The nearest tavern had the sign of a goat on its hind legs, as if dancing.  A simple enough design, but the tavern looked rugged and old.  Inside, there was a huge pot of something cooking on a fire, rough wooden benches and tables everywhere, and may locals drinking mugs of the brew.

"Ah, like home," said Bern.  Cil... looked less comfortable.  It was hard to tell why, though...

Insight check if you like; it's a hard one.

(OOC: Insight Check - Karine Otlinesti rolled 19 using 1d20+8)

...Cil seemed unsure of where to go, or what to do, despite that earlier confidence that hadn't seemed feigned at all.

"Let's find a table," Karine said.

They sat; it appeared that they would have a few moments before anyone could get to them and take their orders.

"...This place smells nice," Cil observed.  "Homey.  Despite everything."

"Is this your first time in one?" Karine asked.

"...maybe," said Cil, reluctantly.

"Not a big deal," Karine said. "It's just a good place to spend time with friends."

"...that sounds good, then," said Cil.

Now a middle-aged, harried woman approached the table.

"All right, dearies," she said.  "What will you have?"

"Some of whatever you got roasting on the fire and some vegetables, Oh, and ale," Karine said.

This received general assent from the table, and the woman left to gather the food.

"I wonder what's in the pot?" said Cil.  "Probably better than my own cooking."

"Food is food," Karine said. "I've never worried too much about it."

Cil laughed a bit.

"Well, if you've tasted my cooking, you might just change your mind about that..."

"You have me interested now. I've had to survive on some rough stuff before," Karine said.

"I've been cooking for myself in the wilds lately," said Cil.  "...not that good at it yet."

"It's something you'll get better with practice," Karine said.

"...so you'd think," sighed Cil.  "Well.  If it can be learned, I will.  And I'm good at other woodcraft..."

"I'm sure they'll teach us about it. If not, I could always show you," Karine said.

"...thank you," said Cil as their food arrived.

You and Gregory arrive at the tavern. The smell of cooking meat is in the air.

"No worries, we are on the same team, after all," Karine said, digging into her food.

"Have you met our fourth?" Cil asked.

"Let's get a table," Giulia said.

The two of you were quickly seated. A waitress came over quickly to take your order.

"I have, yes," Karine said. "I'd have preferred not to have."

"That's not good," said Cil.  "We're going to depend on each other.  What happened?"

This was clearly not the kind of place Giulia normally ate, but she wasn't going to quibble-- she was hungry.  She ordered meat and bread and cheese and ale and stew, for a dragon could eat a great deal.

"Mighty impressive," Gregory said, ordering the same.

"He wasn't exactly pleased I was a beastfolk," Karine said.

Giulia shrugged awkwardly.

"I'm big. I eat a lot."

"Ah," nodded Cil.  "Seen the type before.  Wants to be pleased over his pa... his kin without considering himself."

"Nothing wrong with it, just not used to seeing other people eat as much as me," Gregory said.

"It doesn't bother me too much. I'm sure I can deal with him if it gets too bad," Marine said.

Cil looked up at her.

"I do not doubt you for one minute, I assure you," they said.

"Oh?" said Giulia.  "I'm surprised.  Few humans come close to me."

"I'm the really tall one in my family," Gregory said, looking a bit sheepish. "I ate way more than the rest of my family."

Karine chugged her mug of ale.

"How about you tell me about yourself?" she asked Cil.

"I'm a skilled archer," said Cil.  "You won't find better.  I have a keen eye and can hide in the shadows, moving as quietly as a cat.  I think I'm fairly agreeable, and I have my wits about me.  And you?"

"Ah," said Giulia.  "Was that a hardship for your family?"

"Sometimes, yeah," Gregory said. "But I was really good at helpin' out on the farm."

"I'm more of a brawler than anything," Karine said.

"Is that why you're here, now?" Giulia asked.  "To raise money for your family?"

"And strong as anything, I'm sure," said Cil.

"Once I'm out there, yeah," Gregory said. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty strong," Karine said.

"I need to make a place for myself in the world now," she said.  "I can hardly inherit, and sadly, my old position is lost to me by marriage."

"Well, I'll be counting on you to hold the front lines together, then," said Cil.

Bern was giving Karine a searching look.

"Who'd you marry?" Gregory asked.

"I'll do my best. I'm not used to fighting with other people," Karine said.

"Not I," said Giulia.  "My foster sister. I was her guardian, and her companion in all things-- but her new husband didn't think she needed me, and I don't think he wanted me there.  So... here I am."

"Neither am I, but we'll work it out," said Cil.

"Ah, Karine," said Bern.  "...I do have a question."

"Sorry to hear that," Gregory said.

"Hmm? Go ahead," Karine said.

"...are you related to Gregor Otlinesti?" Bern asked.  "You know him, but your similarities go far deeper than that."

Giulia shrugged.

"It is a loss, but in its own way, freeing," she said.  "I must make my own way now, but I can.  I have that strength."

"That's good," Gregory said. "Not everyone can do that so easily."

Karine sighed

"I am."

"Sadly, this is true," said Giulia.  She shrugged.  "I must do what I can for my own life, in the end."

"And probably tired of being asked about it," Cil observed.

"True, and a good enough thing to drink to," Gregory said, downing some ale.

"No, my father and I don't get along," Karine said.

Giulia took a drink as well.

"I just hope that we can forge a team out of the set of us," said Giulia.  "We're all going to have to work together."

There was an awkward pause.

"Ah," said Bern.  "Is it... a family matter, then?"

"I'm sure we can," Gregory said. "Everyone's got some good inside them."

"You could call it that, yes," Karine said.

"...Ah," said Bern.  "Well. That's... a shame, but of course, I don't really understand what's happened.  I hope that... no, I can't really say that.  I don't know enough."

"Sympathies," said Cil.  "I've had those."

"I hope you're right about that," said Giulia.  "We need to get past our differences if we'll survive as a team."

"It's only the one noble, right? I'm sure she'll come around," Gregory said. "I doubt she'd want to disappoint her family."

"Don't worry about it," Karine said., downing more ale. "Let's talk about the future instead of the past."

"True," said Giulia.  "I hope the scholar learns some manners, too.  But I suppose he was just curious."

"An excellent notion," said Cil.  "so... how do we want to make this work?  As a team?"

"I could try talking to him," Gregory said.

"I don't see any problems on my end," Karine said. "We'll have to work out things in more detail in practice."

"Well, we'll need to think about tactics, at least," said Bern.  "I take it you're a front-line fighter?"

"That might be for the best," said Giulia.  "Just for the sake of diplomacy."

"Okay," Gregory said. "It don't seem like he wants to cause problems, just a mite insensitive."

"I am. Not exactly subtle about it," Karine said.

"I realize this when I haven't been having to listen to him," sighed Giulia.

"I can back you up, at least a bit," said Bern.

"I'm more of a sniper," said Cil.  "Works pretty well as backup for that."

"MIght strange though. Were do people act like that?" Gregory wondered.

"Well, you should be safe then," Karine said.

"Not actually my goal," said Cil.  "I'll take it, but I'm just playing to my strengths.  And doing this for myself."

"I'm not wise enough to say," said Giulia.  "I suppose I'll get used to him, or him to me."

"I'm just hoping he'll listen to reason," Gregory said.

Karine shrugged.

"Sure, that's cool."

"Agreed," said Giulia.  "...I suppose we ought to go talk to him."

"It's very important to me," said Cil.  "That's all.  I have to make my own path in the world."

"Well, if you want to try," Gregory said.

"We're on the same team," said Giulia.  "We must."

"Sure, I understand that," Karine said.

"...we should figure out how to bring our fourth into line, though," said Bern.

"You're right," Gregory said. "Never thought things'd be this hard before fightin' the monsters."

Karine shrugged.

"It's not me that has the problem."

"Unfortunately, I've had a close-up view of politics before now," she said.  "I'm not."

"And you don't need to change," said Bern.  "But if we don't work with her, that could hold us all back.  At least to tell her what we need her to do."

"We could try lookin' for the research nut. I know this place's got a library and he's probably in there," Gregory said.

"How do you think we should deal with it then?" Karine asked.

"We could all talk to her," said Cil.  "Tell her our squad is meeting, and she needs to attend.  She won't have a choice."

Giulia nodded.

"Let's try that one, then."

"Works for me," Karine said.

"I'll tell him, then," said Bern.  "How soon shall we meet?"

"Whenever, I'm not picky," Karine said.

"In a few hours, before sunset, then?" said Bern.

"Sure. I'm just gonna relax unless someone else needs help unpacking," Karine said.

"That wasn't hard for me," said Cil.  "Don't have a lot of stuff."

"Same," Karine said.

"Oh, where shall we meet?" Bern asked.

"Dunno. Some place neutral'd be good. Library maybe?" Karine said.

"Sure, that's fine," said Bern.

"I'm gonna go and take a nap until we're ready then," Karine said.

She was able to do so.  When she awoke, what were her plans?

Karine went to the library.