RAGGED MAIDEN. EVENING. QUIET COMMON ROOM AND NOT MANY GUESTS BOOKED TONIGHT.

Blom winced at the capital letters and resolved to dial it back for the remainder of the scene. Tough to do with Hem Slonnigum I apportionin’ a piece of his mind over the counter. This would be a dialogue-heavy submission as we have to get these characters up to snuff. These guys have opinions and as time goes on we have to hear ‘em out.

“I just don’t take a kind likin’ to my son soakin’ up your ideas, Blom,” Hem said.

“Well why’s that, Hem?”

“On account of him gettin’ outlandish ideas in his head! I fixed myself up to explain this to ya and I reckon I repeated myself near a flotter times!” A flotter was a dozen dozen dozen. Nobody used it much since it nobody counted in powers of three.

“Now why’s that my problem, Hem? Boy’s comin’ in of his own accord and just curious ‘bout the wide ways of the wide world.”

“Some boys could do with a bit less dreamin’ and a bit more practical matters, such as obeyin’ your ma and da and not moonin’ off the old tales of old innkeeps,” Hem replied with a bit more savagery than he intended. He and Blom were old friends, old pals from the days of Blember’s Rebellion. No need to go fryin’ his friend like that. He was just in a rough ’n fire mood.

“Now Hem,” Blom replied all reasonable but nonetheless surly. He was bein’ lectured in his own business! No respectable owner stands for that, even if it’s from a friend. “I ain’t askin’ your permission to do things the way I want to do ‘em. Your Hem is gettin’ of the same age as you were when we were out in the Island Realm, if you recall.”

“Different times, Blom. Different times and different places.”

“Now I ain’t finished. Your da didn’t like you goin’ off to the Islands for the reasons you did. Ask yourself if your wife, what’s her name again? CAN’T REMEMBER HER NAME. You think she woulda liked some homestuck man all afraid of the coastlines? Hem’s of a vital age.”

“Nay Blom. The boy can’t finish his chores if his ma don’t keep him to task. At his age I was haulin’ ropes and shortin’ shimmies with the haulers of all the vessels.”

“Hem’s of an age where he’s in search of a mentor o’ some sort,” Blom continued. “AYOO JEE BANFERD GET OFFA THAT PORCH!! NO MORE ALE FOR YOU AND GET YOURSELF OUTTA MY INN!! Leastways if he don’t find it with you he’ll be findin’ it with someone.”

“My wife and I we don’t approve of some of the things our Hem’s been up to of late. Don’t take it personal my friend —“

“Now what kinda man you expect your son to be if you’re so razor sharp about denyin’ him the realities of the world, Hem?” Blom pushed his spectacles up and willed the fires in his chest to quell. Sensitive subject, this was for Blom Blomgrin. He knew what he saw in Hem Slonnigum the younger.

“Blom I know we don’t see eye to eye on some of the issues plaguin’ our world but we did settle in Gilba Gilba for the same sorta purpose.” Hem leaned in conspiratorially even though he had no need to. “I know we don’t get a lot of time in these scenes to really get our characters developed, but if them Wayward Spirits make their ways into—“

“PFFSjSfhsFshhshsjSfhsfshjsshhh!” Blom sputtered in a sober outburst. “What’s got your head asunder all a sudden!! Aye, any more talk like that’ll have you out on the street, Hem!”

“Aye Blom but the realities are out there and if our children catch wind too soon of what’s in store well I daresay we failed ourselves and the reason we moved here in the first place.”