Mad Hatter's Mountain Tavern and Inn

The "Mad Hatter's" is a large tavern that has been around since 1504 b.c. and is literally located on the side of a mountain. The waiters and waitresses here warmly welcome any character who enters, encouraging them to order a drink, have a seat by the huge fireplace and enjoy themselves (not too much, of course). However to keep the environment appropriate, there are few house rules.

Rule 1: Please refrain from using foul language, please!
This is one of the most important rules. If the use of bad words continues from any guest, the "Mad Hatter's" staff will be forced to introduce you to Brutus... Uh oh, not good. Have you ever wanted to come face to face with an angry three-headed dog? Didn't think so.

Rule 2: Become a fictional character.
Don't use actual people! It ruins the whole feeling of the "Mad Hatter's". Pretend you are a storybook character or someone you have created.

Final House Rule: Play along!
Use your imagination and tag along. Don't be a party pooper!

A tall, hooded man strolls toward the bar at the side of the well lit tavern. He takes a seat on one of tthe stools, observing those around him. He watches a group of stubby dwarves drinking and laughing together near the fireplace, a beautiful female elf climbing the stairs leading to the inn above the tavern, two aged wizards smoking their pipes in the corner and a muscular centaur stringing his bow. The cloaked man shakes off his hood turning back to the bar area. He waits for the bartender, a short fire elemental, to take his order.
The fire elemental quickly steps toward the man on the stool and sets her notepad on the wooden counter.
"What will you be having tonight?" she asks.
"I'll just take your house special," the man answers in a smooth voice. Then he takes off a richly designed drawstring pouch at his waist and pulls out a few gold coins. "For the fair elf with the room upstairs," he informs the bartender with a handsome smile, adding an extra coin to the pile.
"I'll be right back," the lady tells him sweeping up the money and the pad and pen.
Then the "Mad Hatter's" double doors were abruptly pushed open and another character enters, letting the chilly night air to blow in along with little confetti-like snowflakes.

The young woman wearing all black with a dark cloth covering all aspects of her face except her eyes walks into the tavern. She feels as if every eye in the building is on her as she strolls up to the bar and takes her seat close to the wise-looking yet handsome man waiting a seat or two away. The bartender says something to him before pouring a glass of golden liquid, leaving it before him and turning to the mysterious girl.
"What can I get you?" She asks.
"A club soda will be fine." The girl responds in a soft-spoken voice.
The bartender pulls a glass from below the counter as the girl reaches in her jacket for a few coins. They trade the beverage for the currency and the girl takes a sip, letting the sweet liquid run down her dry throat.
"Anything else?" The bartender asks.
The girl notices the man glancing at her and shakes her head, sticking with the soda.

The man watches the girl as she orders, occupied with his own thoughts.
"Thanks," he responds to the bartender when he receives the drink and turns his attention back to his glass. He hesitates a moment before saying to the young woman beside him, "So, are you from around here?" Then he almost smacks himself in the face for the lame question. He keeps his gaze at his drink, not wanting to look at the lady's expression.
He fingers the leather hilt of his sword strapped to his side then takes a swig of the rich liquid.

The young woman flashes a smile at the man's embarrassment for the question which she presumed he thought was a stupid way to start a conversation.
"Here and there." She responds, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
She takes another few sips of her club soda, the nervousness from socialization bubbling in her stomach. Something about him strikes her as odd, and she begins to wonder if the feeling in her stomach is truly from speaking and being spoken to as she was always told. She looks at him once more and ponders her choice for calling him wise-looking when she first entered. The second glance brought upon the assumption she was wrong, that he perhaps had seen too much instead. Or maybe he's hiding something, she thinks to herself.

The man rips his gaze from his glass to look back at the woman.
"I understand what you mean by 'here and there'. To tell you the truth, I can't remember a time when I've stayed somewhere longer than a day or two," he says smoothly, trying to strike up a conversation. His voice remains steady with a hint of adventure behind it. "I'm always being followed." He smiles again, smaller than before, but still friendly. "The name is Thrern. I was trained by the wisest mentors, teamed up with the elves to fight against Morsord and his men, was captured by, then joined, the Shadow Runners but escaped. Been following me ever since."
Thrern paused. Then he whispered a few words in ancient elvish, the symbols for the words glowing in the air in front of the man and young woman for a brief moment. "That phrase I just showed you means, 'Ones who just meet are the best kinds of friends.'"
Thrern sees a smile flit across the girl's face for a split second, or at least he thinks he did. It was hard to tell because of the cloth, but her eyes seemed to grin. He moves around on the stool to face the fireplace across the room from him. He notices that a crowd is starting to build up in the "Mad Hatter's" and the noise level is rising. Thrern sighs deeply, a depressed look settling into his eyes.

Wow, the girl thinks to herself. She watches Thern turn around and hears his sigh.
"I'm Sai." She says,
She takes a sip of the club soda.
"I suppose you can say that I'm a treasure hunter, but I don't think the term suits me completely."
She flashes a smile, thinking about it.
"I was at the raid of the Traik Temple and several others. Born into the business, I guess. My father and brother do what I do but we've gone our separate ways, drifting towards our goals."
She glances at the man to find him watching the new crowd coming in. They're loud and clumsy and Sai assumed they'd already been drinking that night. She lets out a sigh too, thinking she shouldn't stay much longer.

Thrern faces the counter once more before staring at the girl. "...Do you trust me? I'd like to show you something."
He searches her eyes for a reply.

Did she trust him? Sai studies him before giving a quick nod. What's life without chance and risks? Besides, she thought, he didn't look like someone she shouldn't trust.

Thrern smiled once more and took a gulp of the house special, then leapt off of the stool. He waited for Sai to do the same.
Why do I trust her?, he pondered to himself before shaking the thought out of his head. I strangely like Sai...

Sai finishes her club soda and hops off the stool like Therm had. She wonders why she trusts him and, more importantly, why he trusts her while the nervousness builds.

Thrern notices the nervousness about Sai so he states, "There's nothing to worry about." He moves swiftly past the tables full of creatures and past the wooden staircase to access a door at the back of the tavern. He glances behind him to make sure that Sai, and only Sai was following him. He didn't need any unwanted intruders to make the situation awkward. Thrern thinks to himself, "If this woman is truly a part of the Shadow Runners here to attack me, now would be a good chance. However, I have a sword and magic on my side. " He heaves open the thick back door of the "Mad Hatter's" and holds it in place with his foot until the lady passes through it and into the frigid night air.

Sai senses that Thern is nervous about something but shrugs it off, stepping out into the wintry night. She wonders what he is going to show her as he walks past her into the darkness.

The man moves around Sai, closing the back door of the "Mad Hatter's" softly behind him. The shadowy, quiet atmosphere of the night was a drastic change from the bright tavern. Thrern takes a few steps crunching over the patches of snow blanketing the ground, his eyes still adjusting to the dark. He stares up at the silver sliver of the moon through the trees and asks Sai mischievously, "Have you ever met a dragon before?" A white cloud puffs out from Thrern's mouth with every word he speaks.
Sai responds quickly, "Why?" even though she knows what the answer will be.
Thrern saunters toward a small grove of trees that had been concealing the sleeping beast within.
"Emeraldeen," he whispers to the black clumps of trees. A large form behind the foliage stirs then inhales deeply. It shifts to a more comfortable position, the ground shaking under its large feet.
Its master, Thrern, spins around so he can see Sai's reaction. Well at least he tries to make out her response, but because of the dark cloths concealing her face and the scarce lighting it is difficult to tell anything. "Don't be frightened," Thrern tells Sai. "Emeraldeen is a trained dragon, not a wild one. I wouldn't put you in harm's way if I thought he may be a threat. He's asleep, too."
Sai hesitantly moves closer while the man states, "I thought you seemed like someone who could hear Emeraldeen."
"Hear?"
"Yes, dragons only speak to those who they choose. It's quite interesting, really. Emeraldeen carries on a conversation from inside my head." Thrern pauses. "Why don't you try to talk to him?"

Sai couldn't believe it. She is standing right before a dragon. Before, dragons were mere tales to her, having never seen one with her own eyes. Now here she is.
Thern wanted her to talk to him, to try at least. He said Emeraldeen might speak back in her mind.
Sai swallows, gathering her composure and pushing the nervousness to the very bottom of her stomach and the very back of her mind. She clears her throat.
"Hello."
The figure shifts and she waits expectantly.