The Slurred Spino had seen many new and strange faces over the years, although it was safe to say that Lilly's was not among the strangest to ever grace the halls of the fishing village pub. Hired on as one of the new waitstaff, the young woman was more than ready to take on the day and serve the customers to the best of her ability. Her long blonde curls fell to her shoulders and her bright green eyes lit up the room as she bounced from table to table with a beaming smile gracing her lips. Yet there was something in the air as she came out of the kitchen with a couple's order, although she didn't understand why the room had suddenly gone quiet until she spotted the large party that had seemingly appeared out of thin air at the large center table.
Taking a moment to drop off the plates of food and to thank the older couple for their patronage, Lilly paused before walking into the center of the room, her steps growing shorter and shorter as she realized just how unique the new customers really were. Her eyes wandered from one odd being to the next, her grip on the serving tray growing tight as she stepped up to the table and flashed a nervous grin. At first the customers didn't seem to notice her, such as they were busy talking amongst themselves, so Lilly took a moment to inspect the assorted creatures more closely.
The person sitting to Lilly's immediate left was an elf, a high elf if her limited knowledge of other races was correct, although she didn't look anything like the noble and proud race Lilly expected to see. Instead of fine robes and a noble mannerism, this elf was dressed in grease-stained cloth that might have once been a pair of working pants and shirt and was nearly falling back in her chair because of the large metal contraption she was tinkering with in her lap. The large sphere was almost as big as Lilly's head, and was filled with complex mechanisms that were far beyond anything she had seen before. Tools moved at near blinding speeds as the elf's ocean green eyes flickered back and forth, every once and a while shifting her head back as small puffs of smoke would escape from the device. At first Lilly was slightly afraid the sphere would explode, although the smoke puffs were short-lived enough that Lilly's initial fear of an imminent detonation were soothed to a slight twinge of nerves.
The elf's clothing wasn't the only thing that was different from what Lilly expected, although it certainly was the first thing she noticed. Her brown hair was singed in multiple places and seemed to have been partly styled by way of explosive methods, although how she had survived the process Lilly had no idea. Yet out of all the beings sitting at the table, the elf was by far the least out of place when it came to compare to the others in her party.
Glancing to her right, Lilly immediately took several steps back as she beheld one of the most frightening things she had ever seen. Seated across from the elf was a short man, or at least what she thought was a man. His hunched back and leathery skin made him almost look like an undead of some sort, although his sunken eyes were alit with intellect and gleamed with something almost animalistic as his hand scratched at the cloth over his left shoulder. His mouth moved in rapid movements as he whispered archaic nonsense under his breath while twitching back and forth like he was diseased. Lilly had the distinct feeling this man was best avoided at all costs, and carefully stepped around the table until the elf was between her and him.
Making sure that the serving tray was shielding her body as much as possible from the seemingly mad individual, Lilly turned her attention to the next member of the party, and immediately sucked in a breath of shock. Dressed in tight combat clothing that showed off raw muscle and gleaming silver scales, Lilly was almost unable to believe that a real, live dragonborn was sitting at the table before her, although the hulking being seemed to be more attuned to the mood of the pub than the other members of her group, going so far as to offer Lilly a small smile and a nod as she caught the nervous girl's eye with her own ice blue orbs. Immediately, Lilly's heart rate dropped just a little bit, although it wasn't long to last as she turned her gaze to the next being of the party.
While it was impossible to miss the nun's robes that adorned the creature seated near the far side of the table, it was also impossible to miss the red skin and the small horns that poked out from beneath the cowl of said robes. Bright purple eyes caught Lilly's own and the serving girl felt her breathing halt as the Tiefling flashed her a smile, a small gloved hand waving hello before the diminutive being turned her attention elsewhere. Lilly wondered for a moment if the seemingly friendly demon-spawn was just playing tricks on her, but as she watched the smaller woman talk and smile with the others before her, Lilly got the feeling that this one might actually be friendly just for the sake of it, hard as it was to believe.
Glancing over at the person seated to the Tiefling's right, Lilly nearly jumped as she finally caught notice of the truly massive man that was sitting next to the comparatively tiny half-demon, her head tilting up to look into his eyes even though he was sitting down. The massive hulk had to be at least seven feet tall in order to make her gaze tilt so much, and yet somehow, she had completely missed him until she had looked right at him. As she took in the man's bulky figure, Lilly noticed that something didn't seem to add up. It wasn't until he put down his drink that she realized that every movement the man made was completely silent, even though the huge dwarven tankard he used had to be nearly as heavy as a fully-loaded serving tray. Feeling more and more unnerved by the customers seated before her, Lilly turned her eyes to the next member of the group, and immediately tilted her head in confusion.
Dressed in what had to be the most concealing clothing Lilly had ever seen, was another short woman that seemed almost childlike next to the hulk of a man sitting next to her. Lilly couldn't even see her face clearly under the oversized hood the woman had pulled up and over her head, although her gaze was drawn to the woman's hand as she reached for her drink. Gold scales and gleaming white claws caught the candlelight from the overhead chandelier as the small being brought the cup to her lips, her white-gold muzzle poking just free of the cowl's shadow before disappearing again as she set the glass down once more. Lilly's gaze was drawn to the more casually dressed dragonborn seated across the table before moving back to the absolutely tiny woman before her, and immediately realized that there were two of the legendary creatures in the room with her, although she had to wonder if the smaller of the duo was a runt or some such. Yet just as she was about to turn her attention away, Lilly caught the smile and heard the soft giggle that escaped from the hood, her eyes catching a glance of the woman's gleaming violet irises before she turned her attention towards the Tiefling seated across from her.
Feeling like she had just been part of an inside joke, Lilly turned to the second to last member of the party, her head tilting down for the first time as she beheld a young girl, perhaps only nine or tens years of age. Yet even this child was far from ordinary, her jet-black hair and pale blue skin standing out in the dim lighting of the tavern as she fiddled with the hem of her pelt clothing. Upon closer inspection, Lilly noticed that the pelt belonged to that of a bear, and that the other items the child possessed seemed to also be from a bear in one fashion or another. Her daggers, which she was using to stab at the complimentary bread loaf like it was a rabbit, were carved from what seemed to be a bear's jaw. There was also a bear tooth hanging from her neck on a piece of twine, partly covered by the well-used cloth that covered her body where the hide did not. Her pure white eyes seemed to hold a wild, animalistic nature to them that made a shiver run down Lilly's spine, even though the girl was only half her size.
Finally, Lilly shifted her attention to the last being seated at the table, her eyes widening once again as the bright purple feathers and shining orange gaze nearly dazzled her upon first glance. It took her a moment to simply accept that the being before her was real, but none the less, there was a bird-person, known to most as an Aarakocra, sitting at the table and dressed in some of the most outlandish garb Lilly had ever seen. While the bright purple feathers and orange eyes were enough to catch the eye, the being's flamboyant clothing and assorted instruments made it abundantly clear that the Aarakocra was a bard of some sort, yet just like the massive hulk from before, he made no sound as he moved about, even going so far as to use his taloned hands to make odd gestures to his companions as they conversed. It took Lilly a moment to realize it, but she suddenly understood that the bard was completely mute, using his hands to speak to the others instead of words.
Feeling rather unnerved by the strange group, and barely having the courage to keep from running as she turned away, Lilly was just about to go hide in the kitchen when she was stopped by the intimidating figure of Mary-Anne. The slightly portly woman was several decades Lilly's senior and had the temper of a dragon when angered, although none of that was present as the shorter woman walked right up to the table and asked for their orders like there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
Lilly could barely keep her jaw from hanging as the group of strangers ordered their food from memory, never once glancing at the menu or even bothering to check if there was anything they might want instead of their usual fare. Mary-Anne took it all in stride and walked back to the kitchen window, shouting out to the cook before returning to the tableside. Lilly simply stood there for several seconds before rushing back to the kitchen as the orders started coming out, Mary-Anne helping her to carry it all over to the center table as the new customers dug in.
Lilly managed to carry over the food without tripping on her feet, although she paused as she noticed the giant taking a chicken leg from his plate and sticking it into a burlap sack that had been resting on the floor next to his stool. For a moment Lilly was confused, although that quickly changed when she saw the bag start to shake and rustle, soft hisses and growls escaping the opening before the giant gave it a swift kick. There was a sharp yelp followed by muffled grumbling as the movements of the sack slowed to a halt, although Lilly made a mental note to stay on the far side of the table from the mystery sack from that moment on.
Taking a break from their work as they finished bussing the food to the large group, Lilly pulled Mary aside as they were coming out of the kitchen, glancing over at the strangers for a second before asking, "Who are those people, Mary-Anne? I've never seen such strange beings in all my life."
Mary-Anne turned towards the group for a moment before glancing back at Lilly with a small smile, "You're new here, so you wouldn't know about those fine folks yet, but they pop in every once and a while in between their adventures, tell this old woman about their travels and then go on their merry way once again." She busied herself with cleaning a tankard with a cloth as she looked towards the group, a fond light in her gaze as she remembered things from days past. "Let me tell you a story, young one, and maybe that will help you to understand why that particular group is always welcome in the Slurred Spino."