Many Meetings
Twenty-first Day of the Ninth Month 289 AC
As you wake from the... vision, the Dragon Dream, you had the night before you can feel that the power of your magic and the depth of your reserves have both grown, also another set of words and gestures now float in your mind ready to be used, for the finding and identification of poisons, a most useful skill in your current circumstances.
Strangely enough the words are in recognizable Valyrian again. You to not truly remember the Song but you are certain it was in no tongue of men. It spoke of things primal and terrible you do not think mortals were ever meant to learn... you shiver slightly in spite of the comfortable temperature of the room. You do not wish to consider what you might have become had the Song ruled you.
They called father the Mad King, the treacherous thought comes unexpectedly. You shake it away, your father was no Sorcerer of that you can be sure. As you look around the room seeking a distraction you realize that magic was not all the Dream bequeathed onto you. Something of the creature's extraordinary senses has remained with you in the waking world. Your eyes can distinguish tinny indentations and subtle patterns in the wooden struts of the ceiling, you can feel the touch of the sheets against your skin. You can hear the sounds of the tavern staff, residents and guests too drunk to leave under their own power and too important to throw out.
Sadly your hearing is not acute enough to make out full conversations in the taproom or in other rooms unless they are shouted. You smile self-deprecatingly at how much like a sneak you have come to think already. You will just have to make do with talking to them like normal.
"Wocha' doin'," comes a cheerful call from the other bunk squeezed into the room.
"Thinking," you reply with a smile.
"About what?" comes the expected imperious response.
"About who you can spend your time with while I'm away, Dany."
"Oh... I don't mind staying in the room, it's less scary than home was... you know, at the end," she answers after a moment.
You almost wince at the idea that your sister considers "not scary" to be sufficient recommendation for her new accommodations.
"Well yeah but don't you get bored? We should see about lessons too."
Dany looks put off for a moment then smiles slyly "Thief lessons? Like... how to sneak about and pick locks and stuff."
"No, not thief lessons, regular lessons, you're a princess remember." you reply attempting to sound stern. "You should read, write, figure and have refined manners, I'll teach you for now." you continue doing your best to ignore the fact that you can barely
recognize the sorts of "womanly arts" Dany is supposed to be learning.
"Well alright them but can I learn to hide and sneak
too?" she questions undeterred.
"We''ll see."you answer with a sigh
"And can I learn to fight?"
You are about to give the same answer when you see that she has grown serious, a shadow in her amethyst eyes that should not have touched one so young.
"Yes, I promise I'll teach you myself or find someone to do it." you reply solemnly
***
As you go down to breakfast you chat with the staff more when they look to have the time and see about who has the skills and inclination to take care of children. You would add who seems the most trustworthy but your sense of that has not quite adapted fully to measuring "honor among thieves"
By the standards of this place you are reasonably well off so you should be able to pay the staff or the other guests to keep an eye on Dany.
Merin the tavern keeper of the Rat in and fat jovial but foul-mouthed man who's colorful language often makes Dany alternatively confused and overcome by a fit of giggles. He is obviously the most busy around and his vocabulary is not a point in his favor but he is the one the various thugs laying about are the most likely to listen to and he takes his payed-for services seriously from what you can tell.
Allerie is the senior barmaid and the mother of a girl of three so she has some experience with young children but she looks to be a bit too comfortable in her seniority, not to say indolent. Dany finds her boring with all the rules about how she should sit tight and not bother the custom
Len Lightfingers has perhaps the best experience with children of the Rat's guests, however it comes in the form of training them to beg, pick pockets and locks. Dany would be the most interested in his tutoring but you have grave doubts about your sister learning the skills he has to teach.
Relor the Lucky is a gambler that more or less lives glued to his table in the corner of the tavern. He has a surprising grasp of mathematics from what you can tell for all he has never studied it formally day in his life. Dany seems to be as susceptible to his easy smile and smooth words as the marks Relor fleeces every day.
What do you choose:
[] Have Merin watch over Dany (5 Silver Moons for three months)
[] Have Allerie watch over Dany (1 Silver Moon for three months)
[] Have Len Lightfingers watch over Dany (40 Pennies for three months)
[] Have Relor the Lucky watch over Dany (4 Silver Moons for three months)
[] None of them are good enough. Have Dany continue to stay in your room until a better solution can be found
