Mad Hatter's Mountain Tavern and Inn

Thrern hears the sleepy reply from Emeraldeen inside his mind.
Was I awoken from my slumber just to listen to you and a strange girl babble? the dragon's gruff voice rumbles. The great beast cranes his long, thick neck to face his master. His dark green scales glint and sparkle in the pale light given off by the moon.
Humph, Emeraldeen grunts.
A shocked reply from Sai confirms just what Thrern had hoped. "I-I heard your dragon talk to me!"
Thrern laughs a light, hearty laugh. "Marvelous, isn't it?"

Oh my God! Sai couldn't believe the dragon had actually spoken to her. She feels like a child again, laughter bubbling inside of her. This was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her, better than the jewels and raids. A dragon had talked in her head and she'd never been happier, more excited.
Thern smiles at her.
"Marvelous, isn't it?" He asks.
She nods, words not coming to her. She's practically bouncing up and down, the cloth covering her face coming undone. Freezing, she eyes Thern, who's smile is gone. He'd seen it. She knows he'd seen it. The one thing she hid from everyone else.

Thrern's grin widens as he witnesses Sai's giddy reactions. She is practically jumping up and down like a school girl. Then suddenly the dark fabric that was concealing the lower half of her face falls to one side, revealing more of her features.
The smile slowly disappears from Thrern's now-solemn face.
I told you, Master Thrern that she is strange, Emeraldeen reminds him before adding, Now I shall be going back to my slumbers, mind you.
Frozen in place, the man stares at the girl not speaking a word. He waits for her explanation.
Sai takes a cautious slow step backward, the snow on the ground crackling under her leather boots.

Sai brings a hand up to her face and clips the cloth back over her face, though she knows the damage had already been done. Thern's smile is gone and Sai knows she only has two options - run, or explain. Could she outrun him? No, he had a dragon. There is no way she could get away.
She clears her throat and swallows.
"You saw the marking, I presume." She says, her voice not as strong as she would have liked.

Thrern eyes Sai carefully. He nods once, doing a good job of hiding his true emotions. His voice is calm as he reassures the young lady. "Now we both share a few secrets of our own."
Emeraldeen let's out a low guffaw from deep within his belly, hot sparks spilling out of the dragon's nostrils illuminating the air around him for a moment.
"What does it mean?" Thrern asks gently, adressing Sai and ignoring the creature.

Sai feels the nervousness bubble in her stomach once again as she thought of all the different ways to explain herself. Realizing she has to speak, she reveals the mark again.
"It's a thundercloud." She states the obvious. "It's supposed to symbolize my heritage."
Thern listens intently, his eyes never once leaving her.
"I'm a Voltage, guardian of the Krainshek people. Raiding is only my hobby."

Thrern's smirk returns. "I see. I knew there was something I liked about you. Why don't we go back inside; it's quite chilly out here. I didn't intend on staying so long." He faces Emeraldeen who is curled up in a massive, scaly ball. "Behave yourself, dragon. We'll be leaving soon enough," the man warns. Turning back to Sai he questions, "Are you up for a conversation inside? I've heard very little of what you speak of and am curious to learn more. That is, if you're fine with it."
Thrern honestly doesn't want to force the girl into talking about an obviously touchy subject, and anticipates her answer to be "no".
He begins trekking toward the tavern's wooden back door once more, occupied in his own thoughts. Once he reaches the arched doorway, Thrern spins around to see Sai. Small snowflakes dance around her in the air before landing softly on the earth.

Sai wasn't sure how she felt about Thern knowing yet and didn't know whether he would like what she had to say about being a Voltage. He seems to care for me.She didn't want do scare him off.
He waits near the door for her, watching closely, and she realizes how magical the scene around her looks. She's in the dark with illuminated snowflakes drizzling through the air. Flashing a smile, she turns to face Thern, wondering what exactly was going through his mind while enduring this.
Not getting an answer from his expression, she veils her face once more and walks casually back into the Tavern, this time sitting in the seat beside him.

"So I know your family is a guardian, but what is it exactly?" Thrern wonders, warming up in his seat by the fire.
"Well..." Sai starts hesitantly.

Sai tries to think of how to word the answer to Thern's question. Do I even know?
"We carry down the linage." She repeats what her father always told her. "We're the last. But being a Voltage is even rarer than being Krainshek. We are able to harness powers that compare us to elementals, but it sticks strictly to electricity of sorts. Mine is, obviously, lightening. My father takes from electromagnetic waves from the air, and my brother takes from static."
She glances at Thern to see how well he's following her.

Leaning back in his wooden seat,Thrern closes his eyes. "Wow, Sai," is all he says as he lets it soak in. He reopens his eyes and notices a few more people enter through the front doors of the tavern.
The girl begins again, swallowing a lump in her throat.
Thrern listens closely.

Sai finishes the drink she'd ordered once she got back in and looks down the glass as if it could give her the words she was looking for.
"About ten years ago, the Krainsheks started to be preyed on by our neighboring people." She continues. "Only a few of us made it out and those who did ended up as Voltages, which masked their Krainshek scent."
She glances back at Thern like before and catches a new group of people walking in.

Thrern wonders aloud, "How does it cover your scent?"
Getting distracted he eyes a gorgeous young girl who waltzes by and he winks at her. She smiles and waves. Then he redirects the attention back to Sai, who is taking the last few sips of the drink in front of her.
The same fire elemental who is the waitress at the bar comes over to tend the flames and relight the fading torches mounted on the stone walls. She moves around the logs in the fireplace, the wood spitting out bright sparks that quickly die out.

Sai sighs and watches at Thern is momentarily distracted by a young woman. She shakes her head before he looks back at her.
"It changed us." She answers him. "I don't know how to explain it really. I just know that it makes us appear differently to those after us."

Thrern looks up as the tavern's doors are shoved opened. Three burly, hooded men stride into the Mad Hatter's looking around.
Thrern curses under his breath before standing abruptly. "It was lovely meeting you, Sai, but now I need to leave." He glances nervously at the men who just entered who are now pointing at Thrern and drawing their weapons.