Mollyheights. Ugh.
She hated Connlaoth.
Of fucking course the bastard decided to trek through this way. Tara scowled to herself as she tried to make her way through the town without drawing too much attention- she was doing a spectacularly poor job of it. Strangers must have been rare in a place like this, particularly obviously Serenian strangers. She could feel curious, furtive gazes burning into her back with every step she took.
The Tavern. Dear gods. The place didn't even have a real name. But oh well, if this was where she needed to go-
Her tracking spell sort of fizzled at the edges, invisible though she felt it fading all the same. She cursed under her breath and desperately threw more power into the spell with a whistled tune, hoping it would bolster it enough to last just a bit longer...
No such luck. The spell fizzled, popped, and faded. Tara bit back a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush and dragged a hand down her face.
She was so close, she could feel it! Damnit!
"I need a drink," she decided, storming into the tavern. Her slamming of the door drew a few startled glances her way, but she ignored them as she made a beeline for the bar. The Bartender blinked at her.
"Ah... 'Lo stranger, what can I get ya-?"
"Whiskey, neat." Tara winced out how sharp her voice came out and forced a smile. "I have a little coin, sir...or I could play for the drink and a meal?" She gestured to the lute slung over her back and the lyre at her hip.
The barkeep gave her a skeptical look. "Let's start with the coin."
Well, she hadn't really expected that to work. with a sigh she passed over a few glittering pieces and plopped into a stool, twisting slightly to observe the rest of the tavern. The remains of her tracking spell tugged at the edges of her consciousness, not powerful enough to really tell her anything, just enough to be annoying-
Except it seemed to gather around a dark haired young man tucked away near the other end of the room. The spell sort of glittered around him, a shimmer of gold dust that only she could see, then faded away completely.
Tara's eyes widened. Maybe this wouldn't be an entirely wasted trip after all. Carefully, she drew her lyre into her lap and started tuning and strumming softly, humming under her breath. She allowed just enough magic to thread into her voice to draw the people in the tavern toward her- nothing too obvious, she was still in Connlaoth after all.