Terrah Roth
Terrah was late to the meeting, which was no surprise to her. It wasn't her fault that the guards held her up, or that the child had an interesting stone that he refused to sell for less than thirty pieces. It took ages for Terrah to find a merchant who'd buy some of her old books, and even longer to convince him to give her thirty pieces. Then there was the flower girl, who smelled better than her flowers, which were great by their own virtue; Terrah just had to know how she did it. Upon asking for the time, Terrah went pale, followed by a sprint that she'd likely never top again.
The streets scarce of people blurred by and Terrah whizzed around corners into the central square. Across the square was the tavern she'd been directed to, and she flew across the square to it. She slowed just long enough to confirm that she had the correct tavern, and then burst in. In contrast to the deserted streets, the Lost Cause Tavern was filled to the brim with pedestrians who didn't want to be out where they could be caught alone in some alley. Ironically, starting a fire in here would kill half as they tried to funnel out the small door and everyone was so busy that no one would notice.
Terrah brushed the thought from her mind, but didn't forget to locate all the windows in case something did happen. Her mind ran a hundred miles an hour, and by the time she located the stairs to the meeting rooms, she'd forgot how full the building was and tried to sprint through the people in her way. Needless to say, she slammed into a wall of a man with a beard that could make even the most foreign hermits jealous.
"-nwhat'shyer probl'm mish? Gotsh 'omewhere yah gots ta be?" Terrah wasn't often rendered a child in comparison to men, but when he stood, everyone in the tavern was.
"I, uhh, do actually. With the council actually!" She swallowed as his eyes narrowed. "But you probably don't care about that. Or me. I mean, I'm like a bug to you, you could squash me if you wanted."
"That'sh a good idea, mish."
"Oh no no no it's not. You squish me and the whole tavern sees, sees you kill me. You don't wanna be a killer right? Especially when a killer's what everyone's lookin' for?"
"Don't be tellin' me-" Terrah lost him. She saw a gap in the patrons big enough for her to slip in and she did. The giant of a man lost her in the crowd and, too drunk and too lazy to make any effort of chasing her, went back to drinking.
Terrah sighed with relief when she looked back to see if he was following, and yelped in pain and surprise when her foot caught the bottom stair and tripped her. Catching a stairway with her face was the last thing she thought would be preceding her meeting with the representative from the council, but she smiled and told her self to enjoy life's little surprises. Wiping her nose of the small amount of blood that dripped from it, she climbed the stairs.
Topping them, found the room she was directed to, and opened the door and went in.
"Agh so sorry I'm-" Terrah interrupted herself by tripping in her haste, but caught herself before she fell again and continued, "I'm sorry I'm so late, I...uh...distraction..."
The room was quiet and Terrah felt all eyes on her. Only now did she take in her surroundings and see who had gathered. To her immediate left was a stoic looking monk with a shaved head who stood several inches above herself. Terrah'd seen monks before, but rarely and she'd never spoken to one. Already this adventure was getting fun. To his left, a tall, tanned ranger with enough battle scars to match Terrah's from her youth. Unlike her, he wore them with pride. He was easily the eldest, but not by too much. Guessing other's ages at a glance was something Terrah was good at. To the ranger's left and directly across from Terrah stood a man who fit her idea of a young black mage. He had sharp features and chilling eyes. Terrah met his gaze defiantly, because she felt if she didn't he would somehow dominate her. To the mage's left was a cleric, although at first glance he mistook her for someone's child. She almost passed over her but stopped when the thought occurred that no adventurer would bring their kid to a meeting to discuss a bounty, and therefor had to be a member.
Looking at her with renewed interest, she realized she was not just a member, but as the only cleric, she must have been the council's representative. She was so young, but then again, they all were. At last Terrah's eyes fell to the girl to her right, bringing her gaze full circle. This girl looked similar in age to Terrah, and her equipment gave her away as a ranger. She was significantly shorter than Terrah, but size didn't matter when you could fill your attacker with arrows before he even got close. With a barely audible sigh of relief, Terrah, for once, was the most womanly woman in the group.
She realized that the room was still quiet and remembered that she forgot to introduce herself.
"Terrah. Uh..I am. I was told to come here? To help investigate the murders? Uh, I'm pretty handy with a sword, I guess, if that matters. So...hi." She waved excitedly and smiled like a kid. Hopefully everyone would liven up in a bit, as she'd hate to have no one to talk to.