Buy something to drink.

Though one man works the counter for the bar, that's only one corner, as a second counter is set up a short distance away, still along the side far wall, where orders for food are taken or requests for rooms, though much of the staff weaves between the patrons, delivering dishes on plates as well as mugs of frothy ale. Several tables able to hold large parties of adventurers are scattered throughout the large main chamber of the inn. Though farthest away is a corner for those wanting to escape the chaos, next to a roaring fireplace and directly facing the stage in the opposite corner.

A young mouse sits on a tool on said stage, playing a beautiful, relaxing medley of tunes on a harp larger than his body. The squeakin boy has short brown hair, and of course, big round ears as well as a spindly tail.

"Let's celebrate a successful dungeon clear with a bottle of something fancy," you suggest.

"Now that's our leader!" Niki exclaims.

"A wonderful way to wind-down," Amara says. "Though it seems this is one of the rowdier places we could have gone."

"But it actually isn't all that chaotic," says Xiaoqing.

"Ah. Now that you mention it, there is no fighting, and it is rather tidy, all things considered."

"The staff must not mess around," you say. "Guess that's how you gotta do it. If you let adventurers take control, especially those from out of town, you end up with broken chairs and broken bones."

"He's right!" says Niki.

Snow looks to her with a sigh. "Why are you saying that with such a proud expression?"

The first thing you do within Journey's End is head straight through the center, and turn towards the bar's counter. Nobody is presently there. Everybody inside has gathered together in groups to eat and drink at tables, leaving the man to his whittling. A number of different carved sculptures of wood decorate the shelves behind him, between bottles of various colours and dates. Though when he sees you approach, he puts down his tools and leans his worn old hands upon the surface of the counter.

Your keen eye notices a few things some others may not. The first is that beneath his baggy old clothing, he's far from feeble, despite his old age. The other is his height. He doesn't stand impressively tall, but you can tell he's always slouching. If he were to pull his spine in straight, he'd be much larger than you. His hair is long and white, just past his shoulders, though his face is covered in more than wrinkles. It's scarred and burned, to the extent that some folk would rather wear a mask. A piercing gaze from beneath a set of bushy brows scans you up and down.

Then he speaks. "What'll you have?"

"We just came back from completing a good ol' fashioned quest, and we want to celebrate with a bottle of something nice."

Niki slaps her hand down upon the counter and says, "That's right, old man. We have money to throw around, and--"

"Can you not?" Eva asks, grabbing the other woman by her arm. "You're gonna get us mugged."

"So? We can take them." After a quick laugh, she looks the bartender over again. "... Sorry about calling you an old man."

"Woah! Niki apologized."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

She just realized something at the same time as me. One of the major reasons this place stays in order is standing before us. As a warrior, Niki recognizes strength. She can probably tell things that I even don't think about, like how quickly he could grab a weapon right now, or how few openings he's leaving even while doing nothing beyond waiting for an order. I don't know if that's all true, but if there's one thing I know, whoever this guy is, he isn't just some old guy.

"Are you the owner of this inn?" you ask.

Finally, he's given the opportunity to speak again, though he doesn't seem bothered. If he were to get upset with adventurers blabbing on, there isn't a chance he'd be able to maintain the job he has. "That's right," he answers. "I'm called G, and I've run this place for the past five years."

You turn your attention around just as the three weirdos from before enter the establishment--ponytail, dwarf, and elf. They glance around only briefly before noticing you. Though you still don't know the exact reason the leader of their party has taken such a fascination with you, any of the reasons you've guessed are equally as pathetic.

G grunts and scratches his chin. "Dragon's Roar of Sunset. A special, dark wine from far northwest in the Oraang Desert."

As eyes turn to Niki, she shrugs. "Guys. I know I'm from there, but I don't know shit about the names of wine."

A busty barmaid bounces by but stops upon overhearing the conversation. "G, I thought we had run out of that a long time ago."

"I lied," he says. Then with a long grumbling sigh, he crawls beneath the counter in search for the drink.

"What's special about the wine, I wonder," Xiaoqing says.

The barmaid looks to her. "There's a family in the Oraang Desert that figured out a method to make drinks... What's the best way to describe it? Bubbly. This particular drink is not only that, but quite rare nowadays. I'm honestly not sure why he's bringing it out now if we've had it this whole time, but I don't know why G does a lot of things. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your stay!" she says before jiggling off.

After the old man rises back up, he places the bottle down in front of you. It's still corked and filled to the brim with a deep purple liquid. "Ten gold," he simply says.

"Sold," you reply before withdrawing the needed coins. You place them on the counter, with an eleventh as thank-you.

When he counts the extra tip, he looks to you strangely for a second before he slips them into something beneath the counter. "Enjoy. If you need anything to eat, either head over that way, or catch one of the maids when they aren't in a rush."

You snatch the bottle. As you do, he slips six glasses across for each one to grab. With everything ready, you seek out a table for the party to finally rest.