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[Emry]

"I agree that we should have an early night." Lisette agrees quietly, barely overheard amidst the taproom's noise. "We've got the two rooms at the top of the stairs on the left. I suggest we go up, reallocate the supplies, and get some rest. Padden will meet us outside at dawn."

She stands up and takes hold of some of the supplies. "Shall we go?"

[Theta Orionis]

Lurel nods, wipes his mouth. He tries to stifle a yawn, feeling tired all of a sudden. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten so fast.

He gathers up his share of the supplies.

"Uh huh," he mumbles through the yawn which will no longer be suppressed. "Sounds like a splendid idea to me."

[Switch]

"Well, if Lurel says so..."

Ford picks up his backpack full of fruit from the table and heads upstairs, looking around.

"Any idea where our rooms are?"

[Theta Orionis]

"Top of the stairs, on the left, Lisette said," Lurel replies, still yawning.

He heads for one of the doors on the left, and has to drop some of the supplies he is carrying on the floor so that he can get a hand free to put on the door handle.

"Is this the right room, Lisette?" he asks, looking over his shoulder.

[Emry]

"This should be them. The barmaid said the first two on the left at the top of the stairs. You can't lock them, but there is a bar for security. Let's bring in the supplies and discuss our plans."

Lisette walks into the first bedroom and places her pack on the third bed.

[Theta Orionis]

Lurel spreads out the supplies he has purchased in the middle of the floor.

"Let's sort out the supplies first," he suggests. "If this trip is as long as Padden says then we need to make sure we split the loads up so nobody carries more than they can. And the terrains doesn't sound good."

He passes on the scant information he managed to get from the shopkeeper, still aware of something nagging at the back of his mind. Then he has it.

"Walking sticks!" Lurel exclaims, and snaps his fingers. "That was it. The shopkeeper mentioned walking sticks. And later on he said that the ground was slippery with rain. If the ground is as treacherous as he says maybe we should cut some stout sticks once we leave town tomorrow? And well - I suppose there are things I could do when the ground gets really bad, but what do you think of the walking stick idea?"

Lurel looks up at the others.

[Switch]

Ford walks into the room and throws his backpack onto the floor, sending a couple of apples rolling out.

"Yeesh that's heavy... walking sticks huh? Might be an idea. Don't wanna end up with broken ankles like that shopkeeper."

[Theta Orionis]

Lurel frowns, and picks up the apples.

"We might as well divide up the food supplies too while we're here."

After adding the apples to the pile of supplies, Lurel sits on one of the beds.

"There is something odd about the way to the sea," he begins. "And it's not just that the terrain seems to be so difficult that people have to give up and return here injured. Injured badly enough to force them to give up - but nobody has yet mentioned anyone killed in the attempt. And nobody has warned us off, either. They just don't seem to be even remotely curious about the sea. It's strange - they just seem to accept that the can't get there."

Lurel gnaws his lip, looks at the others.

"You know, that's making me even more curious to find out what is causing their lack of interest in the sea."

[Emry]

Lisette takes one of the ground cloths and folds it into a compact bundle to store in her pack.

"It does seem strange that no one is interested in travelling to the sea," she says. "It almost seems as if there mild form of compelling going on. Enough to distract someone from following through on their intentions to travel there. People get injured, but not too seriously, get dejected and return home. Any thoughts of going back are turned aside. At least that's how it appears to me, anyway." She moves to the other supplies. "If that is the case, then I think we need to get moving quickly in the morning before this apathy deters us."

"I also think that it might be a good idea if we let each other know about some of the skills and attributes we each possess - so we can all know our strengths and weaknesses."

She gets out a dagger from behind her belt and looks thoughtfully at it and then back to the group. This dagger for instance. I can change it into any weapon I choose." She concentrates on it and wills it to change into a staff and grins at Lurel. "As you can see, I don't think that I'll need a walking stick."

"I am fairly proficient with the care and use of weapons. I'm not afraid to use them and I won't back down from a fight unless I know I can't win it. Finally, I have some ability with fire, but that is a work in progress. I can produce it, but my control is a bit better than chancy. At least we won't have problems starting the evening campfires." she laughs.

[ShinJiOh]

"are you so sure?" inquires Midge, "After all as i hear the shopkeeper predicts heavy rain...

what we need aren't walking sticks, they won't help us if all we are on is mud and hills