Dawn stretched her rosey fingers and slowly got herself out of bed, peering down on the world with bleery eyes. At her approach the darkness fled, hiding away from her as bright blue skies started to form around her. A few tendrils of mist slowly rose from the shadowy ground and joined the Dawn in her relm in the sky leaving the sky as clear as the brightest summer day and completely cloudless. The Dawn had such a brief time to see the happenings in the world, although she smiled when she saw the picturesque little in below her. Set in a dusty cluster of rural houses barely two leagues from the town of Dale the tavern looked perfectly quaint and lovely with its thatched roof and whitewashed walls. It was as still as the village around it where not even the animals seemed to stir. Indeed, an all pervading silence and stillness surrounded the little village giving it a pleasent peace that the Dawn wished was eternal.
But no! There! On the doorstep of the tavern a red little blob slowly stirred. The Dawn frowned and looked a little closer. The red blob was attached to a little pale white blob which was attached to a long, thing brown blob and another little white blob. Poor Dawn would never figure out what the blobs were, for as she watched her time in the heavens came to an end and she handed the realm of the skies over to the Day.
Meanwhile on the ground, the blob stirred again, letting out a low groan which broke the silence that surrounded it on all sides. If the Dawn had had the vision that she had wished for then she would have seen the blobs for their true form - a young woman lying across the steps of the tavern with her face pressed to the ground. The red blob would be her hair, the white her pale neck, the brown the simple although slightly scrunty and rather muddy dress that she wore and the other white blob would be the little apron which sits roughly in front of the dress.
The woman slowly lifted her head, causing a few early autumn leaves to fall down from where they rested on her head. Her bright blue eyes glance around, confusion hidden in their depths as a small frown forms on her noble-looking brow. Moving with exquisite slowness, she sits herself up, letting out another faint groan into the morning air. Pale hands hold her steadily upright as she takes in the pleasant rural scene around her, yet clearly the beauty of her surroundings is not at the forefront of her mind. With a soft sigh, she slowly heaves herself to her feet, groaning once more and clutching her head, her expression a simple summary of the phrase "the morning after the night before" as slowly tries to open the door, pushing against it with a gentle movement. With a creaking groan that only the best doors can achieve is swings open before falling off its hinges and crashing to the floor beside her but even this is nothing to the chaos which greets the woman's eyes as she stares in shock at the carnage within the room...
Darkness pervaded the common room of the tavern, all the fires and candles had long since gone out and the only light was that which came through the broken doorway and the small, round windows which are scattered across the walls. Despite this, her keen eyes were easily able to pervade the darkness to the wreckage around her. Tables were upturned, chairs were tossed all over the place, the floor was littered with broken glass and cracked tankards, several questionable spills of varying degrees of severity pervade the floor, dead bits of food have clearly been tossed all over the place and finally scorch marks can just about be seen on the bar, floor and ceiling. A few groaning patrons can be seen amid the havoc of the room but none can quiet match the groaning expression of the wide eyed girl at the door who looks like she may be about to either cry, run or breakdown completely.
She stood there for about five minutes, stuck in the doorway, unable to move or comprihend the damage that surrounded her and then utter panic ensued. Suddenly she's dashing around the room, shaking patrons, picking up tables and chairs, scrubbing at scorch marks, scooping up glass and generally moving at the speed of productivity that can only be associated with sheer panic. But alas! She's too late! Footsteps sound at the doorway and suddenly, towering over where she scrubed on the floor is a huge man seemingly composed entirely of muscle, fat and anger. "SEFA!" His booming voice cried out, roaring down at the woman who blinks at the force of his fury, cringing down to the floor. "You foolish woman! What've you done to my tavern?!"
He swooped down on her, picking her up by the scruff of her neck and dangling her in front of him like a fish on a line. She squirmed helplessly, not daring to speak lest she aid his anger. "I leave you for just a single night! One night! And look what happens! You and your merry band of rogues have wrecked my tavern! I'll make you pay for this wench!" And with that he sent several punches towards the hapless girl's face. "I would call the watch on you wench but that bloody lad Joran'll just write off whatever I say! I don't know why I ever hired such an incompitant wreck as you!" Another punch and another. By this point the other patrons had slipped past the angry tavernkeep and left the girl to try and wriggle out of her fate and join them.
Blood! Anger! Curses! Cackled laughter! Dim gloom! And then bright light and the calm countanance of Joran standing before her, frowning with quiet disaproval at the barkeep who instantly let's go of the wretched woman, mumbling "Consider yourself fired lass!" as Joran effortlessly scoops her up and carries her out over his shoulder. And the world blurred as the woman's eyes shut and darkness came over the Dawn's red blob.
