"You could go inside."

Roland frowned. As small as it was, there was still a group of people at the entrance. Looking further just a little bit - a tough task for the shorter Roland - revealed that there were even people fighting in front of the door.

Bandits were one thing, but bar fights weren't really things he wanted to involve himself with while he was eating or drinking. Then again, as royalty, it was his duty to put a stop to it.

"Very well, then. Let's take care of whatever this disturbance is and get on with our lives."

Sure that the others were around him, he began to head towards the tavern - not that he had any idea what he would do.

"The plan?" Vaeri hissed back at Gabriel, "How should I know? I'm just as clueless as... Hmmm..." She paused to notice the interplay between Roland and Lucius, particularly the prince's determined indecision.

"Perhaps, my prince... We could put an end to this... Burly brawl with various applications of... Shall we say, nonlethal magic?" Vaeri slithered up to Roland, whispering over his shoulder in the same way a corrupt visier might do to an ailing king.

You know what they say about trusting snakes.

Vaeri's advice did seem a touch suspect. Surely dropping some sort of indiscriminate attack spell into the middle of the fray was going overboard? After all, the fight seemed to still be fairly small scale and there hadn't really been any -

Koru flew through a window, its flimsy wooden lattice giving under the strain.

Then again, it did appear the situation was worsening...

Inside, the man in green lightly dusted his clothes down with his spidery hands. "You do not know anything." he said mildly to the broken window. Koru no longer blocking the way, he stepped out the door.

The merchant that had badgered Sileph definitely wasn't happy. He'd had flaming alcohol and staves thrown at him. One of the previous had not connected thankfully. The unfortunate man had then had his fine threads and himself trampled as the more civic minded of the inn's patrons rushed forwards to deal with the fire.

He escaped, half crawling to his table.

His former interviewee was just conluding to his companion. "- due north. Looks like they were more lookin' for speed. A day's travel at a fair gallop would getcha through the pass and into the highlands." The youth looked at the fracas that was just beginning to blossom. "Thankee for tha meal sir, but if that's all you be wanting to know, I'll be going."

The merchant let him go. The farmboy was clearly spoiling for a fight. As a lot of peole seemed to be doing. It wasn't a brawl yet, but in seconds it would be.

With the info they needed now in their possession, the trampled merchant confessed his one burning desire to his companion.

"Let's get out of this hellhole."

With the fight seeming to intensify, the crowd seemed to have backed off a bit, allowing those involved more room to themselves. Growing a little larger, there were those who had even started to take bets - though there was trouble agreeing to any odds.

Not too far from them Roland stood, considering Vaeri's advice.

Nonlethal sounded very nice. Magic sounded even better. There hadn't been many opportunities to test his powers in a real situation, but now seemed like a good time as any.

"I suppose," he said, beginning to weave his spell. "There's one thing I could do."

It wasn't extravagant. Truthfully, Roland's spell casting looked much more plain than Vaeri's complex use of wires, with the boy simply waving his scepter around, but for him there was not much more that he needed. The world's mana itself moved in the way he willed it to - acted directly upon by the boy's imagination.

For this, he didn't need something living. In fact, it didn't even need to be solid. To deal with a group of people like this, he had been taught that a simple trick would save time and energy.

"Silence."

A single word was all it took to quiet the world. Though softly spoken, at that moment Roland's voice was the only sound that reached the ears of those gathered. Even when the spell's effect faded a moment later, most of the crowd continued to obey the command.

Expecting him to continue speaking, they turned to Roland, who coughed. Looking at Lucius and Vaeri - and even Gabriel who had walked up, he whispered to them, "So, what should I do now that I have their attention?"

"Sweet flaming..." Vierin swore softly. "They're getting me into trouble already. It's as if they intended it..." He briefly considered leaving them all behind, but it wouldn't be just. Besides, a few of them were still on the cart.

"Now, boy-" he told Roland, walking up behind him. "You calmly tell them to disperse." He told him, with a slight mocking tone.

"Tell them you're ashamed of them, and that they should know better, while you're at it. If we're lucky, they'll start moving before they realize what's actually happening. Built in obedience and all that." He grinned at him. "Just pretend you're in charge.

He made a few short sharp movements, punctuated with a sharp thrust downwards, and the ground in front of them arranged itself into a sort of podium. "It wouldn't do for you to be shorter then them, would it boy?"

"That was... Terribly plain... But effective!" Vaeri commented, her voice beginning with a tone of disappointment, and ending with a 'why hadn't I thought of that?' blush.

"Now, boy-" he told Roland, walking up behind the two. "You calmly tell them to disperse." The man there clearly had very little respect for corrupt advisors, as she was already on Roland's other shoulder. Vaeri simply shot the man an upset glare, and looked back at the crowd.

"Yes, yes... Disperse, I suppose." she shrugged.

In her fingers, she idly flicked her wires to and fro, for nothing good was going to come of this in any appreciable timeframe.

Vierin's advice made sense, though Roland felt a little embarrassed when he was called short. Rather than protest, though, he stepped forward to the podium and planted his hands at its side. Taking a deep breath, he focused his attention on those around the in.

"Ahem," he said, trying to make his voice sound deeper. "While my party will be glad to sort out whatever disagreements you may have, those who persist in disturbing the peace will be dealt quickly by my companions. I suggest that, if you are not one of the involved parties, to disperse immediately and continue about your business."

Lucien had walked up behind Roland when he was about to do his speech, and was now scratching the back of his head and looking out over the hostility with a nervous grin on his face, realizing that he'd just been volunteered to fight the ruffians outside the bar.

He slowly sidled up next to Vaeri, on the opposite side from Roland. "Why are we gettin' involved in all this?" he whispered to her, honestly not understanding why they weren't just passing straight through town.

"Silence."

A wave of magic washed over the area. The mob in training paused, the only figure in motion

outside the inn a man in green walking along the front and into the stables.

From his impromptu podium, Roland gave his speech.

The crowd murmered to itself. Someone opened up with what everyone was obiviously thinking.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Why are we gettin' involved in all this?"

"Am I to know everything?" Vaeri replied to Lucien, with a mild tone of resentment as she'd just had Gabriel ask her what the plan was a mere moment ago. "Clearly..." She stopped herself, gesturing slowly at the crowd, "The prince is going to talk to the crowd, but if you ask me, I think this is all some cruel practical joke."

Vaeri kindly omitted that Vierin's recent attitude had made her quite cross, and she desperately wanted to hurt something. Fate in general was just being terribly uncooperative recently.