Rana finally had an opportunity to explore Tusk.  She hadn't had a plan when she got up in the morning, except to get a feel for this city where she had ended up.  It was a long way from the mountains of her home and the relative flatness of the land made her somewhat uncomfortable, but she was certain that, in time, she would begin to get used to it.

Rana was dressed sensibly in what at first glance looked like a long skirt but was, in fact, high-waisted, wide-legged trousers which she paired with a long-sleeved blouse, her sturdy and well-broken in boots and her travellers' cloak.  Everything she wore had a "worn well" look, but it was all clean and free of any rips, tears or patches.

The young woman didn't feel uncomfortable walking around on her own, exploring the roads and stopping in at most of the businesses she passed so she knew who sold what and where she would be able to find things when she needed them.  She chatted amiably with the owners / staff of the various businesses trying to learn as much about the people of Tusk as she could.  One of the businesses which had caught her eye was Iomedae's Mission.  She enquired about weapons' training, and then spent about an hour looking at the books in their library. She didn't sign up for training, but she did ask if they could tailor training to suit her inherent lack of martial skill and how much it might cost.

It was getting on to late afternoon and Rana had seen about all that she had the patience for when she decided it might be a good time to stop for something to eat.  Several of the people she had spoken to throughout the day had mentioned the Dragon's Den to her, so she headed into the Merchant District hoping that she'd remembered where she'd seen it earlier in the day.  She paused outside the door, ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame her tresses, then entered the bar.

In some respects it almost felt like coming home, but then, as her eyes adjusted to the light levels, she began to notice the differences.  Still, it was as close to a home feeling as she had since leaving the Stone Climbs.  She walked with assurance to the bar, taking in the people already there.

She caught the bartender's eye and smiled, "May I have a glass of wine, please and can you tell me what is on the menu this evening?"

Marik looked up from his table when Rana walked in; it was hard not to notice such an attractive woman entering the Dragons Den alone. The Den wasn't exactly one of his common haunts, but he'd come here to buy a couple of rounds for Alanna and her new husband before ushering them off to the room he'd rented for them at the Mithral Hotel.

Darius had always spoken fondly of the Dragons Den, so Marik had decided to stick around for a while and enjoy the music and try the stew, which he'd decided was surprisingly tasty. Upon hearing Rana's question to the bartender, he offered his own suggestion, "I'd recommend the stew, it's quite good and warms the heart."

The half-orc behind the bar smiled as the young lady asked about food and drink, but his smile turned into a rather toothy grin (his tusks showing a bit more prominently when he grinned) when Marik offered his suggestion.

"The beef stew is very good," he agreed. "But we also have onion soup, baked fish, roast pork and a good selection of boiled vegetables or salad. There's bread with every meal too, for those who want it. Ask about desserts afterwards, if you're still hungry. Some of our customers insist that different wines go better with different types of foods, so that might weigh on your choice of red or white wine, Miss."

"... and so I told the guard 'these aren't the druids you're looking for' !" Berta finishes telling her tall tale.  "And by the Mother, the lout believed me !"

"Anyway ... duty calls," the Dragon's resident bouncer (at least for this evening with her younger brother working the bar) vacates her chair to continue her rounds of the common room, giving the newcomer an appraising glance as she does for any she'd not recognise as a regular, and then a nod and a smile as she noted the polite way in which Rana phrased her request.

"Don't forget the duck soup." Winnie reminds her brother-in-law, as she makes her  way past the bar area on the way to check on another customer.

Rana's smile didn't falter as the half-orc behind the bar grinned.  She looked over at the blonde-haired man who had suggested the stew, nodding to him in acknowledgement before returning her attention to the barman.

"Being new to Tusk and the Dragon's Den, I will take the gentleman's recommendation and have the beef stew this time, with a glass of red wine, I think."  She paused for a moment as the familiarity of the setting helped her to relax.  Her voice softened just slightly as she added, "You have a nice place here, it feels like home."

Her eyes scanned the room, considering the seating options.

"It is home," Berta smiles warmly, her rounds not perchance bringing her in close proximity to the newomer.

"Pick whatever seat you like," she tells Rana, "I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

As Rana scanned the room, Marik looked up, "If you're not expecting anyone, there is room at my table." He took a small bite from the bowl of stew in front of him. "Your name is Rana, yes? I am Marik Aeris."

Gedd grinned again at Berta's comment and nodded reassuringly to Rana.

He poured a glass of red wine and placed it on the bar in front of her.

"Your stew will be along shortly. We'll make sure it finds you, whichever table you choose."

Rana nodded at Gedd, and said a soft "Thank you" to Berta.  Whatever the story was with this tavern, it was a comfortable place where she felt safe.  'Maybe I can find my place in this new-to-me land,' she thought to herself as this was the first time she'd felt truly comfortable in a long while.

Rana picked her glass of wine off the bar, scanned the room once again, then headed for the table where Marik was seated.  She nodded at Marik, then sat down opposite him.

"Thank you for inviting me to join you, Marik.  Although I must admit, it's a bit disconcerting to think you know me, when I'm certain we've not met before."  Rana kept her tone light and amused as she spoke with a smile on her lips and surreptitiously studied her dining companion.

Marik smiled warmly at his new dining companion when she took the seat opposite of him. He raised his half full glass of wine in a sort of salute before taking a drink. "l promise it's nothing sinister. My advocate, Darius, lives here in Tusk and makes a point of knowing what's going on and who's here in the city. When he'd heard there was another sorcerer in town, he thought I might like to know; as far as I know you and I are the only ones in all of Midmarch. And let's be honest, even with just a general description, you are quite difficult to miss."

Rana listened to Marik's explanation of how he knew who she was as she watched him closely.  Her left eyebrow raised slightly as he named her a sorcerer, and then she could feel her face flush slightly in self-consciousness at his subtle flattery.  She averted her gaze for a moment, then raised her glass to him in salute.

"You are too kind, I think, but I thank you for the compliment.  However, it is still a bit disconcerting to know that someone in your employ has heard of me and my ability."  She frowned slightly at this thought, but continued, "It isn't something that I am used to discussing, if I'm honest.  It is just something that is, if you know what I mean.  I am an anomaly in my family and no one has been able to explain why to me."

Her brown eyes caught Marik's blue ones, and held the gaze unwaveringly.  "Does that make sense?"

Marik shrugs slightly, "I am continually amazed with the kind of information Darius is able to accumulate. If I had to guess, he overheard someone talking about something they heard you did on a recent adventure. Darius is also an arcanist, having attended a magical academy himself, so he would recognize certain clues that others might miss."

As she continued, he set his glass down and pulled his chair slightly closer to the table, offering her his full attention, "I understand completely. My gifts first manifested when I was 15 years old, and I had no idea what was going on. Honestly, pretty much everything I know I learned through trial and error, so I figured if there was anything I could do to help, or just explain things, then I should."

Rana relaxed a bit as she and Marik were talking.  She didn't really talk about her gift with people, especially someone that she just met; however, it felt like maybe she needed to talk about it so that she could progress and learn to direct her ability, rather than letting it lead her.

"I don't even know what questions to ask, Marik. My parents couldn't offer much in the way of advice because, as I like to say, we are a family with a distinctively average lineage." Her eyes held a spark of amusement as she spoke, a sign that she was becoming slightly more comfortable with the idea of talking about magic.

"I know that there are people, like Darius I suppose, who actually study magic or arcane arts, but for people like us it seems a bit hit or miss when it comes to learning spells.  I mean, I've heard of spell books that others can use, but that doesn't make any sense to me at all."

Loitering by the bar within earshot of Marik and Rana's conversation, even as she scans the Dragon with narrowed eyes for any sign of trouble to pounce upon, Berta permits herself a small smile, raising a brow at Gedd, leaning over to whisper in her younger brother's ear. 

"I'll take the stew over when it's ready," she winks at him.

Gedd chuckled at whatever Berta had said, and whispered something back to her.

Marik nods as he listens to Rana, "Well, the fact that you have these gifts tells me that your lineage is not quite as average as you believe." He takes another sip from his wine. "As you said, wizards learn their magic through years of study and intense practice; thank the gods that doesn't apply to us, I was never a good student," he says with a self-deprecating smile. "No, for us, magic literally courses through our veins. In my case," he starts and then leans in a little closer and whispers, "my bloodline has a history with a djinni some generations past, which is why much of my magic is focused around lightning and the air."

He leans back and raises his voice back to a normal volume, "The magic just comes naturally to us. Which of course is easier, but it also means that we can't choose our arcane arts the way a wizard can. We are sort of stuck with what we get. What about you? Have you noticed any particular peculiarities with you magic? Perhaps a proclivity to a certain kind of magic, or perhaps physical quirks? Once you understand your bloodline, it becomes easier to understand the rest."

Rana sat forward in her chair as Marik spoke, considering what he said, her eyes wide and attentive.  Her fingers tapped nervously at the table as she thought on his words.

"I asked my parents and they both have said that there has been nothing so out of the ordinary in either of their families.  At least nothing that anyone has ever spoken of,"  she shrugged slightly, "But I suppose there could be something that no one ever has talked about.  Lots of families keep secrets, or so I believe."

She took a sip of her wine as she pondered on whether or not there seemed to be a pattern to what she could do, or any hints as to where her powers came from.  "There was one thing that my mam ever said was odd about my birth and that was the night I was born the stars seemed to be flying in the skies.  I don't know if that means anything to you, but I never gave it much thought.  At the moment my spells just seem to be really useful ones, nothing overly keyed to one thing or another."

Rana let her eyes scan the room for a moment before adding quietly, "There have been dreams, or visions, on occasion where I see, or sense, a shooting star and can almost here a voice, but I don't really remember what is said."  She smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders again.

Marik looks up to the ceiling for a moment, thinking about what Rana had just said. "Well, it is possible that the magic is not from a familial bloodline, but rather from some auspicious event that occurred. Perhaps a family member or distant relative was touched by something arcane, or perhaps it was this strange behavior of the stars at your birth. That, and these dreams you say you have are likely connected." He takes another sip of his wine, finishing the glass. "In fact, if I had to guess, your arcane gifts are likely connected to the stars in some way. I'm no expert, but I expect if we did some research we could help you understand this better."

Rana nodded briefly as Marik voices his thoughts.

"I would love to learn where and how I've come by my abilities, which is why I left home.  And I'd be happy for some help in trying to figure me out."  She paused and sipped at her wine, then changed the topic of conversation.  "Where are you from, Marik?  I am from Stone Climb in the Icerime Peaks.  Not all that far from Skywatch.  Have you heard of it?"

"You want another ?" Berta calls over to Marik, noting his empty wine glass.  "Same again, or ... ?"

"Another of the same," Marik said in response to Berta, acutely aware of how much attention she was giving their table. he then turned back to Rana, "I've heard of Stoneclimb, but never been there. And Skywatch? It's an ancient observatory, right? Supposedly built by giants or something? Sorry, I'm not much of a scholar," he adds with a small chuckle.

"As for me, I was born on the docks of New Stetven. My mother was...well let's just say that my mother worked the docks, or more specifically the sailors, and I was never quite sure who my father was. As I mentioned previously, I was 15 when my gifts first manifested; I was being bullied by some rich merchant kids, and when I yelled 'STOP' at them, they did and then started running away. I asked my mother, and she had some ideas as to where the gifts might come from, but we'll save that for a later date and somewhere," he glanced towards the bar where Berta was, "less public, if you don't mind."

Rana listened to Marik's history, her expression was one of interest although she was somewhat saddened that he had been bullied, but happy to know that he'd found a way out of it.  Her heart did a bit of a happy dance at the thought of another meeting with Marik, but she quashed any sentimental thoughts as she had only just met him and didn't know him at all.

Taking another sip of her wine, Rana let her eyes move from Marik to Berta and Ged and then back to her dinner companion.  As a lone female customer, new to the area, she was happy for the feeling that there was someone 'watching out for her', but she also understood that some conversations were better spoken in private.

She leaned forward in her chair as she began to speak about her favourite subject - Skywatch.  "I am not a scholar, by anyone's reckoning, but having lived so close to Skywatch, and my parents owning a tavern in Stone Climb, I heard all kinds of tales of the place and the mystery of it.  It fascinated me as a child and when my abilities began to manifest, it was like I couldn't help myself learning as much as I could about it."  Her eyes widened and seemed to sparkle as she continued with what she knew of the tale of Skywatch.

"You are right, there is an observatory in Skywatch that no one knows who built it.  The outpost of Skywatch first was settled by House Surtova so they could study the observatory.  Then several years later, Choral the Conqueror razed the outpost to the ground.  It had something to do with Aldori things, which I don't really understand."  She smiled and rolled her eyes at the thought of trying to figure out the Aldori.  "Later House Rogarvia, excavated and researched the observatory  and built the modern city of Skywatch atop the original settlement's burnt ruins.  Apparently all was right with Skywatch until every member of House Rogarvia disappeared.  At that point, Skywatch sealed itself off from all outsiders and since that day, no message sent to Skywatch has received a response and even powerful divination magic fails to penetrate the city's ancient walls."

Rana reached for her glass, sat back and sipped the wine.  She couldn't remember the last time she had actually had a discussion with someone.  Although, perhaps she was boring Marik which sometimes could happen when she got over-enthusiastic about something.

"I'm sorry Marik, I do tend to go on a bit about Skywatch.  It's a mystery and I dearly would love to solve it, but that isn't going to happen unless and until I can understand my gifts and get better at using them."  Resolved to stop speaking, she smiled at the man across the table from her as she took another sip of wine.

Marik leaned forward, mirroring Rana's movement, as she began to speak about Skywatch. His smile brightened as the sparkle in her eye made it clear this was a topic of extreme interest to her. He listened intently, tilting his head slightly as he considered her words, and what the connection between the closing of Skywatch and the disappearance of House Rogarvia might mean.

When she stopped, he smiled warmly and gently raised his hand in protest, "Please don't apologize. It is quite refreshing to be able to talk to someone so passionate about something so interesting. I hope you don't mind me saying, but the way your eyes light up when you speak about it draws me in and makes you even more beautiful. I must say, it makes me want to learn even more," he says with a lopsided grin. "I wonder if there is a connection between the circumstances of your birth and its proximity to Skywatch. Perhaps there is a reason for your passion beyond simple curiosity?"

He leans back, "I must say, it is a mystery I would very much enjoy helping you solve, if you're interested. But as you said, the first step is helping you understand your gift and where it came from."

Rana could feel her face redden at Marik's kind words, but a smile touched her lips, nonetheless.  She knew she was attractive, but it still made her uncomfortable when people commented on it.  Much like her magic, it was just something that was and she didn't give it much thought ... until someone commented on it.

"I suppose there could be a connection to Skywatch that I don't know about.  Skywatch is maybe two or three days' travel by horse to  Stoneclimb.  Whether its magic could, I don't know, seep that far as to have an affect is something I wouldn't even begin to be able to calculate."  Rana's smile widened as her brain seemed to be puzzling over this new potential puzzle.  "I am always happy to have someone to talk to about Skywatch, and other things," she added softly.