The party re-enters their inn, all chores finished and ready for the next day. Well, after Lucille fixes her packs and armour. Hopefully this is the last night in this town, waiting for the shoe to drop. The kids are still watching the team move taticooly around the town, overprepared for seemingly no reason. They march in, remove their outerwear, and look around the inn for further traps.
The innkeeper is missing. Nobody is watching the front door. They step through the empty doorway to the taproom, with the bar, the tables, and the chairs, looking for him.
He's still missing. The bird is tending bar.
What?
"You're the guys with that black bird, yes?" Says the bird, in what sounds like a new voice. "I've been waiting for you."
"What?"
"Make it turn me back, please."
"What?"
"Your bird. It can turn people into birds like itself."
"What?"
At that, the bird standing on top of the bar spreads his wings wide and screeches.
"Make it turn me back!"
"I.. I don't know.." Lucille looks confused and backs away from the creature. Then, she gets angry.
"No.. You're faking it! You're that bird! You're Raucous!"
"What? No I'm not. I'm Anton Macerin, level 25 tavern keeper. I've lived here half my life, after I retired from being a travelling merchant. You're Lucille Pelagonas, you're here with your crew to escort the white mage to the city of Salonic, to get him certified as a prodigy and to slot him in for high-level finishing training." The bird shouts at Lucille, his harsh voice very different than Raucous's soft tones.
.."What? What happened?" There's a quaver in her voice at this point. No, Lucille is not certain she can't tell two different birds of the same species apart. Particularly since she's never seen any of this species before. The bird is about the same size, yes, and is black, yes, and has two wings and feathers and taloned feet, and black eyes, and a pointy beak..
..Aaaagh.
"I was talking with your bird, just passing the time in the other room, and all of a sudden I started getting shorter. Before I knew it, I'd turned into a black bird. Wings, these weird feet, and tiny. Feathers. I can talk but I can't do anything! And while I was confused, your bird just up and left! It could open the door and get out, while I've been stuck in here waiting for someone to come in!"
"You've got to change me back! And take care of that thing. It's going around turning people into more of itself! It's some kind of zombie apocalypse."
"What.. no.. what?" Lucille is at this point reeling again. She sits down on a barstool, to better look the tiny bird in the eye. The others are content to let her lead the way at this point. People turning into black birds is something way above their pay scale. Jordan looks really amused right now.
.."No." She says, after a few moments. "I'll need proof. Do you still have your ID?"
The bird stops at that.
.."I think so. Let me go hand it to you."
At that, the black bird turns his head around fully, sticking his beak down into the back and tailfeathers, fishing around for something. The head comes up with an ID chit. This is handed over to Lucille.
"What? This is.."
It is indeed an ID chit for Anton Macerin.
"Okay.. we're going to have to sort this out." Lucille sits down again, staring at the ID chit, and then staring at the bird. She's about ten feet from slipping off the counter.
At that, the bird stretches his head out, walks carefully over to an open glass on the bar counter, and tries and fails to get a drink from the mostly-full glass. There's a small puddle splashed around from previous attempts.
"No, I'm not ready yet. The bird.. Raucous.. turned you into another bird? How?"
At this, the bird just shrugs.
The party re-enters their inn, all chores finished and ready for the next day. Well, after Lucille fixes her packs and armour. Hopefully this is the last night in this town, waiting for the shoe to drop. The kids are still watching the team move taticooly around the town, overprepared for seemingly no reason. They march in, remove their outerwear, and look around the inn for further traps.
The innkeeper is missing. Nobody is watching the front door. They step through the empty doorway to the taproom, with the bar, the tables, and the chairs, looking for him.
He's still missing. The bird is tending bar.
What?
"You're the guys with that black bird, yes?" Says the bird, in what sounds like a new voice. "I've been waiting for you."
"What?"
"Make it turn me back, please."
"What?"
"Your bird. It can turn people into birds like itself."
"What?"
At that, the bird standing on top of the bar spreads his wings wide and screeches.
"Make it turn me back!"
"I.. I don't know.." Lucille looks confused and backs away from the creature. Then, she gets angry.
"No.. You're faking it! You're that bird! You're Raucous!"
"What? No I'm not. I'm Anton Macerin, level 25 tavern keeper. I've lived here half my life, after I retired from being a travelling merchant. You're Lucille Pelagonas, you're here with your crew to escort the white mage to the city of Salonic, to get him certified as a prodigy and to slot him in for high-level finishing training." The bird shouts at Lucille, his harsh voice very different than Raucous's soft tones.
.."What? What happened?" There's a quaver in her voice at this point. No, Lucille is not certain she can't tell two different birds of the same species apart. Particularly since she's never seen any of this species before. The bird is about the same size, yes, and is black, yes, and has two wings and feathers and taloned feet, and black eyes, and a pointy beak..
..Aaaagh.
"I was talking with your bird, just passing the time in the other room, and all of a sudden I started getting shorter. Before I knew it, I'd turned into a black bird. Wings, these weird feet, and tiny. Feathers. I can talk but I can't do anything! And while I was confused, your bird just up and left! It could open the door and get out, while I've been stuck in here waiting for someone to come in!"
"You've got to change me back! And take care of that thing. It's going around turning people into more of itself! It's some kind of zombie apocalypse."
"What.. no.. what?" Lucille is at this point reeling again. She sits down on a barstool, to better look the tiny bird in the eye. The others are content to let her lead the way at this point. People turning into black birds is something way above their pay scale. Jordan looks really amused right now.
.."No." She says, after a few moments. "I'll need proof. Do you still have your ID?"
The bird stops at that.
.."I think so. Let me go hand it to you."
At that, the black bird turns his head around fully, sticking his beak down into the back and tailfeathers, fishing around for something. The head comes up with an ID chit. This is handed over to Lucille.
"What? This is.."
It is indeed an ID chit for Anton Macerin.
"Okay.. we're going to have to sort this out." Lucille sits down again, staring at the ID chit, and then staring at the bird. She's about ten feet from slipping off the counter.
At that, the bird stretches his head out, walks carefully over to an open glass on the bar counter, and tries and fails to get a drink from the mostly-full glass. There's a small puddle splashed around from previous attempts.
"No, I'm not ready yet. The bird.. Raucous.. turned you into another bird? How?"
At this, the bird just shrugs.
