Flagon Wars 5

"Puntah!" The tiefling yelped as the dice rolled onto the table showing two fives and a one, "Exactly as I said!"

"Are you cheating?" Elanee grabbed the three dice to check them for weights.

Neeshka snorted, "Of course not! I learned this game almost as a babe! I have excellent manual dexterity or I wouldn't be able to be a thief."

"A haphazard career at best."

"Oh hush you tin can!" The tiefling stuck her tongue out at the paladin, "You're just upset because you are loosing."

"Careful with the 'tin can' references. He's not in that can tonight but he can still twist your tail off." Avera pulled forward and patted her friend's hand.

"Ha! You're just trying to protect his ego because you have him bedded!"

The hobbit chortled, "Ah but you are jealous that I have someone to keep abed."

An eyebrow edged upwards with the blushes, "Avera, I do not believe this is proper," Casavir looked about realizing that this discussion could become more extensive, "Conversation material."

"Oh oh." Elanee turned her face as she noticed the ranger standing just behind her.

"Of course it is good material, paladin. In fact, I would like to know more about this bedding technique of yours. Tell me what you do with a hobbit in heat. Or do they have a season?"

It was Avera's turn to blush as she sputtered on her tea, "Bishop! You know hobbits are just like humans in that regards. We are not dire wolves or jaguars." A snarl coursed up from below and beside her, "No offense, Kathin."

"Do not speak of her like that Bishop."

"Does it always have to turn into a free for all around here?" Shandra looked about the group in disdain.

Sand sat in his corner to the left of Avera, sipping his tea but starting to hunger for some good ale. With squabbles like these you needed a good, stiff drink. Maybe he would go for something stronger tonight, "You see, this group is unable to survive without a bit of strife. It is an understatement of the truth but a fact nonetheless, hmmmm."

Bishop patted Karnwyr's head as the dire wolf came over to sniff at the table, "Is it just that you do not wish for us to know how it is done?"

The paladin's eyes were getting darker by the moment, "How what is done?"

"Bedding a halfling, of course!"

Grobnar hopped about beside the ranger, "Bedding a halfling? I would think that would rather be like bedding any other race but humans certainly know more about that than many other species."

Everyone stopped and turned to the gnome.

"And what would you mean by that?" Bishop snarled in aversion to the gnome ruining his fun baiting the paladin.

"Well, you have to realize that most of the half breeds around Faerun tends to be half human. It is quite amazing really what the human will consider as a mate. Look at the half-orcs around. It isn't always the female who is the human side of the pairing which means that often as not it isn't a case of unwanted advances. It is my guess the human male is quite adventurous when it comes to bedding and sometimes they don't even seem to know what they are mating with!"

"This is from a gnome who can't even figure out why two female gnomes were interested in him staying with them." Sand looked to the sky for strength.

The gnome cocked his head, "Why did they want me to stay? I guess I could have helped them with categorizing all of their stuff but they were already very astute with that!"

"That is a narrow view of humans." Casavir stammered.

"Not really." Neeshka warmed up to the subject, "He is correct. You don't hear about elves, demons, gnomes, dwarves or other races breeding with so many other races. It is always human half breeds. Not dwarven-elves,"

Sand and Elanee gave the tiefling disgusted looks. If Khelgar were in the room he would have been disgusted as well.

"Not gnome-elves or anything else like that."

Elanee seemed disgusted but Sand looked particularily offended, "Thank you for those wonderful images. Now I must clean out my brain with a memory wash agent before I have nightmares!"

"When you think of it … many species direct their sexual attentions to humans." Elanee cheerfully added, happy that she could get herself around her blushes to speak on the subject.

"That just means that we are a meat market to other races." Bishop grinned, thrilled with the embarrassment on the paladin's face, "Not such a bad deal … unless you include orcs, gith and some other races in that quotient."

"I wish you would refrain from comparing the forming of," He glanced over to Avera, "Bonds between two beings with a market."

Bishop sneered and pulled up a chair between Neeshka and Elanee, "There is a difference between bedding for sex and these 'bonds' that you place so much emphasis on. You don't have to be in love to have sex."

"What is love anyway?" Neeshka quested, "No offense mind you."

"It's a second rate emotion which creates obligations." The ranger rubbed Karnwyr's ear.

"Obligations like that of a ranger to his animal companion?" Avera waggled her eyebrows at Bishop as Kathin put her chin on the table to peek at Karnwyr and get an ear rub from her hobbit.

A flash of murderous intent ran past his eyes, "It isn't like that."

"It isn't as if I said you were popping the pup." Karnwyr whined as Casavir's mouth dropped from his lady's words. Bishop got a lopsided smirk on his face as she continued. The ranger never believed she could be that crass, "Love is not sex and vice versa. It always peeves me off when people say it is the same."

"Being tied down to a feeling or a person only creates vulnerabilities."

"Feelings for others is a strength, Bishop. If you cannot see that then you are to be pitied." Or just put out of our misery.

His laughter rung out strongly, "You believe that don't you Paladin?"

"Aye, he believes it, lad. And you do too otherwise you wouldn't be sticking with us." Khelgar walked over to the table with a couple of the children following him, holding platters of food. The dwarf was beaming in excitement as they put the platters and plates in front of his friends.

Elanee looked over the foods and shivered, "What is this?"

Bishop was about to give the dwarf what for but lost his train of thought as he looked over the meats, "Ribs and wings? That is a lot of meat."

"How did you get just … wings and ribs?" Shandra glanced over the fare in confusion.

Khelgar snorted as he dropped a large salad in front of Elanee and another in front of Sand, "There's a meat market where this restaurant owner goes to and buys up a lot of chickens but tells the butcher to cut off and keep the wings. Weird guy. He also likes these strips of ribs removed as well. The butcher had all of this to just throw away so I got a good deal!"

The children ran back towards the kitchen and were returning with more trays. These trays were full of dipping sauces, bread and jugs of ale.

"A good deal?" The druid took a closer look at the crisped meats, "But these are all end cuts. How can you have a meal of these?"

"You use dipping sauces!" The dwarf chuckled as Sand looked offended, "I have a variety made up but I'm not sure of the stuff Grobnar talked me into making."

"Oh yes! I'm sure it will go over well! Jalapenos, habanero and pepperoncini are the peppers we used. Hot sauces!" The gnome seemed happier than normal.

"And you wish for us to," Casavir was tearing at the scent as the sauces were placed on the table, "Try these?"

"Whatever you wish to try. There's sweet and sour, mild, medium, barbecue and …"

"Mouth flame spicy!" Added the gnome in excitement.

Avera chuckled, "Sal! A huge mug of milk for me please! Maybe bring a pitcher of it as well."

The group, except for Grobnar and Bishop, turned to look at the hobbit. She shrugged as everyone started to use the tongs to get some of the meats onto their plates. The group seemed happy to start with mild sauces and avoided the hot ones as it made most everyone at the table teary eyed.

The hobbit tried a couple of ribs and wings in a barbecue sauce then started piling her plate with only wings. The men watched in wonder as she topped up her plate with about fifty wings.

"You can't think that you will eat that many?" Sand was astonished with the hobbit's enthusiasm. She snickered in delight as she pulled over one of the larger bowls of hot sauce. Sand's eyes went wide, "You have got to be kidding, child."

"Do you believe that is wise, my lady?" Even though this did not concern a life and death situation, Casavir was still anxious about his lover's welfare. He was also worried that she would not be able to kiss him later if her tongue was burned off.

Bishop snapped, "Let the woman make her own choices! Besides, I want to see this." His bright smile made Casavir bluster and had the ranger even happier for it.

Avera watched as everyone's eyes were drawn to her. Even Grobnar, who had already been enjoying one of the batches of hot sauce, was intent to see what she would do. So she picked up a wing to gently twine it about her fingers. It was such a small thing. The food was a mouthful for most at the table but a couple mouthfuls for herself.

As everyone watched, she dunked the crispy meat into the sauce and nibbled on it in luxury. A beaming smile played on her lips as she double dunked it to soak the meat further and bit into it ravenously.

Eyes grew larger as she cleaned the bones and grabbed another wing to do the same. They watched as she did this then took a drink of milk and aptly breathed in deep. She smacked her lips as the scent of the hot sauce hit the roof of her mouth.

"That is just wrong." Neeshka announced as she dipped a wing in another bowl of the hot sauce to taste it. She stuck out her tongue then slurped her ale quickly.

"You have to enjoy when a hobbit can beat a tiefling on putting up with heat!" Khelgar chuckled maliciously.

Qara walked over to the table and tried a wing in the hot sauce as well but her face crinkled up in distaste, "I do hot but that hot sauce is just rancid! That stuff is unsavory. I'm off to get a real meal." She strode away and out of the Flagon.

"It isn't rancid." Grobnar piped up as the sorceress left, "It has a lot of capsaicinoids which makes the heat. Water or ale doesn't do much to abate it as they are water based." He nibbled on some bread as he said this and everyone noticed he also had a mug of milk beside him.

Bishop grinned as he dipped a rib into some hot sauce. He laughed at the others under his breath, "It is oil based so water based drinks don't dissipate it. I'm just surprised that the little woman can handle so much before even drinking any milk or eating some bread."

Avera glanced up, "Father and I have harvested chili spices in the mere. We found a wonderful place to farm them." She munched through another two wings, "Our favorite spot is a nice sunny area on raised dry land away from the swampiness."

Elanee turned in shock, "Is that what you were doing there? Now that I think of it, I never took a good look at the plants you two grew in the mere but they did smell strong."

"You saw us planting in the mere?" The hobbit's eyes narrowed, "You have been watching me for much longer than when the githyanki attacked my home town."

"Well, uhm …" The druid was trying to find the words.

"Don't bother, Elanee. I know you've been watching for a long time." The hobbit went back to her meal and completed her wings with a relish. She then grabbed more and ate them as well.

Neeshka held her left index finger in her mouth, thinking things over. She finally turned to the hobbit, "So what would have you done if Casavir hadn't decided to go after you? I'm amazed either one of you initiated anything, to tell you the truth!"

Casavir swirled on the tiefling, "Our relationship is our private concern. Not a supper topic."

"Really?" The tiefling frowned, "I just find it funny that you even got the nerve to start anything. We all thought that you would wait until some far off time when it would almost be too late to actually have a relationship. And we know you paladins are not into one night stands so a full relationship would still be your interest, even if you were supposed to die the next day."

"Maybe it is just the paladin way of having a one night stand." Bishop added, "Wait until it is too late then start something. That way you don't have to live with your choice for long."

"Leave him be." Avera snapped, "You know Casavir doesn't like to speak of such things in public."

The paladin was furious. How could these people talk about his relationship with Avera like that? Was Neeshka not supposed to be a friend of his loved one's? He stood and strode from the room.

Avera gave the two a scathing stare then followed.