Falcons Hollow II: Along Came A Spider
As the others wandered off to find their beds, Nomerendal stayed up, mingling with the dwindling crowd, taking a turn or two or three at plucking out a tune, telling a story, or even singing bits of the Ballad of the Well he was working on. Too tired to sleep, he sat at a booth with his feet up on the bench, staring at the heavy-beamed ceiling.
"The life of an adventurer," Nom mused, unable to suppress a wide smile. "Not the start I would have imagined, but time will tell if this is really a beginning or just an unlucky coincidence of which I played a part..." He glanced over at his pack, sitting in its place by his stool across the room, but now some of the newness was worn off. He smiled again.
As Jarlene finished wiping up the tables and packing trays of mugs back to the kitchen, she felt a strange sensation as Nomerendal's spell was slowly released. She turned to see the little bard leaned back against the wall... asleep and snoring softly...
~~~
"Well, let's see how this goes. Maybe Boss Teedum'll be in a cooperative mood this morning!"
Nom tried to sound hopeful, but the wince on his face betrayed him.