Two \'Wanderers\' at the Pony

Common Room

This large and rectangular room serves the purpose of Common Room for the Prancing Pony. Large windows along the western end of the room peek out over the Great East Road which runs outside the Inn. There are long tables with bench seats for the patrons in the centre of the room. Nestled into the wall is a large fireplace with several bundles of wood piled next to it. Overhead, lamps hang down from roof beams, but their light is dim and half-veiled in smoke. The corners of the room are wrapped in shadow.

[Creban(#22423)]

After a long absence, Creban had returned to the Prancing Pony as busboy (well, bus man) and bouncer. A rag tossed over one shoulder he cleared tables easily, greying hair tied back as he returns to the kitchen, then comes out once more for another load. He hummed cheerfully, not minding the early afternoon rush and preparing for the main evening meal.

The creaking sound emitted by the door opening is drowned out by the sound of chattering voices and the clanking of forks and knives against plates. A rather tall figure makes his way into the common room cloaked in dark grey with the hood worn over his head, casting a shadow on his features. The man turns this way and that, as if briefly scanning the room to get a better feel for his surroundings. Calmly, the man then proceeds towards an empty table near the middle of the center of the room, casting a brief glance towards the bus boy as he lowers himself down into a chair.

[Creban(#22423)] The bright light from outside comes in, and Creban glances up as he notices it. He nods to the newcomer simply, finding no other tables to clean. Instead, he scans the room, finding the waitresses all busy with others as he smiles, approaching the stranger \"Good afternoon! What will you be having to drink and eat?\" he asks in his accented voice, a smile on his face.

Pulling back the hood concealing his features, he reveals a head full of bright red hair falling to his shoulders. Turning his attention back to the bus boy who address him, the young man responds in an accented voice, as well. \"I\'ll have some mutton - and a pint of ale,\" he says, simply. \"And er.. what kind of soups do you have today?\"

[Creban(#22423)] \"Mutton and ale. We have beef-barley right now, and I do not think the spiced potato soup is QUITE ready yet. \" the \'bus boy\' returns. He looks at the mans\' hooded features, not at all suspicious - people always hide their faces around here. Peculiar really but something he was used to. \"Oh, we also have a little bit of chicken potato too.\"

\"Oh, alright - I\'ll have a bowl of chicken potato soup, then,\" the redheaded man responds with a nod. \"And make sure it\'s hot last time I was here, the soup they\'d given me was cold already,\" he explains in a calm, but firm tone.

[Creban(#22423)] \"I\'ll make sure its hot enough to take the beard off a dwarf sir.\" promises Creban with a tilt of his head and a warm smile. \"It will take me a few minutes. i\'ll bring the ale out while it warms further.\" he turns to depart, and indeed as promised, brings the ale and some bread and butter out quickly.

The cloaked man nods to the bus boy, the edge of his lips tilting slightly upward in a weak smile. While the grey-haired man is busy fetching the orders, the young man takes his time to examine the occupants of the room his eyes lingering on some of the more shadier characters near the corner, but then quickly losing interest once the ale and bread have been served before him. \"Thank you,\" he says with a nod, and reaches out for the pint.

[Creban(#22423)] \"It is no problem. I may be no pretty waitress but one will be by soon with your food I\'m sure. Which way did you come from? Others like to know how the roads are.\" he explains as he sets the dishes down.

A slight smirk is given at the mention of pretty waitresses, and Irin answers his inquiry, \".. From Archet. My Uncle works at the Smithy here in Bree I\'ve come to see if I could help him out around the shop for a bit,\" he explains, before taking a large gulp of ale. \"The East Road is rather safe.. didn\'t run into any trouble, at least.\" His accent, however, is not quite in tune to where he says he is travelling from.

[Creban(#22423)] \"Archet eh? I\'ve not been there yet. The smithy many times though.\" the man chuckles, making conversation while his customer waited for the food \"That\'s good to hear that the roads are safe. It\'ll keep the traders happy to hear good news.

\"Oh - well, it\'s a bit far if you\'re on foot. About half a day\'s walk from Bree.\" And the man takes another swig of ale, before asking the bus boy, \"It\'s been a while since I\'ve been back. I see thing\'s haven\'t changed much the Pony\'s as busy as ever,\" he comments offhandedly. \"Anything interesting happened, recently?\" The customer, too, engages in small talk as he waits for his food.

[Creban(#22423)] \"Not that I can think of, then again I\'ve just ere returned as well.\" admits the man as he leans on the back of another chair. \"I am still catching up myself.\"

\"Oh?\" The man takes a spare knife, taking a bit of butter and spreading it on the bread infront of him. \"Where\'d you come back from?\"

[Creban(#22423)] \"I was just... well, wandering I guess. Learning more of the area outside of the town of Bree.\" explains Creban, picking at the back of his hand a little bit \"And doing some thinking to myself away from distractions.

An eyebrow is raised upon hearing what the bus boy says. \"Wandering, hm? Not usual that Breefolk travel outside the city,\" he says in a neutral tone, before taking a hungry bite of bread. As he chews he continues speaking, \"Are they such distractions that you need to wander away from the city?\"

Creban smiles a little bit \"well, I\'m not really from around here, but I consider Bree my home entirely. Yes... I suppose its just another \'peculiar\' thing as the hobbits put it, that I like to just go out and be utterly alone for a time, just sitting thinking.\" he shrugs \"Its probably just me.\"

\"Oh,\" Irin nods as Creban explains. \"I\'m surprised you haven\'t been to Archet yet, then.\" Another bite or two of bread, and he goes on, \"I like travelling around, as well, actually. Especially in the woods just east of here - as you said, it gives me some time to myself to think think things through.\" He smiles slightly, before taking a few more gulps of ale.

[Creban(#22423)] \"I wandered in the other direction. I\'ll visit it next time.\" Creban promises \"ah, the woods. I do not go in there for long. I take the others\' words to heart that there are dark things in there. Dangerous things. Dangerous people.\" he notes.

\"Dark things, hm?\" Irin grins. \"It\'s all hogswash there\'s nothing dangerous in those woods. Although you\'re right you do have to watch out for yourself, anyway. Never know what you\'ll find out there. But it\'s not like you\'re in the trollshaws, or anything.\" And with another swig of his cup, he appears to finish the ale in several large gulps.

[Creban(#22423)] \"True, true. But the tales must come from somewhere. \" he notes with another shrug \"either way, I find myself preferring to stay in the plains. They just feel more calming. maybe I\'m just not a woodsman eh?\"

\"Indeed,\" Irin agrees, and then shrugs in return. \"My father\'s a woodcutter, actually. So I guess it feels more natural to me,\" he explains. There is a long pause, before he asks, \"So, how is it like working at the Pony? You probably get a large variety of people dropping by here.\"

[Creban(#22423)] \"Indeed. Some of the tales I hear are quite incredible. At times I ponder other lines of work. I\'ve been here for years ever since the owner took me in. I\'ve since repaid my debt to him.\" remarks Creban \"I haven\'t found better work yet though.\"

\"Oh.. it must be tiring, isn\'t it? I mean, working here day in and day out, non-stop.\" A pause, and he takes his time to finish the small bit of bread left. \"I\'m sure you\'ll find something, sooner or later,\" he comments somewhat hopefully. \"What kind of tales do you usually hear -- from customers, I mean?\"

[Creban(#22423)] \"I get the occasional day off, but it DOES get boring at times\" admits Creban, now taking a seat across from Irin. He considers deeply, then states \"Ghosts in the Barrows - old news, not really a new thing actually. Strange sounds and voices... songs in the forest. Many think they are haunted.\"

Irin nods understaingly to his laments regarding work, before they move on to the subject of ghosts and hauntings. \"Can\'t actually believe any of those things, though.\" He grins. \"I\'ve never witnessed any of those sightings, or heard any of those strange voices in the forest, anyway. They\'re making it all up, I say.\"

Creban smiles \"If they are true or not, I do not know. I\'m sure there are strange things out there.\" he nods \"Or they were drunk.\"

\"More likely the latter,\" Irin smirks haughtily. \"Probably mistaken wolves\' cries for ghosts, or something like that,\" he tries to find an excuse. With a shrug, the man changes the subject once more, this time focusing more on the Breelander sitting across him. \"So -- you said the owner had taken you in before you started working here. I hope you don\'t mind if I ask, but whereabouts did you live before coming here?\" He asks with a slight smile and neutral tone.

[Creban(#22423)] A pause, and Creban looks away awkwardly. Then he looks back with a sad smile \"I wish I knew, so I could return there. I was brought here by traders from the coast - ill and nearly dead, with no memory of who I was or where I was from. \"

A blink, and then a slight furrowing of his brows upon hearing this story. \"Traders from the.. coast?\" Irin has never before seen the coast of the sea, and so this rather rarely-used word is somewhat unfamiliar to him. \"Are you sure yer not just trying to fool me?\" Another grin, but this time rather playful. \"If it\'s true.. well.. how did you know you were kidnapped by a group of traders, if you couldn\'t remember anything?\"

Creban chuckles with a smile \"No, i am not joking... Hmm. I never thought of that, but since they did not profit off me, I dont see the point of kidnapping. \" he admits thoughtfully \"Still, an interesting suggestion.\"

\"I don\'t see the sense in it, either,\" says Irin, with just a hint of suspicion still left in his voice. \"And how do you know they didn\'t profit off you? For all you know, y\' could\'ve been a rich landowner before y\' were kidnapped, and you just forgot all about it.\" He pauses to consider the plausibility of this. \"It\'s not the first time I\'ve heard a tale about someone losing their memory, and suddenly not knowing who they were or where they were. Although I still have my doubts.\"

\"Did they leave you here, in Bree? Or outside it?\"

Creban furrows his brow \"I dont know. something tells me I was not...\" he breaks off and states \"Right into Bree. I remember climbing off the wagon and meeting Mister Nob, and then befriending him. I was given a bed here, and then a job.\"

\"Oh -- that\'s awfully nice of him. The innkeeper just doesn\'t give jobs to anyone who shows up randomly like that,\" Irin says, rather bluntly. \"He must\'ve felt sympathetic.\" Another pause, and the redhead asks for more details, \"So - you climbed off the wagon. Didn\'t you get a look at the driver\'s face? What else were they carrying on the wagon?\"

Creban states \"Crates, barrels, supplies, some blankets. \" he notes, quirking an eyebrow \"I dont recall THAT much you know. I was feverish and sick at the time.\"

\"Oh..\" Irin nods, and shifting his gaze into the distance as if to think for a second. \"It all sounds highly.. intriguing. Such a shame you don\'t remember the details. Perhaps you had just had such a bad fever that it affected your memory?\" Irin muses. \"I\'m not sure that\'s possible - but who knows?\" There is this growing feeling at the back of his head that tells him he\'s being made a fool of for believing this story, but he nonetheless goes along with it. \"Anyway - what\'s your name?\"

[Creban(#22423)] \"The fever WAS very bad. Oh.\" he straightens and gives a short bow of the head \"Creban is what I go by now. And yourself?\"

There is an awkward second\'s pause, and Irin must decide which name to introduce himself with. \".. Call me Giddian,\" he says, with a nod and a friendly smile. \"Creban\'s an interesting name - sounds foreign.\" Peering around the common room, Irin must finally ask, \"I wonder what ever happened to that mutton and soup. Must be cold by now,\" he remarks with a wry smirk.

Creban chuckles a little \"Well, the name is.\' a pause, and then he looks devastated \"One moment!\" he turns and bolts into the kitchen, dissapearing.

Irin nods as the bus boy leaves to inquire about his food. \"Don\'t worry about it,\" he calls out as the man rushes towards the kitchen.

[Creban(#22423)] If Creban heard him, it was hard to tell, but a few minute later he comes out with the dishes himself, making his way to Giddian. The food was still hot, luckily, and Creban states \" A fresh batch just came out. so I got you that instead.\"

\"Oh - thanks,\" Irin nods and accepts the plate of hot mutton and bowl of potato soup. \"The waitresses must\'ve forgotten about it.\" He smiles, and then begins to dig into the mutton hungrily. \"Did you want some of the soup? They served a bit more mutton than I thought I wouldn\'t want to waste any food,\" he uses this as an excuse to have Creban sit back down.

Creban shakes his head \"No, thanks. I ate before coming.\" he smiles \"That way I can stand to watch others eat in front of me.\" he chuckles.

\"Oh, alright,\" Irin nods \"Suit yourself then.\" And he smiles once more, before returning his focus to the food infront of him. \"Do ye have any spare rooms? I haven\'t settled on where I\'m going to stay for tonight.\"

Creban states \"we have a few available tonight, as well as rooms with multiple beds. but I\'m sure I have a single for you.\" he smiles.

See if you can reserve me a single, then,\" Irin responds, between mouthfulls. \"Here\'s, uhm..\" He takes a moment to fumble in an unseen pocket beneath his cloak, before withdrawing a few coins and placing them on the edge of the table, near Creban. Alltogether they add up to just enough to amount to rent a room with.