Vallum plucked the mug from Vynn as she rose it to her lips, "I need you sober right now."
"There isn't a time when a girl should be sober," Vynn said resolutely.
"There isn't a time when you should be any more out of control than you normally are."
'Gulp.'
"Hey! Where did you get that?" Vallum snatched Vynn's second mug, "Since when are you an alcoholic?"
"Since... you know, before the last three days that you've known me?" Vynn said, as if it were obvious.
"Whatever," Vallum rolled his eyes, "Just point me to where I should start looking for information."
"That one, right over there. The one that shouldn't fit in but blends in like a barstool."
"Woah, she can't be more than twelve years old. Are you sure?" Vallum regained his bearings once noticing the girl, "I hadn't even noticed her until you pointed her out. She is even downing her own mug!"
"Oh, farmer boy," Vynn smiled wryly, "It helps her blend in, but don't worry," She started downing her third mug that she pulled from nowhere, and caused Vallum to dart his hand out, "It's just water." She winked at him and Vallum pulled back with a priceless look of confused frustration.
Vallum walked toward the girl and Vynn called after him, "Hand on the coin pouch." And Vallum clenched his fist around the bag in response.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"
The skinny young girl regarded Vallum with narrowed eyes for half a second, before her demeanor changed completely. "Sure thing!" She said in a strong voice, "I was wondering when something interesting would happen around here. Take a seat." She gestured to the stool next to her at the bar.
Vallum was thrown off by the large presence that the small girl gave off. He moved to the seat.
"So, what is it that you want to know?" She asked.
"Let's start with your name."
"Geret, now on to business." She took a long draught from her mug.
"I want to know about the Court of the Night."
"The Court of the Night, eh?" The girl called for a drink from the bartender, who was on the other side of Vallum. When he slid it toward her she reached across Vallum to grab the drink, but lost her grip and spilled it across Vallum's lap. "Oh my! I am so sorry." Geret produced a towel almost immediately and started wiping the liquid out of his lap. He was about to take the towel from her hands when he felt her hand on his right by his coin pouch. He narrowed his eyes at her and she continued her show of cleaning up and apologizing until he was more or less dry.
"I know it is disappointing, after that whole mess, but I don't have any information on those guys."
Vallum looked at Vynn, not unlike an unsure puppy looking to it's master. She rolled her eyes so hard that he could almost hear her eyes grinding in her sockets. She huffed and walked over.
"Okay, brat. What do you know?" Vynn put herself in between Vallum and Geret, placing her elbows on the bar.
Vallum saw the girl making a show of going through the coin pouch that Vynn had basically handed to her when she left it on the outside of her waistband.
"You let her take the money?" Vallum scratched his head, "I thought we weren't supposed to let her do that."
Vynn heaved a sigh, "Like I said, she is a brat. So full of herself that she won't take payment unless she takes it from you herself."
"Oh," Vallum looked at the ceiling, trying to track what was going on, "So she does know something?"
Vynn shrugged, which caused Vallum to nearly gag.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Both Vynn and Geret chuckled at the boy's cluelessness.
"Let's start by not calling each other names," Geret said, "And one more thing, before I give you any information, let's go back to our hotel room."
"Our?" Vallum looked at the bartender, "I don't get it man."
"Isn't it obvious?" Vynn started to walk to the door, followed by Geret, "It is now two girls traveling together with one guy. That is much better... though it has more potential to be scandalous." Vynn giggled.
Vallum ran to catch up, "You." He pointed at Geret, "Explain."
"I finally found big sis, so why wouldn't I start traveling with her?" The girl said it as if it were only natural.
"Big si-" Vallum couldn't even get his confused question out before Vynn interrupted.
"Geez, Sari, you are going to make the farmer's head explode." She admonished.
'Sari? Sister? Big? Farmer? At least the farmer part makes sense,' Vallum thought, completely overwhelmed.
"From the top," Vynn started to explain, "Sari, here, not Geret, ran the streets with me a couple years ago, until she was captured by one of the big ugly guys like the one who caught you. I guess this is where she ended up."
"And now I am with you, so that is good." Sari finished.
"We were in bed this morning, and I was telling him how much I needed another girl to travel with."
"Stop!" Sari looked at wide eyes with Vynn. "You were in bed with him?"
"It wasn-" Vallum tried.
"Yup, just me and him. He isn't bad." Vynn winked.
"You... you're a woman?" Sari asked in a hushed voice.
Vynn only looked at Sari with a twinkle in her eye.
"I'm only twelve!" Sari yelped, "I can pay for my own room."
"No!" Vallum finally managed to strangle out.
Sari's gaze turned to the older famer boy with a concerned look, "I can't get a separate room?" She sounded devastated. She looked toward Vynn for reassurance, "If this is what you think is best..."
"NO!" Vallum exploded, "NO, NO, NO! You can get ten separate rooms if you want, but it isn't like that with me and Vynn. Surely you know how she is. She just wants trouble."
"Oh," Sari looked relieved, "So you weren't in the same bed."
Vallum stuttered.
"You were!?"
"It..." Vallum's head dropped, "Wasn't like that."
"Won't this be fun, Sari? Back together once more, but this time with a farmer boy to make fun of."
"Sure, Vynn, but don't do anything weird."
"Why, I would never do anything indecent." Vynn put her hands up in a placating gesture, but the twinkle never left her eye.