Tell me your secrets

Adisla strode towards the inn, her helm sitting on her head and blocking anyone from seeing where her eyes were darting. As she reached the stables beside the inn, the wind shifted and carried with it the profane scent of horse shit. She heard whispers of words coming with the wind, but weighing the options of going in there and suffering the scent for what could be little more than lovers discussing a later rendezvous, she decided to move on.

Going up the stairs of the inn's porch, she stepped up to the door and rested her hand on the handle as she listened again. Whatever words she had heard were gone, and so they fled her list of interesting happenings as she pulled open the door and stepped into the inn. Seeing a bard playing his lute quietly in front of the fireplace, presumably tuning it for what would be a 'glorious' lunchtime serenade, she shook her head and strode towards the counter. Seeing the bartender cleaning a tankard with a rag while his other hand was stuffed inside it to hold it, she chose a stool and went over to it. Planting the buttspike of her halberd between two floorboards, she leaned it carefully against the counter before propping on the stool. She was only half-cheeking it, the toes of her right foot still holding contact with the floor.

Resting her right hand on the shaft of her halberd, she brought her left hand up and removed her helm. Setting it down on the counter with the face looking at her, she turned to look at the innkeeper and flashed him a smile when she saw him glance at her with a mix of shock and terror on his face. Chuckling softly, she beckoned him towards her with her left hand before speaking, "Come now Alfred. There is no need to fear. You know I won't harm you, unless you lie to me that is." Grinning at the end, she gestured towards the man's left hand, which was shoved in the tankard. As if it hurt the man, he pulled it out to reveal a mangled stub that ended just past the wrist joint so that the bottom of his hand worked as a small grip to grab light objects.

Smiling as he rubbed the stub before walking over to her, Adisla patted the counter gently before speaking, "That's a good boy. Now, how about you pour me a mug of your famous ale for yourself and have a chat." Seeing the man's eyes dart towards the other customers in the room, Adisla snarled and wrenched the halberd up and tilted it forward, the razor sharp pike at the end now resting gently against the lens of the man's right eye. Standing up while maintaining control of the weapon so that it did not cause injury, she spoke in a low and menacing tone, "I thought you would know by now that I do not like to ask twice." Angling the weapon slightly, she slid the edge of the blade from the outside corner of the man's eye and off his cheek, giving him a two inch long cut that seeped blood and made his eye seem as if it were twice as large.

Sitting back down with a smile, she watched with a degree of satisfaction as the man ignored the injury and did as told, pouring a mug of ale before sitting on a stool across from Adisla. Smiling once she had the man's full attention, she placed the halberd back down before sliding the rag the man had been using to clean the tankard towards him. Making a small waving gesture with her fingers as one would wave off a leper, she watched as the man grabbed the rag and folded it twice before placing it against the cut on his face. Breathing in calmly, she leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice, "Now, Alfred. Tell me what you have heard lately."