She remembered the first time she had fallen in love.

Her lover's embrace was as gentle and lulling as a babe's lullaby; she could never get enough of the soft hymns being sung close to her ear, and how the warm feelings flooded her stomach when she saw her beloved's first smile of the day. It was so bright that not even the strongest storm could make her emotions disappear from her memory. Jocelyn could never imagine a single hour without her sky. It was there since her birth and was watching from above as she grew into a full woman. And when she finally got the opportunity to join the Valkyrie, she felt overjoyed. It had always been her dream to fly on the back of an eyrie-- she imagined soaring close to the soft, fluffy clouds on a beautiful blue day, and raising her hand so that her fingertips could touch the sun.

It was more difficult than she thought, being part of the Valkyrie. There was always something to do; scouting, hunting, spying, charting some distant, unknown, and possibly nonexistent land... the work never finished. But Jocelyn loved it. There was never a day where she would drift off to sleep in her own boredom, or idle around Loralis while waiting for work. And, if the time came where she would finish her duties ahead of time, she would fly.

Jocelyn grinned, her fingers curling into the cotton-like, downy feathers of her mount. The dappled, black eyrie soared the skies with her atop his back. His wings did not beat as often, as Sirus had found a wonderful tailwind to glide upon. But her eyes did not rest on the overcast skies just above her, as they always did. No, they looked below, at the stretch of wasteland underneath them. From above, Ecros appeared nothing more than an ocean of dry sands mixed with patches of dead grass. Sadness hung heavy in her chest as she remembered the days where Ecros blossomed with travelers and the grassy expanse of land was as gorgeous as ever. But after the Astrax-Estialian conflict, it all changed, and it was destroyed... along with legions and legions of Xororian men and women.

But she was there not to gaze upon the charred corpse of a once beautiful country, but to find the shady and slimy desert town that was known as the Far West's capital. The general of the Estialian Valkyrie had told her that there were rumors of revolts being whispered in the dusky taverns of Ecros; it was to be thought that people were disgruntled with their King Cassius, and wanted to rid of him. Jocelyn didn't know why she was sent alone. Usually, there would be a group of two or three members of the Valkyrie, and they would all protect each other on a mission.

Jocelyn and Sirus made a landing close to the town's borders. It didn't take long for her to dismount and gather her belongings before making her way towards the rickety cluster of civilization. Her eyrie knew not to follow that closely; instead, Sirus once again took to the skies and flew low. She could feel her trusted mount's eyes bore into her, making her relax a significant amount as she entered the city. She did have someone to protect her, after all.

Dust and dirt darkened her plated boots as she rested a hand on Dawnchaser. The blade was extremely useful while she was on Sirus' back, but now that she was on the ground, it was difficult to protect herself with it. Fortunately, Jocelyn considered herself adept at swordsmanship, and she believed that she would be able to defend herself rather well if she had to.

The sight of the town's infrastructures made chills crawl up her spine. Most of the buildings were created with sturdy wood, and many of them towered over her head like some sort of beast. Well, I'm here, Jocelyn thought. Now, where do I even start?

Wren had arrived in Ecros long before the sun had risen as to not startle many people with his large tiger form pulling his cart. He knew his kind was not the most welcome of races in many places but most seemed to tolerate him if he had a decent amount of goods to sell, which is why he still traveled from city to city. This was his life, the one he had left his tribe for just after completing his right of passage. He was in love with traveling, he was fascinated by all the races, especially those he would never have any chance of meeting back home. He held no fear of the orcs or hatred toward Solarians. Everyone was a possible customer in his eyes. He had to make money somehow and he couldn't do that by limiting the amount of people he sold to. So he did not discriminate and instead treated every race with the same amount of respect he would toward his now tribe members.

By the time the sun began to rise and the city began to wake Wren had already found a decent place to set up his cart, sticked with preserved meats from many of his hunts, something he was sure would sell well here. He also had furs though he limited his display as this was a hot area and he was sure his furs wouldn't sell well here, they sold better in cold areas but most likely not here. Of all his traveling he had never come to Ecros, he had to gather more items to sell through trade before he could come to the wasteland or far west as many called it. Because of this he had a decent amount of other supplies such as yarns, dishes, leathers, and weapons. Most of which he was sure he would be able to sell here for a fair price.

He stood alone in the hot sun a while as people wondered by him, some inspecting the items as they passed and others ignoring the cart all together. It wasn't until the city really started to wake up that he started making sales and trades. It seemed people were slightly weary of him first but the more people started to come over to his cart the more they seemed to get comfortable with him. He smiled and bartered all the while, loving the interaction with the people. His ears twitched at every sound, constantly moving so he could hear better, and his tail twitched in response to his mood. It was a good day so far with Wren and he hoped it would stay that way. He wasn't looking for trouble and he certainly didn't want to be forced to do something to scare away his customers. He would stay here until his cart was mostly empty and move on, if he had not trouble here.

12 years ago

Octavian ran through the streets of Loralis, ducking and dodging passersby and market stalls as he explored the labyrinthine structure of the streets. His clothes, ragged and baggy had picked up so much dust and dirt throughout their time in his possession they had turned an unsightly shade of beige, a stark contrast to his pure white hair that draped down his shoulders and back.

He clambered up an empty fruit cart, using it as leverage to ascend one of the shorter buildings in the city. Minutes past and he had finally reached his destination atop the local church. He peered out over the city, watching the people milling around like ants in a maze. He raised his head, staring almost agape at what he had come to see. The many beautiful castles of Loralis. His eyes changed from a look of awe to one of determination as he vowed to one day own one of the castles and sit in amongst the nobility.

Present day

Octavian's pale white horse trudged over the final dune of the journey as Octavian removed the keffiyeh that had protected him from the harsh heat and sand of the Ecrosian borders. Earlier on in the journey he had traveled in a much lighter attire, but that proved unwise due to the bandits that stalked the desert day and night. His armour glimmered in the sunlight, becoming almost incandescent.

He stabled his horse at a nearby inn after arriving at the town, catching many stares from the poorer folk wandering the streets due to his noble appearance. His hunt began now, for once not for someone to kill or capture. A friend of his had informed him of good job opportunities within the city and had urged him to travel there as soon as possible. Now that he had arrived, Octavian suspected he was just trying to get rid of him.

The equine snorted the dry air into its lungs, feeling its coarse heat by the tip of its hairs and trampled the sands uncomfortably while its rider shaded his amethyst eyes with leather covered hands looking farther into the desert's seemingly-never-ending course. He too snorted the dry air and felt its coarse heat by the tip of his hairs. It didn't help that he was pale and sweating heavily underneath the hooded garments he had donned. The saddle of the equine contained empty waterskins... Obvious that he had traversed the deserts for more than a day and found little signs of direction for where he needs to go. All he knew was the direction he came from amd that he needed to go the opposite way. "Ssshhh..." He stroked the mane of the horse as it gently calmed down. "Not long to go. We've been at it for days, Ecros should be near."

The two continued to travel at a normal pace, drinking few gulps of water as they traversed the desert eerily alone. Not a single soul could be seen across the vast sands. The sword was uncomfortably sitting in the scabbard. It moved and grooved along his waist as if it too was begging for a bit of water to cool itself down; though he didn't. The air was still coarse, felt by the tips of their hair.

Finally! As a sigh of his deepest relief, he was able to see Ecros. Or at least, what's left of it. The equine felt the relief it needed as well, hearing its rider squee happily it picked up its pace into a small gallop and circled towards the entrance of the town-- deserted. No guards or any gatekeepers. He was reminded of the coarse heat that he felt by the tip of of his hair. The shimmering sun that penetrates the skin and dries the eyes. Nobody would want to be barbecued by the sun. At least not in Ecros. He passed the main entrance and gently rode himself towards the nearest saloon where he quickly dismounted and landed with both boots kicking a dust cloud, dirtying the elegant elven craftsmanship and threw the rains over a pole with a trough filled with water. Or so he thought.

He pushed open the saloon doors and darted quickly and jolly to the bar bearing a grin and a puch filled with coin. "Bartender! Hurry and bring forth cold ale! Tis a day to celebrate the ridiculous travels of one to arrive here in Ecros!" He sat by the stool nearby and turned his back to see the people around him; weathered and tanned in appearance with some wearing very light and white attire. He threw down his dark green hood to reveal pointed ears and thoroughly wet with sweat and greased raven hair; features typical of an elf among the midst of solarians. The people's eyes scowled at him as talk begins to arouse. Of him, or his kind.

Lucy Aria leaned back in the cart she was riding in and watched the dingy town draw nearer. She'd payed the travelling merchant to bring her along on his way out to the west, and he had barely said a word to her since that day. His silence unnerved her. She had been keeping one eye on him ever since they had left, and really, she had expected other people to be travelling in their company as well. For this reason, she had slept rarely and lightly on their journey and at the sight of the city, she felt great relief.

She was unaccustomed to the heat and had taken to wearing a hat to keep the sun off her face. Really, she had never traveled out in this direction before but it was a risk she was ready to take. She had taken up fencing illegal and stolen goods in her brothel and she was already turning a good profit. If her leads led her true in Ecros, she would be adding a wider market to her business and letting herself be more known to the sort of buyers she needed. She was out here seeking a man who went by Snow, and that was all she really knew about him. Despite that, she was a business woman and she was ready to grab this opportunity by its throat.

As the cart pulled into the haphazard town, she watched buildings and people of all standings go by. When she saw an inn, she hopped off the slowly moving wagon and waved at the silent driver. Lucy hoped desperately he wouldn't be staying at the same place as she would. She pushed the wooden double doors open in front of her and greeted a room bustling with activity. People sat at tables eating lunch among friends and travelers sat spaced out around the room. She made her way to a spaced out stool at the end of the bar and ordered a cold beer from the pretty girl behind the bar. It arrived a minute later and she drank it down with great relief at the cool feeling of it entering her system after all the heat and travel she had endured. I'll worry about Snow tomorrow, she decided to herself as she drank the beer. A day off would be welcome.

Ecros was one hell of a shithole.

Cleon Knight figured that only criminals and desperately stupid people came to live in the lawless den. If the man had known that some orc would be trying to give him a not-so-friendly hug, he would have stopped himself from bombarding the place two years ago. Since when did he suddenly become the most suspicious person in the entire continent? Even the most hated species was itching to throw a fist at him.

He did not have the patience to prolong the scene that the orc was creating. While Cleon did continue to try and ignore it, the slobber splattering across his face and the smell of desperate living did make it considerably difficult. Here he was, trying to have a few drinks, thinking about staying for the day and hitting the road the next day. All of a sudden, travelling in the middle of a scorching desert sounded like a party invitation.

Cleon sighed. Everything and his substantial lack of booze was pissing him off. His hand dropped the glass to the table that he was sitting before, taking a breath. He did not bat an eye towards the orc as his fingers swept to the side and drew the flintlock pistol from his holster, not even moving from his seat as his problem was solved.

Sure, it was bloody and loud, and cleaning orc remains was not the most exciting job, but Cleon wasn't going to do anything. He just wanted some peace and quiet, and the saloon, for him, was now exactly that. Holstering the smoking weapon, he sighed in relief.

"Another one," Cleon pushed his cup forward, his expression blank while the keeper obliged.

People are quite strange.

Especially those who lived in extravagance as the nobles did. She didn't understand how shiny round pieces of metal could make someone so powerful even though their bodies were so frail that they could die from tripping over a stick. For the past few years, Feriha had learned a lot about society, but also not very much. Squires would give her strange looks as she tended to the Raptors in the barracks stables. Whispering to each other as she spoke softly to the animals. "It's so pointless to talk to such dumb lizards", she would overhear every so often, statements which she largely ignored. One of the Raptor trainers had approached Feriha about this before, telling her that she didn't need to constantly talk to the beasts.
"Raptors are very social beings.", She had replied softly in a serious tone. And with that, the Raptor trainers gave up. There was more to beast taming than just subduing the beast. You needed to try your hardest to understand their emotions.

In the five or so years after leaving The Xacrines, there was one place that Feriha hadn't been to yet. A place far west, labelled 'Ecros' on the maps she found in the 'stacked paper' buildings.. or 'Library' as most referred to it as. After gathering the supplies she needed, she left Estiala on the back of her companion, Nur.

"It's going to be a long trip, Nur.", the tamer stated as they left the city. The raptor chirped in response. He liked long runs.

---

The desert sun was quite unforgiving. It's scorching presence made their travels more difficult as they stopped under every isolated piece of shade to take a short rest from the heat. Feriha was glad that she had put a cloak on before entering the desert, her skin wasn't as seared as one might think.

It felt like an eternity, but they had finally made it to Ecros. Or at least she thought it was Ecros.. Her doubts on her location were cleared as she saw a sign saying 'Ecros'. How handy. The tamer hopped off her mount, guiding him to shade and a water trough. She took a good look at the other animals in the stable. A few good looking horses. It didn't look like they had been here for very long as they drank the water with insatiable thirst. She carefully inspected one of them; it seemed as though the owner didn't bother to dust the sand off it's coat and mane, how careless. However, she was feeling quite dehydrated, so taking care of someone else's horse will have to wait.

Upon entering the building with the two wooden doors.. which didn't seem like doors and more like a piece of fence. She quickly scanned the room. It seemed quite busy. Noisy would be an appropriate descriptor. However, the smell of blood wafted strongly as she entered. She didn't look for the source due to her thirst, thus she ignored the dead orc altogether. "I would like.. A large mug of water." She requested simply as she sat down on a stool in front of the bar, removing the hood from her head. As asked, she was given a tankard filled with water which she gulped down gratefully.

Feriha couldn't help but feel a little trapped here. All around this town was desert and the scorching sun. She didn't really want to go back outside anytime soon, but she didn't really like it in here. The smell was disgusting.

Maewen suppressed a sleepy yawn as she sauntered down the stairs of her quaint little home/Herbs and Medicines shop after completing her morning routine of eating breakfast out back with Caldir, cleaning his bedding and then bathing and dressing presentable for her customers.. Opening the front door, she flipped the sign to "open", and took a moment to enjoy the crisp morning air before heading back in and sitting at the front counter.
Now, to wait for customers.

The shop contained hundreds of medicinal herbs all kept organized in rows upon rows of labeled drawers. which is checked and re-stoked once or twice every week.
the small work station in the back littered with papers, books and empty vials for medicine, which she makes upon the request of a customer.
Maewen was a persistent worker and took pride in her efficiency and organization. occasionally the Elf would even bake a tray of sweets and leave it on the front counter for customers to enjoy. She had come to be known and Even Admired by many who lived nearby and often were regulars.

Today, Sales were rather slow. regardless it was a good day, the Sun was shining, skies were clear and people were Enjoying themselves. meanwhile, Maewen greeted the occasional customer with a friendly "welcome~" and catered to their specific needs such as concocting a certain medicine or providing them with a needed herb.
During her free time She would prepare more sweets and then go about checking and taking inventory, writing down the herbs she would need to re-stock.

Come evening Maewen with basket and notes in hand closed shop, and together with her companion Caldir ventured out, to collect the needed herbs for re-stocking.

Yes. The melodious sound of a gentle ale stream with rocks plunging deep into the glass gave the leaning elf a gentle gasp of pleasure as his waist twisted to face the bartender; a sprightful young lady with bronze skin and youthful features. Hazel eyes that monotonously trained her eyes by the maw of the glass and your usual customer friendly smile as she trails her lips. "Here you go, sir." Airdan's hand twitched and reached for the glass, eager and 'unknowlingly' made contact with the bartender's hand... Tender and smooth...

"Oh! My apologies. Thank you m'lady." His other hand produced coins to pay for the drink as he winked. "Good rest of the day to you." His hand, now in control of the cold glass of ale-- made short work of the refreshments as he continued to feast his eyes upon the saloon.

People come and go. Though most stayed for the obvious reason that its bloody hot out there. He had taken more of his time girl watching from where he was sitting-- occassionally sipping the cold ale or winkong or pointing to some ladies who took notice and feast his eyes to his pleasure with a friendly smile. It was easy to tell which girls were from this city. Like the bartender, they were bronzed skinned and have generally dark features.
The travellers were pale and generally wore hoods not of the white colour.

And then... Gunshot. It was an earshot away. His immediate reaction was reaching for the hilt of his sword and turning to the source of the sound-- A Solarian, with an Astraxian Flintlock pistol. He looked around the room to see the stunned crowd and speechless. Silent. Unmmoving. No guards? He let his hand go off the hilt of his sword and returned to minding his own business-- nothing needed to escalate.

@Rekaigan A girl sat down by a stool adjacent to Airdan's seat and had asked; with a frank and plainly-spoken tone "... A large mug of water."

Airdan shifted himself comfortably back towards the bar, drinking a generous gulp of his cold ale graciously and set the glass by the wooden top and watched the chestnut maned girl's pale lips meet the tankard of water. "How are you finding this hot weather? I'd soon strip myself naked and plunge myself into an frost-ridden lake. What say you?" His hand reached for the glass of ale again and downed the last bit of ale-- including the ice.

Slinks Grotfist the half-orc, casually stolled into the town of Ecros, having travelled by foot for most of the way. The hunter was tired and desired some form of rest, which would obviously be found in the local tavern. He made his way to the tavern, stroking his beard as he inspected each building he passed. With most of the structures being wood, he trusted them to some extent though he prefered sleep in the open air. However, he did not travel all this way for a tavern; it was for the glorious hunt that he wished to partake later. Slinks walked inot the tavern, looking around at the people before taking a seat in a secluded area of the tavern. His large stature made him stand out, his barbaric appearance furthering his oddness of the area. The half-orc set his weapons, his throwing spears and sword, beneath the table before leaning back, relaxing after days of walking.

Wren, satisfied with his sales for the day, decided to call it an early day and headed toward the inn/tavern that was nearby. He has heard a bit of a commotion come from the place as a strange, loud, popping like nice sounded from it, but paid little attention as the people that had scattered to the outside from the place took the time to check out his cart. He made a mental note then to see if he could find the source of the commotion and thank them for bringing him some slightly scared senseless customers. He was a business man after all. He wasn't concerned for the mental state of his business, just as long as he was getting it.

@Solace
After taking a few moments to lock up his cart he wondered into the tavern that to him smelled of drunken desperation. It only took him asking one person about the issue from earlier to be pointed toward a man seated at the bar looking disgruntled. Wren chuckled to himself and headed in the direction on the male. He took a seat beside the male and ordered himself a random drink not really knowing what it was. "So, I hear you caused quite a commotion earlier. Scared a few drunken saps toward my cart. I'll have to thank you for that. You can pick one of my two offers. Offer one, I will let you take an item of your choice from my cart later, or, I will by your next few drinks. You pick." His tail flicked as he talked and the movements of the others around them caused his hears to twitch. He may seem relaxed but he was always ready for someone to try something while he was around. His race wasn't exactly the favorite among others, or even his own.

As the woman thought about where she would first begin her mission, a loud sound came from the insides of one of the small yet bustling saloons. It lit up the inside of the shack like fire, and a thunderous roar cracked across the vicinity. It was as if some beast had been unleashed and had already claimed its victim. Jocelyn held her breath, her hand tightening on the hilt of her sword as she approached the saloon. She was afraid of what sort of scene she would encounter, and, more specifically, what exactly had happened.

The wooden floors creaked loudly as Jocelyn stepped inside. Her eyes adjusted to the change of lighting, but her hearing was as always. And she basically heard nothing, save for a couple of voices near the back of the room. Once she was able to get a look at her surroundings, she caught sight of a large figure slumped against the floor. Something sour tainted the air; she was able to identify the smell as blood, and lots of it. From what she could infer, the unmoving heap of flesh was murdered by someone nearby. And not by any common mean-- no sword or lance or throwing daggers could make this much of a mess.

Her eyes, suddenly an icy azure, flickered towards the two men at the bar. To her surprise, one of the males was an inguz chatting to a seemingly uninterested stranger. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, mixing with the stench of blood. Jocelyn set her jaw, feeling an overwhelming sense of anger come over her. The inguz could not have killed the orc in such a way, but it was very possible that the other man, a solarian, did.

"Pardon, sir," Jocelyn approached the inguz, her steel-plated boots thudding against the floors. "But I'm afraid that your little chat will have to wait."

With an overly serious expression, she turned towards the stranger. The blonde was ready to pull out Dawnchaser if it came down to it, but she would prefer to avoid any further bloodshed. "You are under arrest for the murder of an innocent being. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way-- but I'm pretty sure that everyone in here wouldn't want their day ruined even further."

Jocelyn knew that this was risky, but could she really let the bastard get away with killing someone in such a manner? She only tightened the grip on her sword, her knuckles burning white as she waited for his reply in apprehension.

@VKAllen @Solace

Lucy was facing away from the scene when she heard the sound. It startled her almost off of her chair, but she tried to appear fazed as she craned her neck around to see. She saw a solarian standing over an apparently now-dead orc with an unfamiliar weapon. She couldn't say this was a totally foreign scene or idea to her - things happen in bars, and it didn't offend her. When she saw she was under no threat, she turned back to her drink, keeping one eye on the situation out of curiosity. She always did have an ear and an eye for gossip.

She watched a formidable looking armored woman enter the inn and survey the scene. Immediately, this sort of person did seem to be more of a threat. Lucy wasn't the most law abiding person. They were also standing at the bar, not far from her, when she heard the woman place the solarian under arrest. Lucy stuck her eyes forwards and only listened. She didn't want to have any unwanted attention drawn towards her, so she sat still and waited, sipping on her drink.

As the cool water met her lips and slowly flowed down her throat, Feriha felt an overwhelmingly refreshed as if her body had come alive once more. She left out a soft sigh of satisfaction as she put the mug back onto the counter. She looked at the man who started speaking in her direction, from the corner of her eye. It took her a moment to realize that the man was actually talking to her. Before she could turn to reply to the man, the sound of metal boots rang out behind her.

"Pardon, sir, but I'm afraid that your little chat will have to wait.", the woman said. Her tone sounding very serious and somewhat demanding.

Feriha found it a little odd. Perhaps the two were related in some way? Although, that wasn't any of her business. However, she did want to see how this confrontation would draw out, given that the woman decided to arrest the man who supposedly killed someone in the tavern.. Whom the tamer now knew to be an orc, as her gaze fell upon the dead body. Speaking of which, the tavern was getting more smelly..

The clattering of steel against wood was difficult to miss. It was a hurried expression-- As the saloon doors rattled open and closed-- Followed by a series of clunking and creaking of the floor against mild steel-- Airdan turned to investigate what the heck was that familliar militant sound. @Ambra "You are under arrest for the murder of an innocent being. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way-- but I'm pretty sure that everyone in here wouldn't want their day ruined even further." The complexion of the warrior beneath the heavy plating and gambeson were tanned, stern and stoic.

Airdan watched momentarily on his seat with a careful eye. The lady's head swayed to rid her blonde fringe away from her eyes and firm fingers wrapped along the hilt of her sabre. As a regular traveller to Estiala, he was able to quickly identify the emblem branded on her cloak around her waist that denoted Lorelian's Jay Valkyries. Mounted combatants efficient at dominating the skies, but not so on the ground... From what he heard. @Rekaigan "Well I guess it could wait." He scoffed lightheartedly and stood up from his seat. "Ot was nice chatting with you. Lets do that again sometime." He turned the side of his face towards the chestnut girl.

@Ambra He approached the Valkyrie and the Solarian with a casual stride, moving closer towards the warrior first. "I'll lend you a hand." He gently spoke with a quiet smile and wink. @Solace "You heard the lady. Drop your weapons, hands behind your back, facing the table. In that order." He had much respect for the King's Army. Seasoned warriors despite of their relatively short lifespan. If there's anything an old man could do is to cooperate and help them.

Fortunately for Cleon, it had not been the first time he'd smelled orc guts, and so while there was a worrisome amount of concern over some dead person, killing was something he had grown accustomed to years ago. He was the one still drinking, after all, and he had a night to celebrate before he would hit the road again.

@LostDestiny

Cleon wondered what would cause more discomfort; the eventual hangover, or the headache he was beginning to suffer from. It seemed like everyone wanted something from him. That, or he was simply that irresistible. Under normal circumstances, he thought that any rational individual would steer away from the person with the gun, but no, it made him the most popular loner in the saloon.

He only turned his face slightly as the inguz spoke to him, his expression blank. Cleon's brow furrowed in a look of contempt, only shown directly when he decided that now may have been the good time to reload. Maybe they'll finally figure out that I don't want to talk to them. Or, he'll look like the most racist person in the world.

While the inguz talked, Cleon pretended to nod in understanding towards his words, placing his flintlock pistol to the table and beginning the ritual of loading the weapon for another shot. He had learned to do so without having to watch the process itself, but he made sure to slow it down so that the inguz would notice.

He had just enough powder for the twenty or so shots still in his pouch, which was not too big of a problem. There were several smugglers in the town that he could bargain from, and Cleon would be set for the rest of the year.

@Ambra @VKAllen

And suddenly, everyone wanted to be best friends with Cleon. He had holstered his pistol just before several footsteps encroached upon his seat from behind, and the male found himself 'apprehended' by the authorities. His face became one in a mix of confusion and annoyance, heaving a loud sigh.

It was only when the second random person wanting to play hero made Cleon explode in hysterical laughter. Slapping his thigh, the male crossed his arms against his chest, his mouth open as he smiled widely. "By any chance, are you a knight?"

Though, before she could give a response, Cleon broke into a light chuckle once more, shaking his head as he reached back for his drink. He took a healthy swig from the cup, holding it out towards the woman in an offer.

"I know this is a lil' sudden," Cleon began, wondering if they knew Ecros was a lawless zone. "But do you take gold or drink? Personally, I prefer the second option, makes the relationship less of a trade and more unique."

To be honest, she expected the man to comply with her demands. But instead, he reacted in a completely different manner than she thought he would. He remained in his seat as he smiled up at her in a wild fashion, replying to her orders in a satirical way. Jocelyn's face flushed in frustration and embarrassment as he only continued his verbal assault. As a prestigious knight from Estiala's Valkyrie, she couldn't help but feel mortally wounded at his words-- especially the last ones he uttered as he raised his cup towards her.

Jocelyn reached to the side, picking up one of the empty tankards that the barkeep hadn't picked up yet. With an upset expression, she slammed the bottom of it upon his head with just enough force to cause pain. "Very well," she replied angrily, glaring down at him. His incompetence to follow her orders reminded her of the fact that she really was in no place to enforce the law of Xororis; she was probably getting herself into deeper trouble than she was already in. "If you have no interest in coming with me, then I'd like to ask you to do something else for me, instead."

With a sigh, she sat beside him, tossing a glance at the people who were within the tavern. Some of them looked towards the corpse and her in alarm, but said nothing. "Buy me a drink," Jocelyn said, suddenly appearing rather tired. "I'm thirsty."

@Solace

Wren, from his position beside the male with the odd weapon, chuckled to himself. He took a large swig of his drink before turning to face the two who were now standing behind them. The situation had played out very differently in his head. The fact that the woman was now demanding a drink from the man was fairly amusing in itself. @VKAllen@Ambra "Well this is very interesting but I think it is time for me to walk away." He stood up and moved out of the way as the female took a seat where he could only assume the dead orc was previously positioned. The smell had started to get to him anyway. He hadn't planned on sitting there much longer.

With that Wren moved around the male and female but stopped for a moment beside the male. "Oh by the way, I don't think the lady needs your help mate, she seems perfectly capable of handling that on her own should things have turned south. You on the other hand seem slightly less... equipped to handle the stranger's mysterious weapon. So it is a good thing it played out the way it did." He was referring to his lack of armor not trying to offend his masculinity. From the looks of the dead orc the weapon the strander possessed was not something to be taken lightly. Wren figured armor was more helpful than none.

He shrugged and continued on his path toward the back of the tavern, where he had decided to interact with another individual in the tavern, an orc like man who had secluded himself in the back where he would be less likely to be noticed. @Lauder With drink in hand he seated himself at an adjacent table and chuckled to himself. He looked over the man, assessing if it was safe to interact before eventually speaking. "You look like you walked here friend. Not exactly the safest or smartest thing to do, but anyway, what brings you to the far west?" He questioned casually. Wren had a habit of calling people mate or friend. It was how he spoke as a salesman and the speech had a tendency to travel into his casual conversation, which he would have with anybody willing to listen. He liked to think he had friends of all races in all places. Whether that was true or not was another question, but there was usually someone, somewhere, willing to speak to a friendly soul such as himself.

@Ambra @Solace @LostDestiny Seems as though they had entirely dismissed his actions; evident from the hand of cards played by the little warrior and the murderer as well as the entirely unnecessary grey-area dwelling, needless commentator inguz had said to both her and Airdan. He let out a small scoff himself and watched as the warrior cutesely hit the bottom of a wooden tankard against the Solarian's head and demanded that he buys her a drink. Common gesture for someone trying to get into someone's pants in his opinion. He stood back from the scene with gentle steps, the coarse heat returning back to his senses as he began to fan his hand along his neck trying to keep the heat down as the Grey Area Inguz walks past him.

"I don't think the lady needs your help mate, she seems perfectly capable of handling this on her own. You on the other hand seem slightly less... Equipped to handle the stranger's mysterious weapon." Airdan's expression was brought to laughter.

"You're damn right on that one!" He said with his fingers pointing towards the Grey Area Inguz. Before returning back to his own seat, next to the girl he was attempting to talk to before. The cheery expression never had left him. "Ah, now the problem partially solved..." He set his sights by the orc's body, now being dragged out by some housekeeper of the tavern and returned it back to the same bronze skinned, hazel eyed bartender. "Another one of those cold ale you made for me," He turned to the girl again. "And you?" @Rekaigan

Huh. What do you know.

Judging from the way everyone was acting, it didn't seem like anything further was going to happen. The female knight seemed to be tired from.. something and was now asking the murderer for a drink. Things were quite different from Estiala. Feriha remembered almost being arrested for taking a piece of bread without paying for it, of course, she didn't know she needed money to get things from others. At the time she wasn't aware of trading systems.

Feriha couldn't help but chuckle a little at the interactions between the two men. It was nice to see people being lighthearted with each other. As the group dispersed somewhat, the tamer had turned back to drink from her mug of water. The man, whom she now identified to be an elf, ordered another 'ale' and then spoke to her "And you?"

What an odd question.. Feriha paused for a moment, she didn't know what to respond with. "..And me what?" She finally replied, confused.