Mari woke before the sun most days. She had taken on employment at The Dour Dram with Linthel so she worked the first half of the day for most shifts, if only because guarding virtue, love and justice tended to be an evening activity most days.
She dressed and readied herself, made her bed before folding up letters to be sent to Forge to notify her that all was well. It was then that Orion briefly popped his head out from a pile of handkerchiefs, claws still clinging to the harvest moon yellow ball Mari had picked out just for him. She smiled as she slipped on her boots and grabbed her navy cloak, Orion hustling to hide the ball within the safety of his hoard before flying across the room to wrap around her shoulder.
Mari tried very hard to be quiet, although she knew it would only be an hour or so before Jaffrey informed the house that it was actually morning. She slipped into the kitchen “Good Morning” she said to Ylena, immediately moving to fill the hounds’ food bowl. The head chef looked up at her, smiling her strange slanted smile, while she continued on rapidly slicing some kind of oblong tuber with a wicked-looking curved knife, not slowing down a bit.
Mari had always picked up quick on how to ingratiate herself, and gave the drow woman a wide berth in her domain while doing a chore which allowed Mari to grab a piece of fruit and bread, and a bit of meat for Orion without more than side-eye before leaving as quickly as she entered. She pulled on her hood, as she bit into a pear, watching the city wake up.
She wound her way carefully though the street, Orion keeping a protective eye, although she attempted to switch up her routes from time to time. Just to be safe. It was a smart thing to do. She wasn’t afraid any more, Mari told herself, she could protect herself, her friends…
Orion nuzzled Mari and she smiled, as they turned a street to the Dour Dram. “Fly Safe, Orion” Mari said although the pseudodragon pouted as he did every morning “Come on now, you’ve got to protect the house, eat the table scraps, play with the hounds, make sure everyone helps out, by the time you’re finished it’ll already be time to come pick me up”. Her familiar chirped, nuzzling her again, before flying off into the sky.
“Time to go to work” Mari said, filling with a bit more determination before stepping through the side door “Good Morning, Linthel!”
“Miss Grimm, I assure you it is not” the sour-faced proprietor morosely informed her as he glumly stared at the giant pot of porridge that had been sweetened slightly with dates, honey, and spices. She hung up her cloak, pulled on an apron and washed her hands before looking around the kitchen, taking a note of what they had a lot of, before prepping the water for tea and coffee.
“You can call me Mari. I hear it’s going to be chilly but pretty sunny, that’s a good day to me” Mari answered brightly, before moving into the restaurant, and prepping tables, making sure cutlery and condiments were in order, before waiting for the numerous bells noting the hour was finally dawn, before she flipped the sign to open, unlocking the door.
Slowly but steadily the regulars came through, and Mari made sure the cups were filled with their prefered warm beverage. She had learned the Underhang residents were not necessarily as enthusiastic, particularly in the early. So the half-elf made sure to cultivate a warm, soft tone, so as not to jostle those awake but also provide a welcoming atmosphere. The regulars were less than pleased when they first had met Mari in general, but grew to tolerate the new employee, and even a few liked her presence as she kept cups full, service quick and efficient, and small touches accounted for. An extra napkin left with a meal, a bottle of fish sauce already on one group of duergar’s tables or a window curtain pulled to block out the first ray of sun.
The breakfast rush was always her favorite to work. It allowed her to slowly nurse a cup of her own overly sweet, and heavily creamed tea, people watch and gain small morsels of gossip between serving and clearing off tables. By late morning, things slowed considerably, and Mari moved to change the sheets and make the beds of the back rooms, making sure they were also dusted, and provided with fresh air. Well, as fresh as the air got in the Underhang.
Midway through the meal, she spied another faint twinkle of the starlight magic that had illuminated the kobold couple at the masquerade a few weeks before, this time silhouetting a young halfling man who had been nursing a modest cup of the cheapest, most basic coffee for well over an hour. His expression was faraway, fixed on some random place on the ceiling, his mouth drawn tight into a thin, nervous line.
Mari picked up in energy, and immediately reigned it in as she moved to refresh his cup. "May I bring you anything else, sir?" She said with a genuinely warm smile, hoping she came off as helpful and not pushy.
The halfling jumped slightly in his seat, knocking the last dregs of his cold coffee onto the tabletop. “Oh, oh, I’m so sorry. I, ah, I think, perhaps, another cup is in order, yes, please, another cup of coffee, black. And, ah, Thorpe. Thorpe Goodbarrel. Ma’am.” He was fidgeting noticeably in his seat, his other hand clutching a well-worn ledger or journal of some kind; his eyes kept sweeping over to it, again and again.
With a steadier hand and smile, she refilled his cup. "Mari, but it's wonderful to meet you, Thorpe" she said "Are you waiting for a friend to join you or are you looking for a spot to work?"
“Ah, more, wondering if I should meet someone. Not a friend. Well, they might be a friend. They seem friendly, but. . . sorry, thank you for the coffee, Mari. I’m a little distracted, is all.” Thorpe pulled out a couple of silver pieces from a threadbare pocket that turned out with the coins, revealing nothing more than a small hole and a little lint. “My compliments to the chef,” he said with a halfhearted attempt at a smile that would have made Linthel jealous.
Mari studied the man carefully before nodding in thought. She disappeared and returned with a small bowl of porridge. "Well, Mr. Thorpe, there's no better time than the present to make a friend. But, why don't you soak up a little coffee and if you need anything else, please let me know!" Mari said brightly.
He looked down at the bowl in mild surprise. “Th-thank you for that, you didn’t have to.” He paused, letting go of the book and taking up the spoon, his brow furrowing in consternation. “Actually, ah, can you spare a moment? A. . . a friend of mine is having a hard time right now, and I was hoping to give him some advice. It might help me to talk it out, though?” His eyes suddenly widened, as though the words spilling out had caught him by surprise. “But, you’re probably very busy, so it’s quite alright, you should attend to others.”
"Give me just a moment" Mari said with a new sense of determination and intensity in her gaze. She quickly refilled a few more cups, brought another condiments bottle over before transporting her own cup and sitting across from him "So what is bugging your friend?" Mari asked.
Thorpe fidgeted in his chair; he’d barely touched the fresh coffee or the porridge since she’d been gone. His eyes kept flicking from the book to the door and back again. “Well, he, ah. For a while now, he’s been helping out someone. . . someone bad. Not because he wants to! He has to. And he’s scared and upset all the time. But recently, a stranger offered him a way out. To bring some justice to the bad person.” Thorpe’s voice trailed off there, but after a short pause, he bolstered again and continued, “But I—my friend has to help, see. Because he knows so much. But he doesn’t know the stranger. And. . . my friend might get in trouble, too. Maybe he deserves that, for what he’s done. I. . . I think he’s mostly just frightened, to be honest.”
The halfling man looked up at her, blinking rapidly with suddenly wet eyes. He swiftly leaned back down and took a large bite of porridge which he seemed committed to chewing on forever, or at least until he was sure no one was looking at him again.
Mari thought carefully a bit, but her eyes were full of compassion. “It’s very hard to do the right thing when we don’t feel safe, your friend sounds like he had a terribly rough time. If anyone has been forced into bad action due to circumstance, I don’t think it’s actually justice to bring the full weight of it to such an accomplice, but give them an opportunity to make amends and do better”. The half-elf offered her hand across the table but did not force. “Does your friend know anything about the stranger? How does this stranger view justice?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Thorpe took her hand in his own; it was very small, and faintly shaking. “The stranger, I think. . . he used to work with my friend, a long time ago. He was, I think, dedicated to doing the right thing. So much so, other people didn’t always care for him. It’s been a long time since then. He’s got a harder edge to him now. He’s driven by something. But. . . I think he’s still a good person. And he says he wants to keep my friend out of it, as much as possible. I’m just not sure if I deserve that kind of consideration.”
Mari weighed her thoughts carefully, the stranger suddenly seemed familiar. That said, she gently placed her other hand over the man’s shaking one, hoping to provide the same comfort and strength she had once received. “Whether or not consideration is deserved, we all need help from time to time, particularly when we’re facing odds that seem insurmountable” she said, recounting similar words her parents would have used. She looked at the man and smiled, although there was a sadness in her own.
“You deserve justice and sanctuary as well. If you think this stranger truly has your best interest, I think you should take the aide, get back on your feet, and give the next friend the same chance you’re being given. It’ll take a bit, years, maybe, but take it from me; you can start again” Mari said. She let go of Thorpe’s hands, only to rummage in her pocket for her notepad, quickly jotting down an address before sliding across it to the man. “If you ever feel you need more protection though, come here, and ask for me. Or I suppose you could come back and order another cup of coffee”
A quiet sob moved through Thorpe, who steadied himself with obvious effort. “Thank you, Mari. I’m very glad that I came by today. Sometimes, you need something strong to get you ready for a tough day.” He finished his coffee with a painful sounding gulp past the lump in his throat. “Or, sometimes, someone strong.” Straightening his back, he picked up the leather booklet and made his way toward the exit, his pace quickening with each step. The starlight around him burned bright.
“Sometimes you do” she agreed quietly to herself with a small nod, wishing the best for the halfling. Then she noticed the previous guests who had stayed at the inn the night before flagging her down. The work was never done.
She barely had time for another quick meal and rest before the lunch rush, where Mari was at her most energetic and brightest, to attempt to match the hectic and hurried pace. “Welcome to the Dour Dram, my name is Mari and I’ll be your server. We have some rustic potatoes and a hearty chowder to keep you warm today. Although if you’re in the mood for ale, the Slyvo Smoked Stout has been pretty popular, but what can I start you off with?”
She continued that routine, more focused on her work and only occasionally distracted by the occasional gossip. With aching feet, and more visibly exhausted than she usually appeared, Mari would finish wiping the tables, washing her hands and hang up her apron. “Adequate work, Ms. Grimm. Will you be back the same time tomorrow?” Linthel asked, looking mournful. The remark had the shape of something unkind, but Mari had learned by now that “adequate” in Linthel’s vocabulary was positively effervescent praise.
“Should be, but I’ll try to send a message if something comes up” Mari responded, pulling on her cloak and packing up her things. “Have a great day!”
“Do not curse me Miss Grimm” he called as Mari darted out the door and almost bumped into Orion. Mari smiled, relieved as she looked to her familiar who perched proudly on her shoulder as she walked back to the house.
She carefully wiped her boots before she entered, slowly climbing up the stairs to her room while giving small greetings to the others who were meandering around. Once in the privacy of her room, she would either curl up under a blanket to either read her book club selection or nap, Orion either way would make his place in her lap as they soaked in the few rays of afternoon sun.
After an hour of rest, Mari headed back down the stairs to converse with the Harpies, townies of Quillpond, and other Evershoal folks who were investigating the Statens, reporting anything she had heard that day. She offered to be anyone’s guard should they need it, but most seemed very convinced they would be fine. They were all very capable folks, but still, Mari was sent here to be a Guardian, for whatever that meant.
When the sun almost looked to be setting, where she would pick up Grummen, much to his minor annoyance, from the docks and regale him with stories of her day while he and Orion glared at each other on their walk back.
Finally the sun would set, and if there was not an immediate calling to action, Mari would make the most of her time, practicing her aim in the courtyard, or reading up on ethics and philosophy. Her mother had never been a woman to rest on her laurels, and made it clear to her children they were to do the same. Particularly when there was so much more work to be done.
Had.
Past Tense.
Colonel Trask had mentioned they were only looking for a girl fitting her description.
Not an elven man with warm eyes, and incredibly calm demeanor.
Not a human woman, with red hair and an iron will.
Not a slightly older half-elf teenager, whose aim whether learning or weaponry was always true.
It was hard to be optimistic these days, to believe loss could be prevented. Orion nipped a bit at her hood to snap her out of her glumness or rather to focus on the task at hand, which was currently hitting a target.
“Sorry, Orion, you’re right…we don’t know for sure. And we can’t worry about that now. We’ve a proclamation to keep” Mari said with a small smile, before focusing again. She shifted her stance, and steadied her breathing. Keeping her arm extended, straight enough for the arc to follow but fluid enough for the magic to not become stagnant. She let out a breath with the force of starlight which pummeled into the target, a small dent and slight glimmer denoting the center had been hit.
She let out a breath of relief, but practiced a few more times. Finally she would tidy the area for training, and walked back up to her room to get ready for bed. Before she did, she moved to the window to view the night sky. Her eyes wandered over the stars, before finding one that called to her, and closed her eyes as if to make a wish. “Goodnight Godmother. Thank you for giving me my gifts to be a guardian and leading me to safety when I was weak. Please let this house be filled with good dreams, and let me have the strength to continue to protect those within along with the helpless and innocents of the city.” She couldn’t be entirely sure, but it seemed as though one of the myriad stars dancing in the night sky twinkled a little brighter in response to her request — but maybe she was just getting tired.
Orion on her shoulder bowed his head, licked Mari’s cheek before flying to land securely on his precious horde of handkerchiefs, tail wrapping protectively around the prized ball. The young warlock smiled before falling into bed, and falling asleep, hoping to make good on her word tomorrow.