Hey hey! A little bit of Caleb being a nuisance on purpose during a game of Bunions and Flagons
“Friend,” his eyes flick up to meet Essek’s, finding them wide with surprise. “You are a man of… impressive intelligence, ja?” His coat still sits neatly folded in his lap, and he takes it in both hands now to give the image of a sheepish innocent. “I wonder if I could borrow a moment of your time.”
Almost audibly, all heads at the table turn to Essek. The elf sits stock-still, well aware of the attention. Caleb takes advantage of the shift, angling his chin down just a fraction until he’s looking up through his lashes.
The others might miss the short, desperate journey Essek’s gaze takes to just about every other point in the room. Caleb is familiar with the nervous habit by now, and gives his best, sweetest smile as that look finally comes to rest on him.
“I, ah…” He nods as though gesturing to something, though Caleb has no idea what. “What is it you require?”
With a wink that sends a flush across Essek’s face, he rolls the map out on the table between them.
“I need to find a nearby cave,” he explains, and lets one hand rest on Essek’s arm. A wave of giggles and whispers rolls through the others, breaking on a wolf whistle. “But I am unfamiliar with the markings this cartographer has used.”
To his credit, Essek is doing a very good impression of a man who has not stopped breathing. “I.” He bobs his head around helplessly, then tries again. “You are quite intelligent. I’m more than certain you can decipher it yourself.”
"That is true for me, ja, but Hans is-- he is of average intelligence, and I think…" He drops his voice to just above a murmur, holding Essek’s gaze all the while. "I think that he could use your guidance, if you are amenable, Avi."
The two of them sit there a moment as the gears turn behind Essek's eyes, tension thick enough to slice. Then Fjord leans across the table between them.
"Perhaps Travis can help with this," he says, and taps one finger on the map. "This symbol represents an inn, where the two of you can get a room."
