Seaside Tavern {IC}

[Aisling]

Serina speaking with Sraia and Tobias then to Boris

Serina sat down at the offered chair. Tobias seemed to be nice enough to her. And Sraia is very beautiful lady indeed. She felt inferior to Sraia's beauty.

"Thank you very much, Tobias. My name is Serina. I am wandering thru the area looking for a place to stay. Who is the owns this Inn and Tavern? I am a bardess and can sing many songs as well as play the dulcimer."

Serina turned to the man who introduced himself as Boris Breaksbone. From the angle she was seeing him, he looked like a healthy tall well built man. She smiled upwards as she spoke softly.

"My name is Serina. This lady is Sraia and the man is Tobias. It is fine with me if you wish to sit for a spell here but it is Tobias' table. What do ye say? Yay or nay?" Smiling at the other two in hopes that they would agree to let Boris join them.

[tirgesfu]

For the first time in many days Jorn felt at ease. Who would have guessed following a dark skinned demon with horns over paths once traveled with the Rosy Palm would make him comfortable. He snickered at the thought. But he had been on edge for so long that food and the slim idea that he was safe for at least a time felt like sunshine on a lazy beach.

He didn’t need conversation. Alcuian lead with a good pace. In fact walking behind the fiend Jorn could appreciate the real power in Alcuian’s stride. He wondered again how Aleria really found him, or called him, or summoned him, or got stuck taking care of him. Jorn’s mind began to play with the idea of having some companion, some friend, for years and years. He couldn’t help but think of Tomas.

That sadness was out of place in the sunlight of his first free day. Just as he pushed his old friend from his mind he heard a voice above the path. It was not a yell of attack or warning but a friendly tone that surprised Jorn causing him to look up the rocks.

On the path ahead was the women who shared a meal with Tomas in the tavern. Ships. She was here for the same reason as they. Jorn blinked and tried to look out over the glistening waters. The sun made the blue water merge with the cloudless sky. He squinted and then jumped up on the rock to see better. Instead of answering the woman he put his hand over his brow and looked. He had a hard time seeing anything.

“Where?” He squinted to her to see what direction she was looking and then followed quickly to do the same. He looked so hard he had to blink several times.

“Alcuian, you do everything better than I. Can you see the ships? Tell us what you see.”

[RageQUIT]

Boris speaking to Tobias, Serina and Sraia

Boris stands up straight and looks to all three people at Tobias's table. "Do forgive me if thus is a bad time, in me opinion drinking ale is always bettar with company, if ye prefer me to piss off I'll understand". Boris brushes his hair from his eye and looks to the barmaid he had already given a hard time to. "Four please! For my hopefully newly found acquittance's! Sooner then later would be good, me ol' hip isn't getting any youngar!" Boris chuckles with a deep pot belly laugh. "Whhat use is livin if you can't find yourself havin a good time?"

[Cerianis]

Sraia had been about to start telling her tale of when she had last used her blades, but before she could do much more than open her mouth to start the tale, things had began to happen rather quickly, and she didn't seem to be able to get a word in edgewise. Suddenly a lovely woman came over to their table after she had finished her song. However, before she could answer the woman's request, Tobias had done it for her, and while she had been about to say yes, she still glared at Tobias for the assumption. But before she could say anything about that, he then introduced them to her. Oh! The gall this man had! She just sort of sat there for a second, stunned, her mouth hanging slightly ajar. But before she could recover, another man had come over and slurring his words, asked if he could also take a seat. Again, someone else answered for her.

Only several moments before she had been lonely, now she was crowded with people, it almost felt claustrophobic for her. She took a deep breath and rather than yelling at them all to go away as the urge in her stomach told her, she waited for Boris to finish his little monologue before she opened her mouth and in a clear, but soft voice, she asked those surrounding her, in her musical voice that, if anyone had known her, would realize held a strained note, as if she was urging herself not to run away. "Would you all like to hear the tale of the last time I used that blade and it's twin?" she asked them, her voice carrying over the group in their silence, but it didn't cross to the rest of the room, over the din the other patrons were making, nodding towards the blade in Tobias' hand.

As she said the twin, she reached up to the other blade and deftly removed it from her hair, showing the two newest members the delicacy and the deadliness of the blade. The light glinted off of the shiny surface, throwing it back across the table, making patterns as Sraia moved the blade easily between her fingers.

[Aisling]

Serina sitting at a table, speaking to Boris then Sraia while Tobias sat at the table.

"Just mead for me of you do not mind and a bite of dinner if no one minds me eating. Pray do tell the story! For it is interesting, I am sure of that." Serina spoke with a bit of excitement in her voice. She loved singing but she loved a good story as well. Perhaps she could even make it into a song.........

The bar maid heard Serina and brought the drinks- mead for Serina- then asked
"Wha'll ya have?"

"Stew and bread if you have some." Serina asked for she knew that some kind of stew is always cooking on the back burner of a kitchen stove.

[tirgesfu]

Tobias had a hard time keeping a delightful grin off his face as the activity around her, Sraia’s, table increased. He gave Boris a nod with the smile still on his face, “No need to piss here, mate. We are about to hear about the twins.” He still held one thin blade in his hand and he pulled his chair closer to Sraia’s other half of the pair. He looked to the weapons and then to her face. He had seen her face change from the slight tease in the beginning, to the irritation of his speaking for her, to the startled look as others sought her attention and finally to the hidden excitement as if about to tell a good secret.

In that moment Tobias judged Sraia to be not only skilled in the use of the twin blades but also in the telling of their battles. She held one half of the twins in her hand with a prideful joy. She knew the blade. She held it as if they had shared some time and more than one battle.

Tobias absently reached for the ale offered by Boris and took a swig, wiped his mouth and settled waiting to see more from Sraia’s face.

[Aisling]

Serina scooted a bit closer to Sraia so she could be closer to the hair ornament. If she was to guess it was a dangerous hair ornament. Since she moved closer to Sraia, she had moved closer to Boris and needed to hold her bowl. This was normal for her because her curiosity gets the better of herself.

As she ate, she noted that the stew was excellent, in fact the best she ever had! The bread was nice and crusty on the outside and soft inside. A nice combination in the warm bread. The mead was well spiced. So all in all it was an excellent meal to eat while listening to a tale.

[Aydan Tenaebra]

Alucian stared out at the three ships after glancing to the woman that had addressed them. The sun was bright, but it had nothing on some of the fires he had seen and caused in hell. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. The trio of vessels looked like they had gone through the ringer. "Benefit of not being human, Jorn. Those three ships look like they've taken some nasty damage. There's something green on one of the hulls, I can't quite tell what though. Some kind of writing and symbols."

The silver-haired fiend reached up a clawed hand to scratch at the base of one of his horns. The large wings on his back twitched as his dark red eyes narrowed on the ships. He eyed the girl and pair of boys. How did he end up surrounded by humans again? Aleria. Right, of course. He supposed it wasn't so bad, over all. Still... He shook his head, scanning the shoreline for a moment, spotting Thelus and Aleria down the beach a ways. They seemed to be talking. With a slight nod he turned back to Jorn and the two strangers. He eyed them for a moment longer before speaking again, "Best I can say is we need to get a closer look, if you really want to know. Aside from that I'm sure at least one of you would want to see if any one on them needs any help. You two got names?"

He nearly added half the crews were likely dead anyway, but he kept his mouth shut and simply waited for any kind of response.

Aleria to Thelus, on the shore.

The sparkling of the sun on the water stung her light sensitive eyes even beneath her thick hood as the Drow stared out across the sea. She had spared a glance to the ships, but they were not at the top of her list at the moment. No, she had other things on her mind. Her hands rested, clasped, behind her back under the black of her cloak and her back was straight. The grey-skinned woman was still as stone.

"Aleria?" The word was quiet, but was clear in her delicate hearing. She did not turn around or even twitch. Instead she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She was surprised he had come out to speak to her, not that she would show it. She wondered if he had come to let her know he would not want her company in his travels after all, or whatever else along those lines. It was all she could expect. After all... He was human. She had never known one, a good one like him, to be accepting of her kind. Human warlocks were generally screwed up beyond reason and so called "evil" humans were either mad and thought they were far greater than they were, or soft, squishy beings that were all talk. The good ones, well... What good hearted human could like something evil enough to kill it's own offspring?

"Yes, Thelus?" She replied, just loud enough for him to hear.

[MightyBrodin]

"Ah," he chuckled in a low, grizzled tone, "then I shall return at dusk and see if your master has finished, but let him know that I have no qualms with him taking his time. Let an artisan to his craft, as I oft am known to say." As blunt and straightforward as Phynastre was, he understood quite well that something worth having was well worth the wait, and that the more time Akagalcia's master took on this weapon, the more intricate it was bound to be. He had a sudden thought, a shining glimpse of remembrance pertaining to some business he had not brought up before. "Those parchment-rolled smoke sticks of yours, have you got any more? If you can believe it, in over three-hundred years I have not laid these eyes of mine upon something like them even in the briefest passing glimpse." He quickly began to check his pack for something to barter with, the first piece of business of any trader worth his sand; his situation looked grim as he was yet unable to locate any item that would make a fair trade for either end. "If you will excuse my indecision, I fear I have spoke before having taken stock of my wares. I may have nothing to give you for such a trade."


-----
To Serina
-----

The old, long-traveled dwarf rested against the counter with a gruff sigh and listened to the the girl's song. It was quite lovely and so he close his eyes and tried to imagine what it might have been about. Of course, having been a dwarf himself, and having been born and raised with dwarves he was, unfortunately, lacking in the imagination department. So he simply relaxed and let the song bring him peace.

[Cerianis]

Sraia chuckled at the look of delight and anticipation on Tobias’s face. Perhaps it has been a while since he had heard a good tale she mused? She didn’t think that her tale was one that was too exciting, but her blades seemed to have attracted some attention, so she might as well honour her time old friends and companions. She cleared her throat, her head tilted back, staring at the roof to the front of her as she decided how to start her tale off, her eyes a mix between their blue and green, turning them aqua.

She bought her attention back to her audience, but almost immediately, her expression showed clearly that she had been transported back into the past, to the time she had last used her blades, she decided that they didn’t want to hear how she often used her beloved blades to reach the heart of her prey when hunting for dear, or more often, rabbits and the occasional bird, so the tale she had chosen had happened at the spring solstice the year before.

She opened her mouth and let out a soft sigh, drawing the complete attention of the small crowd that had gathered around her. She picked up her unfinished mug of mead, ignoring the mug of ale for the time being and started her tale.

“On the eve of the summer Solstice one turn of the season’s past, I had gone to a village some days south of here in order to trade my services for some good’s that I was sorely lacking. The sun had just disappeared beyond the horizon and I was walking back to the inn in which I was staying for several days to enjoy the fair, and the sights I don’t often get to see anymore. Dark had settled quickly, but I didn’t hurry; the fair was still in full swing, children running and squealing in delight, the smell of warm deer wafting through the air.” Her eyes had turned a deep green in anticipation, flecks of the bright blue highlighted by the green. “I reached a small alleyway that would allow me a quick way of getting back to the inn. However, halfway down, I met a scoundrel I had met once before. The bastard had been trying to cheat me out of my coin for some cheap trinket. When I refused to pay the price and left, he had tried to jump me then too, however as I slashed at his throat, drawing a thin line of blood with the very blade ye hold there, he decided he had underestimated the tiny delicate slip of a thing that stood in front of me, and vowed that he would get me. Turns out he meant to keep his word.” She stopped speaking, and picked up her mug of mead and took deeply of the liquid that warmed her insides, pausing long enough to draw the tension out as the crowd waited for her to continue her tale. Licking her lips, she started using the blade in her hand for dramatic effects, using her upper body to show how she lunged or drew back, enhancing the theatrics as she began with her tale again.

“When I saw him in that alleyway, I knew the time had come, but I stood calmly, even when he had two cronies sidle up to him. He had been small and arrogant, his black hair lank and slimy, eyes beady and pig like, black pits of disgustingness. He was exactly the same except now he had an air of victory about him. I figured he hadn’t heard about the legends of Elves violent streaks. Deadly grace, or so I’ve heard the stories say.” Despite her musical and feminine voice, she gave an oddly masculine chuckle. “His two companions were much larger than him, and much, much beefier. Most other women would have been intimidated, hell most men too for that matter,” She grinned at the males that surrounded her, but before they could protest her claim she continued.

“Their they stood, the rising moon shining off of their hairless heads, making the skin shine in the silky light, eyes hidden in the shadows, mouths smiling delightfully at the thought of a mauling, or rather, the thought of my mauling. So I stood there and tried to pretend that I was quaking in my shoes. The oafs bought the show, all three of them. As the two big ones lumbered after me, I waited until the last moment, when the they both thought that I was as dim witted as each of them, I used my agility and litheness to not be where they expected me to be. As I stood three feet to their left, leaving them wondering where I had disappeared too, I thought about playing with them. Before I could decide however, the trinketier had seen my move, and his face had screwed up like so,” She screwed her face up, the rage crossing her face comical against the amusement in her bright blue eyes. “And he says, he says “You witch! I’ll get you!” And so, I stare at him and laugh at the lameness of his statement. I return the banter, “Uh-huh, while you’re at it, go get a better comeback.” I pull out the blade, and throw it so that it sticks out of his shoulder, like an exclamation mark emphasising my point.” Her eyes are sparkling with amusement.

“Shifting the two other blades I turn around to the two oafs at my back, my decision made. They had collected themselves by now and had unsheathed their own swords. Moving swiftly I used the cover of the shadows to hide my movements, even if the shadows went all that deep to hide my movements well, it hid my face and the expression most likely on my face, a fierce joy in the hunt. Anyway, I descended on them, having decided not to play with them, or not for too long anyway. That bastard still had my blade shoved into his shoulder, getting blood all over it. So when the oafish twins moved toward me in one movement, I went low on one side, my blade sliding hilt deep and further, my momentum carrying the blade from his navel, around his waist, the blood came pouring out like a shower of red viscous water.” She thrust her wrist forward to emphasise her point, upper body leaning forwards. “He stared dumbly at the blade mark for a moment, his guts bulging out the slice. He fell to his knees, hands holding his sliced insides inside him as his twin came at me, a scowl on his face. As he thrust forward with his sword, I dodged, and returned the favour.”

She thrust her hand forward again, a look of concentration on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “He dodged the blade, but can’t have all the fun taken out of the fight by disabling them both within moments. So we fought, each of us thrusting or dodging, me trying never to have to parry against his sword, and me with my dagger. I could tell as he thrust at me, my agility and the lighter blade allowing me more endurance, he was tiring muscles getting sore. So I decided to go for the killing blow. So I thrust forward, mistiming his own swing towards me. My movement meant that as my blade entered his throat, pushing him backwards with my momentum, my blade in, across and out, and me jumping backwards meant that his blade should have missed me completely. Instead it sliced right across my stomach, deep enough that blood didn’t draw quickly to begin with, but not so deep as to ensure that my entails ended up on the outside, like his twins. The thrill of the fight even meant that I didn’t feel the slice, or the pain until after I had caught up to the bastard who had engineered it. By the time I had dispatched the first oaf, he stood and watched, but as I made the lunge for the second one, he had bolted out of there. I followed him as far as the end of the alley way. I had him at my feet some seconds later. I’ll give credit where credits due, and I must say, that sucker didn’t even plead for mercy, or for me to let him live. He simply glared at me, my blade still sticking out of his shoulder. So for his backbone on that night, I simply took the blade out of his shoulder, and made him stand up. Let me tell you, the surprise on his face was worth the movement. He thought I was letting him off scot free. However, the surprise didn’t last very long, as it was soon replaced by shock as I punched him once across the jaw, bought my knee up into his gut and rammed the blade through his ribs and into his heart.”

She sat back into her chair, having realized she had stood half-upright, leaning across the table, waving her hands about in motion, describing with words as well as motion. She took the last sip of mead in her mug, dipped another piece of bread in her broth and continued. “After that, I cleaned both of my blades on his shirt, and the look of disgust he gave me right before he passed on was worth it, as if he had any say anymore. Then I walked back to my inn where I collapsed in a bout of pain and the inn keeper found me curled up on the floor some three days later with huge infection and bugs crawling all over me.” She raised an eyebrow and took a bite of her bread, screwing her nose up at how cold her broth had gotten by now. “I got a scar from that,” she said thoughtfully after a moment.