Thumbs-up.

Resigned nod.

As much as he's tempted, drinking around Jing Yi's proved to be a mistake even in better times. Or so he's been told-- he doesn't exactly remember the incident.

He shakes his head curtly. "Promised Hannah I'd cut back."

"Ale's fine, cider's better."

And to the counter! "Hello, could I please get three pints of ale, a cider, and a glass of water?" Does the barkeep seem okay with someone Not From Clare Melford being there?

"You're from out of town," the barkeep says.

You have never seen this barkeep before in your life.

...why would he have seen him before, anyway. "Yeah, just came in on the train this evening."

"Why."

"Helping a friend with some historical research."

"Ugh. Out-of-towners," the barkeep says. He's drawing the ale.

"We are the most frustrating people," he says, trying to be the sort of person who's In On The Joke.

"Yes. You are. No one wants your type here."

"I'm surprised there's enough of us for it to come up."

Look at how from London he is. He has no other traits that might bother the barkeep. It's aaaaall just London-ness.

"The archaeologists came by a few years back. Didn't find anything of interest.

So you can save your time and go back."

...that might be the usual response to Normal Archaeology, but considering what happened five years ago, he has his suspicions.

"One of our party is looking into their genealogy, so unfortunately we're going to have go poke the parish records."

"Burned down in a fire," the barkeep says.

"I'm so sorry to hear about that! We'd better donate to the church to help them rebuild."

How goes the drink pouring. Is he going to be able to extricate himself this conversation before he gets the whole party run out of town.

The drinks have been poured. The barkeep names a price that's about triple what it should be.

He's not going to fight about it. He has the drinks. He has information (Clare Melford: really doesn't want strangers poking about.) He is happy to pay that and go play waiter.

Meanwhile, Sal will secure them a place to sit, both because this shields him from having to start off the talking to strangers and because everyone else is going to do it wrong.

Inaaya is (probably visibly) holding herself back from saying anything about how palpably snide Oscar is constantly and this isn't leaving room for much else but she'll stick with Sal.

Terrence will attempt to befriend the locals! He'll start by pulling the patented "gray" maneuver by trying to eavesdrop his way into a friendly conversation that looks like it's accepting input from randos.

Over here there are two guys chatting about the effect of the weather on the crops, and over here a woman and a guy are flirting, and over here someone is complaining about the Tories...

It's a risky maneuver, but he sidles his way to the third group/person. He knows much more about the Tories than about farming, so.

"Did you say they seriously voted for that? In their own district??"

"I know, right! I swear I'm going to vote Labour next election."

"You always say that."

"I really will next time."