Let Your Eyes Wander (Keating)

[Aello]

The man grumbled in response to Keating, and then strode off towards the counter. He beckoned to a barmaid, and soon had another drink in hand. Something to drown away his sorrows, the monotonous nature of his pitiful life. Aello put her dagger away, and then turned to Keating. "Well aren't you the intimidating one?" she muttered as she sat herself down, and folded her arms over her chest. "The next one that poses a problem is mine," she added under her breath as her eyes smoldered. It looked like her pupils had been turned to coal, boiling in the light of a weakening flame. "And I wouldn't need your help anyway," Aello commented after a while. "They're not so tough." After the words had left her lips, the girl leaned back in her chair surveying the bar. "So Keating, what is it you do when not in the tavern, drinking out of sheer boredom? Picking fights with complete strangers?" Aello asked, as she watched the maids scurry around each of the tables, carrying trays of food and drink to demanding patrons. She was thankful she was not one of them... OOCErm... I don't know what you wanted to do now. We could always leave or move to wrap this up? Or something...

[Keating Ash]

Keating observed the man as he departed. To Keating’s mind, it was about petching time. How many hints did one man need or even deserve… Snorting, the farmer’s eyes narrowed, the man had another drink already in hand… lucky bastard. As he looked around for his own barmaid, Keating’s gaze settled upon Aello hiding the dagger away. An odd relief washed over him when it disappeared into the folds of fabric, as if trouble had been narrowly averted. Even used to disputes as he was, this dagger was something altogether different. His mind couldn’t wrap around it, it sounded too much like magic. “But be my guest… ain’t up to me to stop you… Sometimes you just gotta pick your fights. That one…” Keating’s head inclined toward the man at the bar, “he wasn’t worth more’n he got.” Aello was mad. It was easy to read in the girl’s pretty eyes. “Have a drink, it’ll take the edge off…” He spoke from years of experience. “Yeah, I won’t lie to you… I drink a little. And I’m not afraid of a fight now and then either. I work at the docks, but then sometimes… I just look for the pretty women to help out.” Keating inclined his head. It was a rather gentlemanly gesture from such a rough man.

[Aello]

"No thanks," Aello muttered. "The drink simply takes too much of the edge off. Dulling the senses, making it less likely for you to respond in time to save your sorry life, should you warrant a death threat... which the likes of someone such as myself seems to manage just about every other day, if not every day." The girl's eyes sparkled as she paused for a moment. "Working on the docks must be rough... I remember the sailors in Zeltiva where I grew up. Always stubbing their toes on heavy crates, or getting themselves caught in fishing nets." Her smile widened. "Drowning as they were dragged under the surface of the water, from time to time." The girl's eyes danced over Keating's form. "Now as for the rest, I'd suggest you keep that to yourself, lest the words fall on deaf ears... or rather, onto the ears of one who has no intention of knowing just what it is you're up to," Aello finished, her voice a mixture of ice and amusement. Aello pushed her chair back with her feet, and soon, was standing upon them once more. She was sure to gather the rest of her things, before walking over to Keating's side. Looking down at him for but a moment, as she said the last of what she needed to say. "Good day to you Keating... enjoy the rest of it, even if it's made up entirely of a drunken stupor, which you're sure to forget come morning." The girl paused for a moment, tucking a few loose strands of brown hair behind her ear. "I on the other hand, must return to a state of productivity... since one needs to be able to pay for their food and drink, no?" she asked, before pushing her way through the crowded bar, to the door. She then, pushed it open, and disappeared off, into the city streets.

[Keating Ash]

Keating smiled and lied, “Yep… dangerous work, that. - though I avoid the nets. Not my first choice of things to be entwined in…,” his look left the comment open ended. And Keating wasn’t about to take the girl’s brush off personally; he had too much self confidence for that. “But if you’re changing your mind and want to find out what I’m up to, you can always find me here, or at the docks.” He answered as she rose from the table. “That’s if you’d fancy a break from those death threats. And sometimes a good drink or interesting company is just the thing.” A deep laugh rang out as the girl walked away. “Can’t fight every battle…Aello.” His eyes followed her as she neared the door and opened it, until the barmaid came round once more and he turned his head towards her with a smile.

[Cantrip]

Did you want something? Aello: XP Award: Brawling +1; Observation +1; Rhetoric +2; Intimidation +1 Lores: Dealing with Drunks; The Anatomy of a Fight Keating: XP Award: Brawling +2; Rhetoric +1; Intimidation +1 Lores: The Sake of Fighting; Aello’s Dagger; Female Hissy Fits Additional Notes: You know, it’s kind of rude to turn away the offer of a drink. The pacing was good, and while there wasn’t very much brawling, I enjoyed the morbid talk of beatings and stabbings.