North Sea Dungeon

Cannady took a deep breath as she stepped back onto solid ground. She had missed the ocean air and the rocking of a boat, but that was so long ago that she was nearly afraid that she gotten seasick. Golden light painted the port against a canvas of orange and pink clouds. Sails and ropes danced in the wind, and seagulls swooped and squawked through the air. Cannady only spared a glance, too busy squeezing through the crowd on the dock. Right hand on pocketbag, left hand on polearm. Watch for roaming hands, she reminded herself.

There was a faint scent of rain in the air. Though she was fairly certain somebody on the boat had mentioned needing to register and/or go to the overseer's office, the idea of finishing that meeting only to be drenched by a downpour did not appeal to her. Plus, it was a good time for dinner.

Cannady followed the dirt path until people grew sparse, and leaned her back on a building wall. Nobody was paying her any mind. She pulled a lock of hair over her right eye, shut it, and let her familiar stretch its wings.

Whoa. Cannady knew the island was small, but still! She could see the whole island from only a few meters up in the sky! In the furthest distance was a singular patch of trees next to a building. Stairs into the underground- the dungeon, presumably, was surrounded by a good swathe of empty grass. The town square was near her, and the port behind- oh. She had completely missed the overseer's home when she arrived. Oops. Too late now, she supposed.

The first raindrop hit her familiar's wing, sending it tumbling as it returned to Cannady's hairpin. She bit back the ensuing dizziness, barely stumbling as she scanned the nearby buildings for signs of food, or at least open doors. She ducked under a doorframe just as the roar of water hit the road outside.

"Shit! Damn, shit, shit, shit!" Az' was swearing under his breath with vitriol, his steps pounding the ground as he raced down through the street.
The rain had caught him by surprise! Normally, that wouldn't have been much of an issue, if it weren't for the books he was carrying. He really couldn't afford for them to get wet, they weren't even his!
The storm gained in intensity, and with every new raindrop, Az' could feel his hope dwindle. There was no way he would reach the flophouse before the books got ruined.

In the corner of his eye, he saw a doorway with a little awning. In a split second, his choice was made. He rushed underneath the little shelter. Straight into someone. Great.

Brassing himself with a hand on the stranger's arm, he quickly righted himself before they could both topple to the ground. Once he was sure he had his both feet underneath him, he quickly looked up and down the poor woman he had almost trampled. She carried herself with a hidden strength that did nothing to harden her soft face. He gave her an apologetic pat on the arm.

"Oops! I didn't see you there, my bad! Couldn't wait to step out of the rain, you know how it is." He gave her one of his bright smiles, the kind that probably show a bit too much gum to feel reassuring.
"The name's Az'! I hope I didn't startle you too much. Any way I could make it up to you?"

Cannady lingered at the building's entrance, scanning the interior. Lucky her, it was a tavern! Hopefully her luck would continue and it wouldn't be overpriced-

-Somebody collided with her back-and grabbed her arm- and for a split second, Cannady's free arm reached for a hidden knife. Then she turned her head, relief and embarrassment washing out the fear in her mind. That was exactly something the familiar was supposed to prevent! Some adventurer she was, getting surprised so easily.

A fellow tall-man of Eastern-Archipelago descent grinned sharply at her. His whole demeanor felt sharp really, albeit a little sad at the moment due to the rain. She smoothed her face back into a subtle smile as they apologized and patted her arm.

"It's all good Az', I should've seen that coming. You could make it up to me by paying for my dinner tonight, I'll be ordering the most expensive stuff on the menu." She widened her own grin, revealing a crooked tooth. "Kidding, kidding. But I am new to the island, and it looks like you've been here at least a little longer than me. Care to give a rundown of the place while we wait out the rain?" She gave Az' another once-over. She didn't want to actually cover a complete stranger's meal, but she should offer something at least to sweeten the deal. "I know a bit of magic, I could cast something to dry out your things."

At the mention of food, Az's stomach gave an interested rumble. A quick once over through the door's window told him all he needed to know : they could get food here. Score!
Redirecting his gaze toward the stranger, he answered.
"Sure thing! Let's talk around a meal. I'll at least buy you a drink, it's the least I could do after almost running you over." He couldn't really bring himself to feel sorry about it, but he figured she wouldn't hold it against him anyway.
Pushing the door open, Az' took a confident step inside. As he held the door to let her through, he continued:
"And I really appreciate the offer! I could use a drying spell. I usually don't mind getting wet, but..." Az' made his way toward the nearest table, not paying attention to any of the other patrons. He set the three books he had been carrying on the table before sitting down with a huff. "I'm running an errand for lady Melhera, she would be disappointed if those got ruined."
He began fiddling with his hair, hoping to tidy it somewhat.
"Have you met her yet? If you just got here probably not..." He leaned toward the woman playfully, having given up on sorting his rain soaked hair. "Anyway! What are you drinking, mysterious stranger?"

Cannady set aside her weapon at the doorway as the two walked in. There shouldn't be any trouble to be expected, especially in here but... she'd keep an extra eye on it. Her armor clacked against leather as she took off her backpack, stuffing it under the table between her legs. She and Az' sat opposite to each other at the table.

"Oh!" Cannady smacked herself on the head. "I'm Cannady Song, from Kahka Brud. I patrolled the border with the Golden Country for monsters before switching to adventuring." She held an arm out for Az' to shake. "Pleased to meet you. Amber ale would be great if they have it." They didn't offer a last name... she thought.

"Melhera..." Cannady furrowed her brow. "No, I did just get here. Getting out of the rain was my first priority, the overseer can wait a little." She gave a wry smile as she pulled out a small, worn notebook and pen from the bag on her waist.

Az' shook her hand firmly with a nod, distractedly noting that it was warmer than his.

"Cannady Song, it's got quite a ring to it!" He huffed a laugh, "Ah, you must hear it often, don't mind me. An amber ale it is then!"

Waving to get the waiter's attention, he continued. "Don't worry about Melhera, hopefully you won't meet her soon. Not that she isn't lovely, she is!" he quickly amended, somewhat embarrassed. "It's just that she's the one working at the revival office, in the dungeon. So, you know..."

The waiter's arrival spared him from finding words to put in the sentence he had started. He smiled blankly at them before ordering. An ale, a cider, and two plates of whatever it was they were serving tonight. Once their order was placed, he turned his full attention back to his companion.

"Ooh, you're taking this seriously." He gestured toward the notebook. "Is there a specific question you had in mind, or do you give me the go-ahead to ramble until boredom induced death ensues?"