Time Of Reckoning

Chapter 11.

The crackle of the fire was almost like a lullaby, entrancing and sapping of energy. Hungry like Relinda.

Sighing, the dwarf rubbed her face, tracing her ancestral tattoos in a rather soothing manner. Eyes fluttering, she watched as Mel skipped out of the treeline, the usual glint of mischief in her eyes. Relinda wasn't sure if that meant things went well or horribly wrong. It was hard to tell with that elf.

A groan pushed out of her chest as she reluctantly pulled herself away from the fire. She needed to help make dinner and figure out what Mel had decided.

In those few seconds however, the tan elf walked out with his head high. Huh. Guess that answered her question. Just dinner now. It wouldn't hurt to observe though.

He bore a fake confidence much like some of the nobles in Orzammar. Pressing her lips together, she wondered how many times he tripped while getting dressed so sodding fast. His under shirt was ruffled and sticking out wildly at the back. Relinda wasn't sure if she felt pity or humor while watching him.

With great effort, she left the ring of heat provided by the fire and headed over to Bodahn. Mel had scampered off to go see Morrigan, it seemed, so their planning could wait a little longer.

Sandal waved wildly at her approach, and she reciprocated with a slightly more controlled gesture, smiling at the lad. "Ho, Bodahn! You have any nug meat? I'm thinkin' about preparing this lot for our visit to Orzammar."

"Ancestors, no!" Bodahn's nose crinkled in disgust at the mention of "nug." Most surface dwarves seemed to react the same when they spoke about food on the surface compared to Orzammar. Honestly, Relinda couldn't blame them. Nug was all those deshyrs ever ate.

Shaking his head, the older dwarf turned to his little carriage and began rummaging through it. "You can't miss that spume, could you, Lady Aeducan?"

The Warden swallowed, averting her eyes when he said her Father's last name. It was no longer hers.

After a few moments of silence the stout man turned with worried eyes. "Oh, I apologize! You told me not to call you by your family title, I should have remembered. Please, let me give you a discount for tonight's meal." He waved her on to come closer, obviously afraid that he'd upset her.

Shaking her brown head of hair, Relinda lifted her hands in a placating manner. "Its alright, Bodahn. Just try and remember for next time, will you? It's not something I'd like to advertise."

Bodahn nodded gratefully, still, he ushered her over. "Either way, your group has been good business to us, and you've all been quite hospitable! I intend to at least try and do the same. Now, let's see about getting you some actual food..."

For the next twenty or thirty minutes, the two dwarves playfully haggled over prices. It was more a game than anything, testing their charm on one another. Relinda often practiced her charisma in the merchants' hall, growing up. As a child, she believed she would be the one to completely open and revolutionize trade between Orzammar and the surface. Become a paragon. Little girl dreams.

When she finally pulled away, Relinda suspected that Bodhan had let her off pretty easy. She remembered his shop when he lived in Orzammar. It was a rather ingenious idea, in her opinion. Going in to the old thiags and such to find old family heirlooms, bringing them back to be sold for reasonable prices. So long as he was able to avoid the blight, he had a pretty steady stream of gold to look forward to. Not too many dwarves were willing to do what he did, so he didn't have much in the way of competition either.

Too bad most all deep lords in Orzammar were soft skulls.