Lizardfolk Boyfriend: Thruun (special preview)

The inn isn’t usually what I like to do, but the owner is a dear family friend and I do enjoy helping her out whenever possible. The work is something tough, but I try to tell myself that there are silver linings to everything. Sure, the work is hard, but often times the tips are good. The people are strange and sometimes mean, but there are for more interesting and kind people than those. 

The Dry Bone Inn had once been home to my family and I. For a while, we stayed in one of the boarding rooms, my father, mother, sister and I. In exchange for some work around the place, we were allowed to stay as long as we wanted. My dad did a lot of repairs and guard duty for the inn; the pub often got a bit too rowdy. My mom would clean and cook when necessary. My sister and I would clean the rooms, and Lady Medda, who own the inn, would let us keep things we found. 

I had found a charm in one of the rooms long ago, it was small and dingy, but it was such a mysterious and pretty thing to me. The charm is dingy gold and embellished with an intricate stamp. I’ve kept it with me ever since, always wearing it as my good luck charm. I hope to one day find out what it really is. Perhaps I’ve been carrying a bad luck charm all this time and have simply never realized.

Lady Medda has gotten older, and while she tries to figure out what to do with the Dry Bone I help her in between. I mainly work at the apothecary, meanwhile my father and sister still go out and travel often on their adventures. Being paladins, they often find the call to adventure easily. Although, my father has recently retired and has taken to training young men in the village. I sometimes get jealous of my sister and her journies, I would love to find my own adventure someday.

One evening, I’m helping Lady Medda again after one of her waitresses got sick. The pub is pretty quiet, but there is a group who are taking up a large area in the back. Apparently, they’re traveling through on a quest. It makes me excited, there’s a wide array of people in their party. I do notice the dragonborn lady, she’s very pretty. I’ve seen a couple of dragonborn recently, there seems to be a bunch of them returning to their homeland as of late. But beside her is another, I don’t think he’s dragonborn though as there is a sleekness to him, and his scales are less vivid than the other.

I bring them their food and drink, but notice this man doesn’t accept any of the plates. In fact, there isn’t an order for him at all, just a goblet of water. He seems very stiff and agitated, like being here offends him.

“Oh ignore him,” an elf scoffs. “He’s outing because we’re not camping again.”

The dragonborn lady gives the elf a scathing look. “Ignore her, she likes to poke the bear, but she should know better by now.”

The elf scowls and turns to her food.

I smile shyly then look back at the man. “If there is something he wishes to eat, I can ask the cook if they can do anything. She’s really quite good.” 

“He’s lizardfolk, they’re quite picky.” The elf continues to tease, despite the dragonborn’s unrelenting glare.

I hadn’t met any lizardfolk before, it was often too cold here so not to many made their way into these parts. He was quite striking to look at, his scales were a muted red-brown and dull yellow, collecting in thick, rough clusters around his strong jaw. He has a very defined bonecrest around his eyes, giving them a sunken in almost skeletal look. Around his neck is a necklace made of bones, and certainly not chicken bones. I think they might actually be fingers.

“The water is fine,” he snarls. I notice his gaze flickers over me for a moment, looking at my good luck charm before turning his head.

“If there is anything you need, just ask me.” I fidget where I stand, wanting to offer more help to him. “My name is Ama. Ask for me by name.”

His sharp eyes pierce through me then he looks back down at his water.

“He’s a wild animal,” the elf titters.

The dragonborn then jabs her under the table and the elf whines in agony. “You best me lucky I am around or you would become the centerpiece to Thruun’s trophies.”