Meredith looked down at the child, who didn't seem to want to go.
"First off..i'm Meredith, and maybe you'll think of an even better question when you're inside, all nice and warm?",she suggested, trying to remember how one actually dealt with children.
Looking up at Paige when he approached, she shook her head, indicating that she didn't know anything about this little girl either.
She had to get back, there was probably customers waiting, but she didn't want to foist this girl off on Paige, and she didn't trust Garth to look after her as far as she could throw him.
She sighed, she wasn't really sure what to do here. Her inn was her priority, her cover, but she couldn't leave this little girl either...

"I'm Meredith," the woman replied. Chiru pointed and said, "Because people are saying," she was interrupted when the vampire from before came up to her. He kept asking her grown-up questions, but Chiru was barely paying attention. She simply got up, threw her fist into the air and blurted "I'm the strongest!"

Then, the man asked where her parents were. This question may have been a bit troublesome for Chiru, for Chiru did not have any true parents. She was a fairy, one of the many embodiments of nature, but of course, only a fairy, the lowest of all. And if she did have parents, her memory would be too short to remember them, not to mention she was much older than she appeared. However, Chiru actually had no problem at all answering, simply because Chiru was the smartest.

"It's not winter yet!" she told him, "So none of them are here yet! Everybody else's parents are at spring and summer, so I have to wait, but Kiaryi's are at fall, so she has to wait too!"

Chiru stared at the two, waiting for a reaction or another question, but then she found a common factor, or rather, a similarity. Then, Chiru blurted "Are you guys married?"

The child's answer made little sense. It seemed she was trying to tell them that her parents, did not arrive yet.

The child's second question made Paige laugh a little. Then he smiled and said, "No." Paige looked at the child, it would be wrong just to leave her in the streets. "Well, Meredith, why don't you go back to the inn, and I'll follow behind with the child." Paige knew how busy Meredith was, and she looked like she was getting impatient and needed to hurry back. "The child may slow you down a bit so I'll take her. We're not too far away."

(OOC: Sorry guys this was a test please ignore.)

Garth ran a finger along the neck of the slain boy. The blood around the wound had dried. He’d give it an hour before it could be smell. Which left a very important question that had yet to be answered. As he stared at the boy the voice behind him drones on. The few words he cared to listen to left the all too familiar smile on his face. Of all the boys, in all the town, it had to be this one. Leave it to Garth to kill the one kid of this Pale Faced Stranger felt affection for. Then again perhaps the blame could be heaped upon his dearest lady Spymaster. Though it would require quite a bit of lying, and bribing. Hardly worth the coin. It seemed the only option left was to shove a sword through both of their throats. Twas a shame really, Merediths was quite the gem. “So much for laying low,” he whispered to himself.

Garth moved away from the body. He could feel the glare of the stranger digging into the back of Garth’s skull. Like a warming tingling. The southerner turned around to face his foe. The Stranger still held the sword tightly. Garth shifted his center of gravity. It would have to be quick for sure. He’d have to cut down the stranger before Meredith got away. Then the stranger opened his mouth. Absolving Garth of his crime. It return the Sellsword raised his eyebrows. The Stranger issues orders then left the stall. Garth sighed feeling the weight of the day finally crashing down on him. Bar fights, political intrigue, and playing detective with a possible vampire tended to drain ones enthusiasm of the night life. He looked down at the body, the cause of all this mess. “Unexpected being an understatement, eh lad?” Of course the rudely didn’t responded.

Garth exited the stall with a feed bag lugged over the shoulder. This time it carried something a bit heavier than straw. In the dark of the stable he could make out three figures. The stranger, Meredith, and the in-human child. Garth approached them with a welcoming smile. “Of course he stills smells of horse shit.” Chimed in Garth as he moved closer. From what he could overhear the two were arguing about the child. “Let her have my room at the Inn, that way when I get back she can have that question ready for me. You two lovebirds have a good night then, I’ve got some digging to do.” He winked cheerfully at the strange group then departed. This was hardly going to be a joyous experience. As Garth marched down the road, feeling the weight of a corpse on his back, he spotted something. A person moving down the street towards the stables. “Nosy little town, full of nosy folks.” Garth muttered his curse with a smile. He was just an armed, and armored man carrying a sack of horse feed. Best to just smile and move on. The person edged closer and closer. Garth stopped, laughed, and smiled wider. It was the man from the Inn. The one that Garth had almost gutted. The well spoken stranger. “Well if it isn’t my well mannered friend. Small town in a small world it would seem. What brings you out on an early morning such as this?”

Paige scoffed at Garth's infantile remark. He noticed the sack on Garth's back, and was glad Garth was planning on actually disposing of the body. Paige noted Garth's offer for the child, but he knew to put a child in his hands would be a bad idea. The child of course would want to be with Garth, and Paige would have to explain that it was a bad idea. "We're going to have to refuse your offer." Paige said shouting loud enough Garth could hear. Garth had been trouble since the start, he should have just gutted him then. "Filthy southern bastard." Paige muttered under his breath. Paige noticed that the moon was descending, and Paige would need to get to shelter quickly. "Well," Paige said to Meredith and the child. "let's be going then."

Crispin had smelled many a rotting corpse, his own dried blood and that of others. It was heavy upon this man. His ears would be perked and himself alert, as it was so early. He would raise a skeptical eyebrow looking at first, the bag, under the mirage of some kind of feed bag. And then the southerner. “Well if it isn’t my well mannered friend. Small town in a small world it would seem. What brings you out on an early morning such as this?” He remembered the man and his lack of civility earlier in the day. Garth, he realized the name. He looked up to the sky and gave a crooked grin to the still dark morning, his hand would be unnoticeable as it glided to the hilt of his sword, his nonchalant and friendly stance deceiving as he prepared to do what he may very well have to do. After all, he was fairly sure that, there was some oddity within that feed bag. Perhaps a dead animal, but no, why would he hide the carcass and carry it about in a feed bag. The man certainly looked capable of killing, but would he just so casually do it, and then be careless in stopping to talk to someone with it upon his shoulder.

"Looking for Meredith, actually." He would take meticulous care to make a point of looking at the feed bag set upon the man's shoulder. Though his voice was slightly drowsy and strained it held a certain authority about it and the tone was overall that of a pleasant young man. "And I'd ask the same of you," He would hesitate, pulling his gaze to the dark man's eyes. Flicking his tongue over one of his canines before continuing, "Why out and about on this early morning?"

(OOC: I love how Gust is setting Garth and Chiru up together, the absolute worse possible interaction, probably one of the best comedy-wise. Chiru couldn't possibly be funnier any other way, but Garth will regret it, and regret he will. Though, when he learns she's a fairy with regenerative qualities and goldfish memory, oh damn...)

The large man had returned to offer Chiru to stay in his room, so she could ask him the question. "Question, question," Chiru repeated, the word molding into her gums, Khu-oo-weh-est-ch-sh-un. "We're going to have to refuse your offer," the vampire guy responded to him. "Re-foo... Re-few..." Chiru recited, trying to remember the meaning of the sentence, "Refuze... Re- But I wanna go with him! I need to come up with a really, really good question for that guy! Comon, please?" Chiru then lowered her voice a bit. "And I'm not a dummy, I know you guys are married, you just don't want to say it."

Paige smiled at the child. "Fine, you can ask him a question when you come up with it. But you will not stay with him." Paige stood up and stretched. "And for the last time we're not married!" Paige said grinning. "Alright let's go to the inn." Paige said offering the child his hand. Paige realized that he did not know the child's name, or age, or anything. "By the way what would your name be? I don't believe I caught it before."

It you could smell the brewing conflict in the air. The sight of it was enough to send shivers down the spine of any honest man. Garth with the corpse of stripling boy he’d slaughtered, the well mannered stranger reaching for his weapon. It was as clear as the look of mistrust on the stranger’s face. Things could get messy with a few words. Garth smiled warmly, at least as warmly as one can when carrying a dead body. The suspicion was clear on the Strangers face. Behind his smile Garth was mentally kicking himself. The smell. The damned smell. He’d hoped that the smell of horse manure would be enough. He’d behead the next beast of burden that crossed his path. To the murdering sellsword’s delight the stranger inquired upon the whereabouts of Meredith. “Looking to snuggle up close with the fine lady? A noble effort lad, sadly a vain one. She’s already with another. Male, strong-silent type. As for what I’m up to.” Garth felt the weight of the boy digging into his shoulder. “I’m sure you’d love you know my business as much I’d adore knowing your name. How about a trade between dishonest men.”

Crispin's smile would grow as he calculated every movement. Acute in his estimations, and for a few seconds the silence would be tense and as if by the will of some God it would be broken calmly and not with the sound of steel exiting it's respective sheathe, "I'm not in the business of trading secrets, I'm afraid." He would hesitate a moment before continuing, "Only in keeping them." His head would cock slightly to the right, though he overall decided to dismiss what was said of Meredith. The thought of cuddling up to her, definitely a strange thought. Wherever she may be, he hoped this "Strong-silent type" meant her no ill will. But soon he would be upon that and if it were that he did or it had befallen her..

The thought was disrupted as he decided it wasn't enough, and he worked to concentrate on the task at hand, the obstacle before him..In an ironic way, proposed justice if it were deemed necessary. He would hold a stare with Garth as if challenging him to disagree with his unknown request. "Now, I'd enthuse you to let me know what you happen to be carrying?" His iron will would flash as he struggled to read the man's face in the vacant darkness of the early morning. But to try and keep Garth un-nerved to the point of feeling as if it would be no use lying. He would add to his statement. As Garth's own resounded in his troubled mind.

"How about a trade between dishonest men." It brought a feral feeling of predatory instincts to Crispin's heart.

"After all then, Garth. What's a litte honesty between dishonest men?" His smile would become crooked as there was a deep sign of the facade of manners in the moment fading as it began to unveil itself as a hostile and rigid encounter.

A look of confused conflict passed over Garth’s face. His smile became a frown, then the familiar grin again. Garth was unsure of how to proceed with the bravado driven stranger. It was obvious the nickname of, Well-spoken Stranger, fit the man quite well. To well Garth felt. He’d been itching for a fight since he’d walked into this nosy town. He’d been challenge at the bar, at the mansion, in a stable, now here in the streets. Each time his hand had strayed from his sword. The only corpse he’d made was of a stable boy who’d known to much. A feat which left little room for bragging. Garth Brumear, slayer of stables boys didn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Though, Slaughter of Well-spoken Strangers, had a nice ring.

Garth eyed his sword. He’d have to drop the body, rip his sword out, and block. By then the stranger would have removed his head. This deceased stable boy was proving a worthy opponent with all the nuisances it left in its wake. “Clever of tongue, you’ve got wit lad. Wit and arrogance. Two traits that never mix well. I speak from experience mind you.” Garth drew out his advice. He was delaying. his mind doing its best to convince him that this was another one of his horrible ideas. Sadly it seemed it was the only options. There had been plenty of only options today. He lowered the bag from his shoulder. It hit the ground with a sickening thump. Grath pulled the strings giving the Stranger a view of what lay inside. “Stable boy. Turns out, this is the part where you gasp in surprise, one of your villages is a vampire. Before you ask, won’t tell you. Nothing personal mind you lad. Business etiquette not to name the employer. Either way ole pointy fang got a hunger. Made a mistake, and made a corpse. I happened to stumble upon. He happened pay me well to make the body vanish.” Garth pulled the bag closed and propped it back onto his shoulder. “Now about that name?”

((OOC: Sorry for adding Chiru to the thing. Was a mis-click. Anyhow back from my Christmas break. BACK TO ROLEPLAYING.))

Crispin would choke back a snarl at the sight of the poor slaughtered stable boy, he struggled to read the man's dark eyes in the waning light, what was said of arrogance and wit but a memory, thought it had been said mere seconds ago. To behold such a sight, reminding him of the cruel world. His knuckles would crack with the ferocity in which he grasped the hilt of his sword, and his mind obscured with a bloodlust for any man that would slaughter a child Crispin had once saw smiling about the village, making the most, of a most miserable life. And to think Garth willing to with hold the name of his employer. He would hesitate a long moment, to long a moment.

Finally he would calm, clearing his head of the impurities of recklessness. But without further hesitation or thought a name would roll from his tongue, "Arx Gaspier." It was the name of a man he killed a long time ago over a small blood feud. Though it was a lie, Crispin's face showed the uttermost confidence about the answer. His body language noticeably rigid as his clasp of the hilt faltered and then receeded.

He would momentarily consider paying for the information, or at least trying, he couldn't dismiss that Garth may or may not be telling the truth.. The throat was cut, but not at the angle a vampire would attack. As if it was one small stab to the throat, no further damage that Crispin could see upon further inspection. "I ask that you make damn sure his parents are notified.. You would want to know if your child was slaughtered with a sword by some unwieldy murderer." He knew not if Garth was honest, perhaps the vampire had cut the boy's throat and collected it rather than from the source sucked the blood. Or Garth was covering his own tracks, or those of someone else.

But without a doubt he knew he would fight this man eventually if not in this moment, it would be soon. He would show signs of frustration pulling his sword hand away to run it through his hair.

((Merry Late Christmas.))

((Wow sorry for the unactiveness xD))

Kiana ended up walking back to her hut and spending the whole day there. This is something she has never done before as she hates wasting any time that could be spent hunting. Though she needed time to think. She had never really gotten over her father's death, sure she acted like she had though she lived in a constant state of morning. Her calm and confident demeanor merely masked that.

The next day she had sorted out some of her problems and decided it was best to get on with was here to do, hunt. She set up a few traps and started hunting, though her movements were unnaturally clumsy. If someone had seen her they would have imagined she had never hunted before, her thoughts were still on her father and the elf she had met yesterday.

Ava gave up on waiting and started to walk outside and nearly ran into a man and woman with a little child. "Excuse me!" Ava exclaimed. "If you're looking to stay at the inn, the innkeeper is nowhere in sight." Ava said.

Paige looked up at the woman who had just approached them. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Meredith is the innkeeper." Paige said pointing at the woman. Paige needed to get inside, quick. "Come on we need to go, child." Paige said motioning for the child to follow. The inn wasn't far away at all, the kid could find its way inside.

"Ah." Ava murmmered as she turned to face the innkeeper. "I need a room for the night, please." Ava was praying to any gods there might be that there was one room. If she got caught... No she didn't want to think about that. "I'll pay well." Ava went on.

The vampire had inquired Chiru for her name. Chiru spread her arms, stood on her toes and singsonged; "Chee-ROO!" She then stood on her feet flatly, stood a bit closer to her man, did an arm pump, smirked and added, "I'm Chiru, the strongest!" She then started listing things she could break, a list that happened to be somewhat short, but of which she ended with; "... and everthing! Except maybe..." and broke into a much, much longer list, and finished it with; "But that's about it, and I can almost break them. But still, even if I can't break them, I can freeze them real easy. Except fire..." the child darkened a bit, "Fire is my weakness. I am going to melt when I touch fire..." But then she lightened up and continued to talk; "Like this one time where..." and that's how her conversationing patern pretty muched work. One thing to the next.

(OOC: I need to quit these short posts)

Paige walked the child into inn. "Chiru is it? Do you ever stop talking?" He asked smiling. Chiru kept going on and on about a lot that he did not understand. Chiru kept going on about fire being her weakness and melting. "What are you even talking about?" Paige asked confused. He hoped this child wouldn't be a huge pain, but she probably would be. "Where are your parents Chiru? Why are you out here alone? I need a serious answer." Paige said kneeling down so he could look the child in the eyes. If he didn't find this girls parents he might end up playing the role as a father, something he didn't want to do too eagerly.

When they entered the Inn, Chiru couldn't help but stop and look around, getting on her bare toes to see everything. Not that Chiru hadn't seen this place before, just everything is simply, amazing, really. But then she went right back to speaking from where she left off, ignoring a couple questions. As Chiru was talking about the strongest war between the forest and the lake, and because it was winter, everybody was throwing snowballs, untill she was interrupted by a stream of serious and direct questions.

The man kneeled in front of her, catching her off balance, but she regained her balance and put her hands on her hips, proud about how she didn't fall over, because Chiru was the best at everything. She dropped her arms and gazed at the man looking her in the face. "Uuuum..." Chiru tried to remember his line of questioning. Three questions? Or was one of them a sentance?

She answered slowly, "I always come here, almost every day. Kiaryi says there's mean people here, but I said I'm stronger than them and I come here without them. And there's a lot of cool things here. And there's a lot more humans instead of all the elves and magicians that come to the forest, and sometimes the really foggy lake, but we all make it foggy! It's really far away, but I never get lost, and flying here makes me tired, so I walk here! And, um..." Chiru tried to think of something to add, or tried to remember the first question.

She started answering slowly again, as if paraphrasing, "Daisy told us that we are parts of nature, and that our parents only come at certain seasons, and that I'm really rare and from Winter. Winter is when I'm really stronger! And I get to see my them, like Ms. Whiterock, who doesn't like people talking about her weight, and Mr. Rinnosky who acts really smart, but Ms. Yuni says he isn't. And they help us build snow fort castles so we can see if the forest or lake will win the snowball fight. They're sleeping right now because they don't like when it gets hot and they get tired. Then ones like Ms. Yuni and Mr. Murkrow wake up at Spring." Chiru twirled around, "But I get to see mine next Winter!"

Paige stood up. This girl must have some imagination, unless she was being truthful. It didn't seem likely, but she told the story with pride. He looked down at her again. "Do you have somewhere to stay?" He asked Chiru. "Where do you go to sleep at night, where is your home?" He needed to find where this girl lived and bring her there, if she needed him to walk her home. Why would a child be wandering out in the middle of the night and how was she not even the slightest bit tired? "Chiru, what do you mean when you say your parents only come out in the winter?" Gale asked a bit surprised. What kind of parents would leave their child in a town on her own for so long? There was something odd about the girl's story.

(OOC: I somehow love how Paige is trying to make Chiru spell it out for him, even though it probably would be better if he shrugged it off and figured it out a little later, like in the morning. I suppose it let's me show how difficult Chiru can be, but it mostly allows me to explain a ton of things about fairies and Chiru herself, mostly because I love creating things that could be entire stories themselves, and of course, I don't mind exposition, despite how much it takes away from a story. Although, considering they are in a lighter place now, wouldn't Chiru's wings be visible. And you should PM BekaL101)

Chiru hummed as her attention drew away from the man for a second, humming while twirling when the man started asking her questions again. Drat, multiple questions, her second weakness. She tried to remember them. Where is Dr. Evil hiding? Hah, even Chiru knew it wasn't that. "The tea is tea flavored!" Chiru answered a non-existant question.

Chiru answered the first question she could remember; "I said I'm from the lake, the Misty Lake really far from here. I used to make a cold house, but in the summer, somebody kept stealing it and replacing with with water and mud. But I got a really cool new treehouse that everybody helped make, and it's got a bunch of cool stuff in it, and it's got two beds, but nobody uses it except for the time Kiaryi got hit by a rock. Daisy said that I get to have a cool treehouse like hers because I'm really much older now, and I'm the strongest!" She twirled, twirled and twirled some more untill she got dizzy and fell over with a thud.

She stood back up and wiped her eyes. And onto another question. She thought hard about what the question was, yawning and wiping her eyes, and answered. "I told you, they have to sleep. Daisy doesn't really know exactly why, and they say really confusing things. Ms. Whiterock says that they 'go with the wind and ice' and 'need to rest when plants grow' and Mr. Rinnosky says 'that's simply the way it is'. I don't get it!"

Chiru sat on the floor as her face looked troubled, a look of confusion and lonesomeness, possibly disappointment. "But Maria said being diff-" she interrupted herself with a deep yawn, regaining her usual composure and childish tone. "Is it my turn to ask questions now," she asked, preparing to get up.

Paige listened patiently to all the girls questions. He sighed, he obviously wasn't going to get much sense out of her any time soon, whether she was telling the truth or not. Either way, he listened to her carefully, trying to make sense out of something. She said something about living in a tree house, good, she had a home, she wasn't a lost child. "If you know where you live perhaps you should make your way home now." Paige suggested. Maybe if he sent her off home she would see her parents. But, if he sent her off she could really get lost, in the case that there was no actual tree house. Plus she said the lake was very far away, that could lead to trouble.

The child's question took Paige by surprise. "If you have any questions to ask you may ask them." Paige said with a sigh. He didn't exactly want to waste his time talking to a child, but he was stuck inside the building until sundown, so perhaps talking to the child would help to pass the time. "Yes, it is your turn to ask the questions." Paige replied smiling.