4
(18)
Both families (the quiet one in the process of leaving and the less quiet one still eating) seem on edge and vaguely unhappy, with the exception of a few individual members, who are largely inscrutable. The adult members of Less Quiet Family keep scanning the room, like they expect something to jump out at them.
The two merchants who are eating together with their guards are looking at each other like a couple that married for love and genuinely still cares for each other. (Their guards also seem to be enjoying the conversation, but donât seem to feel the same way towards each other or the merchants.)
The dwarf seems very focused on his papers. Your impression is that he honestly just sincerely cares about whatever is on those papers.
The staff are trying to put on a bit of a Customer Service Performance, but at least a couple of them seem genuinely happy about something in a way thatâs not explained just by the fact that theyâre supposed to be friendly as part of their job.
AmĂŠlie seems like a really devoted host who cares a lot about her guests! Definitely a refreshing change of pace after your last inn-like experience.
âItâs unusual, isnât it?â Paprika slowly gains her footing in the conversation as she mirrors the woman sheâs speaking to. âI am sure the honored baron has his reasoning, of course. I simply lack understanding of it from my own small point of view. Such a tense time leads anyone to difficult decisions, even if the optics are unfortunate. That research on Gorum isâŚ.â She searches for a positive word. âprudent, Iâm sure, but I hope for our sakes it is not too prescient.â
(No guard/merchant quadrouple :/)
She raises an eyebrow slightly. âOn Gorum, you say? Personally, Iâve always resonated more with Abadar, though of course I worship all the righteous gods in their proper place.â
She takes another sip of her wine, looking at you as if inviting you to say more.
1 Like
Do any of the groups (ignoring the person Rika is speaking to) give off the impression that theyâd be willing to chat?
Paprika nods in agreement. âBest to worship wisely. I would pray to Pharasma if expecting a child.â And Gorum if expecting a war, is the implication.
(Yes, she specifically thinks this to herself)
âOne of my more reasonable companions is a former magistrate from the good Baron Dalinâs lands, though he seems to know as little as I do regarding the recent changes to the legal staff.â
The gay merchants and their guards seem to be enjoying their current conversation (still about city planning), and donât seem like theyâd react poorly to being interrupted by other people who are also interested in talking about city planning.
The teenagers from Less Quiet Family seem to be closer to the flavor of âon edgeâ where it would be helpful to have Something, Anything, to talk about that isnât related to their current situation, rather than the flavor where they donât want to talk to anyone.
The staff donât seem super busy at the moment, but itâs hard to be confident whether they actually like talking to customers or whether it would be a chore they are doing because itâs their job.
âMmmm. It seems like a terrible waste, dismissing honest men who have served his family for yearsâŚâ
Wanderer will listen to a bit of this conversation to understand the context and to wait for an apt moment to enter.
He doesnât quite understand city planning but the commune fundamentally had many planning considerations.
âQuite so. Lionel is a dedicated man.â
Paprika trails off with a bit of finality, leaving Amelie to bring up her own topic of conversation if she so pleases.
(one merchant:) ââŚmore rational to lay out a city on a grid , so as to make it easier to navigate.â
(the other merchant:) âI donât dispute that, but I think youâre underestimating how difficult it would be to adjust the layout of an existing city to conform to a grid.â
(one guard:) âYou could do the outskirts, couldnât you? Just tell people all their new buildings had to follow a sort of grid structure?â
(merchant #2:) âYes, and Iâve heard that Egorian actually did that when they moved the capitalââ (Noticing that his voice has gotten a bit animated, he ducks his head in mild embarrassment.) âânot that I consider Egorian a model for anything else , mind you, and of course Iâve never visited.â
The first merchant pats his arm reassuringly, smiling fondly at him.
(Second guard:) âYou know, the grid issue has always felt like a bit of a distraction to me, ever since I first heard you talking about it. Itâs not like the grid layout helps people get to the cisterns, and that seems more important than whether the city is easy to navigate.â
(First merchant:) âPeople can access them regardless, itâs just a question of how much walking they prefer to do, and it seems implausible that a few extra minutes would make such a difference.â
2 Likes
She takes another sip of her wine. âOf course, if something did happen to Baron Dalin⌠he doesnât have an heir, does he?â
(as far as your character can tell, this is a rhetorical question being used to vaguely suggest that others (not you) might have ulterior motives)
1 Like
ThisâŚthatâs something I can speak about.
Of the various places Iâve traveled and the people Iâve watched, has this been the case?
Gosh. Roll⌠K(local) or K(religion) (I realize the latter might sound wild)
(10)
(Letâs say religion)
tbh I totally assumed you had a rank in K(Religion)
2 Likes