Curmudgeon|Haven, Ilyamen

[Kender Bard]

Callum sidled up to the bar at The Vanishing Coin, slapping a copper down on the wood. "Ale," he snapped, easing onto the stool. "And a clean glass this time if you don't think it's too high brow."

[Northen Light36]

Mat was enjoying spending some time in Ilyamen. With Acqua away, he saw no reason that he had to stay in Maelstrom and Ilyamen had always been his home. He enjoyed showing Bas, Pas and Lillian where their parents had grown up.

Now though, Bas and Pas were off playing with some of the guild children and Mat had decided to get a drink and a meal for himself and Lillian. As his littlest girl sat on his lap and sipped a glass of milk, Mat raised an eyebrow at Callum. "Careful," he remarked. "Talk like that might get your glass washed with spit."

[Kender Bard]

"This shit all tastes-" he began but paused as he noticed the small child sitting on the man's lap. He stared, silently, for a few moments. "Who the fuck brings a little kid into a shithole like this? This is for the poor, the miserly, and the miserable. Kid could pick up some disease just breathing the same air as these folks."

[Northen Light36]

Lillian glanced at the man with a wide eyed stare for a minute then turned back to her milk, ignoring the rude stranger.

"Well," Mat said, still more amused by the man then anything. "I guess we probably fit at least part of that decription if we're here." Misrable old bastard, he thought idly. I'd pick his pocket just to justify his mood, but I doubt there's anything worth taking. "My Lillian's tougher then she looks, aren't you Lilly-girl?"

Lillian looked up from her milk again and nodded. "Like Daddy," she agreed, smiling prettily.

[Kender Bard]

"Dumbass," he grumbled. Not that he grew up in a time or place where children were protected from the vulgarities of life and men. But he thought that this land was better than that. Actually, he knew it was; this man was obviously just careless.

He received his mug and chugged the sour ale, grimacing at the taste. Sure, he could probably afford to go to a nicer establishment, but he didn't like them any better. He felt like he belonged to this sort of place more. He didn't like being around all those... respectable people.

Keeping his attention to his mug and keeping an idle eye on the magician performing (tricks he'd seen dozens of times already), he allowed himself to sink into idle torpor filled with musings on past and present. Now was his 'numb' time.

His reverie was interrupted by a pained cry farther down the bar. One of the men had been playing a dexterity game with his knife and had fallen woefully short of his own expectations. He'd stabbed his hand clean through.

"I'm surrounded by morons," Callum growled, leaping off his stool and hurrying to the man's side. He shifted so his right to touched the left one through his sandals and muttered. Momentarily, there was a roll of linen bandage. "Any Waters here?" he asked the tavern at large.

[Northen Light36]

"Yeah," Mat sighed, getting up and walking over. "Idiot," he muttered, looking at the stab wound as he activated his sign.

Before he could treat the wound with healing water though, Lillian piped up. "I help, Daddy?" The three-year-old looked at the injuried man with wide eyes, but didn't seem bothered by the blood. Before Mat could answer, Lillian scrambled up onto a barstool and treated the wound with the tiny amount of healing water she could make at her age. It didn't close the wound, but it slowed the bleeding.

[Kender Bard]

"Just heal it!" the injured man cried.

Callum rolled his eyes and gestured for Mat to get on with it. Once done, he wrapped up the remains of the wound with the linen with all the efficiency and speed of a well practiced healer.

The injured man sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Callum stuck a hand out. "Two copper."

The man blinked. "But-"

"Do I look like a fucking priest? Do I have a sign hanging from my neck that says 'charity'? No?" He kept his hand outstretched. "Two. Copper."

The injured man paid silently. Callum inspected them, as though suspecting forgeries, then offered one to Mat.

[Northen Light36]

Mat accepted the copper, pocketing it with a grin then picking up Lillian again. "Come on Lilly," he said. "Let's finish our lunch." To Callum he added, "Thanks."

[Kender Bard]

"You earned it," Callum replied with a half shrug. "It's your healing water, after all. Generally I charge more, but this was rather short notice and I know anyone frequenting this place probably won't have more than that on hand to cough up."

[Northen Light36]

"Indeed," Mat agreed. "Better to take what you get rather then waste time chasing down a man who won't pay you."

"I helped," Lillian pointed out and Mat ruffled her hair.

"And you'll get a sweet later, as usual," he promised.

Seemingly content with that promise, Lillian eyed Callum. "You a healer?" she asked him. "Me too when I big."

[Kender Bard]

"It's not fun, pretty, or pleasant," Callum told Lillian. "But yes. I'm a healer. Been one almost all my life." He glanced at Mat. "You know, you might want to go to the Gilded Gryphon. Little pricier overall, but they've got a few cheap drinks and things and it's a hell of a lot nicer than this dump."

[Northen Light36]

"Mmm," Mat murmured by way of agreement. "I might do that. The friend I was hoping to meet here doesn't seem like he's going to show in any case." He rolled his eyes slightly at that. "Typical."

[Kender Bard]

"Can't rely on other people," Callum remarked. "They'll always let you down. There, that's two pieces of advice for free. I'll have to start charging after this." Though, for the first time since he entered the tavern, he cracked a tiny smile to show he was joking.

[Northen Light36]

Mat chuckled and replied jokingly, "Taking 'a copper for your thoughts' a bit too seriously, aren't you?"

[Kender Bard]

"Pah," Callum snorted. "My wisdom is worth far more than a copper. And my common sense is triple that, considering the severe shortage these days."

He ran his thumb over the tip of his nose, almost like a tick. "Well if you need a healer and you're in the area, look for my house. It's got the healer's sign outside of it and it's near to central Haven."