At this point, she thought that it might be necessary to follow with one of her own.  Everybody was making a toast tonight!  But before she could raise her glass the door to the inn burst open; causing the timid girl to jump in her seat as an angry man barged in and began shouting!  She didn't know what he was saying, but that didn't stop her from shrinking away when his glare passed over her as his eyes scanned around the room.

"Who is that!"  Liseth reacted by instinctively grabbing for Kerr's hand and whispering to him in shock.  "Why is he so angry?"  To say that Liseth was perturbed would be an understatement.  Today she had met some of the worst people that Sandpoint had to offer.  Before today, she had only experienced friendly and nice people in the town; Father Zantus, Ms Hannah, Kellan, Pisca, Cato, the Sheriff...even Mr Foxglove!  And Kerr.  But now she had met with rude, angry, scary, and...worse people.  Liseth didn't ever imagine someone like that coming into the Rusty Dragon while they were enjoying dinner.

Her question was answered by Pisca before Kerr even had a chance to reply.  Not that Liseth knew much about Lonjiku Kaijitsu...

She gasped lightly as she registered the name, then Liseth whispered once more to Kerr, "Is that Ms Kaijitsu's father!?"  She couldn't believe it.  Ms Kaijitsu was one of the nicest women in Sandpoint; how could her father be so mean?

Watching as Pisca approached him, Liseth just hoped that the gnome knew what she was doing.  She wouldn't want all of that wrath to be redirected towards the little gnome; but she wasn't sure that she wanted that angry man to join them at their table either!

Cato watched his new companions during the meal.  He was happy to see Liseth so obviously happy with Kerr, but Kellan's worrying about the situation at the Barett's was both sweet and troubling for Cato.  It was obvious that the guardsman had close ties with Alergast and his family, but Cato found himself second-guessing his own decisions.  Did he put the family in danger by taking on an unknown threat by himself?  Would it have been better if he had sent for the town guard, or perhaps at least Kellan, before tackling the goblin in the closet?  But if something had happened in the interim, if anyone had been hurt when Cato could have been acting immediately, it would have been terrible.  There was magic that could have helped, of course.  But Cato couldn't know every spell, nor could he cast them all in a day.  He'd have liked to have a good supply of scrolls, or wands, or something, but right now couldn't afford it.  Something to look forward to, anyway.

Cato was still lost in thought when the angry man burst through the door of the inn.  He looked up from his internal doubts as the man stormed into the inn, screaming in a foreign language.  Cato was all too ready to follow the lead of most of the inn patrons, trying to studiously ignore the man, but that plan went out the window when Pisca invited the man to their table.  After a slightly long pause, Cato nodded to the man and gestured at this food on the table.  "Yes, join us.  Ameiko's made a wonderful feast from the boar we all killed earlier."

Kellan was snapped out of whatever funk h was in my Lord Kaijitsu's thunderous arrival. The young guardsman had rarely heard the Tianese language spoken and to his ears it sounded a little comical despite the obvious undertone of the situation. Sitting up straight and wiping his mouth with a napkin he waited and watched as Pisca fluidly engaged the man.

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Lonjiku's intense gaze snapped to first Pisca, then Cato.  His eyes widened, and his mouth contorted into a snarl.  "YOU!!" He said, making the pronoun seem like an epithet.  "You . . . you VAGRANTS!!  You MEDDLERS!!"

Specks of saliva flew out of the man's mouth as he loomed over Pisca.  "YOU'RE the ones who riled up the goblins!!  Who spurred them on to further attacks rather than letting trained professionals take care of them!  You IDIOTS!!!!  Why, we're lucky we still have a TOWN left after YOU got done with it!!"  He glared around the table.  "Your ill-advised ANTICS have caused nothing but trouble!!"

"And YOU!!"  He stabbed a finger at Kellan.  "Do Sheriff Hemlock or Lieutenant Barett KNOW what you've been doing?!?  Wasting the town's time and money gallavanting about with these . . . WASTRELS?"

"And YOU!!"  Lonjiku's finger stabbed again.  "LORD," he made the word sound like the most sarcastic insult one could imagine, "Aldern Foxglove!  You should be ashamed of yourself, encouraging them!  Why are you even HERE!?!  Why don't you go back to Magnimar, where you belong, rather than slumming it with the provincials?"

The Tianese noble's anger and rage seemed to wash over the entire dining room of the Rusty Dragon.  One could hear a pin drop as he paused to take a breath, and the inn's other patrons clearly looked like they wished they were anywhere else.

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This message was last edited by the player at 19:46, Mon 04 Nov 2013.

Cato felt his temper rise as the old man insulted their table. He found himself suddenly on his feet, not quite able to remember jumping up from his chair. Despite that, he tried hard to hold his anger in check. Through clenched teeth, he forcefully replied to Lonjiku. "Riled up the goblins?  Sir, we did what anyone with means did. Goblins were attacking our town, and the guard needed help. We saved people, saved the town.  The trained professionals were happy to have our help, in fact."

Cato knew he should stop there, but couldn't. What right did this noble have to insult them?  "Where were you during the raid?  Guarding your pretty baubles?  I'm sure you have guards. Did they help the town?  Protect the cathedral?  Is this attack your fault for not sponsoring a larger guard?  Or funding some rangers to scourge the woods of organized goblin activity?  I think you're the one who's failed Sanpoint."

Face flushed and heart racing, Cato stared at Lonjik, then took a few deep breaths and prepared for more abuse.

The gnome stood quietly on the seat of her chair with the rabid human raining flecks of saliva down on her.  She never gave an inch.  But she sorely wished that she had opted to wear her hat tonight.

She picked up rather quickly after the man wound down, letting the awkward silence reign for but a moment before she began speaking.  "We saved lives," she replied.  "We kept the gobbies from burning down the cathedral.  Cato's even saved the Barretts from a hidden goblin in the time since the attack.  We are working *with*, and under the direction of, Sheriff Hemlock," Pisca said.  Her voice was quiet.  Her voice was even.

"We're not closed to the suggestions of others.  I think we've listened fairly to everyone who's come and spoken with us so far.  We're willing to listen to you too.  I'm willing to listen right now, Lord Kaijitsu.  I think I would have preferred not to have been insulted first, before taking your advice and direction.  But, I understand that you're upset and that can cause people to behave in ways that they might otherwise not."

"Why don't you begin by explaining what professionals we should have made way for and when it was we should have given way to their expertise.  We haven't seen anyone else at work here.  No one that we've been able to identify."

"I'm also afraid I'll have to have an explanation as to how it is that we've riled the goblins, as there really was no *us* until the goblin attack on festival day.  We were caught up in the same horror as everyone else, and in the act of fighting for our lives, we met each other and combined our efforts."

"Maybe you're referring to some other antics than that, Lord Kaijitsu," Pisca continued to speak with a calm that masked hidden anger.  "Or, maybe you were misinformed."

Lots of people get angry in different ways.  Some people shout and scream, and stomp their feet and slam doors.  That was like Mr, or rather, Lord Kaijitsu.  Other people get very calm and focused; apparently that was like Pisca.  Still more people rile up and clench their teeth to try and hold back their ire; that seemed like Cato.  Liseth didn't want to wait and see how everyone else handled their feelings in the light of Lord Kaijitsu's accusations.

Even after having withered under the sheer level of wrath that the nobleman directed towards their table, Liseth found herself standing from her chair.  Before she had even registered the fact that she had moved, the small girl was interposed between her friends and the very angry Lord Kaijitsu, "Please, stop arguing!"  To someone filled with as much irrational anger as Lord Kaijitsu seemed to be, simply laying out facts and trying to defend yourself would only be seen as cause for further rage.

Liseth nearly laid a hand on the nobleman while she tried her best to calm him; but quickly thought better of it.  She did not know how he would react to being touched, and did not want to risk it.  "Please calm down Lord Kaijitsu!  We're very sorry if we caused you so much distress.  Nobody wanted to cause any trouble!"

Kellan let out a long breath, folding his napkin in half and setting it near his plate. The other's were already asking good pertinent questions and explaining what had happened far better than he probably could have, so he chose to remain silent until those matters had been dealt with. It also gave Ameiko a few more moment to get in here and hopefully calm her father down.

Truth be told Kellan had been called worse things and as far as domestic squabbles go this was pretty civil so far in his eyes. He refrained from continuing to eat despite the tragedy of letting such fine food get cold and assumed his best "respectful listener" expression, waiting to see how his all played out.

Even under the fuming continence of Lonjiku Kaijitsu, scion of one of the Sandpoint's five noble families, the mind of Pisca Neep Freemish continued to churn away.  Both she and Cato had declared their innocence.  But, if they were innocent, then what had brought Ameiko's father to such a brimming boil?  The gnome wracked her brain for something that might give her a clue.  Something about the noble families of Sandpoint?  Something about the recent goblin attacks?  Something ...

The day of the Swallow Tail festival suddenly came back to her.  Lunch in front of the new cathedral.  Voices all around.  Bits heard, here and there.


Pisca took a quick look at Ameiko, searching for the tell tale traces of an elfish heritage.  But other questions remained.  Why now?  Why turn his anger on them?

And another bit of gossip also came back.  Possibly unrelated, but intriguing none the less.

---

Hmmm.  Can I have a Knowledge Local check on Lonjiku Kaijitsu, please?

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Lonjiku Kaijitsu rounded on Cato and Pisca.  “Oh?  What anyone with MEANS did?  Riling up the goblins, getting them even angrier?  Causing them to try and burn down the CATHEDRAL?  Oh, yes, I heard how you ‘saved’ the town.”  He gave Cato a cruel smile.  “And what was *I* doing?  Why, my taxes are a significant portion of THEIR,” he stabbed a finger at Kellan, “salary!  So even though I was lying ill at home, I was still doing FAR more to protect the town than you could hope to do in your silly . . little . . . fantasies.”

Liseth’s attempt at peacemaking only seemed to rile the noble up further.  “Just what Sandpoint needs; a filthy bunch of itinerant TRAMPS to bring more trouble . . .”

The door to the kitchen slammed open, revealing an apron-clad Ameiko Kaijitsu, wielding what looked like a well-used, dripping soup ladle and a dangerous expression.  “[Language unknown: Me t ine HATNTITIN rilo ntiai nteoutill ndte, urevernte?!?!  Tr pare k erederamedinthe korticthoons est m ilacre ith’an whith whi oureenderonshou ine nce ieee elpefo]!”

Lonjiku sneered as he laughed.  “[Language unknown: OURERA'URESHEREA?!?  Lativ a ]KAIJITSU?  [Language unknown: Oer oundinive’u erehi disievcefi ati AVEVERORT, ]Ameiko!  [Language unknown: Peetwi notes remont mo ee paosulnael,e onsil ith tedoutdinand a alekro lameastant eihe llat conme wh . . . nower wilwa i LIUTMI!!  Tr earousent son mi ut un ce enc]!”

Ameiko looked stunned, then gave her own, bitter laugh.  “[Language unknown: Stce oerbleous o t p e meofwi HISLINRAT.  Tr urdiwe se ri t WALONC ithe lesol rutntione EREATESTR ent ome witearone, wi o setughers pr reee N stiersven!!  A rote toli] . . .”

Lonjiku waved his hand dismissively.  “[Language unknown: Ect thtere forandess niwecero O iveivewer.  No po hinami Heseeica, Eticai, antng dercomsti ekla ul Sheforwitsan.  Any utul ulitei lopro ec u A res stpous ives ain o ce at]!!”

For a moment, the two stood in total silence as they stared daggers at each other.  The silence was eerie; it was as if an artist had painted an incredibly-lifelike tableau of confrontation.

Then Ameiko exploded.  “[Language unknown: Ribe ons IOUHOULES asouenut pawer EST a t LAR]!!”  She screeched, pointing towards the door.

Enraged, Lonjiku attempted to grab her by her hair and drag her from the inn by main force, but Ameiko dodged his grasp and brained him with her soupy ladle, splattering fish stock and potatoes all over his hair and fine clothing.  Lonjiku froze, as if he could not believe what had just happened, then spun on his heel, striding toward the door in a towering rage.  As he opened the door to storm out, he looked back at Ameiko.

“You’re as dead to me as your mother.”

Ameiko gasped as if he had just clubbed her in the stomach, but Lonjiku was beyond noticing.  He slammed the door and exited as her eyes filled with tears.

And silence reigned in The Rusty Dragon.

---

---

Kellan was silent for most of the exchange, sneaking In a bit of buttered bread during one of the fiercer bouts. The verbal abuse the noble was handing out was more or less par for the course, and the Sheriff had made it quit clear when Kellan was hired that keeping your composure in these sorts of situations was expected.

That was all up until Lonjiku made a move to grab Ameiko. The sound of Kellan's chair being scooted back could be heard even over the din of the argument, and it appeared that the guardsman was about to wade into the fray when the esteemed noble caught a ladle to the side of his head. Kellan paused, a meaningful glance to the others as Lonjiku stormed out, then place a hand on Ameiko's shoulder with a small sigh.

"I ... I think he was irrational."  The implication that doing nothing would have mollified the goblins was a very large and overweight hint that Lord Kaijitsu was not thinking in straight lines.  The mention of a recent illness was a hit at why.  The human's final words before leaving through the door in conjunction with the bits that Pisca had remembered from that lunch at the Swallowtail Festival had painted the picture in richer colors.  If this had driven Lord Kaijitsu to his current state how could Ameiko not also have been effected?

Pisca plucked the napkin off the table top before her and hopped down off the edge of the chair.  With a few quick swipes, she cleaned the bits of soup and potatoes from the floor before taking the hand of the Rusty Dragon's owner.  For a moment, the gnome said nothing, standing only at the side of the Tianese woman, sharing the connection between their hands.

"Here, why don't we sit down," said the gnome when she finally did speak.  She relieved the ladle from Ameiko's hand even as she guided her to a chair.  "Is there anyone who you can trust to run the Rusty Dragon for the evening, Ameiko?" Pisca asked.  "I think you need an evening off."