The front door flew open, bringing with it a gust of cool, mountain air. A lone figure of average height strolled into what appeared to be a tavern. He was a young man with few distinguishing features; however, he did have one thing that stood out, his eyes. Being that each was a different color, the right eye was a clear sky blue as with the morning, where as his left was a deep black in color, as if it would drain your soul away just by looking into his eyes. He glanced around the room to take in the environment. Wooden bar stools lined up along the bar with a few scratches and knicks litter throughout. Throughout the rest of the tavern, ten wooden tables lay scattered about the place, with four bar strolls residing at each one. It was a homely environment, welcoming to the eye of all those that spent their days within. Above the bar was another level; however, it was restricted to only certain individuals. On the eastern wall, there resided a big tack board, with several pieces of paper littered across it. Behind the bar was a dark-haired woman within her early thirties, cleaning one of the glasses that were lined up in front of her.

Catching her eyes, the young man made his way towards the bar and the woman. “Good morning to you, Sarai,” He said with a chuckle. “Still trying to play the role of the barkeep, are you?”

Sarai just scoffed at the comment, “No more than you trying to find the perfect job, Tryst” She sent the glass down as he took a seat across from where she was standing. “You here for work, or are you just slacking again?”

Tryst just chuckled to himself. “It really depends on if there is anything worthwhile. Anything new get posted on the board?”

“Nothing that really meets your ‘high standards’,” she jeered back. There are just a few basic things around Kolknor, which we tend to leave to the rookies.”

Tryst cringed at the thought, remembering the days when he had to go on some of those missions. “Not really my cup of tea. Speaking of which, mind getting me a glass of some? I do enjoy a cup of herbal tea in the morning.”

Sarai just shrugged, “Sure. Just give me a second to clean up back here and I will join your for a glass while people begin to wander in.” With that she set out to put away the glasses that sat before her and light the fire on the stove for the tea pot.

As the small cargo boat was finishing the process of docking, Davorin stood out of the way of its crew, checking his gear and belongings one last time to ensure he did not leave anything behind when he disembarked. His axe, sharp and well cared for, rested at his side in its loop on the right side of his belt, while on the other side rested a quiver of arrows. The composite bow those arrows were for rested in a bow case at the small of his back easily accessible with his right hand, and his small, magic strengthened steel shield rested leaning against his travel pack at his feet. As he knelt down to check the contents of his pack one final time, his chain armor jingled quietly against itself and the breast plate he wore to protect his chest beneath the sounds generated by the hustle and bustle of the port’s activity and the shouts of the boats crew as they went about the tasks each was designated during the docking process.

Content that all his worldly possessions were accounted for, he stood and shouldered pack and shield as the crew lowered the gangplank. He wished the crew farewell and a safe journey home to Juklar as he disembarked, and the crew in turn thanked him for his hard work during the trip to Kolknor, also wishing him safety in his future endeavors. His first order of business upon reaching Kolknor was to grab a bite to eat and get directions to his reason for coming to the city in the first place: the guild hall of the esteemed Griffonclaw magic guild.

Following the street signs towards the market district, he found a small vendor selling an assortment of breakfast pastries, as it was still relatively early in the morning, and stopped to purchase one, asking of the vendor as he handed him the few coins for his morning meal, “By chance, my good man, would you be so kind as to help a stranger to your fair city with directions? I’ve come to speak with a representative of the Griffonclaw guild, but as this is my first time here, I don’t know where to find the guild.”

The vendor nodded, as he handed Davorin the pastry he’d purchased and took his coin, “Aye, you would have found it yourself easily enough, sir, if you simply continue down the street here to the market district. The guild hall isn’t far from the entrance to the docks.”

Davorin bowed his head slightly as he thanked the man for his assistance before continuing on to the market district. Sure enough, as the man had told him, he indeed had little issue finding the guild once he left the docks, the building coming into view just as a man a few inches taller than himself with brown hair entered the building. Davorin continued towards the building in no rush, as he was still finishing his breakfast, entering only after he had consumed the last of the pastry.

Evrend walked through the undulating crowds of the Marketplace district. He moved in intervals from crowd to crowd as he made his way to what a fur merchant had mentioned was the direction of the "Griffonclaw Guild". Amidst idle conversation of the farthing biting foreigners and their penchant for trying to bargain the tradesmen to their very undergarments, he had also mentioned that the guild had been quite active as of late.

Evrend's eyes caught the shine of a dagger slitting the strings of an inattentive sailor's coin purse while haggling over salted fish with a merchant, who by the ever so subtle grin on his face, was on the take. Evrend continued his drift through the rabble, and smells, and "enterprise" towards his goal.

The comfort of obscurity had left him as he reached the outer limits of the Marketplace and neared the Guild. Continuing his idle progress he arrived some 40 paces from what he believed to be his destination to find what can only be described as a well traveled man of average height, armed to the teeth and eating a pastry... seemingly contemplating the building before him.

"It seems I've arrived then..."

As Sarai returned with the pot of freshly brewed tea, Tryst smelled the fragrance as it drifted into his nostrils. “A rather soothing blend you have there,” he replied as he took his cup. It smelled of several of the nearby fields during the months Spring.

"I received a good batch of herbs this time around. I do believe that they even included some Buttersnip Dragon leaves,” she replied while pouring her own cup. “I did add a bit of honey to sweeten it though.“

Taking a sip, Tryst could definitely taste the honey. The blend itself was not too strong, yet still had a calming effect on his nerves. “I must say we should have to try to get another batch of this when he is back in town.” Tryst arose and began to make his way over to the request board to look over the quests that had been posted earlier. As he wandered across the room, he heard the sound of the front door opening to reveal two individuals entering. The first was a man of about average height and weight, yet surprisingly well toned. His skin darkened from what appeared to Tryst that he spent a lot of time on the road, and the scar on his face showed that it wasn’t a comforting journey. The other was a shorter man that looked as though he might have crawl out of the sewers earlier that day. Making eye contact with both individuals, Tryst gave a slight nod of acknowledgement as he reached his destination. Behind him, he could hear Sarai rummaging around, apparently trying to find some cups to greet their new guests with.

At first glance, the request board didn’t look too foreboding. It had seen its fair share of mages as several requests had been torn down, leaving but the corner or a sliver of it on the board. The few requests that were still on the board, however, did not really strike his fancy as he eyed a lost pet request and a gathering of materials requests that littered the board. Tryst let out a sigh of defeat as he took another sip of his tea.

Entering the building the first thing to immediately come to Davorin’s attention was the fragrance of a freshly brewed pot of herbal tea permeating the air. While he, himself, was not normally a fan of herbal teas, he knew his companion, who lived vicariously through his own experiences, was, and sure enough as he stepped through the door and before he could even close it behind him, she spoke to him, That smells delightful. Perhaps we can partake of a cup before finding someone that can decide upon our worthiness to join this guild, Davorin.

She rarely used his name, and then only when she really wanted something; and the thought could only bring him to smirk slightly as he replied to her turning to close the door, I’m sure if we asked that can be arranged. As he went to close the door, he noticed another person, some inches shorter than himself who looked as though the road had been far crueler to him than it had to himself, making his way towards the building, so he held the door open a few moments longer for him. Only after he had entered did Davorin finish closing the door and turn to make his way to the bar in order to request a cup of that tea to appease his companion. He noticed the man he’d seen enter the building earlier making his way towards what appeared to be a bulletin board of some sort, probably for requests to the guild he guessed. His head was turned in the direction of the door, no doubt interested in who would be walking through it at the present time, and he nodded a simple greeting, which Davorin returned before making his way to the bar where he removed his shield and pack, leaning the pack against a stool and his shield against the pack before sitting. He greeted the lady behind the bar, “Good day, My Lady. I couldn’t help but notice the smell of freshly brewed tea in the air as I entered and was wondering if I could trouble you for a cup. I can pay of course.”

Tryst overheard some of the conversation at the bar counter. He noticed the man with the scar on his face had approached the counter, placing his pack and shield on the floor against the stool as he made his request to Sarai for some tea. Sarai greeted him with a smile and handed him one of the cups she was preparing when the two individuals walked in the door. “Sure, you may have a cup. And you don’t need to worry yourself as to paying for it, consider it a courtesy.” Then eyeing the two men, she then continued the conversation. “Seeing a couple of strangers walking in usually leads to a few assumptions. Either you are here because you need something for the guild to handle or you would like to join. If it about a request, I should be able to help you out. However, if you wish to join, I am afraid you came at a bad time. Our guildmaster normally handles the recruitment of new members, but she hasn’t been in today as of yet. I believe she is out dealing with a request right now and not really sure when she will actually return.”

Davorin nodded as he received his cup from the lady tending the bar. He raised the cup to his lips as she continued to speak, taking a sip as he listened to her tell him and the bedraggled individual who had come in just behind him that the guild master was not available but that she could help them out if they were there to pose a job request to the guild. He set the cup back down as his companion spoke to him through their bond, Bad timing, the story of your life, but I suppose that means we can sit and enjoy this wonderful tea for a while. And you don’t even need to add honey this time since she’s already mixed some into the pot.

He smiled slightly as much at his companion’s comment as to assure the lady behind the counter that he was listening to her. “Thank you. I suppose this means you have the unfortunate pleasure of suffering my company for a while longer then as I journeyed from Juklar to your fair city to offer my services to your esteemed guild.” He grinned to assure the lady that his comment, at least as far as his company being something unfortunate to have to suffer through, was in jest as he reached for his cup once more.

Always with the charming, self-deprecating jokes… a far cry from the icy, arrogant noble your family wanted you to be, his companion commented as he took another sip of the tea.

With a constant and ever present friend and companion such as you, how can I possible take myself seriously? he returned, setting the cup back down. Returning his gaze to the lady behind the bar, he continued, “I’m Davorin, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.”

Evrend began walking towards the guild hall as he saw the warrior headed in as well. Hoping to wander in disregarded he slowed himself to be a number of paces behind the man. After entering the building the man had begun to close the door when he cast a glance outside and saw Evrend walking towards him. "So much for staying unnoticed..." he thought to himself.

Passing by the warrior, Evrend quietly thanked him, which he may or may not have heard. There was a tall young man standing inside by a message board who greeted the warrior and Evrend with a nod. Evrend returned the gesture, noting that the tallish man had no armaments or equipment of note...

The smell of freshly brewed tea roused his appetite to his chagrin. "When had I eaten last?", he mused. The last few villages had been less than accommodating. The previous had been hard labor for meager earnings, and prior to that they had shunned him entirely forcing him to take what they would not let him earn.

Evrend took a "scenic route" to the bar, noting the tables and stools who had seen their fair share of use and abuse. A few of the stools looked as though they had been mended with one leg older than the other three. He returned his gaze to the board with some tattered papers tacked loosely, and corners of others that had been lifted some time earlier.

The warrior had already made it to the bar and received a cup of the wonderful smelling tea when Evrend pulled up a stool a seat away resting his pack on his leg.

“Seeing a couple of strangers walking in usually leads to a few assumptions..." she spoke in general as she slid a cup of tea to Evrend after serving the warrior sitting directly in front of her. Evrend nodded his appreciation to the bar tender as she smiled softly and continued in telling the two that the guild leader was indisposed and should they want to join, it might be a while. Despite his generally gruff appearance the warrior seemed to flirt quite readily with the bar mistress and yet seemed to be smiling to some private joke all the while.“I’m Davorin, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.” the warrior introduced himself.

Sipping the tea quietly, Evrend took in the scene as they exchanged greetings. The bar mistress then turned toward Evrend and cursing silently at what he knew was coming she said, "I don't imagine that the road has been so harsh as to steal your name from you? You would be...?", she paused looking at him inquisitively, her eyebrow peaked good humoredly. "Evrend..." he replied, not trying to sound unfriendly nor enter the conversation.

He reached his hand into his sack and summoned an apple from the ethereal pocket and took a bite. Putting his hand into his bag was really all theatrics, but it was what people expected and kept questions to a minimum. "Do you happen to know when she is coming back? The guild leader that is...?" Evrend asked the bar mistress.

Tryst observed Sarai greeting the two newcomers, who had entered. After hearing the first one with the scar on his face introducing himself as Davorin, and prodding at the other to receive his name, Evrend, she introduced herself as Sarai. She then continued the conversation by discussing the whereabouts of the guildmaster. “Well, it is really hard to tell when she will show up. Probably depends on her mood, and the request she took. She doesn’t really inform us to her schedule so much as she shows up when needed.” She then let out a sigh as she thought about the situation at hand. “It would be a shame to have you waste all day waiting for her to maybe show up.” Then an idea came to her like an epiphany. “Tryst, come over here,” she called over to Tryst. She then proceeded to introduce him to the two individuals. “This here is Tryst and he is a member of the guild here. However, it seems that Tryst may have a bit of free time, currently.”

Tryst flinched at the comment that would be soon to follow. And he knew he had no good excuse to get out of it either.

“Tryst, I know you have no currently requests lined up. Why not take these two fellows out on a trial run of our guild requests to see how they fair. This way, they can see if they are up to the tasks required, and if they still want to join after they see what we do on a daily basis.”

Tryst just sighed and said, “You know I had nothing lined up and are now plotting to get me to do some work around here. Well, so long as I am only providing observational support, and choose some easy requests for these two… Well, I guess I can go along with it. Well, assuming it would be alright with you two,” Tryst finished his conversation addressing the two individuals sitting there.

Sarai the continued, “Yes, of course if I should see the guildmaster walk in while you are out I will convince her to stay if you intend to still intend to join up with us.”

‘Plotting to get me to do some work… Only providing observational support…’ this one sounds like a slacker and sounds stuck up and boring to boot, his spirit companion commented in the most bland tone she could manage across their mental bond, her usual way of mocking someone she found annoying or distasteful.

Now, now. We don’t even know the guy yet. Let’s not pass judgment until we do. Maybe it’s just some sort of private joke between the two of them we don’t know about, he responded in kind, doing his best not to smile at the comment lest someone should ask him what’s so funny. Aloud he commented, “Well, Tryst, it would seem things are as much up to you as they are to myself and Evrend here, as I’m guessing from the conversation this would not be considered one of your normal guild duties, yes? I can’t speak for Evrend, but I have no problem either way. I’m as willing to go and prove my worth as I am content to stay here and enjoy the lovely tea and good company, but I would imagine you’d probably be interested in knowing what abilities the two of us would be bringing to the table first? Might make things easier in deciding if we’re even worth the trouble of taking out and considering for guild membership in the first place and then what sorts of tasks we’d be suited for.” Finished, he picked up his cup of tea once more and took another sip.

Even now some of that training to be a ‘noble’ your family put you through still pops up. At least now they tend to be the better parts, the diplomat and the wise general among others.

But we both know I’m no longer anything close to resembling a noble. My enjoyment of a good bar brawl is more than enough to make me an embarrassment to the family that exiled me, not to mention some of the other bad habits I’ve picked up, like actually working and enjoying the company of common people, he mused in response.

"...assuming it would be alright with you two,” Tryst finished addressing Davorin and Evrend. Hearing before what seemed to be a private joke (he hoped), Evrend sized up Tryst again. No equipment to speak of, and not really built for flesh on bone combat. The tattoo on his forearm seemed oddly out of place for the casually dressed mage. His eyes though, each colored differently settled Evrend with an uneasy curiousity.

Sarai piped in, “Yes, of course if I should see the guildmaster walk in while you are out I will convince her to stay if you still intend to join up with us.” Meeting her gaze Evrend nodded with appreciation towards Sarai. She flashed Evrend a warm smile. Evrend involuntarily returned her smile, infected by her joviality.

“Well, Tryst, it would seem things are as much up to you as they are to myself and Evrend here..." Davorin spoke indicating that he was simultaneously ambivalent and preparing for the potential tasks at hand."That's pleasent... he's good with names...", Evrend cursed silently. Davorin seemed to have a natural inclination to take the lead both in strategy and title. His equipment seemed to lend him towards being in the thick of things as well. That suited Evrend just fine. The further from the public eye, the better.
"...I would imagine you’d probably be interested in knowing what abilities the two of us would be bringing to the table first?..." Davorin continued on. "Damn your strategy mindedness!!", Evrend swore to himself as he heard those words and more spill forth from the warrior. As Davorin picked up his tea to take another drink, Tryst cast his gaze towards Evrend as if awaiting the information that Davorin had more or less volunteered for him. "*Cough*.. I, um, have a way with objects," he stated hesitantly as he summoned the tea pot and a cup to pour himself a drink.

Hearing the response from Davorin, “Well, Tryst, it would seem things are as much up to you as they are to myself and Evrend here, as I’m guessing from the conversation this would not be considered one of your normal guild duties, yes? I can’t speak for Evrend, but I have no problem either way. I’m as willing to go and prove my worth as I am content to stay here and enjoy the lovely tea and good company, but I would imagine you’d probably be interested in knowing what abilities the two of us would be bringing to the table first? Might make things easier in deciding if we’re even worth the trouble of taking out and considering for guild membership in the first place and then what sorts of tasks we’d be suited for,” Tryst couldn’t help but chuckle.

Tryst glanced towards Evrend, attempting to get his approval in the ordeal, yet only receive comment of “I, um, have a way with objects,” which seemed to be given under protest, as he seemed to pull a tea pot and cup out of thin air.

“While knowing the extent of your abilities would be helpful, we really are not a guild to turn down anyone who seeks to work for their meals. As long as you work, and don’t bring any shame to the guild by your actions, we tend to accept people from all sorts of life. Although we are pretty well-known in the region, we are still a small guild. But I guess you both seem to be in agreement with the plan, so I got an idea on which requests to take.” With that, Tryst returned to the request board and pulled off three requests, seemingly at random. Returning back to where the group was still huddled, he continued, “We can depart whenever is good for the both of you.”

As Davorin sipped his tea after his reply to Tryst, waiting for a response, Tryst merely looked over to Evrend, most likely to gauge whether or not the rather taciturn fellow was game for heading out on a request to the guild with the young guild mage along as observational support as well. All he got in response was a rather curt and forced reply and a demonstration of some sort of magical ability to manipulate items, summoning them to him in this case though Davorin, lacking in magic and much knowledge of it as he was, couldn’t say how he did it.

Before Davorin could comment on his own rather limited ability, Tryst spoke up, commenting that the guild was small and not inclined to turn away prospective members so long as they were willing to work for their meals and didn’t bring dishonor to the guild through their actions before turning and walking back to the board where he pulled a few notices down. As the young mage turned and started back to them seated at the bar, Davorin set his teacup down and commented, “I suppose the difference in culture between my home and yours is why I brought up the topic. Juklar culture would wish to first know how useful a prospective person is before deciding for or against accepting them, which makes a good deal of strategic since, and I had thought a guild of mages would be similar. Someone with relatively little magical talent or at the very least one exceptional ability wouldn’t be of much use in the event something big sprang up.” He paused for a moment, deciding on how best to continue. “Take me for instance. I won’t deny it. I have little in the way of true magical talent, no earth shaking or fear inducing powers, or even much of an understanding of it. What I do have is an exception ability to stay in a fight that might very well kill most other people, between the training I received in the ways of combat growing up and my power. If you know anything about trolls, I’d liken my ability to what is known of them. Don’t let the scar fool you as I received it as a child before I came into my power. I regenerate wounds at a very accelerated rate much like a troll. I can even reattach severed limbs if necessary and have had to reattach a finger or two after a work related accident. I could demonstrate, as Evrend did with his ability, but it might get messy… and I dare say no one really wants to see my blood, least of all me.” He chuckled at the jest at the end of his thought in an attempt to lighten the otherwise serious mood his words might have created.

"I can even reattach severed limbs if necessary and have had to reattach a finger or two after a work related accident" Davorin stated, explaining his healing ability. "I could demonstrate, as Evrend did with his ability, but it might get messy…", he continued. Upon hearing this Evrend gulped down the remainder of his tea and snatched up his bag not entirely comfortable with where the possibilities of this conversation could lead should it continue in it's current direction.

"Davorin, Tryst I believe it's time that we get these tasks under way. I only have my backpack to speak of but I would hope you can provide some temporary storage for some of Davorin's possessions?" Evrend inquired nodding toward Davorin. "As I see it, I'm already indebted for that fine cup of tea." He exchanged glances with Tryst and Davorin indicating that he was ready to begin "earning his keep".

Evrend commented shortly after Tryst had finished about the three of them being able to leave, when Davorin and Evrend were ready, with, “Davorin, Tryst, I believe it’s time we get these tasks under way. I only have my backpack to speak of, but I would hope you can provide some temporary storage for some of Davorin’s possessions? As I see it, I’m already indebted for that fine cup of tea.”

“Temporary storage for my gear is unnecessary as I also only have what I can carry with me. Makes life on the road a great deal less troublesome as I’m sure you can attest to, Evrend,” Davorin commented as he stood, grabbed his gear, and shoulder his pack in the same fluid motion after Evrend had finished with his comment and made eye contact with both Davorin and Tryst to add weight to his own actions. “I’m also willing to get this show on the road if that’s what we wish. Saves me the effort of having to cut off a finger to demonstrate my regenerative powers,” he chuckled. He finished there picking up his cup of tea and draining the last of its contents.

Leaving already? We just got here! You mortals lead such hurried and fleeting lives. Thankfully we got to finish that wonderful tea… and you’re at least enjoyable company. His spirit companion commented in his mind.

What can I say? We are born into this world with a limited life span, and we do our best to make do with the time we’re allotted. It might seem hurried, but –as scary as it might seem—there is quite often some method to the madness of mortal life even if it isn't readily apparent. Such as Evrend's getting up just now. It might seem like he's just wanting to get this out of the way quickly, but he's been uncomfortable since the conversation started; and I think my commenting about losing and reattaching limbs only made him more so.

After gathering the necessary provisions and equipment he thought they would require for the requests he picked up, Tryst bid Sarai farewell advising they would try to be back in the late afternoon or early evening. Shouldering his pack, he led Evrend and Davorin out into the crisp morning sun.

“We will start with this request,” Tryst advised both of them handing over the first request over to them to glance over. The request, itself, was a simple lost animal request with most of the details being handled by the requester. The only real information on the request was the address of the requester for more information and the promised reward. A paltry sum of about 3000 schillings seemed to be fitting for a request of this caliber.

Tryst, Evrend, and Davorin made their way to the residential district through the cobbled streets. The district itself is pretty much divided into the upper class estates and the middle class housing. The request was made from someone from the upper class, so the trio made their way towards the estates. All the estates were plush, each giving their own charm to the block as a whole. Some had well-maintained gardens, while some others were decorated with various statues. Every piece of the decoration seemed to compliment the next, while flaunting the status of the owners.

After a short walk, the three stood in front of the requester’s estate’s front gate. The gates were tall iron bars, which were melded together in an ornate fashion with the estate’s owner’ crest residing in the center of both the gates. Outlining the gates were brick walls that seemed to make its way along the main street. To the right of the gate was a small bell used to get the attention of the guards in a small shack just within the premises. Tryst rang the bell and gave a short conference with the guards explaining their purpose before the trio was permitted to enter. The threesome made their way from the gates to the manor. The manor was outlined with various shrubberies and flowers. The manor was rather grand in size, from initial visual glance it appeared to have around 10 to 15 rooms. The walls were painted white, with tall columns surrounding a tall, oaken door. Approaching the door, Tryst gave another bell a good ring when they were greeted and allowed to enter.

The insides of the manor were lavishly decorated with expensive looking paintings, urns, and vases. It was brightly lit and open. The threesome was led to a large room with a large table in the middle. An elderly woman wearing expensive clothing and jewelry was sitting at the table enjoying a meal as the three men were seated across from her. After a quick introduction from Tryst, they got down to business.

“I am afraid my pet kitten, Beast, has wandered off,” the woman began. “We currently have no idea where it may be. However, we do know that she doesn’t like a lot of people, so chances are it will not be in a place of a lot of people. I hope that you will be able to find it soon. If there is anything that you can think of that could be used to help, feel free to ask the butler. He has been charged with dealing with the specifics of the request due to personal business taking up most of my time.” With that the woman placed down her dining ware and stood and left the room. Tryst, Evrend, and Davorin were escorting to the initial lobby where the butler was awaiting them. Tryst stood by to see how the two individuals with him handled themselves at gathering information.

“We will start with this request,” Tryst announced shortly after the three men had left the guild’s tavern, handing the request note over to Evrend and himself to look over. Missing pet?Davorin thought to himself after looking it over and handing it to Evrend. A noble’s missing pet even. Not exactly the sort of request we’re most suited towards, though I do have enough history with nobility to be useful I suppose.

His spirit companion replied, Seems the boring slacker has chosen requests that will require the least amount of work from him, even along only as an observer as he is. Though I suppose I can be thankful this will afford far less chance of you hurting yourself needlessly.

Now who’s being a slacker, Davorin responded jokingly across their mental link. She remained silent after that, not deigning to respond to his jest though he could feel her slight irritation across their bond. The trio traveled for some time through the city into the residential district, making their way through a small portion of the middle class section before coming out into what couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than the gaudy, unnecessarily extravagant upper class section of the city. They passed numerous estates, even more lavishly decorated and landscaped than anything he was used to from his former life as nobility in Juklar, before finally stopping before the address indicated on the request note Tryst had picked up from the guild board. As Tryst rang the bell to summon the guards, Davorin couldn’t help be look back upon his younger days and find that he was quite grateful he’d been disowned and exiled by his father, finding that such unnecessary waste of wealth to show status and such self-importance actually sickened him. He kept his thoughts to himself –and his spirit companion who knew everything that went through his mind—as they were ushered first into the estate’s grounds, then the estate itself, and finally before the mistress of the estate, sitting down to her morning meal.

Their meeting with the mistress of the estate was short and perfunctory, almost completely unnecessary in his opinion, as she did nothing more than reiterate that the pet was missing, put a name to the pet, and then tell them that her butler would be taking care of the particulars and that they should speak with him. As they were led out to the estate entryway where the butler they were to speak to awaited them, his spirit companion commented, Beast? Who names their kitten Beast?

He couldn’t help but smirk, replying, Well, if I had to guess, we’re not going to be looking for just any ordinary kitten. Nobility and other upper class likes have this need to one up each other with displays of wealth and power, so it would not be outside the realm of possibility that the creature we’re looking for isn’t even a house cat but rather something for more exotic… and larger… probably with exceptionally sharp teeth and claws.. The sensation that passed across the bond with his spirit companion could only be described as akin to what one feels when having someone roll their eyes at them. It was all he could do to not burst out laughing as they were finally brought before the butler.

As the four men were brought together, it was apparent to Davorin that the butler was not going to willing proffer up any additional information and that Tryst was going to sit back and observe from this point on, so he spoke up, asking of the butler, “So the first order of business would be to put a description with the name we have. Exactly what kind of animal are we looking for, good Sir, and what does she look like? Is this kitten wearing any sort of collar that might make her easier to recognize? And finally, are there any places we might start our search, such as favorite spots the mistress takes her beloved pet outside the estate grounds?” He paused for a moment before adding, “I am right to presume the estate grounds were already searched and the pet not found anywhere?”