Rocky remains quiet while listing to the discussion about if it is wrong to ask to be paid for one's services but since no one is asking him about his opinion on the matter, he remains silent since he honestly doesn't have an opinion on the matter.

When Arowyn mentions how he'd like to explore nature at some point in time with him, Rocky nods and replies, "I look forward to such a journey. But I do understand why our paths must diverge for now, but they should eventually meet up again."

As one of those who's in it for the adventure and not the gold, Mits smiles and rolls her eyes at the severe arg over people who don't pay their tabs.

"My friends!  Think of it as a game of whack-a-mole.  Whenever a mole pops out of the ground to say, 'I shan't pay!  Begone!'  Then you can bop 'em on the head!  Super fun!

"And as Morthos suggested, there's other fun options too.  When she was a child, Mittens was promised a pie for dealing with the rats at the mill.  All day she toiled, but eventually the sack o' rats was so big, Mittens' little hands could barely drag it to the mean ole' Miller's bakery as proof of her deed.

"'I made no such promise, you dishonest child!  Begone!' Mr. Miller said.  Mittens answered, 'Oh?  Then you can have your rats back!'  And there, with his customers witnessing, she dumped the sack, and the rats scattered, causing such an uproar as has never before been witnessed there!  He snatched up a staff and chased Mittens, but she was too fast!  Dad saw this and knocked him out!  From then on, his new name was Ratface Bentnose in town.  Mittens so enjoys whack-a-mole!  The price to play is worth it."

Mits smiles at Arowyn.  "Thankies!  And perhaps you shall the reason that the new noble hero, Henry, learned such respect for nature that when the Greatwyrm Malignus threatened to light the forest on fire, the hero offered up his entire fortune to gather together such an army of dragon-slayers as has never been assembled before to defend the woods!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:11, Tue 07 Apr 2020.

  Wow, you have to be extra petty to not want to pay for Ye Olde Catch Some Rats Quest.  Usually the worst is some twist like it turning out those rats were needed alive for science, or there is one large size category rat, or whatever.

  "One of the most important things about Spite is learning when it's the best time to use it, yeah.  Though normally people use more acceptable terms, like the power of friendship."

And with that, three more are crossed off the list (Morthos, Honey and Arowyn). The new group head out with Avery to go for Lord Henry's place and wave goodbye to the heroes.

The sun sets, though. The group has the option of camping in the woods they just found Arowyn at. Or they can go back to Charlton (a whopping five to ten minute walk) and stay at the inn.

As both a Druid who loves nature and a Warforged that doesn't truly sleep, Rocky doesn't care which option the group decides upon although he'd probably stay outside with his animal and plant companions to keep them company. "It doesn't matter which option we use, since if we went to the inn, Doc would have to stay in the stables, most likely along with Buzz and Adrian. I'd probably remain with them since I don't need to sleep in the way others do when resting."

Mits chuckles about the Power of Friendship being substituted for Spite.  She can think of quite a few stories from her childhood.  When she left home to strike out for Adventure, many in town rejoiced while others wept.

Avery and the others are given a smiley sendoff.

"Comfy beds are comfy, but camping is fun.  Enjoying the great outdoors with awesome Druid friends is perfectly fine with Mittens.  Some day Mittens will learn the 'summon comfy cottage' spell and get the best of both worlds.  Or maybe a mobile cottage that walks on chicken legs?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:31, Fri 01 May 2020.

  "Look, Mittens. I get the reference but contrary to more popular children's tales, she probably can't be swayed by exotic desserts."  Baba Yaga, Never as cool as in Quest For Glory.

  "That said? We should take advantage of inn stays because we don't even get a choice while traveling.  I like Rocky and his pals, but the inconvenience of a less fancy roof over their head is still a step up compared to no choice at all."

It is unsurprising the druid in training Tam is perfectly fine with outdoors like Rocky.

However, ironically, Timothius prefers having a roof for the reasons Joe just gave, but Liberty prefers camping for the reasons Mittens just gave.

None of the children speak up about it, though, since all of them feel Joe's point is likely too good a point to ignore.

Timothius giggles from Mittens' comment about Baba Yaga's hut, though.

Liberty asks, "Why chicken legs? I never understood that. Why not dog legs or cat legs?"

Rocky glances at Liberty and says, "If we ever meet Baba Yaga, you can ask her. Although I am not sure you'd be happy if the answer turned out to be 'why not' or 'because I could' or 'because it amuses me'."

Rocky doesn't feel like arguing about where to stay since it doesn't really matter to him.

"Inn it is, then!"

Mits grins at Lib.  "She tried dog legs.  Her hut kept chasing it's own back door.  She tried cat legs, and her hut got stuck up in a tree.  Why did she settle on chicken legs?  To get to the other side of the road."

  "I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up finding the lost doglegged toolshed of Baba Yaga.  Famous practitioners of magic leave their stuff laying around all the time, it wouldn't be the stupidest sounding thing to be true"

  One more night in civilization it is... Granted, a commonly used road counts more like civilization being invaded by wildlife regardless of being made of dirt or stone.

The comments from Mittens and Joe make the children giggle. To Mittens, Timothius says between laughter, "That makes so much sense!"

Liberty nods to Rocky. "You're right. I wouldn't be happy if that was her answer."

Back in town, the group is easily able to secure a room / rooms. Tam follows Rocky wherever he goes, though, so if he does in fact join Adrian, Buzz and Doc in the stables, so will Tam.

Liberty, of course, follows Joe. And Timothius sticks with Mittens.

Liberty makes the point that the group could ask if Rocky, Adrian, Buzz, Doc and Tam could get a room. And if it is asked, the innkeeper doesn't care as long as the group has coin.

Night approaches as the team gets fed an evening meal. The fireplace of the inn is lit.

A few approach the team for a couple reasons. Some are curious about Rocky's companions. Others are curious about Rocky. Others still are curious about Mittens and Timothius. All of them are just curious, really.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:05, Sat 09 May 2020.

When the innkeeper offers to rent a room for Buzz, Doc, Adrian, Tam, and himself Rocky glances at the others and Rocky can Buzz and Doc both state that while unexpected, it is a nice change of pace, so Rocky provides the money for the room with Doc and Buzz curling up on the floor in the warmest part of the room while Adrian stays closer to the window while Rocky sits in a chair simply resting and observing since he doesn't need to actually sleep.

Mits smiles to have made the kids laugh.

"Mordenkaiden is more than welcome to leave a wand or three of magic mansion laying around for me to find," Mits answers Joe, "And I can't say I'd be very surprised if entering a Tomb of Doom that I find an annihilation skull or three.  'Those were meant to kill sticky-fingered intruders!'  'Well they figured out you can use mage hand to move them around and have weaponized them against the giant ancient evil it took us a lifetime to awaken, you moron!'"

Later at bed time, Mits comments to Timothius, "Having a warforged in the team sure is handy for all those kobold ninja ambushes that happen at inns where everyone assumes it fine to not have a rotating watch."

  Joe doesn't think his luck would allow 'A sphere of annihilation has NO weight, therefore falls under the five point limit!' to work, but would not be surprised if someone else got away with it either.

  "The reason nobody worries about the mythical kobold ninja ambushes is because they cheat so much it doesn't matter what you do, Mittens.  Now, REGULAR ninjas? Reasonable precaution."

Timothius smiles and nods to Mittens, then looks at Joe curiously, perking his kitty ears. "Oh.. gosh. Well I guess we should learn how they cheat and add that to our bag of tricks."

He yawns, kisses Mitts' cheek, and curls up to sleep.

Liberty says, "Even if the ninja kobolds cheat... we'll hit 'em so hard, it won't matter. But I like the idea of stealing enemy tricks and using it against 'em..."

She yawns, but is fighting sleep a little. However, she does eventually conk out.

Tam is curling up next to Doc and Buzz. She puts a bed roll down to make the floor softer and smiles at them, giving both of them gentle pets.

The night is uneventful for the most part. Rocky is able to hear the people who walk about at night. The bar does close at midnight, though, so the tavern itself is quiet for five hours before the barkeep gets up and gets things ready. But between midnight and 5 A.M., Rocky does hear people outside. A drunk yelling at his wife and kid. A couple people having a conversation, but it is too distant to make out what is being said. But all of it dies out and gives way to the morning bustle without any screams or cries for help.

In the morning, when the group gathers for breakfast, the waitress seems preoccupied with something and has a bruise on her left cheek. She snaps out of it whenever it is time to take orders and persists in trying to smile for the group.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:35, Tue 26 May 2020.

As Rocky listens to the sounds around the tavern/bar throughout the night, he quietly sighs as he prefers the sounds of nature and almost wishes for rain since the sound of rainfall is soothing to him, despite how ironic that might seem to some people given how some people think that a Warforged would rust or something.

When the waitress comes to the room, Rocky turns to look at her and quickly notices the bruise on her left cheek and asks somewhat bluntly due to his concern, "I have some herbalist supplies that could help with that bruise on your cheek. What, or more likely, who caused it and why?"

When orders are requested for breakfast, Buzz, Doc, and Rocky request a fruit-based dish, while Adrian is content with just freshwater since she's already sitting in the sunlight coming in through the window.

Mits was satisfied with the kids' answers.  She has yet to find evidence that this world hates her so much that she can't use the same tricks monsters do.  Outside obviously off-limits stuff like using infernal magic to mind-control teleporting doggies to randomly bite people.  Note to self: learn how to use intimidate to force captured enemies to work for self.

Mittens sleeps with the window closed and locked, so she didn't wake up to mage hand slap the drunk.

At breakfast, in a matter-of-fact tone, Mittens rants, "Mittens is puzzled by the bruised cheek, but figures the lass has every right to pretend it doesn't exist.  After all, if this is a simple case of spouse abuse, that's the responsibility of locals to handle.  They rarely do, so when Mittens was younger she'd involve herself in such things.  Learned really quick that giving the abuser a taste of his own medicine does absolutely no good at all in the long run since nobody's willing to follow through with keeping the nasty behavior in check.  At best you get reprimanded by the victim and family members for 'making matters worse.'  But more likely you get a mob chasing you for, 'assaulting innocent folk for no reason, you little brat.'

"And if she's being mysteriously slapped in the night by some poltergeist, she's got every opportunity to complain to the obvious adventurers right under her nose."

"Pancakes and/or waffles with a side of cheesy eggs and bacon.  Mittens likes having luxurious noms while in town."

  Joe is also incredibly proud of the kids wanting to chase that futile dream of telling the universe 'But I learned it from youuuuuu'. Not the most responsible life path, but sometimes it gets the job done... Or sometimes the universe gives a desperate shrug.

  Speaking of desperate shrugs, Joe refrains from doing so physically, merely metaphorically.  "Still makes more sense than people complaining they were not eaten alive by a sixty foot long monster."

Tam eats off the table, but after a few bits, joins Buzz on the floor and pets him. Then checks on Doc, also petting him... then waters Adrian with a soft smile on her face. It isn't that Buzz, Doc and Adrian can't feed themselves. It is just that Tam loves tending to them and giving them a little love now and then. She briefly notices the bruise people are pointing out, then gives Mittens a weirded out look when she hears what Mittens has to say. Weirded out like.. no longer wants to have anything to do with bruised lady. So she keeps to Buzz/Doc/Adrian.

Timothius blushes from what Mittens says, but also gets a touch angry. Because he remembers some of what she is talking about and how angry it made him. "The people are what make matters worse... not you, Mittens. I get not helping people who don't want to be helped, but now that you are an adventurer with an adventuring team, townsfolk are not going to chase you anymore unless they have a death wish."

Liberty double-takes at Timothius, not used to the gentle catboy talking so... aggressive. She then looks at Joe. "What's that called again? Stockholm syndrome?"

The waitress says to Rocky, "Thank you for the kind offer, sir. It was my husband as your cat friend indicated, since you asked. I'll get your orders and if you have those herbs for me when I get back, I'll be happy to have you apply them."

She walks away.

Rocky nods to the waitress before she walks off and starts sifting through his herbal supplies so that by the time she returns he'll have the herbal poultice ready for her to apply on her bruise. "While I wish there was more I could do for her, given the situation I doubt there is much we can do, wouldn't be surprised if her husband turned out to be a local sheriff or something giving how our luck can go. But Mittens is right, this is something for the locals to deal with unless the situation changes into one we have to deal with. Like if her abusive husband turned out to be a crime lord or something we have to take out to save the town... which I doubt is the case. After all, why would a crime lord have his abused wife working as a waitress."

Rocky glances over to Joe and realizes something as he adds, "That was more of a rhetorical question since I don't actually need a contrived situation for why that would occur." While Rocky does not claim to be an expert on people he has figured out that some people would come up with a contrived example for the same reason canines and felines lick themselves... because they can...and often find such contrived examples amusing... but this isn't the time since it might jinx something for all Rocky knows.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:40, Thu 10 Dec 2020.

Mittens assumes Joe is talking about cultists.  She remains quiet until the waitress has left.  "Thank you for being the actually helpful one, Rocky."

She considers Timothius' point.  "You tempt me, Timothius.  My first thought is to put on a puppet show to publicly humiliate the guy, but then I remember just how much kids laugh at the Punch and Judy show.  So that idea could backfire and make the guy a folk hero...

"My other thought is to tell the townsfolk that we examined him with our magics and found out that he's been possessed by an imp.  The imp is the kind that will return over and over.  You can tell it has returned by when the man gets violent.  The only way to get rid of the imp each time is to spank him 12 times with a paddle made of cedar.  The longer the imp is allowed to remain inside, the more likely it is to force him eat children."

  "Stockholm syndrome is when you sympathize with your captor.  This is more like 'Well I can't be made at my captor anymore so I'll be mad at you instead!' lashing out like a frightened baby. Which would be more sympathetic if they would never have been in any danger if they had that angry mob energy in the first place."

  He understands Mitten's temptation to use needlessly fearful townsfolk logic against them, but says "They would just let them do whatever they want in that case, and then start beating people who they didn't like claiming they were possessed by an imp.  Unlike your dramatic stories where people curse how they underestimated someone, turns out a lot of problems are caused by overestimating people."

Liberty holds up the list. "Next locations are Bright Wood, Newville, and Newerville. Brightwood has a mysterious unknown person helping them. Newville has a... kender? named Chestnut who sings exaggerated, unbelievable stories. Newerville has a kobold named May who slew... a dragon? Geez, if that story is believable, I wonder what this Chestnut guy sings about. We decided on where we are going next?"

Timothius and Tam are silent on that since that's more for grownups to decide.

Rocky's eyes dim slightly for a moment which is the closest the warforged comes to 'blinking' like normal people as he thinks 'Newville and Newerville.... so what next a Newestville? Someone really stinks at naming things...'

Rocky speaks up as his eyes shift back to their normal intensity, "I may be slightly biased as a Druid, but Bright Wood sounds more interesting to me. As for the Kobold, there are many things that are technically a dragon that could be killed and then claimed to have killed a dragon. Fairy Dragons, Lantern Dragons, and Psuedodragons are three examples of small creatures that are still technically dragons."