It was just growing dark when Nuitae approached the inn. Opening the door slowly, she saw a quiet, if crowded, room, and a grumpy looking barkeep. Keeping her hood low over her head, she walked towards the bar. "Light wine, and a room for one night," she said softly. The barkeep asked no questions. He had been in this position for many a year, and he kept it and kept alive by keeping quiet. So long as his patrons did not cause trouble, and could pay for their lodgings, he did not care who came and went. He assumed the stranger was elf; she was soft-spoken and her accent light. As he set the glass and key in front of her, she nodded her thanks.
In the background, people started talking again, once they saw the stranger was not anyone interesting. "Did you hear, drow attacked again?" Nuitae's ears immediately perked.
"Their attacks are getting more and more frequent. I just bet we're next!"
"What are we going to do?"
"What do you think we're going to do, you numbskull! We're going to fight."
Nuitae stood up and walked over to the table. "May I join you, good sirs?" she asked politely. The men shrugged and pushed out a chair. "Please, go on. I'm interested in the drow attacks. Do you know where they come from?"
"They come from the pits of hell, if you ask me!" one of the men said, to a round of applause.
"I do not disagree," Nuitae said. "But you see, I'm tracking them. Any information would be useful."
The men laughed. "We got ourselves another drow hunter, eh? Well, the more's the merrier!"
"Another drow hunter? What do you mean?"
"Eh, I dunno. Don't remember too well. Oi, Brock! What was that fellow's name? The young lad with the handsome face?"
The barkeep looked up from cleaning a glass. "The lad that was in here just a day ago? Treian, I believe. Folks called him Trey. And he's a damn good one too. Raiding parties stopped attacking a village for a good while during his stay there. Caught his fair share, made loads too." A loud thump interrupted Brock's story as Nuitae stood abruptly.
"Excuse me, good sirs. I'm feeling tired, and must retire. I've had a long journey." Bowing courteously, she turned on her heel and marched up the stairs.
"Elves," one of the men said. "Such a weak constitution. Not made for travelin'." There were murmurs of agreement.
"Well, if she- or he- whatever it is- can kill a couple of drow while here, I'll drink to their health!"
No one, not even Nuitae noticed the two pairs of eyes following her. One sat in the corner, cloaked just as she, but underneath the hood of the man's cloak was a wide, playful grin, with amusement sparkling in his green eyes as he watched her ascend the stairs. When she had gone from sight, he stood up, throwing his cloak back and revealing a handsome face, clean-shaven, and cropped black hair. "I'm glad to hear the rumors about my heroic deeds spread quickly!" Treian said, going up to the bar. Nuitae was quickly forgotten by almost everyone as they realized the famed drow hunter was right there in their midst. One young man, a regular at the inn, watched Nuitae from the moment she set foot in the tavern.
"Somethin's not right with that one," he said to himself. "Kept herself hidden too much. What could she have to hide?"
"Oh, lighten up!" several others said, filling the lad's mug again. "And drink to our brave hunter!"
"I tell you, something doesn't feel right about her! I'm going to find out what it is!" In his drunken state, the young man stood up, knocking over his chair, and started for the stairs. However, he quickly found his way blocked.
"Come now, let the lady sleep!" Trey said, putting his hand on the lad's shoulder and turning him around. "I've been hunting drow for a good while now, and even if she is hiding something, it's not for us to discern! Besides, elves don't enjoy merriment and drinking like we do!"
The man glanced nervously up the stairs again, before being led to his chair by Treian. "I-I suppose you're right."
"There's a good lad! Now then," Trey said, pulling out his money purse, "drinks all around!"
Although Trey paid for several more rounds; he himself drank little more than a mug or two. He participated in the loud, boisterous affairs with a wide grin that spread from ear to ear. It was not long until just about everyone had passed out cold, except for Trey, of course. He waited until the last of them had fallen into a drunken stupor before walking quietly up the stairs. The drow hunter carried no weapon that anyone could have seen, yet he was not off guard. Suddenly something reached for him, but he was quick- much quicker than he had let on before. With a skillful twist, he had a cloaked and hooded figure on her back, pinned.
"Well, well, if it isn't my dear Silver Hair!" Trey said happily, a grin playing on his handsome features. Nuitae glared at him, her eyes narrowed as she struggled against his grip, but humans were generally just too strong for elves- even drow. "Who'd have thought you actually dared to come here. You seem to be in quite a predicament."
"Only because you put me here!" she spat back. "If you're a drow hunter, what is it you want with me? Shouldn't you be out catching some black-skinned drow?"
Trey smirked again, leaning in close to Nuitae's face. "I think I already have. First one in days, too!"
With a swift kick to Trey's groin, Nuitae flipped him over and stood up. "I'm not a drow! I was raised on the surface, by moon elves, of which my mother was born as well!" Between gasping from pain and trying to stand, Trey looked up at her, but the smile never left his face.
"You might want to keep quiet. Quite a few men down there would love to see me put your head on a spike! And it'd be such a waste of a pretty head!"
"Just leave me be!" Nuitae said with a snarl, turning into her room and slamming the door in Trey's face when he stood up to follow her. Holding his hands up in defeat, he laughed. "Alright, alright! Have it your way!"
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the young man from the night before woke up. Carefully, so as not to disturb the others, he snuck up the stairs. There were only two rooms occupied; one for the cloaked stranger, and one for the drow hunter. A quick listen to the snoring from one room told the young man that the elf was in the other. The young man tried the doorknob- it came open easily. The elf was obviously more trusting than she should have been, or it was a mistake on her part. Knowing how keen an elf's senses were, the man swallowed, trying to decide how best to enter. Finally he just swung the door open, and as he did, he nearly screamed.
The elf lying in the bed had skin as black as ebony, and long, silver hair. In an instant, however, sensing her danger, Nuitae woke up and sprang to the floor, nearly attacking the observer. Soon, shouts of "Drow!" awakened the entire tavern. In the next room over, Trey cursed as he leapt up out of bed and hastily pulled on his breeches, coming out of his room just in time to see Nuitae, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and breeches, run past the surprised human. She stopped, frantically looking for an escape, finally running back into her room and diving out the window.
"Somehow I feel like she would have left us alone had you left her alone," Trey said, his voice cold.
"Y-You're a drow hunter! Go get her! We'll pay you! A bag of gold- two if you want it! She's probably a scout!"
"I doubt that," Trey muttered to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Trey started to turn down the offer, but soon the man's shouts had waken everyone below, and they were crowded around the bottom of the stairs. Word traveled fast. Suddenly, the shout of "Thief!" was heard outside. As many as could, the men rushed to windows, seeing the drow speeding away on a horse. Trey had to suppress a grin as the others watched helplessly as one of their finest mares was stolen from their stable. His expression was short-lived however. Trey had never let a job pass by. The moment they offered him the gold, he considered himself under contract.