Where did Annya go?
Part 1
Kaleb, Eris, & Annya
Location: Tipsy Tavern --> Sailor's Choice
Once at the Tipsy Tavern, Kaleb, Eris, and Annya freely indulged in food, drink, and conversation as planned. The trio practically owned a corner of the establishment. Darius and Eris shared a bit of their journey with Annya, and the princess did the same. Unpleasant moments of the past had become humorous tales in the present. However, becoming too comfortable often gave way to complacency. Whether something had been slipped into one of her drinks, or she simply drank beyond her limits, one thing was certain: Annya was not right of mind.
So much so that the princess hadn’t realized how long she had been away from the humans or the others who declared her an ally. This time away, this perceived relief, was nothing more than a vulnerable moment that presented an opportunity for those who might use her. Smiles and laughter masked deception. Faux bonds formed their connection. What would the now pregnable Annya do when ambition and chaos held her.
“I think we should hit the town to find everyone else, but come on let’s have some more fun first. I heard through the grapevine that there’s a brothel. There’s a brothel in River Port, right?!” Kaleb shouted his question to the rest of the patrons in the Tipsy Tavern.
“The best in Avalia!” “Ya damn right!”
“I’m down if you two are?” Annya had her head down in her arms when Kaleb had spoken up. Her head perked up and she met Kaleb’s eyes and burst out laughing,
“A brothel!”She repeated.
“Oh Solaris. I don’t think I’ve eveeerr been to onnne…”She struggled to keep her head up and had to lean it on her hand. Her vision was blurry, things were doubled, and the last few hours had felt entirely like a dream. Nothing mattered and everything felt blissful.
“I haven’t needed to becaussse men love my… my… nice face.” She patted her own cheeks but she was numb to her own touch.
“You do have quite a nice face.” Eris responded with a small smirk as she sipped on the last of her drink. Things had been going exceptionally well and Eris was feeling quite better now that she had some time to rest. She was surprised how easy it had been to get Annya drunk and talkative, but she wasn’t about to complain.
“If you have yet to be at a brothel, my dear, then we must go! Everyone should experience one at least once in their life.” She said as she downed the rest of her drink and nodded, looking between her two companions.
“Exactly! Let’s have some fun before things get serious again!” Kaleb said with excitement despite Annya’s disposition. There was no doubt that she was visibly the most affected by the drinks. Instead of being concerned, Kaleb saw this as an opportunity to get even closer to the elven princess.
“Your face is even nicer when you’re smiling, Annya.” He spoke with honeyed words before stealing a glance at Eris. A sly wink let her know his flattery was shallow. Annya had smiled wide in response to his comment as if to show off the smile with a pleased giggle.
With arms linked, the three exited the Tipsy Tavern and walked to the Sailor’s Choice Brothel.
As they were leaving, a jaguar demihuman who had been working the bar, gave Kaleb a gentle nudge on the shoulder on their way out, whispering,
“I gave that brown-haired elf something extra in her drink. She seemed tense before and it was bringing the mood down. It’s nothing that crazy; she’ll be fine. ” He snickered as he moved away.
A few teenagers passed by and smirked, giving Kaleb a thumbs up as he was walking out with a woman on each arm. Kaleb nearly felt like a celebrity here in Avalia. It was just his star power. Even in a foreign realm, it radiated with both power and influence.
Annya had needed to lean a little on Kaleb, stumbling just a tad. Her recollection of what was important and the day’s events was essentially nonexistent.
“I used to come down heerre with my comrades after we won a hard battle! We’d go dancing...Oooh and one time we went skinny dipping really late at night in the ocean. The fairy prince was with us,” She looked at Eris then back at Kaleb, unable to speak without slurring every so often,
“Prince Heliooo was the prince of the fairy kingdom, but then..!"She paused for dramatic effect,
"He was banished for losing his mind. But! Before he went insane, he always stuck his nose in our business, trying to play hero. He was such a pig when it comes to women let me tell youuu. I would tell that asshole off every time I saw him. Ugh! I bet you he went to that brothel dozens of times. Anywaaayy, that guy went flying out of the ocean with a huge crab stuck on his toe. Screamed like a girl. Wish you two could have seen it!”“Sure, wish I could have seen the look on that dude’s face. Serves him right.” In reality, Kaleb felt he could relate to this Prince Helio some.
“And you have moves?” Kaleb briefly jiggled his shoulders to mock dancing. Annya had grinned and jiggled her shoulders back in response.
“Hmmm looks like someone’s got the juice.” A smooth-talking hippo demi-human wearing eye-protectors and a formal outfit commented at the door of the Sailor’s Choice.
“You three coming inside?”“We’re definitely coming inside, but isn’t that the point?” Kaleb was oddly comfortable taking the lead here. The hippo demi-human grinned while nodding as he let the trio into the establishment. The
brothel was dimly lit by the candlelight that permitted the shadows to sway in a gentle dance and gave the red furnishings a hue that emphasized passion. The air was almost polluted by the fragrance of perfume. An aroma that deliberately masked raw scent intimacy. The senses were struck, and the available prostitutes capitalized on this by approaching the trio. Their forms were either lithe, voluptuous, or brawny. Three flavors, and many avenues for passion.