CH 1: This Place Sucks

[JadedDM]

"No?" Hollidan asks. "Guess you haven't seen me eat yet, then. Mother was always on my case about my 'atrocious manners.' But I suppose the son of a countess has a lot more expectations than most."

[HorizonsDream]

"Boorish in a noble society," Echo says with a nod of understanding. "But to the standards of a peasant, you are far more polite than most. There are not many people I can tolerate, so consider yourself among the fortunate."

[JadedDM]

Hollidan merely rolls his eyes. "Yes, truly I am blessed. I wasn't sure about this expedition at first, but now that I know the clerk can stomach my presence, I suddenly have all of this new-found confidence!"

[HorizonsDream]

Echo doesn't outright laugh, but she does smile very light which comes off as more of a smirk than anything else. It is clear she is not use to doing either. "How pathetic. I'm a mage that is simply acting as a clerk for the moment. You obviously can't remember basic details, to add to your list of flaws." More often than not she would have been quite serious with those statements, but with the slight change of tone in her voice it was a tad more clearer that she was joking.

[JadedDM]

"Oh, right. Where is my brain today? I keep forgetting I'm talking to a great and powerful mage. I best shut my big mouth, lest she turn me into a toad. Although, is that really so bad, I wonder? I hear toads get quite a few kisses from princesses. Fair ones, at that," Hollidan says.

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Echo improves her relationship with Hollidan +3 by snarking. Hollidan is now Friendly toward Echo.

[HorizonsDream]

"You lack creativity," Echo says with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't turn you into a toad for the simple fact that you seem to want kisses from fair princesses."

[JadedDM]

"What then? A cod?" Hollidan asks. "A stote? Some manner of cheese, mayhap?"

[HorizonsDream]

"A cheese?" Echo asks with a raised eyebrow. "That is a bit too far out of the box. I was thinking along the lines of a donkey or perhaps a boar."

[JadedDM]

"Ha! Now who's the one without imagination?" Hollidan asks. "Anyway, what kind of magic can you do? Can you actually turn people into strange things?"

[HorizonsDream]

Echo wrinkles her nose at being bested. "No, I can't turn people into anything. Not yet, at least. I'm not really even sure it can be done, now that I think about it," Echo says. "Hmm, I'm going to have to look into that later. Anyway, right now, I can make people fall asleep with just a few simple words, bring fire to my fingertips, create magical darts that never miss their target, and so on."

[JadedDM]

"Well, anyone can set fire to their fingertips. It's not a very pleasant experience, though," Hollidan points out. "And the stogy old governess who taught me could put everyone in the room to sleep, as well. She just had to begin her lecture. As for darts that never miss? I had a buddy at the tavern back home who made the same boast. Maybe if we ever head that way, you can challenge him to a game. Might make for some interesting wagers."

[HorizonsDream]

"Turning you into a stinky cheese is sounding better by the second," Echo says. "Though, I can assure you that I could beat your friend at that contest on any day of the week. Where is home, anyway?"

[JadedDM]

"The city of Praven, to the north," Hollidan answers. "Ever been? Fantastic place. Granted, I never saw much of it until I was old enough to sneak out of the castle at night."

[HorizonsDream]

"I've never been outside of this town until today," Echo admits. "How old were you when you started sneaking out?"

[JadedDM]

"Fourteen," Hollidan says, a smile spreading across his face as he starts to think back to those days. "Of course, I tried before then, but I always got caught. It wasn't until I was fourteen I started getting away with it."