Light and laughter spilled out from the tavern as Alyindar and Ealandariel wandered by. From within, the sounds of flute and drums could be heard, playing an up-tempo Elven air. Eala smiled as she heard the music, old memories stirring. The ranger raised a questioning eyebrow at his companion.
"I don't know about you, but I could use a drink." he murmured.
The cleric smiled at him, and nodded.
"A little laughter sounds good right about now." she replied.
Inside, they found the tavern to be busy, yet not so crowded as to be uncomfortable. Nearly every race had a representative there... including an ogre who had obviously shunned the barbaric ways of his people. Aly headed over to the bar to get their drinks, while Eala found a table in an out-of-the-way corner. Waiting for Alyindar to return, the High Elf turned her gaze on the taproom, looking carefully at each of the patrons. She hadn't mentioned it to Aly, but something had drawn her here... a feeling like there was something she had to find. After a few minutes, Eala realised that her scrutiny of the tavern's occupants was being returned - almost everyone was throwing glances her way, then turning to mutter to a friend. The cleric flushed, wishing that the interest in her would die down, and she could be anonymous again...
Her musings were interrupted as her Fier'Dal companion returned with two glasses of fine Elven wine. He settled himself beside her, and began talking about the musicians, and how one of them was an old friend of his, and by the way there was a story that he'd heard while at the bar...
Eala sipped her wine slowly, only paying a slight amount of attention to Aly's talk. Her main focus was still on surveying the room, looking for some kind of sign that she had found what had drawn her to this place.
"Eala? Eala! Hey, Ealandariel!"
She shook herself out of her reflections, suddenly noticing that Alyindar was staring at her in consternation. With a start, the cleric realised that many minutes had passed, and she hadn't heard a word Aly had said. The feeling of being right on the edge of something had intensified, it was pulling at every fibre of her being.
"Well I can see I'm wonderful company this evening!" the ranger chuckled.
Eala sighed, and smiled apologetically at her friend.
"I'm sorry Aly. I was a million miles away... something here is... distracting."
Alyindar put his wineglass down, looking at her questioningly.
"I thought you wanted a distraction," he commented, "but what exactly do you mean?"
"I don't know, 'exactly'." Eala replied. "There's something here that I'm meant to see or hear... I think."
She slapped the table in frustration at not being able to work out what was happening.
"I don't know! I feel like I don't even know my own mind anymore! It's as if I'm being pulled from one thing to another... when I said I wanted a distraction, I didn't mean like this!"
Alyindar sat through this uncharacteristic outburst in silence, simply looking at Ealandariel gravely.
"I've never seen you get worked up like this before." he said quietly. "So I realise that whatever you're feeling must be fairly overwhelming. And to not know why you're experiencing these feelings... I can see why that must be scary. But have you considered that this could very well be a sign from Tunare? She could be telling us where She wants us to go next... what we are going to do for Her."
"I never asked to do this, Aly."
The cleric's reply was so quiet that even with his superior hearing, the ranger almost didn't hear her words.
"What do you mean?" he pressed.
Eala didn't look at him.
"I never asked for this life. To do quest after quest, to have trial after trial thrown at me. To watch my closest friend die, only to have to use some strange new power to bring him back..."
"Eala, you're one of Tunare's chosen, you're a hero..."
"I don't want to be a hero!" Eala exclaimed.
At Aly's shocked expression, she lowered her eyes and voice again.
"At least, not if this is what it means."
Alyindar continued to say nothing, still too stunned by this sudden tirade of emotion from the normally level-headed cleric.
At that moment, a female voice, with a thick Northern accent, rang over the noise of the tavern.
"What? You want one? You'd have no chance sonny, you're too small to ever get a Wurmslayer and live to tell the tale."
Across the room, a Barbarian warrior maiden was showing an impressive-looking weapon to a young half elf. The power emanating from the thing - Wurmslayer, she had called it - could clearly be felt, even at a distance.
Aly turned to Eala, about to remark on the scene, hoping to distract her, but the words died in his throat. The cleric's head had snapped up, and she was staring at the weapon with a fierce light burning in her eyes. The ranger touched her arm tentatively.
"Eala?"
"That's it." she muttered.
"That's what?"
"That's what I came here for... I have to know more... I can feel it, it's calling to me..."
Without saying another word to him, Ealandariel started to make her way across the taproom. People moved instantly out of her way as she passed, wanting to give this strange Elf a wide berth. Aly cursed under his breath, but he had no choice but to follow her. Whatever was going on, he mused, at least it had stopped her brooding.
Only time would tell what was going to happen next...
