View source for A dog, beer and an apology

A cool, grey and rainy day makes for a subdued Ox-Strength, as well as causing a lower turnout. The regular fistfight was also mostly a wash, three blows exchanged, only one person went down. Not even sawdust required to sop up the blood. The smell of cooking and spices does cut through the smell of damp and unclean people.

Sitting at one of the narrow booths along the front wall is an albino Goblin, a somewhat familiar sight for the barkeep and some of the regulars. An open notebook is set upon the table, various drawings of giant spiders and ettercaps filling the two pages. Some are in glorious colour, while others are black and white pencil sketches.

The pencil is unmoving, however, as Simony is feasting on the largest bowl of curry chicken the Ox can offer, and it looks like she's two beers in as well.

Ous has been out for the morning. Now he is back. Entering into the Ox Strength, the ranger waves to the bartender. the Bartender does not wave back as she sees what is following him. "Ous! You are NOT bringing a gods damned horse into my establishment! no Horses allowed!" 

Looking over his shoulder towards a truly huge Mastiff, Ous frowns and looks back tot he bar tender, still walking. "Awww, Ruby! 'e's no a horse! 'e's jest a puppy!" Dog follows closely on the ranger's heels, his large mastiff face looking slightly dejected at the yelling. there's a few moments of discussion back and forth between Ous and Ruby in which 2 beers are bought, and 4 are paid for before the bartender finally relents and lets Dog stay, with a final "any messes he makes, you clean!" 

That established, Ous and Dog head for the leather chairs near the wood stove.

Simony smiles as Ous and the dog go by, and after a few moments, she's gathered everything up. As he does his horse-trading to get Dog into the barkeep's good graces, the Goblin takes her favourite comfy chair ahead of Ous' arrival there. The bowl is set in her lap, and she is back to practically inhaling it. A regular chair has been set between the two comfy ones, acting as a table for the three other beers she has waiting.

"Hello Ous! Who's the doggy with you?"

Nodding to Simony, Ous notes the chair with the beer on it and adds his own 2 to the mix. "'lo Simony." Settling into the other chair, he grunts softly as joints and vertebrae pop audibly with the motion. "This be Dog." Looking at the giant Mastiff as it lays down next to his chair, Ous rests an arm on the dog's back, the thing being nearly level with the arm rest anyways when laying down. "Dog. This be Simony. Again. friend, an' we dinnae eat friends. Dinnae. eat. friends." The dog chuffs and lays it's head on the ground, watching Simony with big puppy-dog eyes.

The Goblin pffs at the instructions to not eat friends. "I'm all stringy and gamey tasting anyways. Ous would make a better meal.", she says conversationally to the dog. She does stand, setting her stew aside on the seat, to settle on her knees next to the giant dog. "Aww, who's a good pupper?" Simony offers up her hand for Dog to sniff at.

"I'm sorry about my anger the other day, Ous. I just... I am fond of you. We've been though a bunch of rough spots, depending on each other, and our friends, to stay alive. So seeing you so badly hurt scared me very much."

	Without any dedicated delivery days or dates, the whole... appearance of the Paladin with her brew does tend to be a bit chaotic. The fact that she goes out adventuring as often as not only helps add to the unpredictable nature of it. But things are changing a bit. She used to deliver a small quarter cask carried over one shoulder. But tonight, a wagon slows to a stop out front, and a full barrel of her latest brew is hefted off of the back of the wagon. Balancing the 600 pound thing over one shoulder, she carries it up the stairs, then places it down in front of the entrance. It is on its side so that she can roll it inside.

	Okay, she may be making up for having had a few weeks where she was unable to deliver. But the fact that she quite literally donates the liquid golden mead to the tavern free of charge does tend to give her a bit of lee-way.

	So it is that the front door opens, and she begins rolling the barrel in by hand. "Please be being forgiving me for the lack of deliveries of late." She says towards the innkeeper as she approaches the bar.

Placing a steadying hand on Dog's shoulder while Simony holds her hand out for the animal to sniff, the ranger nods slightly as Dog sniffs it, the leans forward to lick Simony's face with a tongue big enough to cover half of the goblin's face. Taking a mouthful of his beer, Ous nods once more as he listens to Simony. Seeming to actually think for awhile before he replies. "Aye'm sorry ye were scared Simony. Aye didnae consider th' dyin' it were just a job what needed doin' ye ken?"

Turning his head to watch Lysa as she enters, Ous chuckles. "Now tha' there be a lady o' talent."

Simony squeaks and laughs as Dog licks half her face at once. "Oh gosh I had my mouth open... I could drown here!" Hugging at the dog's neck gently, she offers ear scritches and pets before she settles down in her seat again, retrieving her curry. Falling silent, the Gobbo begins to inhale it quickly.

The barkeep, on the other hand, opens the gate in the bar to allow Lysa to roll the barrel behind the bar.

	Once behind the bar, Lysa smiles to the barkeep and then bends to heft the barrel up before lifting it and placing it in a cradle designed for barrels that size. Only once it is in position does she let out her breath and then stretch a bit, "Oy, that is being heavy." she intones with a smile.

	It is a good thing she is not wearing her heavy armor in town. Fifty pounds of armor is quite hefty. White linen tunic and trousers is the extent of her armor in the city. But then she reaches for the faucet and jams it home before she pours up three flagons of that liquid gold mead she makes. These are set on the counter. "Simony. This one is yours." she says as she slides that one the Gobbo's way. Yeah, Lysa met her a few times. Enough to remember her name, but not much more than that. And then she slides one towards Ous. "And be being for the other Stormgarder within." she adds before she picks up her own and gives the barkeep a smile. "The rest is being for you to sell good friend barkeep." she states before walking back out to the customer side of things.

Standing to go retrieve the Ale poured by Lysa, Ous nods and raises he mugs in salute. "Aye thank ye." the accent Ous spoke with wasn't really from one area, it was a mashup of multiple northern dialects crammed into one Oussian accent. Moving back to the seats, he adds. "Room O'er 'ere if ye want." Settling into his previous seat, the ranger hands one of the mugs to Simony, watching her quietly for the moment.

Dog watches Simony intently as she goes back to eating her curry. scootching forward slightly, he looks all but ready to drop his face into the food, drool falling from his jowls in thick ropes as he whine slowly begins to build in crescendo to an excited bay. it's stopped though as Ous places a hand on the Mastiff's head. "Nae Dog. We dinnae eat from another's hand."

The Goblin peers at Dog, eyeing the drool, and she move her bowl back. She growls lightly at the giant canine, "Sit down.", she commands, firmly. Her eyes don't leave the doggo, nor does she stop eating. The bowl is set aside so that she can take up the big mug of mead. Grinning at Lysa, she holds the mug aloft, "Thanks!", she calls out, "To new friends and puppies!" It takes a little doing on the albino's part, but Simony does manage to get it all down in one go. She looks at her bowl of curry with a face full of regret. Eyeing Dog again, she commands him to lay down. One he complies... she puts the curry bowl in front of him.

	Reaching into her over-the-shoulder bag (Haversack?), Lysa produces a hunk of jerked salted pork. This is held out towards the dog. "You should be being naming your friend here." She suggests to Ous in her weird singsong dialect. It comes from traveling with mercs for her childhood development years to many MANY different places with many different languages and dialects... mashing them together into one.

	That done, she moves to sit in the indicated seat. Once she does so, she leans back and relaxes with one booted foot coming up to rest her heel just before her backside on her own chair. "So how have you two been being doing of late?" she asks.

Hand still on Dog's shoulder, Ous traces small circles in the hair between the shoulder blades. Watching as both of them offer the dog food now, Ous looks down at the dog. Dog, for his part turns and locks Yellow eyes on Ous' own green ones for a moment, waiting. Finally Ous nods. "Aye think we can trust them." What happens next isn't so much eating. Dog turns towards the salt pork and lunges at it. The animal easily tipping the scales at 120 lbs already and still with the big feet and oversized head proportions of a puppy, it isn't terribly coordinated. the Salt pork is wolfed down in a frantic chomp before the dog swings around and attacks the bow of food. Ous for his part just leans back in his chair to be clear of the tail. 

Acting as though none of this were happening, Ous looks to Lysa and shrugs. "'E's got a name. Dog. It's what 'e answers to. Aye suspect Aye can't pronouce 'is real name though. by way of bein that Aye dinnae speak dog." 

Raising his mug in salute to Simony's toast, Ous takes a mouthful himself before looking back to Lysa. "Aye'm Ous."

Simony laughs at Dog's antics, watching the food vanish, and laughs all the more as the doggo licks at her face. A few more pets are had, before The Gobbo settles back into her chair. A yawn and a stretch later, she smiles at Lysa. "I'm doin' alrigh'. Doin' Navos' good works an' keepin' people alive."

The Goblin pauses, an odd look on her face. She hiccups once, and then suddenly lets out a scarily loud belch for such a small person. It also lasts for a six count. "Oh... 'scuse me!" A few more moments pass, then she lets out a snore, her eyes having drooped closed, her head leaning to one side in the chair.

	Laughing herself at the antics of Dog, Lysa shakes her head, "I am being thinking that there may be being another name lurking and waiting for you to be being discovering it." she says to Ous. Then she lifts her flagon and takes a large gulp before staring slackjawed at Simony. Then she giggles... yes, a girly Giggle from the burly Paladin. "I am be being Lysa Hrolfdottr, Sunblade of Daeus, and brewer of mead. As well as potions to be being restoring one's health... also based on the same mead."

	She takes another gulp and stands up. "I am be being having more deliveries to be being making. But it was being nice to meet you Ous. Dog..." She says, reaching a hand to scritch Dog... and not-so-subtly leaving another hunk of jerked meat on her chair by -sheer- accident of course.

Sighing quietly as more meat is left for the dog, Ous nods as he himself stands. "Good tae meet ye as well Lysa. Dinnae meet many of our this way. And Aye knows yer meads. Aye carries it when Aye goes tae fight." Nodding to the Expectant dog, who then attacks the meat on the chair, Ous moves to Grab Simony. Easily lifting the goblin Cleric and tucking her under an arm like a small child, Ous makes his way towards the door as well. "Aye dinnae think Simony wants tae be sleepin at th' Ox. it ne'er ends well."