The Weight of Wights

It's a warm night out, and tempers are probably just a bit higher than usual in this rowdy establishment. Not that it bothers Vaughn none - stepping past that doorway, thumbs in his belt and looking right at home and all. The witch hunter takes a deep breath as he takes the scenery in, and smirks.

He doesn't seem to mind the stares he elicits as he makes his way to the bar. A gloved finger traces some of those scorch marks on its surface before he takes a stool, neglecting to remove either his hat or his shades.

"...I'll have one of those spicy-smelling things.", he murmurs to the barkeep. Likely the curry. "And wine."

A man with long dark hair and the features of someone from Xian sits at the bar fairly close to the man who just entered. He has a raven on his shoulder, the bird situated on the other side from the door. The raven clicks at him as the other man sits down and he grunts, swirling what seems likely to be tea in his cup. There's steam rising from it in any case, and the cup itself _is_ a sturdy tea cup.

Niara makes her way into the Ox. She glances around a bit. She pushes back the hood of her cloak and pushes it back a bit. The shadow elf is in a chain shirt with a fancy looking scimitar at her waist. She glances around a little but then she moves towards the bar.

At one of the tables, a blonde gnome sets down her spoon with a heavy thump, falling back in her chair and loosing a long, satisfied sigh. "Okay," she says to the ceiling, resting both hands around a round belly. "Storm peppers are *definitely* a sometimes food, but *oh yeah* that's the stuff."

Contented, she slumps against the chair's backrest.

A handful of moments later, the peppers seem to kick in. The gnome's eyes snap open, her mouth yawns open, and with a belch, a tongue of red and white fire flares toward the ceiling. "...Definitely a sometimes food," she says weakly, as white smoke curls from her nostrils.

"Whatever time of day it's food, it seems to be food that consumes /you/." Vaughn had looked over to the Xian as his raven clicked about, though all that was offered was an upturned eyebrow there before it was taken towards the dark elven arrival. It's at this point he takes off his shades, but he offered no comment there as well.

It was at Magpie's statement that he mused, a smirk forming on his lips as his own bowl of curry arrived. At this, he takes off his coat and begins folding it and laying it on his lap - apparently, the setting is no excuse for lack of manners - before he takes his first taste.

There is blinking, and there are grunts. The occasional stifled cough. But he gets by.

With guts scoured clean by the interaction of curry and temperamental magic, the gnome lurches forward, laying hands on her tankard and doing her best to empty as much of a full pint as possible, without spilling.

She doesn't seem to make it all the way to the bottom, however, for an audible slosh accompanies the *thunk* of mug on table, followed by the exhalation of a drowning victim breaching the surface and finding something to hang on to. "...Now I understand why the waiver," she says, pressing a flushed forehead against the condensation-beaded wood of her mug.

Vaughn looks over towards the raven in the midst of one of his coughs and stops himself. It comes out as a long, over-drawn throat-clear. He's forced to remove his hat at this point and daintily wipe some beads of sweat off his brow, and affects a huff. Only then is he ready to look over to the raven, and stare it down curiously.

"...I got no bloody waiver. I feel I needed one, though.", he comments after a long beat, shooting that look at the barkeep then.

Karasu stares at the raven and the raven stares back. Finally he looks at Vaughn. "Wuya wishes to know why you would subject yourself to something that so clearly makes you uncomfortable." His voice is a little flat, his expression uninterested in his own question, but Wuya - the raven it seems - caws and bounces up and down.

"Yeah I was dumb and got the Challenger's Special," Magpie croaks, waving toward the slate behind the bar. "Sometimes they get a shipment of peppers from the Egalrin villages up the Redridge. Hangon..."

And with a few more loud gulps, the gnome finishes off the tankard, thunks it down, and shoves it to one side. "Gonna be paying for it for a week, but, people here tend not to pick on someone who orders the stuff, like, on purpose, and doesn't burst into flames on the first bite. Besides, it ain't bad. Before your, y'know, face melts off, it's kinda mango-y."

Vaughn levies that stare towards Karasu for a beat, then back at the raven for another beat, flat-faced and dry. And then he breaks out into a smirk. "...I've never had this before.", he murmurs in response as he puts his hat back on and takes a sip of his wine.

"Challenger's Special? Hot enough for one to breathe fire? Hm. That is perhaps one challenge I won't pursue."

Wuya nods politely to Vaughn, dipping his head in a respecful manner as if appreciating the answer. It seems that the raven can understand human speech. "That is enough of that Wuya. Come back over here." Karasu murmurs to the bird, but the raven eyes him doubtfully and caws instead. The xian man rubs a hand over his face and picks up his tea for a solid drink before turning his gaze upon the woman who had eaten the more... impressive plate. "Wuya requests the same information of you miss, if you do not mind answering."

"Well I mean, part of that was me," Magpie admits. "The fire part. Dunno how to explain it very well, just like, I've got magic in the blood, but it's... weird. Dad'd talk about interactions with the subconscious and instinctive channeling and he's probably held at *least* one lecture on how to raise an adopted chaos gremlin without scarring 'em for life, I don't know I never went for the soft sciences. Anyway it won't make you *breathe* fire, but it's sure gonna feel like *something's* burning before long."

Reeling back her memory of events, Magpie blinks down at the bird for a moment, but her face splits in a wide grin. "Yo, I don't *ever* mind talking to familiars! One of my *best friends* at school was a dyspeptic badger paired off to a theater-arts student!"

Somehow, that makes way more sense than it should.

"Anyway uh... hm... how to put it. Lots of people will just do things because it's a challenge, y'know? Also in a place like this, it's also kind of like a threat display? 'Don't mess with me, I can eat food that will burn me up from the inside, just *imagine* what I'd do to you.' But the challenge, mostly. I'm not ever gonna be climbing mountains without cheating, and being honest I *love* food, so, Storm-Pepper curry is pretty well tailor-made to my personal kind of stupid."

Vaughn chuckles darkly as he settles relaxedly into his stool. "I already have plenty of challenges to face, all involving a possible death. I think I can pass on the self-inflicted ones. Ah, manners."

Vaughn then inclines his head towards Magpie, Karasu, and the raven. "Caleb Vaughn. Adventurer." Very broad, but likely not the best place to flaunt over-much.

For a long moment it seems like maybe Karasu will not respond to the obvious gentle inquiry as to his name, but he finally glances at Wuya and bows his head to Magpie and Vaughn. "Karasu Himura. This," a wave at the raven which is little more than a lifting of his hand. "Is Wuya."

The raven in question ruffles his feathers and then ducks his head again. Almost as if bowing.

"Pleasure to mee all of you," the gnome says, waving her spoon in the direction of the others. "Magpie, adventurer and library assistant at the Arcanist's. The latter, mostly so I don't have to pay for lodging. They know it, I know they know it, and as long as I take a couple research assignments a week they don't mind much. That's probably oversharing, but Dad always told me never to apologize for not having filters."

At this, Magpie pauses, and purses her lips. "...I said that last part out loud, didn't I. Dammit. Well it's true. Anyway, Wuya, you are *one damn handsome* credit to your kin."

Vaughn bobs his head slowly as the gnome and Xian introduces themselves. "Karasu. Magpie.", he repeats in a murmur for some reason before continuing with an upturned chin. "To be honest, I thought to meet people in this establishment. However crass it may seem... well, many things hide beneath surfaces, no?"

He then looks between Magpie and Karasu. "You would not have heard of local troubles, have you? I hear there is a Wight problem."

Wuya blinks at the complement and then ducks his head again. He gives Karasu a look that clearly says 'you don't appreciate me enough' and Karasu arches an eyebrow at the bird. "You will give him a swollen head with talk like that Magpie." He offers the woman and then shakes his head. "I have heard of the wights, but not much of the news of how the fight actually goes against them. They are... fearsome foes."

"Hey, I don't have any peanuts with me so I can't give him a swollen tummy, ego's the best I can feed right now," Magpie says, grinning... A grin that fades upon mention of the wights.

"Oh *gods,* don't get me started. Just had to help evacuate a village awhile back. Didn't actually *see* any, but, they are *not* the kind of thing we're needing right now. Stupid Heth and his stupid country..."

Vaughn scoffs quietly at Magpie's reply - and probably Wuya's as well - and nods. "Right, Heth. Dragonier. The upside is they are not hard to figure out - they want to come and conquer Alexandros. I've seen some evidence of direct military intervention on their end, in these lands."

Suddenly the door opens to admit a young man in scruffy-looking clothes who looks around briefly before hurrying over to Karasu. The man looks at the boy and accepts a paper from him. Before he can even read it the kid is off again and Karasu frowns at the paper. There's something dark and dangerous in his eyes, something harsher even than a conversation about wights. "Apologies. I must go." He leaves then in such haste that he doesn't finish his tea, and leaves the paper crumpled beside his cup. Wuya flaps to his shoulder as he makes his way quickly from the establishment.