Duendewood Resistance: Music and Dancing

"You've ruined me," said the innkeeper, her expression completely devastated. She was a Grey Elf, nicely dressed, and the Quill and Goblet was a respectable two-story inn a half-day south of Annun, frequented by merchants and traveling bankers. It was not at all the sort of place where -- for example -- one might expect to find a troop of traveling minstrels singing about how Duke Lamont "as was his wont" had "become a laird" so the "goats were scared". This was especially so given that Duke Lamont had made it perfectly clear, despite all evidence to the contrary, that he would not be mocked. 

And if he was, then he and his followers would respond with unchained violence. 

Which made the evening's performance no small act of sabotage, especially this close to the capital. 

"I should hope not," said Shanna, as she drained the last of her cider. "I would think you a loyal subject of the King in the North, and not the sort of person who would accept any sort of lèse-majesté in her establishment. I would assume that you had sent a messenger north to the city to report this transgression already."

Avanielle Birven stood with both hands gripping the edge of her wide wooden bar, swallowed, and said: "With her standing here ready to kill me?" 

Saminansa Eldrish -- Sam -- smiled at her with a mouth full of fangs and gestured at the greatsword on her back. The scales on her shoulders were hidden under her doublet and sleeves, though the scales on the backs of her hands were easily visible despite their pitch black being only slightly darker than her skin. "What, this? No, it's just for show. I'm a performer at heart, I am." She tilted her head. "No, no, for such a disrespectful and ill-considered performance, we deserve to have the king's Solari sent after us."

The innkeeper swallowed again. "You... you do?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely," chimed in Leander, who was currently being a halfling but gave the poor grey elf woman a wink anyway. "We could hardly let you take the blame for this."

Avanielle blushed. "I... just... maybe you should go? For your own safety?"

"Oh, absolutely." Shanna set her glass -- very high quality, and carefully etched with roses -- back down on the bar and stood. "We should really get away from the city. Probably safer to the south, you know -- where the people's tastes are coarser."

"South," said the innkeeper. "Yes, of course. Do stay safe."

Leander held a hand out, took Avanielle's hand, and delicately kissed the back of her knuckles. "Of course," he said smoothly, "and you do what you must do to stay safe as well."

They walked outside, leaving the innkeeper looking thunderstruck behind them. 

"Well?" asked Darvinin, standing outside. "How did it go?" 

"I think it'll work," Shanna said judiciously, while Saminansa grinned fiercely behind her.

I'm not 100% sure where the Elvish Resistance stories fit into the timeline -- probably somewhat before Good!Party returned from Fanaxia -- because I'm trying to write about the characters while still leaving them open for our DM to plug in as he needs them.