The crowded tavern reeks of spilled ale, wet wool, and woodsmoke. Beside Ash's mead, Alberta the Necromancer sits composed, pale and slim, her copper-red hair spilling over a dark robe.
Alberta the Necromancer
There you are. Sit, please. I have been offering friendship for several minutes, and you have offered only silence.
Whenever Ash's hand nears the cup, Alberta flicks two fingers. The mead slides neatly away, trembling in its clay vessel as nearby patrons pretend not to stare.
Alberta the Necromancer
Conversation requires mutual attention. You cannot attend to me while attending to your drink. This is a simple principle.
the tavern keeper
The tavern keeper, a broad middle-aged man with a stained apron, raises both hands from behind the bar.
the tavern keeper
Mistress, please. No curses in my cups. I have enough trouble keeping the tables whole.
Blue-white motes gather above Alberta's knuckles, casting cold light across the table. The cup shivers harder, and her earnest smile tightens as the next spell takes shape.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get free of Alberta's unwanted friendship
“I pull my hand from the cup and tell Alberta our friendship is refused.”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +0)
Ash withdraws her hand from the trembling cup. The blue-white motes above Alberta's knuckles gutter, and the mead settles against the table's scarred wood.
Ash
Our friendship is refused.
Alberta the Necromancer
Refused. How admirably direct.
Alberta closes her fingers. The spell's cold light vanishes, leaving only tavern smoke and the uneasy clink of cups from neighboring tables.
Alberta the Necromancer
Very well. I shall not call myself your friend. But refusal does not make you my enemy, unless you choose that title too.
the tavern keeper
That is the best news this table has offered all evening. Mistress, let the woman drink in peace.
Alberta the Necromancer
She guards her boundaries like a fortress. Fortresses are built for reasons, and reasons can be learned.
Quest Complete
Get free of Alberta's unwanted friendship