A halfling walks into the Cafe

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Jason of the Fraternity
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A halfling walks into the Cafe

Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

Gabriel Rayne and Vincent Reignheart ran down the moonlit street and around the corner of a large warehouse. Taking a few moments to catch their breaths in the alley, Vincent peaks around the building to see if he can spot their follower.

?It looks clear at the moment,? the young man said with a slight Mordent accent. Even with the land being gone and most of its inhabitants serving as slaves to the illithid population, some people and their children had escaped that horrible fate. ?If it is still after us, then I cannot see it in the deep shadows.?

Gabriel nods his head slightly at Vincent as he begins to investigate the other end of the alleyway. The doppelganger that was after them had studied many of their strengths and weaknesses as they had hunted a couple of its kin. Unfortunately, this monster would not be so easy to destroy. ?This way seems to be clear for now. Any ideas??

Vincent carefully moves to the other end of the alley, looking back every few feet, and joins Gabriel. ?There is a café a couple of blocks away. It should still be open this late in the evening, and we can rest and find some shelter for a while.?

Gabriel sighs deeply. ?And you think enter a room with several strangers is the best way to avoid this shapechanger?s dagger??

?If you have a better idea,? Vincent says as he checks the street and begins heading to the café, ?then I would be more than willing to here it??
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Post by Whisper »

Gabriel thinks for a moment, but he does not argue with his friend. They have been evading this shapeshifter for a while and a bit of rest and an opportunity to gather their thoughts would be welcome. Perhaps they would even run into their pursuer and this merry chase would soon be over, though the fact that their pursuer could very much look like anyone was not exactly going to help them.

"No, no better ideas here my friend. Let's go get a drink, huh?"

With a smile Gabriel moves to join Vincent on his way to the cafe.

"Who knew these folks would bear a grudge, huh? Oh, well... makes our days interesting, if nothing else!"
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And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

"I don't mind the excitement and intrigue," Vincent says as he smiles sardonically at Gabriel's comment, "but the idea of getting a knife in my back isn't quite what I was looking for."

Without saying another word, Vincent leads his friend through a couple more streets and backalleys in the hope of finding the Cafe without running into their pursuer. What should have been an easy ten to fifteen minute walk ended up becoming nearly an hour of skulking about until they finally reached their destination; The Dreamer's Den.

Gabriel looks over at Vincent with a quizzical expression upon his face. "This is the place?"

Vincent nods his head as he reaches for the handle. "Yes, it is one of the few places in Dementlieu that would be open so late without attracting a lot of attention to itself or its patrons. I don't know much about the establishment or its patrons, but it has a reputation of being a clean and upstanding local."

Vincent opens the door and both he and Gabriel walk inside. The main room is moderately sized, but the dim lights cast a number of shadows throughout the room. In addition to the shadowy corners, the smoke from burning incense lightly clouds the air around the ceiling. As they step in and look around, they see about two dozen people scattered about the room. Most of them sit on piles of overstuffed piles near coffee tables that hold candles, incense burnings, and cups of drink. The discussions, while varying in content, all seem to revolve around the same theme; the patrons most current dreams.

Not wishing to draw attention to themselves, Vinent and Gabriel find an open table and sit down on the pillows.
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Post by Maximillian »

Taking a careful look at the other patrons to make sure that they have not attracted any unecessary attention, he adresses Gabriel keeping his voice low.

"So, what do you think? It seems decent enough, no? Now if there wasn't so much incense in the air... It seems we lost our tail. Let us be on guard though. We do not need any nasty surprises..."

Casting a reassuring glance at his companion, he turns to look for the barkeep to order a couple of drinks, all the while trying to eavesdrop on some of the nearest converations.
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Post by Whisper »

Taking in his surroundings, Gabriel smiles and looks at his friend.

"Well, it certainly is a place with its own unique charm. Wherever did you find it in the first place? The other customers seem to be talking about their dreams from what I can hear. Makes me wonder if it is just something that has to do with the place's name or if there is something more..."

He rises from the pillows and starts making his way towards the counter, where the man responsible for drinks and such seems to be busy cleaning a couple of cups.

"I'll go get us a couple of drinks. Wine would be good, don't you think? I'll also ask about rooms. We could use the rest. You, my investigating friend, keep your eyes on the door and your ears to the patrons."

Reaching his destination Gabriel smiles and talks, trying to get the man's attention, his voice friendly.

"Good evening, my good man! How about two glasses of dark red wine? And is there a chance this fine establishment can also provide lodging?"
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

The man behind the bar counter smiles as he finishes drying the cup in his hand. Placing it upon the counter, he pulls a matching cup from a shelf and sets it next to its twin.

"You wanted red wine, yes?" the man asked as he moved over to the winerack and selected a bottle of Barovian merlot. Loosening the cork, he slowly poured the dark red liquid into the cups. After recorking the bottle, the man lifts a cup in each of his hands and twirls them slowly and letting the wine breathe.

"Your wine," he says as he hands the two cups to Gabriel. "As for lodging, I am afraid that we are only a cafe and not an inn. We only have rooms for the staff that works here. You are, however, more than welcome to stay the night in the main room. We don't let anyone in after midnight, but patrons are allowed to stay as long as they need to. We just ask that you make the appropriate contributions to the establishment."
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

As Gabriel is busy with getting their drinks, Vincent has a few moments to more intently listen to the surrounding groups. As his companion mentioned earlier, the various individuals seemed to be discussing their dreams from the past few nights. One man recounts a horrific dream were he was being chased through a maze of hedges by a werewolf with jet-black fur. An older woman relates a particular nightmare where she was visiting the grave of her long dead husband, but the corpse of her spouse rose as a ghoul that began to snapher bones. In fact, each dream that Vincent heard about seemed to be nearly as ghastly as the ones before it...

As he looked over toward the bar where Gabriel was returning with their wine, Vincent noticed a man standing in front of him. The man had short, black hair and a neatly trummed moustache. He wore a simple pair of black trousers and a white, cotton shirt. A dark black robe with mutlicolored patterns draped over his shoulders and down his back. Cool grey eyes watch Vincent for a few seconds before he asks in a dry voice, "Would you care to share your dreams with us, friend? We would like to celebrate the good and help ease the bad."
Last edited by Jason of the Fraternity on Tue Feb 24, 2004 11:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Maximillian »

Dreams? The term lacked in accuracy... Nightmares would better describe the ghastly visions of these people. Vincent studied the man carefully for a few moments before he deigned to reply. Could this be the Doppleganger who was after them? One can never err on the side of caution... Casting a side glance at Gabriel, he smiled and replied in a calm, low tone.

"By all means good sir. I only ask that my dear companion can join us. I am sure we have some dreams to share with the other patrons of this fine establishment."

Rising from his chair, he bows slightly, keeping his eyes on the stranger. Using the bow as an excuse, he keeps his left hand near the dagger concealed in his belt, near his lower back. Extending his right hand

"Vincent Reignheart. And you are?"
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Post by Whisper »

If Gabriel has seen his friend's hand near his dagger, he shows no sign. Approaching the table, he puts both cups of wine on the table and turns briefly to Vincent.

"Here's our wine. I think you'll find it quite good. Barovian..."

He then turns to regard the stranger. Smiling, he greets him warmly.

"Good evening friend! My name is Gabriel. Would you like to join us?"

He indicates one of the pillows next to their table with his hand before sitting comfortably on another one and taking his cup in his hand.
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And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

?My apologies, gentlemen,? the black hair man said with a slight frown, ?I did not mean to be rude in my enthusiasm. Whenever we see new faces in our establishment, I always tend to forget my manner.?

?My name is Renaldo?? Tucking a small ledger and quill under his left arm, the black-haired man takes Vincent?s hand and gives it a hearty shake. He then turns to Gabriel and shakes his hand in turn. ??and I would like to official welcome you to the Dreamer?s Den.?

Removing the ledger and quill from under arm, Renaldo takes the pillow next to the table that Gabriel had offered him. He sets the small book on the table and flips it open to a black page. Reaching into the lining of his robe, he pulls out a crystal bottle of black ink and sets it next to the book.

After organizing his materials, he looks over at the still standing Vincent. If Renaldo had noticed the earlier motion of the outline of the dagger, he wasn?t bringing it up for discussion. ?So what sort of dreams do you have to share??
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Post by Maximillian »

Seemingly satisfied by Renaldo's reply, Vincent sits down, regarding the man with interest.

"No apology needed sir. I am sure no offense was meant. Nice to meet you in this most interesting place."

Sipping his wine, he leans back against the wall.

"Dreams to share? Well I certainly had some interesting dreams now and then, but it never crossed my mind to actually keep notes. I never payed much attention to dreams anyway. Most of my dreams are chaotic sequences of images, virtually worthless to anyone who wants to draw any conclusions. But... I did have a strange dream lately. A most disturbing dream. Let me see... Yes... I was standing in a quiet green meadow, in a cool autumn day. A small grove of trees could be seen in the distance. I was enjoying the last rays of the sun, when all of a sudden a cold shadow crept on the land. The sun was gone and I shivered in the sudden cold. The gloom was terrifying and I could see almost nothing in the darkness. Terrified, I sat down and curled into a ball covering my eyes with my hands. Suddenly, I heard a strange voice whispering all around me. I could not understand the language, but the words were soothing to my ears, comforting my troubled mind. After a while I woke up with the echo of the final word still ringing in my ears. It was a name. I was certain it was a female name, although I cannot recall it."

Finishing his narrative, Vincent takes another long sip from his drink.
Last edited by Maximillian on Wed Feb 25, 2004 8:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Whisper »

Looking at Vincent, Gabriel chuckles and takes a sip of wine.

"That's a strange enough dream, my friend... Perhaps old girlfriends back to haunt you? Or at least their names anyway!"

A smile still evident on his face, he turns to regard Renaldo.

"I suppose this is the contribution the man at the bar talked about, huh? Well, I don't usually remember my dreams and my life is exciting enough so as not to dwell on them too much. Despite that though, I suppose I can tell you about a recent one. I was walking alone in an alley when I heard a woman's voice crying out for help. I rushed there and saw a beautiful lady being attacked by a couple of ruffians. Being the obvious gentleman that I am, I rushed to her aid and confronted her assailants. I managed to drive them away and turned to see if she was alright. Thankful for my timely intervention and, if I may say so myself, daring rescue of her, she threw her arms around me and kissed me. And then she went up in smoke... literally, leaving me standing there before the dream ended. Funny, no? I suppose something along those lines must have actually happened to me, excluding the damsel in distress turning to smoke of course."

Laughing softly, Gabriel brings his cup of wine to his lips again before looking at Renaldo once more and winking.

"Not a bad dream, all in all, though it did stop just when it was getting interesting... From what I hear from the other patrons here though, mine is somewhat of an exception. Theirs are not dreams so much as they are nightmares."
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

Renaldo takes a few moments to scribble out various notes into his small ledger as Vincent and Gabriel detail their dreams to him. Pausing a moment to double-check his writings, he looks up at the two men with a weak smile. ?Thank you, gentlemen, but you are correct. There has been a strange incidence of nightmares in this area the past couple of weeks. While we don?t know what could be troubling some many subconscious minds, our hope is to unlock the pattern that has been plaguing all these people.?

Shaking his head slightly, Renaldo turns to look directly at Gabriel. ?It is nice to see that there still exists some pleasant moments in sleep. After so many tales of horror, it is hard to believe that anything but nightmares could be found.?

?And to be correct,? Renaldo continues as he makes sure the ink is dry before closing the ledger, ?the bar tender had meant that you should drop a couple coins in the donation box by the window. We don?t charge for our services, but friendly donations and membership dues help pay for the niceties.?
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Post by Maximillian »

Hearing Renaldo's last remark, Vincent smiles and looks at Gabriel with a half-amused expression. Their contribution would have to be more materialistic than his flamboyant friend had imagined. But this would only be fair and expected. Casting aside the merry thoughts of peppering his companion with irony, he focuses on the information revealed to them. His interest picked by Renaldo's description of the problem, he shifts on his seat, leaning towards the low table.

"Do you believe that a pattern exists? I take it that you don't believe in coincidence. At least when coincidence suddenly appears too often, that is... Any speculations? Any clues to the nature of this... plague of nightmares?"
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Post by Jason of the Fraternity »

?No, I am not a strong believer in coincidence. If it were merely two or three case, then I would have dismissed it. However, we are seeing more and more people come in here with horrible dreams.? Renaldo relates with a hint of frustration in his voice. ?We haven?t been able to pinpoint a particular factor to each of the dreams. A dark figure seems to have been prevalent in most of the recent dreams, but I don?t know if there is something to this.?

?Careful now,? a gravely voice interrupts Renaldo. The three men turn to see an older man dressed in the same black trousers, white shirt, and dark robe that Renaldo is wearing. Instead of the black hair and moustache. This man has short gray hair and a clean-shaven face and chin. His skin is brown and weather worn, but the man still looks strong and energetic despite his obvious years. ?We do not wish to concern our visitors with our problems.?

?My apologies, Father,? Renaldo says as he quickly stands and bows slightly to the newcomer.
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