Despite the number of people in the room, the bar was relatively quiet. Each patron minded their own business, too focused on clearing the alcohol out of their mug or the last bit of crumbs on their plates to pay any mind to the women that had just seated themselves towards the middle of counter. Tamma made herself relaxed, tilting her body to the side so that she could rest an elbow on the sticky surface of the bar's counter. With a grin, she smiled at the woman working on the other side. 

"How's business been today, lass?" Tamma said with a smile and a wink. The older and heftier bartender stopped in the middle of wiping her mug to return Tamma's comment with a cold glare of her own. 

"I know you're not from this part o' town," she said sternly. "A true bottom-dweller would know better than to call me 'lass!'" 

Tamma's confidence fled from her face. Seeing the embarrassment in the hunter's lowered eyes, Miwah leaned forward to chime in on the conversation. "I have never seen a smile disappear from your face so quickly!" she stated. "I suppose that Bahnwan charm of yours has its limits!"

"Fine then, Miwah. I'd like to see your people skills!" Tamma pointed at the employee, gesturing for Miwah to begin the conversation. "Go on! You even said so yourself that we don't have much time to waste."

"Oh. Right." Miwah coughed a few times and then patted her chest with the side of her fest. "Hello. My name is Miwah." The seamstress waved awkwardly at the woman behind the counter, only to receive the same unenthused stare that Tamma received before. "As you can see, we are not from this part of town. We were just stopping by. Would it be all right with you if we asked a few questions?"

There was a long and uncomfortable silence between the three. The bartender quickly stopped caring, choosing to put her attention into a stubborn bit of grime instead of the two young patrons. "I'm not interested in making chit-chat. I've got more important things to do than prattle on with a couple of... tourists."

"We are not tourists!" Tamma shot back. "I've been here my entire life!"

"Then why haven't seen ya here before, huh?" the bartender replied. She slammed the bottom of the mug onto the table, making both Miwah and Tamma jump back, startled. "The only explanation I can think of is that you never come down to these parts! You must think you're too good to be caught roaming down here in the lower part of Farrowport!"

"It's not that at all," Tamma said.  "I... was just trying to make a bit of small talk! You know," the hunter shrugged her shoulders as she desperately eyed Miwah for any help, only to receive a blank stare and a slight smile as a response. "Try to come across as friendly, everyday people."

The woman working behind the counter shook her head before picking up another glass to wipe down. "I've got more important things to worry about than a couple of foreigners looking to make friends." She turned her back to the pair of patrons and headed down towards the far side of the bar, leaving Tamma to stare at the seamstress as she tried to keep her smile to herself.

"That was funny to ya, lass?" Tamma asked, with a raised eyebrow as she leaned in closer to Miwah. "You know we're on the same team, right?"

Miwah retreated in her seat and placed a hand over her mouth to obscure her giggling. "It us just that... you were so confident!" she replied, statement broken up by intermittent spurts of laughter. "And now she thinks you are as much of a foreigner as I am!"

"Glad I could cheer you up during such a difficult time." Tamma turned to face the front of the counter; her upper body slumped over the counter as she stared at the wide selection of drinks at the back of the bar. "Maybe I should have loosened up a bit, ya know? Would have come across as more natural."

"Do you even have the coin to spare for a drink at the moment?" Miwah asked. 

"Or course not! But that doesn't stop half of the patrons in here!" Both Tamma and Miwah turned around to look at the interior of the inn. Everyone else seemed to be in a world of their own, all still too focused on their mug to notice the two women. "If I wanted to, I could open up a line of credit until this place owns both me and Lug!"

"But that's something that only the truly hopeless do," a calm voice interjected. Miwah's eyes opened wide as she looked past Tamma's head. The hunter noticed the abrupt shift in Miwah's attention. She slowly turned around to face a man hovering over her. "And you two seem to be too young to be that desperate."

Both Tamma and Miwah remained silent as they gazed into the man's face. He was young, not much older than they were. He had a wide smile across his face that showed a sliver of his spotless teeth. He had long black hair that was held back from obscuring his tanned face by a red headband. Toned muscles were visible from beneath the tight brown vest he wore. The bits of lace that kept the clothing taut did little to hide his buff figure.  From the waist down he wore baggy pants with a pair of weathered boots. On his hip was large knife still in its holster. 

"Do you know this man?" Miwah said quietly.

Tamma turned away from the man and shook her head. "Never seen this fella in my life."

"Ladies, I apologize." The man closed his eyes and shook his head in fabricated embarrassment. "I forgot that the lower section of Farrowport doesn't have the same standards for manners." He took the seat next to Tamma and leaned his arm across the counter of the bar and rested his head on the palm of his hand. His dark green eyes jumped between a startled Miwah and an irked Tamma. "Perhaps I should have introduced myself before inserting myself into your conversation. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"Make it quick, lad," Tamma said as she leaned back in her seat. The hunter maintained her irked gaze as she kept her arms crossed. "We've got important things to deal with and not much time."

The man's smile grew wider. He sat up straight in his chair and pointed towards himself with his thumb. "Ah, that's why I decided to come by. My name is Daego and I might be able to help you out with your little predicament."

"I wouldn't quite say it's a 'little' predicament," Tamma said as she pinched her thumb against her pointer finger. "Like I said, we've got a lot to deal with at the moment. Not sure a bar lurker would be of much help."

"I'm more than just a bar lurker!" Daego said as he put his hand over his chest, feigning being offended. "Do I really look like someone that goes around asking for scraps, spare change and the drops at the bottom of a glass?"

Tamma nodded. "I wouldn't put it past you."

Daego poked his head past Tamma to look at Miwah. Once they made eye contact, the seamstress quickly turned her head away. Tamma watched Miwah's reaction with her arms still in front of her chest. "What about your friend over there? She seems pretty quiet." Daego waved at Miwah. "You think I look a bar lurker?"

The seamstress gave Daego a side glance and shrugged her shoulders.

The hunter rolled her eyes. "Any other time you'd be judging people based on the first words to leave their lips. Now of all times you decide to be open-minded to new people?"

Miwah pressed her hand against her nape and lowered her head again. "It is possible that I have changed my way of viewing people," she replied softly. 

"Of course," Tamma replied with a sigh. "The one time I need you to be critical, you decide to turn soft!'

"I am not soft!" Miwah shot back.

Yalch floated down next to Tamma's head. The ghost placed his hand in front of his mouth as he whispered into Tamma's ear. "She's acting a bit like Alson right now," he said loud enough for Miwah to hear. Tamma's eyes widened while Miwah's cheeks turned a bright crimson.

"Oh!" Tamma exclaimed. "It makes sense now!"

"No! That is not true at all!" Miwah cried. "I... I mean we... have a lot to worry about right now. And... and—"

The hunter raised one hand as a smug grin grew across her face. "No need to say anything else, lass. I get it."

"Is... uh... everything all right?" Daego said. 

"Yes, everything is fine. Just a small dispute between friends," Tamma replied. 

"I hope didn't put a strain on your relationship. I just want to help. I know how hard it can be to get to know people in this part of town." Daego stood up from his seat and stood between the two women. He smiled again, his eyes looking at Tamma before quickly making their way to Miwah. The seamstress became motionless as their eyes locked while her cheeks turned redder. "I know you've got your own issues to deal with. We all do. But maybe I can provide a bit of assistance. All I need is for you to tell me what exactly it is you need help with."

Art Spotlight: Daego