"That's kind, but I still--" The tavernkeeper turns away and Verity is left with the drink they gave him. The tiefling breathes a heavy sigh and fidgets with the red leather cords around his wrist. He hasn't seen anyone else in his order, he doesn't understand why he was taken and not them.

Verity looks down at his drink. He rarely drinks alcohol but this doesn't' smell particularly alcoholic. He slips away from the bar, preferring to be somewhere more out of the way as others appear, coming down the same way he had. The drink is actually quite good and after a few sips, Verity relaxes more. Enough that he ends up approaching another patron or table and blurts out,

"I don't know how to do this." Good start. "Uhm... I'm Verity. Can I--would it be okay if I joined you?"

[ooc: Verity's had either A Spot of Courage or People Skills (which he does not have naturally poor bab]

Glass Market
It's the stained glass that draws him, but the familiarity of the bustling marketspace that makes him stay. Verity keeps his cowl up, attempting to hide his horns, though there's no getting away from his unusual eyes or rather obvious gargoyle-like feet. Or tail. He watches children running around and after spending his own childhood as an urchin, it isn't hard to catch some of the more bold pickpockets at work. Verity has nothing of value on him and his clothes are drab grey and faded black - he makes a poor target.

He has some coin - bones? - to spend, though he's aware of how limited his means are. That's not particularly new, at least. He didn't necessarily take a vow of poverty as a monk, but it became a fact of life relatively quickly.

The tiefling lingers near one of the food stalls, trying to decide if it's worth getting something that smells very good with what little he has. It's as he's thinking that he feels a bold little hand trying to reach past his tunic. He glances down and his tail catches the child before they can dart away.

"Hey," he says softly. "Just ask."

And with that, he offers the few bones he has before his tail releases the kid. Well, there's that decision made.


Outside the City
Verity doesn't really know why he's out here. He left the city gates, made it a few hundred yards down the road, and simply stopped. No longer surrounded by people (though there are some coming and going along the thoroughfare), he pulls back his cowl and lets it rest around his neck. He already feels a little better.

Staring ahead, taking in the landscape, Verity touches the red leather cords around his wrist.

"My knees may stagger, my bones may break, my will may fracture - but my faith stands strong on your shoulders," he murmurs. If he can hold to that, he'll be all right. He does not know if his god is here, but it doesn't matter. Verity has no intention of abandoning the tenants he has lived by for so long.

Graveyard in the Sky
Verity has a handful of advantages when it comes to keeping his balance in bad weather: his unusual feet and his tail are a good start. Having spent the better part of his life training as a monk certainly doesn't hurt.

He wedges himself down between a piece of wreckage and a rock, attempting to stay out of the wind for a moment. He pulls his hair loose and quickly braids it tighter than it was. He can't have the wind whipping it loose and into his face if he's going to achieve anything.

Verity goes still and his hand tightens on his longbow and he shifts slowly, trying not not disturb the debris around him. Is it a sprite? No, it's someone losing their balance. He drops the bow and launches over the rock to grab a hand or leg (or tail) - whatever limb he can get his hands on to keep them from falling further.


The Children Yearn for the Mines
The stories are upsetting, not only for the anxiety of the parents who don't know where their children are, but for the fact that they've been dismissed by people who should be helping him. But those are the places Verity finds to intervene, so of course he is here, listening to every story, every description, no matter how long it takes. Some parents are distraught, others are numb, and others still are just angry. He learns names, the color of their eyes, their hair, what they were wearing (if anyone remembers) when they were last seen.

From one mother he takes a little owlbear plush, she insists her son can't sleep without it.

Verity steps away from the impromptu town meeting that his interviewing created and looks down at the toy. He tucks it carefully into his satchel and shifts the bag so that it rests against his side rather than his back.

He's breathing to center himself, to remind himself that he needs a clear head, when he notices someone else.

"Are you here to look for the children too?"

[ Like it says above, I'll match your style if you prefer brackets. Info for Verity is here. Your character is welcome to run into him anywhere in Gray Ward and he will cautiously explore the other locations. Also more than happy to play him in a roommate situation with other new arrivals. Feel free to PM with questions or to plot! ]