The dagger just barely finds purchase. The elf goes pale, and moments after, collapses. There's an almost primal scream from the other elf, while the human near the back goes simply pale watching the entire happenings. And but a moment after, does the brute now look to escape out the front door.

Just moments after Slick made the bet he'd get caught by the guards of course. Guards better come REAL fast if he's going to win that bet.

1

Slick is busy helping Khond, the brute's situation will have to sort itself out.

"Poor, poor ponyman! If only ponyman hadn't abandoned Rick, Rick could have maybe helped ponyman in the fight. Probably not, but maybe!"

A harrowing cry echoes through the tavern from the elf that had but a moment ago helped stifle the worst of Khond's own bleeding. Somehow, it drowns out even the chaos of the fight, and turns all else to silence. Other patrons turn pale with realization, a few feel sick, and practically none are left without at least a knot in their stomach. For everyone except the thug in question, perhaps- The brute, lumbering man, taking his chance to finally escape, with perhaps a final cohort, before it's too late.

Well, him and Slick perhaps, who takes this opportunity to loot Khond. Either nobody notices him, or doesn't call him out in the act - And he does find that gold pouch with 15 pieces in it.

The half orc that had fun beating up until a moment prior pauses, glances briefly at the guy escaping, then the elf that had fallen, and with an almost disappointed sigh moves forward to see if he can help. Something he might come to regret as the elven man crawls over the floor with heavy thuds as hands and feet impact the ground, arms clasping around his middle, trying to stop the bleeding. But it's very rapidly becoming obvious there is nothing to be done.

"Perlar! Perlar, stay with me! It's- It's not that bad! We'll get you patched up!"

There's a pained grin from the younger elf, who knows things are not quite that optimistic. The words the other elf shares for him at first elicit shock, and then what seems like anger born from frustration.

"It's okay, dad. I would... Rather go, like this."

Whatever in those words caused the anger, turn right back to crying as the elf goes still.

---

Nuria completely misses the joke the tavern name, and Breldo, makes, as both enter. The place is clean, amicable chatter spreading through the halls and, true to its name, the well-mustachoed owner is bearing an immaculate set of polished shoes. There's also a small drinking challenge posted on one of the walls, if someone can drink a "shoe" in one go - No real price though, besides that people would buy you drinks. 

Those kinds of challenges are kind of biased toward dwarves after all.

Rick secrets away the pouch on his person and looks up to see the drama before him and shakes his head sadly. He comments to the unconscious Khond,

"Rick hates to see this, but what is Rick to do?"

He does note the thug got away and pulls a silver out to pass to his old betting partner, when things are less awkward.

Breldo will look around for an unoccupied booth or table, well away from the shoe drinkers. If he spots one, he'll nod his head towards it and lead Nuria over there, flagging down a server and inquiring about what's being served tonight.

"Don't want any part of that nonsense, lass, not with a job starting tomorrow. Save the celebrating and nonsense, if you need to, until after the job's done, and coin's in the pocket. Never want to spend what you haven't earned yet!"

The girl nervously follows behind the halfling, head ducked and eyes darting about the room. She'd never felt comfortable in a tavern, especially when she's usually chased out of them. She can't really blame those tavern keepers though, since she had been there to steal or beg bred off their costumers.... But still, it felt wrong to just waltz in this strange boot themed place. Noting Breldo's gesture, she scurries over to the table and sits down in whatever chair gives her the best view of the room. She looks a bit confused when the halfling starts talking about nonsense... What nonsense? She'd just asked a question since he seemed so serious about having good boots and taking good care of them. Was she missing something? ...is he messing with her? She brushes a strand of black hair back behind her ear. "I-I suppose that's true. ...but I'm going to have to spend some of it to get some food and a room... I-I hope I still have some left over..." She stiffens a bit when the server finally comes over, half expecting to be called a street rat, and thrown out right there. Fortunately, they seem more focused on getting Breldo's order since he'd been the one to call them over. She relaxes after a few minutes, and once Breldo orders, assuming the server looks to her for hers, she stiffens again and quickly asks for whatever Breldo ordered.

Rick, after presumably making sure Khond is okay and his valuables secured (he didn't have anything really fuzzy, at least on a cursory check), returns to his betting mate, who seems rather awkward about actually accepting the silver now, doing so only very hesitantly. It's only moments after that the guards finally barge in, posturing for a while, before it becomes evident that everything that happened was already over. The man in question by now in hysterical tears, pleading to whatever force that would listen.

"Take me! Not him! Not my precious boy! Please!"

The man that had been with him before had briefly tried to approach his friend, but gets called out in turn. It ends up being the guards who help him out, as he loudly agrees it's "Time to leave," the guards taking statements, that half-orc having skipped out at some point as well. The man who was in the original confrontation questioned, the barkeeper and some other patrons asked about, and eventually left alone. Barring Slick feels particularly inclined to mention something to them, eventually things move to Khond being dragged somewhere out of sight, to allow to recover.

---

Nuria and Breldo have a nice seat, the latter sharing some nice advice. Luckily, Nuria would soon find out that she should have plenty to stay the night - The jovial innkeeper coming over in their direction.

"Good evening fine folk! You seem out of town? Are you looking just for something to drink, to eat, or to stay the night?" 

"Food and a room, that's a good plan.", Breldo says to Nuria before the innkeeper arrives. "Just cause you've got coin in your pocket, doesn't mean it's time to wager drinks against a dwarf, or a game of cards against a gnome. Never wager more than the entertainment of losing it is worth!"

"Ah, in town at the moment, but recently from out, and with plans to be out of town again in the morning! A hot meal, a hot bath and a warm bed, and breakfast in the morning will have us ready to face miles of road on the morrow!"

Nuria nods, finally understanding what the halfing meant. Of course she wouldn't do any of those things. Gambling always seemed rather foolish to her, plus it always resulted in someone getting angry...

After Breldo responds to the innkeeper, she says, "Y-yes. I would like all of those things too."

Rick would help them drag Khond and say,

"Rick knows the ponyman and would like to stay, so ponyman sees Rick's familiar face when ponyman wakes up!"

He'll pat Khond's flank to emphasize the comradery between them.

"Of course good sir and ma'am, excellent taste! So you'd like to have a nice meal now and in the morning as well? We've got some nice stew going right now and fresh bread in the morning, 16 silver pieces for the both of you. Unless you want to upgrade to some nice sausages or a steak of lamb?"

---

Nobody seems to protest Slick when he proclaims himself a  friend, seeing no reason to doubt him, helping the pony man be carted away in direction of the stables. It seems the man that was partially involved in the conflict is the one joining there, while the tavern owner worries about the female that had been in the fight, already knowing her. Once carted safely away, does the guy give a bit of an apologetic look as he digs something out of his backpack. A small glass vial which he uncorks, the sharp odor from within potent even from a distance. It turns out to be especially potent for Khond who, after about a minute, wakes up with a sharp inhale and a snort. Feeling absolutely terrible, but awake. It remains to be seen if he feels better or worse seeing Slick there, too.

"There. Erm... Here- You might as well keep those," he says, recorking the bottle, and pushing it into the centaur's hands.

Smelling salts

The pungent liquid within this vial can be applied to an unconscious but stabilized person over the course of one minute. At the end of this duration the person wakes up at one hitpoint. Each time the liquid gets used in this way, it loses one charge.

(3/4 charged remaining)

"Stew sounds fine! Perhaps sausage and steak to share and we'll order more if we're still hungry? Any cheese to be had? Clean water, if you have it, table beer if not?"

Breldo hands three gold over to the innkeep, and when the man departs to get their food, realizes that he didn't give Nuria a say.

"Hope all that sounded alright to you... err... if there's something you don't like, I can just eat that and you can have as much of what does suit. Figured you got me a job for this coming week with no work on my part, least I could do is make sure you're fed and get a good night's rest before we head out."

Khond wakes blearily, confused, and takes a moment to process the bottle being pushed into his hands before looking to the elf, "The fight- was anyone hurt?  I'm sorry for being no help."

The girl looks almost like she's in shock. That was a LOT of food. Stew? She hadn't had stew in...well...in years. And STEAK?! She doesn't think she's ever eaten that in her life! She's smelled it, and always wondered what it tasted like, but she'd never actually eaten one. The closest thing she's had is probably that deer she managed to shoot two years ago, but she definitely didn't have the seasoning to make it smell as good as a lamb steak. Her eyes grow wider when Breldo orders all of the food the server listed, and they PAYS for her to eat it. She blinks and shakes herself out of her stupor when the halfling addresses her. "Oh! I-It's sounds w-wonderful. I-I'm sure it will all t-taste good!" She blinks again when he explains that he payed for her meal since she's the one who got him a job, and her face reddens. "Y-you really didn't n-need to do that! I-it was nothing! Really! I-I don't know what I would have done if you and Oren didn't want to work with me. Th-The client wanted more than one guard, so I-I would have been in a r-real bind if you two didn't accept." She fiddles with her hair, her first day staying in a real inn, and she's already living off someone else. Tightening her jaw, she reaches for her small purse and pulls out one of the coins Gilgamesh had given her. "P-please. A-at least let me cover part of it." She says sliding the coin towards Breldo without meeting his gaze.

Breldo waves the coin away.

"You can buy me a meal when the job is done! Back in the company, it used to be common practice to buy rounds for those you served with. Someone came into money, they'd buy meals and drinks for the others, and someone else'd pick it up next time. That way no one goes hungry unless no one has coin, and you could always count on your fellows to look after you. Used to be how it went, anyway..."

Breldo kinda trails off at the end, finger tracing the wood grain of the table in silence.

Rick edges in between Khond and the elf and proclaims in a tone beginning as excited and ending somewhere in the neighborhood of annoyed.

"Ponyman! Rick found ponyman just before ponyman went down, then another lady went down and then another elf person dropped! Ponyman should pick fights better, luckily for ponyman Rick is here, despite ponyman's leaving Rick on a sinking ship, to teach ponyman many lessons."

Rick gives Khond a sharp toothed smile.

Khond gives Rick a dubious frown, "If you're upset about being left, then maybe you should talk to that boat's actual captain.  Or the tiefling who came along and threatened the captain at knife point to go back to land right away.  Now enough of that.  The elf, what happened, is he alright?"

Rick's eyes widen at the suggestion friend tiefling would betray him after he had just saved him, then they narrow on realizing that everyone else seemed to think the tiefling was a coward.

Rick sits back on his haunches and mutters,

"Rick will need to speak to the tiefling then."

He scratches under his chin thoughtfully.

Hesitantly, Nuria draws the coin back and puts it away. Had she offended Breldo somehow? No. She doesn't think that's it. His demeanor and the way his voice trailed off speak of something different. Loss, regret or perhaps both.

"That sounds like a wonderful way of doing things." She replies without stuttering. She means it. Ever since that day, she had only been able to rely on herself, and even though it scares her, she earns for friendship, someone to depend on. "P-perhaps things can be l-like that again?" Her the strength in her words waver as she attempts to look up at Breldo.