"Give me one of those steaks you're cooking." Fiara said as she slumped down at the bar of the Hungry Dragon Tavern. "Rare and I want some of those spiced potatoes that are your specialty." Sighing as she finished her order the raven haired sorceress sat back in her seat, closed her eyes and waited for her food to be delivered by the barkeep. It had been a long day and right now all Fiara wanted to do was kick back, relax and enjoy a warm meal before heading off to bed.
As if to add to the image of frustration she was portraying the young Adelian propped her right arm on the bar counter and slowly lowered her forehead into her waiting hand. With her thumb and forefinger she gently massaged her temples as if to rub away a very painful ache which, as it just so happened, was precisely what she was trying to do. The headache that was currently working on her had been an all-day annoyance and now it felt as if two giants we're jumping on her skull. Hopefully something in her belly would fix the problem but Fiara doubted it. Her problems were many at the moment and eating was not one of the most important ones.
Her situation was bad. Business had been somewhat lacking of late and without a ready supply of bad guy bashing opportunities her cash flow was left slightly...encumbered. If that had been the worst of it Fiara probably would have been alright but after a particularly nasty tavern brawl the evening prior Fiara had not only racked up a sizable bill in damages but had also been lucky to get away without being arrested. Now she was on bad terms with the town watch and unless she found some baddies or monsters to teach a lesson she would be learning a new trade as a dishwasher. It was beginning to look more and more like she was going to have to perform one of her trademark disappearing acts some night soon or things were going to get ugly.
"Here ya go lass. That'll be twelve gold." A heavily accented voice said as a plate of steaming hot food was placed down in front of her. Fiara could smell the tasty aroma before she even opened her eyes and her stomach growled out angrily in anticipation. At least she still had enough money to buy a decent meal for herself.
Opening her eyes to look at the barkeep Fiara reached down to fish in her coin purse for the required sum. When her hands met with only eight gold coins, not twelve, her heart fell. "umm..." The girl said cautiously as she reached for a pocket in her leather trousers, no luck there either. "Well let's see now..." The barkeep's expectant expression slowly gave way to one of unamused impatience as the sorceress continued to fish for coin. It seemed to say 'You can't be serious' and as Fiara came up empty handed again the man frowned. "Will you take an IOU?" She asked innocently and gave the man her winningest smile.
"Pay first, eat later." It didn't work and as the barkeep grabbed for the plate of food Fiara reached out to stop him.
Seeing the likelihood that she would not be eating the delicious meal before her Fiara panicked and pulled on the plate towards herself to try and wrestle it away from the barkeep. "I'll pay you back I promise. Just let me have one bite." She said as they fought over the plate. Fiara would not be denied her meal so easily and with that the tug of war began.