Dancing

"And one and two and one and two and three." Ezma called out the cadence to the beating drum.

The first night of doing this had been awful, between everyone still being bruised in mind and body from the fight with the mysterious creatures, Aspen had looked like she wanted to punch Lorna when the goblin trod her foot, and Willow had punched Shiro when they both missed their marks and collided.

Hassium had tried taking the pair aside for mediation but even from where Ezma had been working on helping the goblins with their parts in the dance it was clear that the only thing happening was Willow browbeating Shiro.

So it had been much to Ezma's surprise the next day when the others despite initially looking disinclined towards joining Hassium, Lorna and Ewan in their practice, did eventually rise to their feet and take their spots.

Afterwards, Willow followed Shiro off to the side for a quite and more civilized conversation, while Aspen seemed to vent a lot of pent up baggage to Hassium.

Music truly did bring people together, Ezma mused to herself as Ewan and Lorna worked on teaching her some of the great songs of their people.

                                                                        ***

Shiro was nervous, the group had worked together to come with their plan for entering cities and standing before the gate of a town that plan was suddenly feeling very stupid.

The scheme ran thus: They would attempt disguises!

Everyone was confident that this far from the capital Shiro would not be recognized with maybe the exception of by nobility that would have business that far from their territories

For Ezma they were betting on the commonality of her tribesmen making their rounds as exotic traders.

Hassium had been changing shapes like a girl picking out an outfit for a date since the initial conversation, settling finally on an androgynous highly muscled form wearing a crop top and tantalizingly tight pants.

The elves and goblins were where Shiro got anxious.

Willow and Aspen opted to just wear their hoods the entire time, which may draw attention by making them to edgy and suspicious.

Ewan and Lorna had procured a long jacket of some sort from parts unknown to stack themselves under.

As Shiro and Willow finished the brief interview conducted by a board looking city official and a half asleep guard, she breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the foresight of pairing Ezma and the Goblins, and Hassium with Aspen, so that there was at least one person in each group that could hopefully talk everyone out any trouble.

With a deep breath Shiro tried to leave put the others out of her mind to focus on the task at hand. Willow and her were in charge of the main reason the group was cutting through the Holy Kingdom in the first place, trying to determine if the common people of the nation were on board with what was going on, or if they had been greatly misled about the scope and purpose.

What better place to start than at the church?

Said church was more ornate than the one in Abigar all stain-glass and chiseled stone rising many stories above the buildings even without the added height of being built on a hill while the city spread out below.

From the signs they had passed between gate and hill Shiro had learned the city was called Grain-haven and from this vantage it could be seen that all local roads led to it and a river took what grains were brought in out again towards some settlement farther north.

Bells chimed from a steeple above Shiro and Willow bringing the early morning worshipers gathered into the waiting arms of the chapel.

This was not part of the plan but the companions took the opportunity to see what was being taught by the clergy of the saint.

                                  Meanwhile in another part of town

Hassium and Aspen went about the market restocking trail rations and replacing what gear it seemed needful, while also listening for rumors.

"Were in service yesterday when they announced the army is pushing past Dawnwall?" A grain seller asked the blacksmith lounging under the smithy awning that neighbored his stall.

"Eh, I did, but what good does taking all the elven land in the world do for us in the boonies if them beasties eat all the livestock?" The blacksmith grumbled in response

The milliner on the other side of the grain merchant chimed in without looking up from the hat he was mending "I heard the lord sent a couple champions out to locate the critter's nest and wipe them out, and that no one has seen them in weeks."

"Eh' interjected a board city guard leaning on his falchion, 'the bosses say its just wolves and goblin raiders taking advantage of the fighting in the south to get some easy loot while the army has better things to be doing than hunting them."

The blacksmith grunted "if twas just goblins or wolves the farmers could handle it on their own, heck they could even hire the mercenary guild to do something about it like we did back in the spring. Naw, there is something a foot and I don't like it."

The milliner chuckled and looked up from the hat "If you were that perturbed friend smith, would you not have gotten on a barge and left for your sister's cousin place on the coast by now?"

That remark elicited laughter from the group and they quickly reached the conclusion that, if the city big wigs did not think anything was happening worth leaving town to escape, there was nothing to worry about.

With a concerned look, Aspen and Hassium were not sure they could share such an optimistic outlook.

                                                      Down by the wharves

Ezma ran and cursed herself for a fool.

Help the goblins free the slave , it is the right thing to do they said.

It would cause a ruckus she said.

Yet, with the city guard hot on her heels, she could agree it was the right thing to do.

She just hoped it would not cause trouble for the other two groups.

As the guards switched to bolos,

Ezma fell into rhythm of the chase,

She danced.