She leaned against the bar at the Broken Goblet and ordered a dark ale. She smiled as she was able to speak her native tongue with two of the other patrons gathered around the bar. Her smile turned to a puzzled look as she was handed her ale in a very fancy and very fine wine goblet rather than a tankard. She took the drink almost hesitantly being very careful with it. "Afraid break," she'd said as she admired the fine pictures engraved in the glass. She finally took a small sip before carefully setting the goblet on the countertop.
All night long she had been so careful. She handled the goblet only when necessary. Any time she wasn't taking a drink from it, she had it set on the counter far from the edge. That is. . .until she forgot herself.
She was having fun, relaxed, teasing lightheartedly with the others. She was enjoying the music Wolf was strumming and was focusing hard on the words as she tried to catch them all and understand the common. She reached for her goblet and forgot to be careful. She used a little too much strength and the glass shattered. Luskan Black spilled over her hands and to the floor, blood dripped from a cut on her palm, and her eyes widened as she looked to Emmanuel for any hint of what to do now. The look in her eyes said she really, really hadn't meant to break the goblet.
As the owner of the tavern looked her way, Sigrid turned to her and apologized. She was ignored as Emmanuel spoke up, "I'll cover it." Miss Jackie walked toward him with her palm open as she waited for him to pay for the expensive goblet.
She felt like the entire tavern had frozen and looked her way. She wrapped a cloth quickly around her hand when she realized she was dripping all over the bar. Mirella approached and cleaned up the mess quickly before gently cleaning and wrapping her wound.
She watched as Emmanuel handed over a large sum of gold and then she looked to Miss Jackie and apologized again. "Sigrid sorry. Not mean break."
"Doesn't hurt to give the benefit of the doubt, does it? Such awfully fragile arms, amazing you've found the strength to break a glass."
She blinked a bit at the insult. Her eyes remained on Miss Jackie. She didn't feel fear, but there did seem to be something unsettling about the woman. She was vaguely aware others were in the room and speaking, but her focus was solely on the owner of the Broken Goblet. "Not mean break. Not thinking of glass when try drink. Thank understand."
Miss Jackie gave her a gentle smile, but she could see the rage in the old woman's eyes. "Your friend covered you, no reason to fret." She then stepped closer to the tall blonde and placed her hand on Sigrid's right arm. Were circumstances different, it might have felt like a warm caress from someone who cared. The look in her eyes was anything but caring though. "Have a good evening, Sigrid." With that she turned and left.
It seemed like the entire tavern breathed again at once. Talk of a goblet being broken lingered for what seemed like forever. She still couldn't understand why a single glass was such a big deal. Eventually the subject shifted, and happier things were talked about.
She laughed a bit as she remembered the rest of the evening. It's not every day one punches a man for trying to lift you over his shoulder. Her fingers ran over her bruised knuckled lightly. Her thoughts strayed to other things. A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth even as her eyes looked saddened. She muttered quietly as she fell asleep clutching a worn blue blanket.
Sleep was quick in coming, but her ease didn't last long.
"At first, a dream that started as a memory. Sigrid walked the ever white lands of Frozenfar as she had done for much of her life. She was alone and around her snowfall that one could almost call a blizzard. Not an unfamiliar sight to her, and for that she wasn't frightened
Soon, however, things strayed from the path of a memory. Her feet that walked through the new snow found purchase about a foot into the frozen ice, until a moment where it didn't. And she went through. A hole? A chasm? A cave? Void.
Sigrid fell, and fell. Unsure if for minutes or fractions of a second, and she heard the sound of broken glass as her vision went black.
When it returned, she was amidst a forest of darkness. A grey fog surrounded it, and through it she could see the shapes of the trees, though she saw no canopy and the fog was too dense to see a horizon. Then, she walked.
Until, that is, a light shone through the trees, and she soon was faced with a river fish, one she had eaten many times before, now triple her own size and floating through the trees as if they were algae in a lake. At last, it spoke with her
"Be wary, Sigrid" - The spirit said - "The Gods no longer watch" - It continues - "But there are others that do"
She sat straight up in her bed. Wide eyes looked around for the source of the shattering glass she'd heard. It rang so loudly in her ear that she now had a headache. Her fingers massaged her temples as she tried to relax. Sleep evaded her for the rest of the night. And the next time she went to the Broken Goblet. . .she took her own very sturdy tankard with her.