(Edited from a transcript of a discord chat.)
Cord shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it's Adelan. Somewhere south, at least. Mr. Ocks said it's from some people who live on the 'plains'. I don't know much other than that, honestly"
He took a sip of mead and flattened his hand onto the wooden surface, his eyes dancing from Kai's hair to his nose to his lips to his ears. He didn't look like the townspeople. He looked like Allen, who was from the south. That was neat, Cord though. "Are you from the south? Or your family or anyone?"
"Oh the duj... dujari?" Kai squinted, trying to remember the name of the plainsfolk in Adela. "And I've probably got some Adelan in me. My father's side is from over the mountains up north, but came to rule over the shepherd's and meadowfolk around our hold. Mixed blood I suppose..." Kai sounded very haughty as he rattled off his family history. He was probably boring the boy. "Have you travelled much with Mister Ocks'?" he cocked his head to the side.
Cord shook his head. He scooted forward toward the bar and sat up a little. "No, not really," he said. "I don't leave here much. Mr. Ocks used to travel, but now he stays in Gawaine's Fork - well, we do. He likes it here. He's from Arca, but he's always said that this his favorite place he's ever been." A smile cracked across his mouth, and he grinned. "How're you liking it here? Different from Mistlevale?"
"It's... uh..." Kai have a coy little smile. It was grass and wheat and goats! "quaint. Pretty fields. We had some libraries and scholars in Mistlevale though. Lots of old faerie rings about. Got to wonder what fellows our age do for fun round here?" he cast a glance from Cord to the fat stableboy. "Company doesn't look awfully stimulating. And what about you? You looking to travel? Collect weird masks?"
Cord looked over at Sam and suppressed a smile. Quickly he looked down at the floor, blushing. "I'm, uh, not sure about them," he said. "Probably drinking and playing with the goats." He looked into Kai's eyes with a faint, winking grin.
"I asked about you!" Kai smirked and nudged the farmboy's arm. "What are you hiding? Turn into a wolf under the full moon?"
Cord flinched for a heartbeat and looked down, hiding a flustered smile. "Well, I d-on't know... mostly just work for Mr. Ocks really," he continued. He bit his lip, pausing on a breath. "There isn't much downtime really." Cord another drink, shoulders hunched. "I mean sometimes I go walk around the fields, or climb some trees. Nothing big. Nothing interesting."
"Haven't been allowed tree climbing in years..." Kai looked suddenly guilty for making the poor boy stammer. He supposed country folk here just didn't lead interesting lives. "Sure looks like you work hard. I've, um, got some books I brought for my trip. Some are pretty good. Do you read?" Did he know how? Always putting his foot in his mouth...
Cord laughed quietly and looked down at his chair between his thighs. The wooden stool creaked as he is scooted backwards in it. When the traveler, his new acquaintance, mentioned books he perked up. His eyebrows lifted and his eyes lit. "Yes!" He said enthusiastically. He sunk at the fervor of and stammered. "I-I mean yeah, I do. Not many around here know how to but I do, I think."
"I guess all that potion hauling paid off! I've got a few if you wanna borrow one." Kai flashed a smirk and reached into his open pack. "I think this bestiary is the most interesting. Really swell sketches too! And it goes on about their language and ecology and stuff. This one is just on how to fight with magic. And this one..." he blushed furiously trying to shuffle it off. A children's pirate story featuring a snarly hookhanded man embossed on the cover.
"Hey!" Cord said, reaching out and laughing. He jerked his hand back into his inner circle of space but continued grinning, if not slightly fumbled. "What was that?" He asked.
"Just... for fun..." Kai cleared his throat, trying to shuffle the more sophisticated books to the top. "...w-what?"
Cord stifled a smile as he marveled at the traveler's florid cheeks and pursed lips. "We-well, what about the others, then," he said. "The beast one?"
"Huh? Oh! To borrow... right!" he pale hand, with only a single healing cut across the back of its palm, slid the tome across the bar. "Can't imagine the magic book is of much interest. Okay. The other one is about pirates. Two boys get kidnapped and made to work on a ship. Find buried treasure. Uh, you know..." he mumbled, squirming s little. "It's not bad if want it."
"I dunno," Cord said. He eyed the binding, the pages under thick covers. The sandy sound of his acquaintance's hands sliding across the cover. He shook his head. "Well, I dunno. You're leaving soon anyway, I'm sure. Off to Arca, on your adventure."
"Sort of an adventure at least. I suppose I'll be back this way some time. No harm in keeping it. Sounds like you could use the company out here." Kai paused in thought, "You ever think of striking out yourself? Though I'd suppose someone needs to look after Mister Ocks, huh?"
"I-uh," Cord stopped. "W- I don't know," he said. He bit his lip. "I couldn't, really. It's dangerous and, well, I need to keep up with Mr. Ocks I guess. He's getting old and... yeah." He looked off toward the fireplace dancing in the cobblestone chimney at the far end of the room. The innkeeper wandered over and from the corner of his eye Cord could see him glancing at the two boys.
Kai opened his mouth to say something when Cord abruptly interrupted him. "What's it like outside of here?" He asked. His brown eyes poured into the man sitting next to him.
"Like... you mean the whole world besides the village?" the young man looked puzzled, searching for something profound to say. "Well most bits of Serendipity have more mages. My House Wizard would draw things with fire in the sky in the summer. Heard of another town carved into a giant tree and um... its... big... each village is... uh..." he looked very flustered. He ought to know these things. He could swing a sword and had proper blood in him. Though traveling by himself was lonely and a lot of the vagabonds he met might have robbed him if he wasn't careful. He was sure of that. "I... I just left home really...." he said in a small voice, looking sheepish.
"Oh," Cord said. He clearly could see the stretch in the traveler's face, the tone in his voice, the tint in his eyes. "I see," he mumbled. "Well, when you c-" he paused. "c-can think of anything cool maybe you can tell me about them?"
