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Vhael'iss gave a brief nod at the estimate, then looked thoughtful. She had all of her things ready- she never unpacked her bags, for she never knew when she might need to leave at a moment's notice. Rations were another matter however; there was still some in her pack but definitely not enough for a journey of this length.
"Yes, I do need things but I will hurry." She said already turning to depart before a thought struck her. "Will we be leaving on foot or horseback?" As soon as she knew that, she would be gone from the tavern.

Vhael'iss gave one last quick nod before swiftly and quietly taking her exit, stepping out into the cool street. She hadn't much time, she knew- they were waiting for her even now, and even if that weren't an issue, she could tell by the darkening sky that the shops would not be open much longer. Already she could see the last golden rays of light dipping below the rooftops, leaving only murky smears of purples and pinks to melt across the horizon.
She squinted against those last vestiges of sunlight and walked quickly in the direction of the marketplace. Rations, she needed, first and foremost, and that shouldn't be hard. Providing she got there in time, that is. The girl turned a corner, deftly slipping into an alleyway so narrow that she could reach out and touch the houses on either side if she so desired. It was not a place meant for walking and she had to step over piles of litter and other filth that had accumulated there from sheer neglect of the confined alley, but it would cut several minutes off of her walk. Vhael'iss had never once regretted taking the time to learn the layout of a city, how best to navigate the back alleys and shortcuts that were invaluable when in a hurry or the need to vanish arose.
The end of the alley reached, she paused only to scuff her boot in the dirt to remove some dark unidentifiable substance that she had picked up before she was off again. Down another short street, another corner, and the clutter of small shops and stands that comprised the market lay before her. Most of the carts had already been or were in the process of being covered and wheeled away but most of the permanent shops still had open doors, the merchants taking advantage of the last minutes before night officially fell.
Vhael'iss entered one and the shopkeeper, a tall and rather gruff-looking human man, looked up. "What'll it be, lass?" He asked brusquely, wiping the wooden counter with a stained rag.
"I need five weeks worth of rations," she said and with her words she sent her magic. She'd always had a natural ability to charm people, to make them give her what she wanted. 'Twas a gift. "Give them to me." Soft and low was her voice but there was no mistaking the command and after a moment's pause, when she wondered briefly if her magic had failed, his face lost some of its harshness and he moved to fulfill her wishes. She was mostly silent, speaking only to point out the specific food types she wanted and she left the store with a full bag, leaving the merchant blinking in puzzlement.
Her trip had taken barely any time at all but there was one last thing she needed before she returned and so she quickly moved to another shop that she knew sold a large assortment of magicked objects. This time the storekeeper was an older man with graying hair who was just closing the door when Vhael'iss stepped up. "A moment, please," she said, putting a hand against the door. "I require an item. I will not be long." The man nodded a bit wearily and let her in, her eyes immediately searching the shelves for what she for what she desired. Rings, scrolls, amulets, and all manner of bespelled trinkets lay in cases and spread out on long wooden tables. The two exchanged a few pleasantries while she rifled through the wares and every time she spoke the man seemed to grow more amiable. Within minutes, she had gathered up an armful of potions, scrolls, and a single wooden wand, the most important object of her search. A wand of dimension door. Partially used, the sign had said, but no matter. It would still serve its purpose. Vhael'iss was no fool; she knew that she was taking a great risk, leaving the safety of civilization with a group of people that she did not know or trust. She would need something, some measure of security that would allow her escape should things go wrong. A second-hand wand was far from an ideal safeguard, but it would do.
The girl approached the counter and and said simply, "I am going to take these. And you are going to let me." Again, her words were threaded with magic and the man nodded with a smile. She smiled back. Shopping was so much fun...
Vhael'iss returned to the tavern the same way she had come, taking only a small detour to her room to gather up her meager possessions, before joining the group at the table. Aside from her viola, she had only a single drawstring sack carried over the shoulder. To Adustes, she gave a simple nod.

"Mmm..." Kal'ara mused. She couldn't imagine this woman ever wanting to be ignored. There was just something about the way she carried herself that told Kal'ara otherwise.
She allowed her eyes to wander the room, briefly touching them on the bar. She wondered idly if there was time for her to get a drink, before realising that the music that had been weaving through the drunken voices filling the tavern. She looked around the tavern and found that the Bard had moved and was now talking to Adustes.
"Do you suppose we'll have a new member to the 'team'?" She asked Matasoga, Eliae, and Vellek, her words tinged with curiosity.

Vellek's grin widened behind his tankard. So, Eliae's leg placement hadn't been accidental. This was already shaping up to be an interesting journey. The mug still at his lips, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She still gave no outward indication of her movements beneath the table, so it seemed that -for one reason or another- she didn't want the others to know.
He forced the grin from his face before lowering the tankard back to the tabletop and let his other hand drop to his side, discreetly raising it and placing it on the woman's thigh.
His eyes flitted to Kal'ara when she spoke, then followed her gaze to see what had prompted her question. It took a moment to spot their beshadowed leader, but once he found Adustes, he too saw the man speaking with the waif of a bard.
He gave a grimace, finding that he shared the half-dragon's sentiment, though not for the same reasons. He didn't care much for the girl's music, and was fairly certain that it'd have him ready to throttle the frail-looking musician before they'd reached their destination. But he was fine with that. The bigger problem for him was that more additions to the group meant more ways to split the loot, and more chances that somebody would make a mistake that would get them all killed.
He didn't give voice to his thoughts, merely sighed and emptied his tankard, then waived the barmaid back over for a refill.

((Bluff to hide his expression, and Sleight of Hand to discreetly move his hand))
Bluff = 29
Sleight of Hand = 11
(ignore the third roll, there were only supposed to be two...)

Adustes gave a satisfied smirk as Vhael'iss turned and exited, rather pleased that she hadn't stalled with unnecessary pleasantries before departing to make her preparations.
He walked back to the table where his hirelings awaited and, addressing all, said, "I apologize for my absence. We are awaiting one more addition to the group, and then I would like to depart. She will be arriving presently, so I suggest you make your final preparations, if any, at this time."

Distracted as he was by Eliae's flirtations, Vellek didn't notice Adustes' return until he spoke, giving the mercenary little time to do more than give the woman's thigh a light squeeze before looking up at the darkly-clad priest.
He shrugged and said, "I jus' gotta git my horse. Can do that on the way out."
Adustes' eyes settled on the scarred man. "I have no desire to wait in the stables while you retrieve it. Do so now."
Vellek's brow furrowed. Adustes didn't want to go to the stables? Was the group not traveling by mount? "...Ya don't have a horse?"
"I do not. Nor do I have experience riding, or the resources to procure a mount. Which is why I expect the journey to take so long."
"I'll be back, then," Vellek sighed and rose, muttering to himself as he walked out the door.

Vhael'iss stepped quietly up to the table, her dark eyes flitting to each of her soon-to-be companions before landing on Adustes. She offered a small nod to him, indicating that she was prepared and ready to leave. Along with her viola case, she had only a drawstring sack that was carried over the shoulders to rest comfortably at her side. Like the rest of her, it wasn't much to look at but it served its function well.
Vhael'iss said nothing, for nothing needed to be said. She had no real interest in exchanging pleasantries with the others and she had gotten the feeling that the shadar-kai wished for haste. She had already caused him to wait while she gathered her things, so she simple stood at the ready, not even bothering to take a seat.

Matasoga was thoroughly irritated but allowed himself only a brief display of a few swift motions of his tail. He didn't care much for the company as a whole (despite holding a vague interest in Eliae and a more pronounced, albeit hidden, disdain for the minstrel) but a job was a job and gold was gold. Having had to adopt this attitude, which he felt so far beneath him, only served to irritate him further. He hoped that this errand took a sudden turn for the better or struck it rich enough that each decided to go their separate ways, soon. He observed that his attitude and mood were both quite spoiled by his environment and they hadn't even left yet. He impotently, inwardly cast all of his blame on the barbarians and hoped they'd be able to kill one of the stray savages along the way.