"Pharasma preserve me. Alandria, you haven't aged a day!" Lorn gasped as the beautiful elf approached their old table. "Who's this now?" he asks her when he looked towards the child in the sling.

"This is my youngest child, Faraday. He is still too small to trust my husband with his care."

 The sling seems more than just mundane cloth. A protective spell perhaps?

"Faraday, huh?" he said thoughtfully. "My instincts tell me that it is a powerful name, it at least sends a jolt down my spine." he says after a moment.

"It is good to see you again. Makes nostalgic for our glory days. Do you frequent the inn often?"

Zaigan entered the inn with a weary gait, briefly stopping and taking in how little the place had changed, and the rush of memories that came with it. Simpler times. Better times.
With a sigh he walked on in, signaling the barkede for a large pitcher of beer with a muttered order, before looking around and locating his old friends. So many years since they’d last met. They looked different, but less so than he’s thought they would. Less different than he himself felt, for sure. He briefly considered whether he should get another table, suddenly feeling overwhelmed at the thought of dredging up memories with them, of acting like he was still… himself. But no, they deserved better. They’d accepted him when he was young, brash and foolish. They deserved an effort from his end.
Running his hands through his unkempt, Grey hair with another sigh, he grabbed his beer and walked over to the table.
“Hullo friends.” He said with a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He’d thought for an instant to muster up some of his old bravado, to at least meet them with the gusto He would in the past, but He just didn’t have the energy. “It’s good to see ya Lorn. And you still look good, Ria…” He continued, before freezing up as He noticed the child in her arms. His smile slowly fell into a frown, and his mouth moved silently, searching for words. Eventually he settled for taking a deep breath, followed by a deep drink of his beer to steady himself. He said no more, afraid his words would betray him at the moment.

In the background just loud enough to be hurd is a
Knock Knock knock.  On the Inn door.  Followed by Knock Knock knock again.
This is a bit odd as usually most people just walk in.

OOC:
I leave it to the other players to talk to each other a bit before I appear.  It up to them or the GM to get a NPC to open the door and let me in when they ready.

"Zaigan! I dare say you've aged less gracefully than Lorn, darling."

 She meant it as a teasing jest, but Zaigan did look to have had a rougher time at life during this time perhaps. The Elf Mother couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to the proud warrior She remembered. Little Faraday seemed to be awake and giggled as he playfully was reaching for Zaigan's silly beard just out of reach.

Zaigan looked briefly at the door, one brow raising as He wondered Who’d not just walk into a tavern. Figuring that items just keep knocking until it got annoying, He flagged down the bartender and made note that someone wanted to be let in, before returning to his beer and companions.
The warrior snorted a mirthless laugh at Alandria’s jab. Seems her sharp tongue had changed just as little as her appearance. The girl had always had a way of driving him up the wall with her barbs and retorts. At least it had kept his mind just as trained for battles of words as his arms were for battles of brawn. “Hmm. Funny, Ria. How comforting that settling down hasn’t dulled that dagger tongue of yours, ya harridan. You sure you’re here cus you want to, or because your poor husband needed a break?” He shot back with a sardonic smile, although with none of the volume He would have in years past.

Seeing the baby reaching for his beard, however, Zaigan’s features softened, and he leaned down so his beard was within reach. “Heh, like the beard little man? Good on ya for not showing too much elfiness there. Never to early for a boy to start appreciating proper facial hair.” He said softly, with far more tenderness than one would expect from him.

"Be careful Zaigan, this is Alandria's son. He might have her tendencies and burn your beard off. He has her blood after all." Lorn says with a smile.

The sound of music begins to come down the road as the cloaked form plucks at the strings. Its almost magical as whomever is playing it heads for the inn. A very strange instrument, held tightly in its arms. It looks almost like a mandolin but larger. He lowers his hood to reveal a almost ageless face. Young by the looks of it, almost like a porcelan doll. The man starts to sing quietly.

"Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone"

Upon getting to the inn, he lowers his guitar and kneels down to the swan "Now what are you doing here eh? And who is your friend?" He slowly kneels down, keeping his distance from the swans.

13:25, Today: Zall Zanader rolled 26 using 1d20+11.  Perform: Guitar!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:43, Wed 10 Nov 2021.

Zall is faced with two swans.  One is a very large male.  The second is a small female of about a year old.
The male seem totally at home and fine.  Not bothered by where he is or what he is doing.  The female does not look happy at all.

The male swan.  Nods it's head at Zall.  As if it has some form of understanding of what was being said to it.  Or does it just understand the tones.

The male swan walks up to the door and bangs on it twice with it's beak.  Then looks up at Zall hopefully.

The female swan makes a honking noise at the male.  The male makes two honks back.  Taps the door again and honks back at Zall.  Looking up at the door handle then back at Zall again.

OOC:
Was Zall part of the old crew (one of the has beens) or is he just a passing minstrel?

"Not sure if going in is your cup of tea. Some people might mistake you for dinner." Zall stands up, watching the two swans. "Tauron's good with animals. Me? Not so much..not good at..." He plucks the strings a few times and opens the door "Well then I'll protect you I guess." Of course Zall doesn't put two and two together.

The large swan pushes himself into the room and eyes everybody as if looking for a fight.
He scans the room and notices what he is looking for.  The group.
He walks up to the three already there.
Seeing Alandria he slightly puffs himself up to look impressive.  Looks up at her squarely.
Nods his head up and down three times and says.
Honk.

The small female swan follows him very unsure about the place they in and is not at all pleased.  Somehow she is forced to follow the male.
On watching the male reaction to Alandria she looks at the elf dubiously.
The female swan make a small hissing noise.  The male looks at the female with displeasure and she stops.
The male them turns back to Alandria and goes.
Honk, honk.... honk.

Following the two swans, the bard looks around for a moment and doesn't really recognize anyone but Alandra "Ally!" He smiles and grabs a chair, but then stops seeing the small child and his eyes narrow "Is this the barkeeps?" He looks over at Lorn and Zaigan then back to the elf "And who are your friends?" The bard puts the strange guitar in front of himself and puts his leg on the chair, resting it. His eyes dart to the 'talking' swans and back to the elf "Don't mind them. Apparently they are my new groupies."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Fri 12 Nov 2021.

 Watched the Swan waddle in with his mate and observes the behavior of the two and how it seems a bit more intelligent than just a mere animal. She tilts her head a bit, unable to shake a familiar feeling from the swan.

 "Well hello there, why are the two of you following our bizarre friend Zall around? And Zall, my I have aged slowly, but you have not changed at all in all this time."

 Through the door, a young woman dressed in leaves and furs stomps in lacking a lot of the standard grace one might suspect from a girl with her exotic kind of appearance. She is hauntingly beautiful with unusual blue skin and eyes that shimmer like starlight. She notices the group and comes forward, inviting herself to the table and sitting down out of nowhere. She tactlessly place her boots on the table and hands out some kind of parchment note to read as She leans back and speaks simply.

 "Sup? Read this."

The male swan does what any normal male swan would do when someone waves a parchment note in front of it.
He jumps up on the table and starts reading it.  Well it looks like he is trying to reading it.

Well at least this swan seems to think it is a normal thing for a swan to do.  The female swan looks on for a moment then puts her head under her wing as if in shame.

 Staring at the Swan trying to read the letter, but thankfully not trying to eat it or anything, Xandra doesn't really do anything,but does speak up again.

"Hey, what's with the Walking Dinner?"

"Ally its only been a day. Can't really age much you know?" Zall taps the strings but doesn't take the note. His eyes dart to Xandra, trying to figure out if he knows her but he shrugs and stands up, pulling the guitar at his side "Well they are my groupies not dinner. See the big swan plays the drums, and the little one dances..." Come on Zanader. He does smile at the very least obviosly joking. The android tilts his head "Can I hold it?" Strange question but he holds his hands out of course not really sure how to hold it.

The swan turn round and looks at Xandra.  Putting his head on one side then another.
Then bobs his head as if to decide something.

The swan then extend it's wing out to shake her hands.
Honk honk it says to her in a friendly way.

OOC:
Anybody watching in the old group would be sightly reminded of Tauron and how he greeted people.

Did’ja hit your head or something zall?” Zaigan asked, raising an eyebrow and making an annoyed snort. He did not, however move his head away, so the baby could still reach his beard. “It’s me, Zaigan. And since we ain’t all born with either elfiness or whatever passes for organs inside of you, I’d say 20 years is more’n enough to age a fair bit.”

He eyed the new Young lady who for some reason joined the table, and decided that her behaviour were best answered in kind. As in, she could wait until greeting his old friends was sorted out. He knew from personal experience how youths acting like that would respond to being ignored. After all, He used to be like that.

Looking closer at the swans, He at first looked confused, before a glimmer of recognition passed his eyes. “Wait, Tauren, is that you? Still doing the bord thing after 20 years? I’d hope you’ve at least taken breaks to turn back once in a whi….” He asked, before cutting himself of midsentence. His eyes fell on Tauren. Then on the clearly much younger swan. Then on Alandria and her child. Then back to Tauren.
“Nooo… you too? Really?” He said incredulously. “And you also brought it along for a potentially deadly mission?!! What kind of parent would!…” He continued, his voice rising in beginning anger, before abruptly stopping once more. This time He visibly swallowed whatever He was gonna say next, a pained look crossed his face before he forced himself to calm down.

He then pointedly refuser to look at any of the young ones, focusing instead on the letter the Girl had brought.

"Well I'm just like you. Blood and guts. The whole thing last I checked..." Zall glances at the dwarf "Zaigan? You got to be joking? Really, its been a day. Alright, did someone hit you with a aging ray or something? Lorn's might know...wait..." His eyes look at the cleric "No...you got it as well? I must be asleep." He holds his hand to the swan "Bite me. Seriously" What is he doing? "Will someone tell me what is going on...?" He taps the guitar with one hand and keeps the other towards Tauron "Wait. Tauron? That's it...I need a ale. And cigar." THe bard pulls it back and steps away from them "Parent? Ally? How did she have a child in..." Zall goes to the bar and asks for a ale and cigar and rubs the sides of his head. Music soothes his soul but he doesn't feel it. Or does he? He starts to play it.


OOC Ironic this is what he plays LMAO! Trying to think of songs that would fit the game and a android.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYgfAq6ttYc

11:27, Today: Zall Zanader rolled 23 using 1d20+11.  Perform-Guitar.

"Zall, how long do you think it has been since we last met? For us, it had been close to 20 years. Have you been asleep or something like that for all that time?"

 She was confused about her odd friend's behavior. She didn't wait however as She had a few more things to discuss and turned to Zaigan.

 "Are you judging me,Zaigan? My son still requires feeding in a way that My husband is incapable of providing."

 A little miffed, She looked away to the Swan to distract herself and calm down. There was many familiar things about this bird and She heard the name of another old friend that made her wonder.

"How strange... wait, Tauron? It couldn't be, could it? Tauron, is that you? How long have you been a Swan?"

 Lastly, She gave a passing glance to the young lady at the table, before also ignoring her and returning her attention to the Swan.

Looking up from his ale and cigar, he tilts his head <goldrod>"Wait. We just saw eachother yesterday. Ally...come on.."</goldrod> The bard seems of course confused <goldrod>"I woke up this morning and came here. Really. Its been a day. This has to be magic, got to be."</goldrod> He takes a swig of ale and then stares at the cigar, putting it in his pocket and stands up, walking over to the note and takes a look at it once he takes it. Confusion hits him but he doesn't even know what it is. Why is he feeling this?

“Believe me, bard. It really isn’t.” Zaigan muttered. Never mind that he’d have dearly loved it if his friend was right.

He glanced at Alandria, his brow furrowing at her retort. Before He could muster anything resembling a biting remark back, as the two would so often do in the past, all energy just flowed out of him in a weary sigh. “No, Ria. Sorry. I’m not judging you. I’m… I’m sure you know what’s best for yer own kid. ‘Sides, even if you don’t… I’ve got no room to talk either way.”

Deciding that dealing with the girl who’d butted in would be better than continuing down that road, Zaigan turned to her.“So, what’s got you butting in at the grownups table, kid?” He asked as He unfolded the letter she’d thrown on the table, and glanced down at the contents.

"My name is Zall. Not bard. I don't call you a drunk well least not to your face but anyways...." The comment just comes out. Heck Zall doesn't remember what its like to be drunk and actually he never drank enough for it, not yet. Adults? He's not a adult "I'm supposed to respect my seniors but your definatly make it very hard." Another wise guy comment from Zall pitched at Zaigan. "So say you all aged and your not joking or someone hit you with a aging ray. So whats the plan?" He still believes they are joking or pulling a fast one. Looking at Ally, he winks at her smiles for a moment before it fades. What is the bard doing? She's married. He looks at the note in his hands and reads it.