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Speed dating at Blacktusk Inn - Part 2
🕑 Added 2025-03-06 15:23:11 +0000 UTCYou choose not to respond to the minotaur's comment, relieved he's allowing you in at all, and step into Blacktusk Inn. The tavern's inside is warm, dry and cozy, a welcome contrast to the damp and cold road you were just enduring. It's not a spacious building, but you welcome the intimacy such a small gathering will grant you. Four other patrons are sitting at the bar, waiting for the event to start.
The first from your right is a burly orc drinking a large mug of beer. The man is interestingly dressed, clad in a leather and steel outfit that looks somehow both protective and revealing, and entirely out of place in a casual setting like this. On closer inspection, while his haircut wouldn't look out of place in one of the rowdy raiding parties of the West, his hair and beard are shiny and well kept.
A goat-headed man (you're not quite sure what type of creature he might be) is sitting next to him, telling tall tales and trying to get a laugh out of the other patrons. You notice that while his legs (caprine, matching his head) struggle to reach the ground below the stool he's sitting on, his stature doesn't seem to get in the way of his charm, as he cracks a joke that finally gets a chuckle out of the orc.
In the middle of the bar, and taking up the most space, is a loud, gluttonous gnoll, drinking and eating with enthusiasm as he listens to the goat man's tales. He's wearing nothing but revealing leather shorts, a large pouch around his waist and a cloak made of a large animal's pelt around his shoulders, revealing a large stomach that bounces up and down with every laugh.
At the opposite end of the table and completing this diverse ensemble is a tall dragon man, dressed in fine clothes and jewelry, nursing a glass of blood red wine. He seems more easily distracted by your presence and immediately takes an interest in you, as he starts inspecting your outfit and what little of your furred face can be seen behind your cloak and hat.
"We weren't expecting a fifth", says the bartender, as he picks up a colored marble from a flask and drops it into a leather bag. "but it'll have to do. I'll get this started, since we're not expecting any more visitors."
The man proceeds to vigorously shake the bag before pulling the first marble out. It has the same pattern as the one you just saw him put in.
"You're in luck", says minotaur, as his single eye looks into yours. "Now, let's see who you'll be paired up with first."
You stare at the leather bag, and then at the other patrons. You know it comes down to random chance, but you pray the Gods above will choose one of them for you...
Comments
Ol' Wolf Piper
Enjoying the story so far! Interesting set-up!
jaredy1
We take off our coat and reveal we are actually two kobolds in a trenchcoat
OxformHelloHello
Gnoll
Roque
Oh orc raider, love of my life and winner of my heart. ...what do you mean it's too serious? Love at first sight y'all!
