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[Alina is a hoodlum who don't take no s**t. Stone-cold b***h, taking numbers left and right, don't ******** with her.]

Taverns in the Capitol were numerous, and nearly all were sub-levels. There were numerous, boring magical reasons for this, but mostly, it was for a simple reason: most of the people who frequented taverns in the Capitol felt safer underground than they did above it.

Clientele varied now that a few more portals had opened up as stable pathways; vampires dined with Fae and mortal alike without legal repercussion. Locals mingled with foreigners and with Foreigners, traded stories and added on to what could only be described as The Sentient Experience. Idiocy was apparent at all levels of cognitive thought, as was true kindness and viciousness, and tales of each were regaled to strangers and friends alike.

In the corner of a particularly shady tavern sat an odd group: four human women, a human man, and a Fae girl. Furs, scrolls, jars of suspicious fluids, and glowing stones adorned the spaces in between their plates of food; all but the Fae and one human girl were laughing raucously. The human girl had long, straight black hair and thin blue eyes, rare in this part of the world - but not so rare as to warrant special attention. Not in the center of travel, where so many had unique and exotic features.

Alina, so the girl was named, smiled sweetly and gently, much at war with the sharp, wolfish grins of those around her. "Gillen, how is it you always escape jail? You must have been in there twenty times this year!"

"Avery is no contest for me, ma vita," he proclaimed; "He has no interest for me. Much too busy with face of miles Kristov!"

At that, the two other girls howled with laughter, and even the Fae girl smirked. Alina, however, cringed.

"miles Kristov, you hold no love for? You scowl so deeply at his name," Kimber noted, still grinning deliciously. "His activities you scorn?"

"His... activities?" Blue eyes blinked in alarm. "Oh, no, no! I could care less about whatever he does with Officer Avery. "

"Then why such deep face, ma vita?"

"I was thinking of unpleasant things," Alina truthfully admitted; "Let's not think of unhappy thoughts. Let us cheer on the happy adventures of Avery and his fellow miles!"

"Yes! Let us cheer on happy sex of miles! Come, every person, voca, voca! Happy sex of miles!"

Kimber attempted to begin a rousing cheer for Kristov's imagined sex life, but at the shout of the bartender, she sat back down, albeit none the quieter. Her grin merely flared up. "Such boring man," was her only comment as she sipped her fermented locha.

"Back to the aforementioned business," the Fae sang, "how goes the West, Lea?"

"Hot. Uncomfortable. Lucium picked a new Champion. She is Elynnian."

"How exciting!" Alina clapped her hands together. She paused. "That's strange, though. When I read up on them, I thought Elynnians didn't believe in worshipping Lucium?"

"Ah, books, reading," Lea snorted. "Elynnians focus on war, on being better. Too unpleasant." She grimaced. "Pagans more fun."

Kimber beamed. "Pagans more fun! Pagans more fun, yes! Elynnians are fire-dirt!"

"As little Kimber says, Elynnian ways are of pride and greed. Is strange for Lucium to pick one as his Champion." Lea drank from her fermented locha deeply. "Perhaps I go see little Elynnian speech?"

"An Elynnian Champion could cause quite a mess," Lily the Fae mused.

Alina ventured uncertainly, "If you put it that way, it's quite natural for Lucium to have picked her, isn't it?"

Lily nodded, smiling in assent. "You make a good point."

"ma vita is clever, and very small," Gillen applauded. "Small and clever, like blade."

Both Lea and Kimber applauded at this assessment, and Alina blushed prettily. She ventured, "Will you all be going to see the Champion speak, then?"

"Perhaps I shall go. Where will she be making her speech, Lea?"

"She will make many speeches," Lea replied, "I will go to Aster. Have business there."

"Aster's so far west," Alina commented. "I wish I could go."

Kimber tilted her head. "Why cannot acerita travel with?"

"acerita?"

"Means, 'little sharp one,'" Gillen explained. "Why no travel with us? We promise to be good."

Lily retorted, "They wouldn't know good if it was graced upon them; don't believe them, Alina."

Alina giggled. "That's not the issue. My mother would worry if she came home and I was gone. She has in the past, I'm sure you remember."

The trio of Valen nodded a somber head at that, each contemplating their drink. "Ah. Tiger-mother proves obstacle once again."

"She's not an obstacle," Alina denied. "I'd come, if only I could let her know where I was."

"So leave note! We leave note for you!"

Alina frowned uncertainly, trying to keep a hopeful smile off of her face. She failed, her teeth gleaming brightly in the dim light. "Really? You'd let me join you?"

"Of course, acerita! Vene, ma vita, Asteri vene!"

A wild cheer rose up from the three Valen; beers clanked, and they hugged Alina as one as they all celebrated this decision, red-faced and boisterous. Alina shrieked with joy, and even Lily nodded in agreement.

The door of the tavern burst open. Guards filed in. "Criminals! Apprehend those Valen!"