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“I don’t know…”

He gets an evil glint in his eye as he gives Clutch the side eye

“…am I?”

He pulls a few gold pieces out of the pouch and sets them on the table

“There’s the money for the meal. And you”

At this he points to the girl

“Whatever your name is, keep the deer. Consider the dagger a free taste of my skills. Try it out”

“My names Akemi.” Akemi takes the dagger and the bones. “And thanks.”

“No problem. That dagger should be much sharper now, dealing an extra bit of damage to whatever you use it on as well as making it much easier to skin and butcher that deer for example. Plus whenever you throw it, the dagger will return to your hand”

As he speaks, he waves his hand through the air and you see the dagger glimmer from the magic he has imbued it with, giving off a sky blue light from the enchantments

Clutch watches the interaction between Windstep and Akemi as he wipes down the front bar. When they finish he asks "will you guys be needing rooms? They're 2 krone a night. I'm told that's a very generous price for a room, and, well, it's the only room you'll find anywhere around. He finishes with a chuckle.

Just then, the front door swings open and then closed again, a figure walking inside. The figure appeared to be a tall human male, fit with fair skin, silvery grey hair, light blue almost grey eyes, and a narrow face and nose wearing a silver robe with royal blue accents, fine leather boots and a comfortable looking short and pair of pants. Slung on his shoulder is an ornate messenger bag which he keeps a hand resting on. He confidently strides forth to the bar to speak with the bartender.

"Good evening, sir. I was told this would be a good remote place to rest before leaving to return home. Do you happen to have any vacancy?"

Windstep raises a hand to get Clutch’s attention as he examines the newcomer and his belongings

“I shall be taking a room as well, Clutch. Whatever you might recommend to me”

"Of course! Where are my manners? I apologize for my rudeness, Clutch. I should have asked for your name and introduced myself. My name is Aastidiir. Pleasure to meet you!"

"Asta-dear", Clutch says slowly, trying to repeat the name. "In any case, well-met! If you wanted to get away from it all, you sure came to the right place. Not sure you could have picked a more desolate part of Wintreath to stay in, but here you are. Welcome to the Stout Snowflake."

Addressing Windstep as well, "We're not exactly the Palace Inn, but we have private rooms with warm hearths, comfortable beds, and a locking chest to put your valuables in. As I was telling Windstep here before you came in, it's 2 krone a night, which I've been told is a great price. If you want a meal with it, that'll be an extra krone."

"It seems I saved more than enough from my purchases to afford my stay." He pulls back his robe and grabs two coins from his wallet hanging from his ornate belt. He then sets the coins down on the counter. "Being amongst the people is nice and all, but it's hard to rest when the crowd won't leave you alone. Having a place away from everyone is unfortunately necessary for myself. Everyone wants help from the friendly dragon. Besides, staying here gives me a headstart when I leave for home."

Akemi sheathes her newly-fixed dagger and addresses Clutch: “I’ll take a room too, and could you prepare me what Windstep had? I’m very hungry, and it sounded filling.”

"Of course!", Clutch replies to Akemi, already going back to the cauldron that's keeping the stew warm. He pours out another helping into a bowl, pours some more of the warm ale into a mug, and delivers it over to her.

As he's serving the food, he addresses the other newcomer. "Dragon, huh? I don't see any dragons here. Maybe you should avoid anything alcoholic tonight, friend.", he says with a chuckle. "I get the feeling you want more privacy, so you can have room 1. It's the one in the very back.", he says a bit dryly, handing him a key to the room, then taking the coins from the bar.

Aastidiir takes in a deep breath and lets out a long sigh. "It always annoys me every time I have to prove what I am to you humanoids. Tell me, how would a dragon fit inside your shelter? Would it try to squeeze in and inadvertently tear the place apart? Or would it change its form to better fit the environment? As you can see from the lack of damage to the building, I went with the latter option. You're welcome, sir. Also, I appreciate the warmth. It's better for the books I acquired than the freezing cold outside."

“If I may Clutch, I can vouch for what Aastidiir here is saying. I have had numerous interactions with dragons, some friendly and others not so much. They definitely exist and can transform themselves to look like other things, including humanoids”

Windstep looks at Aastidiir in a new light, reappraising him and everything he has

Akemi finishes her meal and takes out a small pouch, looking inside and retrieving the last of her coins. She sets them on the counter in front of Clutch.

Aastidiir looks at Windstep with a grateful smile. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate that someone here understands. You know my name, but what may I call you?"