Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-12599067-20141127202735/@comment-11457306-20141228182446

The group was drawing stares from the people working the farm. A young boy in ragged clothes stood watching them from the stables, peeking out from inside one of the stalls. No one seemed inclined to bother them, though, for they were well armed and clearly dangerous to tangle with.

Kazra sat down wearily on a bale of hay and sighed. Conall stood beside her, hands on his hips. "Let's sum it up.  We are looking for a man named Clarent, for whom we have no description, who may know where our quarry, Rowan, has fled.  Clarent is as leery of the Empire as Rowan and will flee if we seem connected with the Empire in any way.

Seems easy enough," he finished, with only a very mild sarcastic tone to his voice, "I recommend everyone check their persons for anything which might suggest a tie to the Empire--sigils, weapons, clothing--anything--and remove it now."

Kasra suddenly spoke up. "I will go in first.  Alone."

Conall turned to her in surprise. "What?"

"I said--"

"I heard what you said and I forbid it.  Why would you want to go in alone, anyway?"

Kaz bristled. "You are not my husband or my master, Conall.  I do as I please.  Wait here and I will show you why I want to go in alone."

Conall watched in puzzlement as Kazra stood and walked over to the nearby granery, disappearing inside. After about 15 minutes, when Conall was considering going after her, she finally appeared in the doorway. Had it not been for her long burnished hair, he'd never have recognized her, for she was now dressed in the low cut gown of a tavern wench--although not quite. It was more elegant than that and cut from better cloth. Earrings dangled from each ear and bracelets jingled on each arm. Her sturdy boots had been replaced with lightweight boots of soft suede, died a deep bard blue and matching the dress. She carried her pack, now bulging with her armor, slung on one shoulder and a delicately carved flute in one hand. She reached out to pluck a blue flower and stuck it behind one ear as she walked back toward the group.

Conall's mouth dropped open. He hadn't even seen that dress before. "Absolutely not!" was all he managed.

Kasra smiled sweetly up at him, flicked his nose and then turned to Ranwulf. "As a bard, I can go anywhere and get away with just about anything.  I go in first, the others follow.  I would suggest singly or in just pairs, staggered as to timing.  If we all go in at once, looking like we do, we'll scare him off and we'll have the guards watching us like hawks."

(Whew!  That took longer than I thought.)