Young Writers Society

"Sorry sweetie. Did I startle you?" Sao wanted to squeal at how adorable that reaction was and then promptly hug this cutie but for starters Sao was far too short and it looked like the poor thing wasn't exactly thrilled to be talking to people either, so a hug would probably cause a fainting spell.

Before she was convinced to do something drastic anyway one of the other giants was talking to her She did not want to turn around right now, especially given the current view was much less scary but she answered anyway.

"Saoirse O' Shovel.... Ington tbe Sullivan," Sao grimaced. "I uhh go by Sao or uhhh... The Shovel in Shadow."

Echo couldn't help but snort at that. Shovel in Shadow? And Mom thought her warlock name was terrible...

Fae swallowed. Fae couldn't go the whole trip like this. That was a recipe to be left behind, forgotten, or thrown in a vat of silver. Echo had to be competent. And competent people could introduce themselves without vomiting.

"I'm Echo."

Fae immediately looked at the floor, cringing at faer existence. Faer voice was very high-pitched for a tiefling. Then again, faer everything was too... Echo for a tiefling.

"Pleased to meet you, Echo." Sao brought out the shovel from its hiding place and did a little bow, kneeling down beside the shovel. She was either going to gain some sort of credibility or certify her place as the lunatic.

Aeron was watching all this with a blank expression on his face and a similar one on his brain. He didn't really understand what was going on, or who these people were. It seemed each person that showed up was weirder than the last -- so he kind of hoped no one else was going to do so. Still. If these were to be his coworkers...

He shook himself slightly to clear his head and cleared his throat, offering a little awkward wave. "Aeron Munen. Nice to meet you."

Robert had never meant to get sidetracked. A couple of herbs were all they had to buy, and then they could've returned to their little room above the clinic and (tried to) sleep for a few hours. But when Robert saw the advertisement with its ridiculous number of coins, all he could think of was, were they robbing a dragon or something? And then they thought of dragons sleeping on piles of riches, and they started to wonder just how nice of a mattress 100,000 silver coins could buy, and then...

Somehow, he found himself in a small stable he was quite sure was more unsanitary than average. A tall man was introducing himself, and Robert figured he should do the same, just so the others knew what name to call if they were injured. "Robert," they said with a sharp nod. "Medic."

"Oh, that's handy," Aeron muttered, taking a step towards him and offering a hand to shake. "Glad to meet you, Robert. I'm clumsy." He smirked at his own joke.

Echo swallowed. Okay. This was fine. There was so many people that no one would focus on faer! Fae could just stay quiet, melt into the background, and no one would notice faer until Echo could actually help. Like if the team was threatened by a fearsome owl bear or if someone was trying to peek in the mysterious chest and someone needed to lock it down with thorny vines. Echo wouldn’t be noticeable until fae was necessary.

Sao whirled around to the newcomer. "Pleased to meet you too, Robert." She let out a sigh of relief. Maybe there was no tall person clause after all. Hopefully her sigh of relief at that wasn't too audible.

"And I would be.... shovel."

As more people wandered in, Kiirion kept note of their names, and their mannerisms.

"Pleasure to meet you Saoirse. Echo. Robert," he said, nodding to each newcomer as he said their name. "My name is Kiirion Ayair Faelar. I'm a cleric. Capable of healing and various other spells as the need arises."

Sao gulped. "That is a.... impressive name." This seemed like that mysterious type that just did their own thing and would very likely be one of the big reasons Sao and her shovel were going to make it out of this alive. She should probably stay on his and well everyone here's good sides. They all seemed powerful and capable, unlike Sao and her shovel.

The door swung open, revealing the same spooky, mysterious, cloaked man that had yelled at Aeron when he first arrived. And he seemed just as ominous as before, his face hidden from sight. "She'll see you now. Follow."

With that, he turned and swept out of the room.

Aeron blinked, glancing around at the others. What a bizarre man.

Echo would be lying if the demeanor of the man wasn’t a little comforting. It seemed like something Mom would do when Mama just finished a new cloak. “A warlock needs to be menacing, Echo. And what’s more menacing than a hidden face and a billowing cloak?”

Echo cracked a small smile. Mom would be proud of faer for doing this. That was enough to keep going. That wasn’t enough to be the first to follow the man. But it was enough to follow eventually.

Kiirion didn’t know what the others were waiting for, but after a split second, he followed the cloaked figure, stepping through the door and leading the way first. Me motioned to the others to follow behind.

Aeron quickly recovered from his shock and followed Kiirion out, not one to be out-bravery-ed. He squared his shoulders and briskly strode out after him.

Echo glanced at faer other companions. They all seemed hesitant. But that made sense too. Fae never found Mom scary, but most trembled at hearing her name. Her warlock name, of course. She never told anyone her birth name.

Echo took a deep breath. Fae was just meeting someone Mom would probably be great friends with. That’s all. It was fine. Totally fine. Fae wasn’t about to make a fool of faerself.

Fae followed after this Kiirion, hoping no one else was hoping to be third.