Ja`el retreated to the far corner of the city, almost on instinct. Truth be told, it was the shadows that drew her here. She passed the other inn on her way; the brightly lit and cheerful one. She'd even paused and peeked inside a window. But, it was not a light and cheerful night for her. Too many dark things lingered in her head; things that flittered in places she couldn't quite recall.
She'd wandered over many streets and taken many turns, often sliding by those that were darker than the shadows they claimed to be a part of. None of it mattered to her really - not even her bone-aching tiredness mattered. All that she wanted was a dark place to brood; a place to drink herself awake. Yes, awake.
She's not typically prone to nightmares, but they do happen. Its always the same one; the same memory playing its little picture-show. In the wake of that, the Bloodseal Tavern would do fine. It was dark and shadowed...and full of people that would just as soon slit her throat as to look at her. Well, that suited her just fine.
The woman even looked tired. Her features sagged a little and formed into a glower. Her shoulders slumped forward, making her appear shorter than her 5'5ish height. Long hair was bedraggled and dirty, swept back away from her face. The oranges and reds that typically looked like living fire were muted, reminding one of the dying embers that glow among the ashes. Her coppery flesh was a touch on the ashen side as well. Light brown eyes were darker than usual, though no one here would know that - the amber flecks just a little brighter than normal, almost as if they too, were dying embers. She leaned just a little more on the staff she held, the backpack had slid down and hooked upon her slightly bent elbow.
She'd been on the move for so long that she couldn't hardly remember how she got here, or where she'd come here from. Tiredness foreshadowed her habit of casting a detection spell, and thus, she entered fearlessly. Not that she was typically afraid of places such as this.
She slumped into a chair in the corner, next to the wall. No one could be at her back this way, and she could rest her staff against the wall within easy reach. The backpack was half flung to her feet. It slumped there; the pack nearly empty. She didn't have a need for much. The waitress approached her, eyeballing her like she were the devil's child.
"Just some food...and water." Her voice was a little husky, as if she hadn't used it in awhile. Indeed, she hadn't really. Traveling alone made speaking unnecessary. And she did prefer to travel alone; no one to bother her or argue with her decisions. Besides, one never knew when she'd have to pick up in the middle of the night and flee. So it was that she'd come to be here; fleeing from some place she couldn't quite remember in the middle of the night. She sat in that dark corner by herself, glowering and keeping an eye on the door....