RPG Grove

Blue Jay hummed tunelessly, hidden from view behind the bar. She had decided it was high time for a thorough inspection, checking the sharpness of the knives, the integrity of the corkscrews, and giving the tankards a good polish. The tankard handles got particularly close scrutiny; the previous night, one of them had snapped clean off during a particularly boisterous drinking song, and while the patrons took the resulting projectile in stride, Blue Jay was not eager to see a repeat. She was a tinker, after all, and she felt that such incidents reflected poorly on her, even if no one else did.

The door to the tavern opened, admitting a crisp cold breeze and the scent of fresh baked goods. "Is that you, Nat?" Blue Jay called. She had asked the urchin to pick up their usual bakery order and so didn't think anything of coming out from behind the bar in her grubby work shirt, bandana holding her braids back as she rubbed at her hands with a rag. "Oh," was what she said when she was greeted, not with the sight of the little Tiefling girl, who was waving jauntily from the threshold in one of Blue Jay's borrowed dresses before skipping off, but a stocky woman with the bare arms of someone who wrestles dough for the living. She was also wearing a bandana, holding back auburn hair that fell down her back in a double-plaited braid and carrying a basket of bread rolls and pastries.

"It's a slow morning, so I thought I'd make the trip to meet my new best customers," the rosy-cheeked woman said, extending a hand. "Bria Turin."

"Blue Jay Tarkleby. I'd shake your hand, but..." She held up her hands to show the stubborn gray smudges of polish on her palms.

"Nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty," Bria said with a wink, "but I'll take a rain check for the sake of my dough."

"Yes, I imagine your other customers would not thank me for throwing off the chemical balance of your recipes, especially giving the deleterious effects of..." Blue Jay blushed, realizing she was starting to babble.

Bria's eyebrows shot up. "A tavernkeep who knows her chemistry? My my." Her lips canted in a mischievous smirk. "I'd best watch myself or you'll be stealing my secrets."

If anything, Blue Jay blushed harder. "Oh no," she stammered. "I'm more of a tinker than a tavernkeep. Fae—Faenoir, that is—does all the cooking and baking and drinks. I just keep the place from falling apart."

"And a damn fine job you do of it." Bria gave the room an appreciative appraisal before letting her eyes fall back to Blue Jay. "I'd ask you to look at a few of my fixtures but—"

"—but the guilds wouldn't be very happy about that. I get a little leeway when working with the Gondians and doing personal favors—"

"—but they won't give you much room at all for transactions." Bria tapped the side of her nose. "I can see you are an honorable woman, or rather, smart enough not to get on the guilds' bad side." She leaned against the bar, and bent down towards Blue Jay, letting her braid drift over her shoulder to dangle in front of the gnome's face. "I'd bet I could even trust you with a secret or two."

Blue Jay crossed her arms and leaned against the bar herself. "Even one having to do with chemistry?"

"Depends on the kind."

"Well I was curious about your leavening..."

Bria barked out a laugh. "Can't say I've heard that line before."

"I mean your cookies," Blue Jay protested, wondering why it felt so warm all of a sudden. "It's obvious you aren't using starter or barm, and there's only so much air you can beat into butter and eggs mechanically."

"Sure," Bria said, amused that Blue Jay was actually asking her about her baking techniques. "That's why I use pearl ash."

"Pearl ash..." Blue Jay muttered, looking down and resting her chin on her fist in thought. "Yes, I suppose if you mixed that with an acid it would release gas, but surely it'd taste rather bitter—" She cut herself off as the smell of oats and caramelized butter flooded her senses.

"Try that," Bria said, holding a small oatmeal cookie between her fingers, directly in front of Blue Jay's mouth, "and tell me if it tastes bitter."

Since her hands were filthy, Blue Jay had little recourse but to let the woman pop the cookie into her mouth for her. Buttery sweetness pooled on her tongue, the cookie soft and chewy against her palate. She swallowed hard. "Not bitter at all. How?"

"That's a secret for another day," Bria said with a wink, leaving the basket on the bar. "I should be getting back, but I'm sure I'll see you again, Blue Jay."

"Oh, an'I'll need at least three extra shanks in'th next delivery. Las'time we ran out hour after sundown an'everyone got real grumpy." Fae beamed a proud smile as she reached for a wax-paper stack of chicken drum and wings, waving it in salute to one of the multiple butchers working that morning down on Butchers' Row. The big orders for the tavern were always handled by delivery - something about the guilds Elly had explained to her - but she could always go to the market to get some stuff fresh and of course it was for "personal consumption." Meats though, meats were a definite delivery. No way she was carrying that much with her back home. Not in a city this size.

"Mornin' Orla~" she coo'd like a dove to the old crow stirring a massive copper pot of stew. Fae stopped to take a slow inhale of the warm spicy aroma, moaning delightedly, "red pepper. Smart with the weather turning brisk." The old medicine woman wafted her away with a feigned irritation, taking a large wooden spoon to stir the pot, "Get away from that or you'll steal all my customers.." she leaned in, offering Fae a taste which Fae happily accepted, "and my gossip...now whats the news?"

"Well.." Fae tapped her cheek, "I heard that young fella who jus'started over at Ol'Harkers might not just be learnin' 'bout knives to ply a good trade? Can't say more though.."

The old woman piqued a brow before waving her off as if this was old news. Fae just snickered. She loved Waterdeep's market for its characters. It made the city feel small. But it was getting on in the day and if she was going to start preparing for the day she had to get back to the inn. Hoisting some of the brown totes onto her shoulders, reaching inside to take one of the finer red apples out to enjoy on her walk, she sent Esgal off ahead to scout, even if there was no real reason to do so.

Or so she had thought.

The first thing that seemed off was the fact that the door was open. Not all the way, just slightly. The kind of way that sometimes inconsiderate people didn't close a business's door until it latched and let just enough of the heat out that people close by might get a shiver. The building was old, so it could have been a bad latch. But with Elly tinkering every little thing into pristine working order, Fae just had to doubt it. She slowed just a bit, moving to peek in through one of the windows rather than try the door immediately.

Blue Jay wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 8:58 pm "Nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty," Bria said with a wink, "but I'll take a rain check for the sake of my dough."

"Yes, I imagine your other customers would not thank me for throwing off the chemical balance of your recipes, especially giving the deleterious effects of..." Blue Jay blushed, realizing she was starting to babble.

Bria's eyebrows shot up. "A tavernkeep who knows her chemistry? My my." Her lips canted in a mischievous smirk. "I'd best watch myself or you'll be stealing my secrets."

Fae chewed into her apple as she watched what was happening. Particularly, the rose-cheeked expression on Elly's face as they chatted. Fae's nostrils flared a bit, inhaling a sweet, cinnamon yeast smell as they did, her eyes going immediately to a basket of baked goods on the bar-top.

"What are you doing?" came the whisper beside her that made Fae startle. Nat had crept up quietly, she was getting good at that, mostly because of how Fae had been hunkered down as she spied on the inside of her own home. Which looked very odd to any outside observer.

"SHH!" Fae hissed softly, wiping some apple juice off her cheek and licking her thumb, "I thought you were goin't get the pastries?.." she added as she nodded at the basket inside.

"I did?..See?" Nat hoisted the well-worn basket of offerings they would put in the case on the bar-top near the till. That was where the cinnamon scent had come from, Fae realized, looking at the stacks of cinnamon-sugar dusted cookies on one side.

Blue Jay wrote: ↑Sun Jan 25, 2026 8:58 pm Bria barked out a laugh. "Can't say I've heard that line before."

"I mean your cookies," Blue Jay protested, wondering why it felt so warm all of a sudden. "It's obvious you aren't using starter or barm, and there's only so much air you can beat into butter and eggs mechanically."

"Sure," Bria said, amused that Blue Jay was actually asking her about her baking techniques. "That's why I use pearl ash."

"Pearl ash..." Blue Jay muttered, looking down and resting her chin on her fist in thought. "Yes, I suppose if you mixed that with an acid it would release gas, but surely it'd taste rather bitter—" She cut herself off as the smell of oats and caramelized butter flooded her senses.

"Shit an'hells.." Fae muttered, trying to covertly shift her body backward without behind noticed.

"Mr. Karon says you shouldn't swear so much in front of us.." Nat reminded her.

"Well MR. Karon an'I will jus'have t'have a little chat 'bout who gets t'talk 'bout proper manners later then.." Fae snipped. She wasn't mad at Nat, of course. Or Karon. Or anyone. She wasn't mad at all.

Her brow knit a bit. She wasn't mad. But her eyes looked back at the window and the door. Just in time to see Elly up on her toes slightly taking a bite of that woman's cookie.

Her body moved before she could realize, slamming the door open hard. "I'm HOME!" she announced, her voice a bit overly cheery. Behind her, Nat sort of just tilted into the door frame, mouth slightly slack jawed. Fae's face was lit up with a warm bright smile, eyes practically shut from how it crested up her cheeks. The kind of smile she got when she was about to kick an unruly customer out of the bar. The kind of smile where, just at the corners of it, there was a slowly growing dark shroud.

"Oh Blue Jay.." Fae let out a little gasp of surprise, "Who's this? I didn'think we were open jus'yet darlin' you'll have t'come back later. We ain't even got soup on yet.."

FaeOndoron wrote: ↑Wed Jan 28, 2026 3:33 pmHer body moved before she could realize, slamming the door open hard. "I'm HOME!" she announced, her voice a bit overly cheery. Behind her, Nat sort of just tilted into the door frame, mouth slightly slack jawed. Fae's face was lit up with a warm bright smile, eyes practically shut from how it crested up her cheeks. The kind of smile she got when she was about to kick an unruly customer out of the bar. The kind of smile where, just at the corners of it, there was a slowly growing dark shroud.

"Oh Blue Jay.." Fae let out a little gasp of surprise, "Who's this? I didn'think we were open jus'yet darlin' you'll have t'come back later. We ain't even got soup on yet.."

Blue Jay and Bria both jumped at the sound of the door slamming, leading to the remainder of the cookie dropping to the floor. "Oh, Fae!" Blue Jay was wide-eyed, but her brows knit together when she saw Fae's smile and heard the way she talked. Something's wrong. I'd better get Bria out of here quickly so Fae can tell me what it is. Of course, she didn't want to be rude or suspicious either. "Fae, this is—"

"Bria Turin," the baker cut in, extending her hand towards Fae. "And you must be the tavernkeep, then. I was just dropping off your order and thought I'd stay for a little chat."

"It's been lovely to meet you, but Fae's right: we aren't open yet, and there's a lot to do..."

"Of course," Bria said, turning to smile back at Blue Jay before returning her gaze to Fae. "I should be getting back to my ovens anyway. Maybe I'll stop by for some of that soup another day."

Blue Jay waited until Bria had sauntered out the door, past a still eavesdropping Nat, before closing it firmly behind her and turning to Fae. "Okay, what's wrong? Is it Karon? Renaer? Did the Blackstaff reach out?" If the Harpers had caught wind of something, they likely would have reached out to Blue Jay first, but Renaer could have gone for the first resident of Trollskull he could find if it came through him. "Should I get my armor while you fill me in?"