"Perhaps we can slap them out of it?" Everlie suggests in his friendliest tone from his spot well back from the others.  He's not serious about the idea.  Well, not entirely serious about the idea...

Erven sits down at the table across from Talion and Bert.  “That thing?  That “nice man?”  he leans in close.  “That was Strahd!   She told you to leave us, to go get a drink… and you did!  She was toying with your mind.  Please stand up and come with us, we need you.  You’ve had your drink.  Yes, we survived, but Doru got away, remember him?”  Erven searches their eyes for realization, recognition.  

Talion frowns, "What? Strahd? Nah." He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, then wipes his hand on his soggy trousers. "That makes no sense. They are totally different. Much less..." his grin turns into a slightly drunken leer, and he shrugs then burps.

"But Doru...Dammit! Did you let him escape?" His face pales slightly, but he still makes time to finish his drink before standing a little shakily. "We need to track him down."

"That is a problem. It seems to be rather late to find him though. Perhaps it would have been best to leave the thing in the in the care of his father." Bertolot muses as she shrugs and stands, carefully putting his bool away once more.

     “We let nobody escape,” Everlie chimes in from the cheap seats.  “We weren’t the ones having cocktails and appetizers…”

     “Have we ruled out the slapping?”

Talion hiccoughs loudly, "So says Mr 'One of us is not exiting this basement with a shred of life left in them'..." He turns to Bert, a look of mild confusion on his face. "Where'd we find this guy? Onyx might have been betterer...and that's saying something!"

     “The undead have no life, my friend.  So I was not wrong.  You though went for a beverage while your friends fought for their lives. If they are better off without someone…” but Everlie doesn’t bother finishing the thought, merely shrugs and Spocks an eyebrow.     

Talion stares at the new guy for a moment, collecting his thoughts with effort. Eventually he grins, "Yeah, empty threats are always a crowdpleaser -- evryone's a winner!"

He turns to Erven, "Look, I don't know what's going on, but we can trade insults all day, or do you want to try to follow Doru...or search his prison. There might be something that will tell us where he's going." He stares in the direction of the church, "Maybe not too far from his father. Or we could go find our new friend, I'm sure he'd help."

     Everlie laughs and shakes his head.  "Well those who competed are winners...  You are just well hydrated."

     "Well, my friends, it has been fun... But I shall hunt on my own.  Better to know you have nobody guarding your back than to have your guard wandering off," Everlie says, with perhaps a bit of regret in his voice, as he turns and heads for the exit.

Erven stands up and steps in between Talion and Everlie.  "Wait, Everlie - please don't go.  We need you my friend.  This one" he points at Talion, "can be a real pain in the ass at times, but right now he is still under the effects of that ... thing.  This is what she wants to do.  Divide us.  Set us against each other.  Cause havoc.  Please, we need you Everlie.  I don't know what will shake them out of it.  Perhaps a slap, or just time."

He looks to Talion and Bert, says "I think our chance at Doru is gone.  But we could investigate his lair further.  And then get Irek out of here, meet up with Madame Eva.  Get up!  You've had enough to drink."  Erven looks over to Sho, questioning look on his face, "Can you do anything with them?  Have you seen anything like this before?"

(( Talion is already standing and has already finished his drink ))

Talion nods vigorously, "Yes, lets to do that. Who knows what he might have been hiding."

Around this time when you are talking, the door opens and you see one of the familiar Vistana from the caravan come in.  When he sees you, he comes over.  He eyes Everlie and Irek with some suspicion but says,  "Stanimir wants to leave as soon as possible.  He told me to find you and tell you to finish up any business with haste, as we aim to leave within a couple hours at most.  The drive is long still to Madame Eva."  He looks around the room, almost expectantly as if looking for someone.  He shrugs then runs off.

Sho watches Everlie turn to leave, his eyes then on Talion and Talion. He takes a breath in.

"They would come out of it, eventually." Sho says, turning away, "provided Strahd does not command them to slash our throats before then."

Talion stares at Sho in shock, "I'm not going to strangle you, no matter who asks!"

     Everlie stops and listens to this all with narrowed eyes and a low buzzing in the back of his skull.  “If they’re thralls to the creature then let them drink.  If they can’t throw off it’s influence long after it’s fled, do we really dare trust them?”

     Everlie watches as the Vistani comes in, speaks, and quickly departs.  “You are friends of theirs?” Everlie asks, curiously.  “It’s said they have their own magics.  Perhaps they could fix your friends brains.”

“I say we go and look for Doru’s lair in that basement one more time, perhaps there is something that could help us.  Then we should meet up with Stanimir.  Everyone ready?”

Talion nods. He leaves, taking the remains of his greasy bread with him, walking in the direction of the church.

     Everlie gives Talion a sideways glance as he passes but otherwise shrugs everything off.  Tensions are always high after a fight, specially one you don’t win.

     “I’m tempted to say burn down any dark hole such things could hide in,” Everlie notes, “But we’d have to burn the entire countryside…”

Bertolt nods as they are told that they should be going, putting a few coins down to pay for his drink as he follows his companions outside the bar.

Talion laughs at Everlie's suggestion. "Yep!" He imagines the fire starting in the basement, reminding him of another fire long ago.

"Although it would really piss off Onyx." He adds in exagerated sad tones.