The first floor had three rooms. A large common room with a roaring fire in the hearth, padded stools and benches, and stools at the bar where several men sat drinking pints. The atmosphere was raucous, with hardly a place to be where one wouldn't get sloshed with some drunk patron's ale. The inn back in Griffonbeak was never this rowdy. But this was near Selevea, so the young man assumed that was to be expected.
His sword arm trembled slightly as he fended off his nerves. He could handle himself, so there was no reason to be nervous—right? It didn't help that a fine-looking redhead strolled by, her attractive features highlighted by light freckles. The young man's head swam; he lost track of his surroundings as she walked past him.
Okay, wow. No girls like that back home!
Before he could introduce himself, she was lost in the crowd.
Damn.
With a sigh, the young man sidled up to the bar to order an ale. He tossed down the required coin and leaned against a support beam to take a sip. Casually, he asked, " So... Wha—"
The inkeeper laughed. "Let me stop you right there, kid. She's not someone you want to hit on."
"But I—" he began, denial giving way to honesty as he continued, "Thanks for the warning..."
The innkeeper laughed again and went back to cleaning his tankards. For the moment at least, the young man was content to drink away the disappointment.
Plenty of aquatic animals in various bodies of water. Preferably bodies like that.