[Christina's Remorse] A Long Way Down (Open)

[Lilith Krahe]

'City of Illusion', It sounded like one of the tall tales the merchants and travelers would tell. Most of the time there was some truth in their stories, but discerning fact from fiction was all but impossible. Even if Adrasto said it was too much trouble to go back to his birthplace, Lilith could swear she saw a hint of longing in his eyes. On one hand she felts bad for him, being here in a city his didn't care for when his desired location was within reach. On the other, however, she envied him. Adrasto had someone to go and the freedom to go there. From her point of view, he was the only thing standing in his own way. Before letting herself become to condescending in her mind, she tried to put herself in his shoes. She couldn't honestly say she could leave Riverfall, even now. This was her home, and without it she was nothing. When the man finished speaking his gaze seemed to become piercing instead of casual. It was only for a moment, but it made Lilith uncomfortable and she wondered if she had made a mistake in talk this long to him. She knew she was being too jumpy, but it was hard not to be and she was still working on that kind of self control. In her mind in seemed like several minutes before he spoke again, despite it only being a few moments. However, his words but a halt to her feeling of awkwardness. Lilith genuinely smiled in response. Adrasto had presented her with a questions that she could honestly answer without delving too far into the topics she wanted to avoid. "What do you think I was doing on the bridge?" She joked. Lilith wanted it do be obvious that she was being playful, so she quickly followed it up with a better answer. "It has been far too long, far too long indeed." She was really beginning to feel comfortable around Adrasto, and she hoped that she could soon consider him a friend. "What kind of fun would you suggest?" Lilith knew she had left an opening for him to make a rude sexual advance, but, despite only having know him for a short time, she already trusted that he wasn't after that. After all, it couldn't be long before he figured out she was a Nakivak, and that quickly would put a halt to any intentions he might have had. Even if he was unhappy with that Akalak, it was unwise to make advances toward one of their potential mates. For the sake of being friendly and trying to keep the mood light, Lilith added a quick addendum to her previous question. "I hope it doesn't have anything to do with that sword. I'm not the kind of girl who has any interest in getting her hand severed off." Lilith hadn't smiled this much in a long time, and she couldn't help but admit it; It felt good.

[Adrasto]

"What do you think I was doing on the bridge? It has been far too long, far too long indeed." Adrasto laughed, maybe Lilith wasn't so up tight all the time, her sarcastic wit accompanied honesty and she felt good at heart. On the other hand, Adrasto wasn't surprised she hadn't had a good time in an age. Life could be tough for women in the city of blue people for women, the Akalaks could be pushy at times and females had difficult finding camaraderie among each other, most of them wives, or child-bearers, their lives tended to be pressing. Speaking of being a wife, did she serve some Akalak? She seemed largely independent but it felt wrong to be intruding at this point on her past, she would of spoke of it if it were necessary.

"What kind of fun would you suggest?" Adrasto was stunted for a second, and his ears perked up only to be put back down. He realized her words were very subtle and left open to interpretation, but she knew very well what men would take that for. Was she trying to lead him on? He thought of it trivial after a moment, realizing the moment progressed while he thought, best to focus and let things unfold.

"I hope it doesn't have anything to do with that sword. I'm not the kind of girl who has any interest in getting her hand severed off." Adrasto smirked, the girl was a bit of a cheese ball but Adrasto found it charming.

"Nah, we're already passed all that. You remember when I offered you my hand? Lets just say you got very lucky." He snickered hoping she would join him, he realized that talk of mutilating someones hand wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but she had brought it into conversation.

"I was instead thinking more along the lines of a night out, as acquaintances, ya know? I was thinking of that Dhani Dance club. Sure its full of snake people but I know they run a tight ship over there. Good food and drink, music, they keep the drunks out; its a nice place to have a chat. Besides," Adrasto pointed to the horizon, now orange with the sun hanging over it, "The day's almost over, we should relocate before the night swallows the sky."

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith had inadvertently opened the door to a rather grim line of discussion, and she was in no hurry to further it. Here and now were the last time and place she would want to start having flashbacks of the gruesome things she saw and endured in the possession of the slavers. Lilith was relived when he didn't say anything more about severed hands and went straight ahead to her real question. This change of topic, however, was not what she had hoped for. Was he, asking her out? Perhaps she had come on to strong when she began to open up. This was the furthest thing from what she had intended. Dancing? What a ridiculous idea. Even if she could dance, what gave this man the right to assume she would want to dance with him? And how had it become so late? She hadn't even noticed the sinking sun until he pointed it out. Lilith halted her mind. She had been over thinking things this whole conversation, and it was only when she had finally let her guard down a bit that she had been able to smile. Still, she had no interest in Adrasto, not that he wasn't attractive. But that didn't mean she couldn't let him show her a good time. Lilith realized she had made a rather disgusted face at his proposal, and she quickly needed to remedy the situation. "Dancing isn't really my thing." That was a good enough cover, right? She thought to herself. "I used to hang out at the White Crane, wanna go there and get a drink?" Her musical side was something she hadn't really had a chance to acknowledge since she had returned to Riverfall. Perhaps this would be a good time to do it. Lilith rose to her feet, this time offering him a hand up. "Come on, it'll be fun." The White Crane would be a much more comfortable location for her than some snake-pit dance club, even if Adrasto said it was a good place. Lilith had been going to the White Crane long before her parents would have approved of it. She probably learned as much about music there as she had with the beginners orchestra at the academy. Plus, she knew a few people there, so, in the off chance Adrasto tried anything, she wouldn't have to look far for a helping hand. Lilith was becoming less and less suspicious of Adrasto's intentions, but it was inevitable with men. Eventually they all wanted something, and it usually wasn't hard to figure out what that thing was.

[Adrasto]

Lilith winced at Adrasto's notion of a dance club, had she not been such a pleasure before he would of left the girl at the tree to think of the face she put on. Rather, he let it slide, things weren't all that they seemed with Lilith. She took a second before she spoke after her look of disgust, she could of been turned off by Adrasto's forwardness. However, his proposition was truly innocent, the girl shouldn't of thought so deeply of it.

"Dancing isn't really my thing. I used to hang out at the White Crane, wanna go there and get a drink?" Thank the gods, Adrasto had heard the snake place was where women frequented, to him it sounded more like a freak show. He was thankful she was courageous enough to reject his idea, he realized how awful of an offer it was. The White Crane was a place Adrasto was comfortable, a lot of music and strong drink, his mother had worked as a musician at times when she used to live in Riverfall.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Lilith extended her hand to lift Adrasto, and he accepted her courtesy where she had refused his, however, he stood up under his own power. "It'd be a pleasure, I'm glad we could head to a place we are both comfortable," Adrasto wondered where the night would take them, but it was all too far out of sight.

He put his sword back in his scabbard while Lilith walked onward, he gently touched the mid of her back as he caught up, lowering his hand as she looked at him, asking, "You said you used to hang out at the White Crane, was it just a place to drink?"

[Lilith Krahe]

For the first time in what seemed like ages, Lilith was excited. She would almost go so far as to call herself giddy, but not quite. There was a spring in her step as they walked toward the White Crane, and it felt good to be having some fun again. She hardly even noticed when he touched her back, but, when he took his hand away, she was happy he knew better than leave it there. She thought she had made it clear enough already that this was simply a friendly drink. However, she didn't have any problem reemphasizing that point if he ever got too forward. Lilith felt a little exposed, thinking he had read her so well as being a musician once. Sure it wasn't a hard guess, since the White Crane was mostly a musician's hangout, but she realized she was going to have to be careful about what other Adrasto was deducing about her. "Yeah, I used to play.." She stopped for a second and amended her statement. "I play the cello." Lilith needed to make it seem like she had interests, even if she hadn't had much time for them recently. "I'm a little rusty, so you better not expect me to get up on stage and start playing with the band." It had been a few month since Lilith had even touched a cello, with hers being destroyed when her home got hit by the storm. She still felt like she could pick one up today and play it as well as she ever had; it just felt natural to her. But she didn't want him thinking she was better than actuality. For tonight, she just wanted a stiff drink and maybe a few familiar faces. Lilith decided that if she going to have fun tonight, that she should really have some fun. What was more fun than joking around with a new acquaintance? "If anyone asks, I'm gonna tell them I got these bruises from you." Lilith's grin was wide enough to give away that she was kidding, but she had just enough mischief in her eyes to make it believable that she might do it. She knew he hadn't said anything about her marks yet, something she was grateful for, but it was time to get this over with now. That way, she wouldn't accidentally tell him too much after a couple drinks. Lilith stayed quiet and waited for him to ask what he want to ask. She wasn't going to tell him much, but he had been polite enough not to ask before, so she figured she owed him at least a little information.

[Adrasto]

Her character had shifted, over a few minutes of talking Lilith turned from a cold shell into a warm spirit. Adrasto wasn't really thinking about the things around him any longer as much as he was enjoying them. Lilith was rather interesting, she didn't need a lot of words to say what she wanted but she always had a reason in saying something, captivating. Adrasto was beginning to notice a smile on her face and one had leaked onto his as well. He was happy to have a drink and get away from the worries of society, and see Lilith away from them as well.

"Yeah, I used to play.. I play the cello." Lilith, a musician? Interested, Adrasto let the girl keep on talking, "I'm a little rusty, so you better not expect me to get up on stage and start playing with the band." Adrasto snickered again, Lilith, while certainly no comedian, was one of the funniest women he ever had the pleasure of meeting; it made her attractive beyond the eyes. They both put there thoughts on pause as they entered the city's gates, but Lilith was quick to keep the conversation going.

"If anyone asks, I'm gonna tell them I got these bruises from you." It was a brave comment that Adrasto appreciated whole-heaartedly. She was still being fun, and brought the elephant to the pass. Adrasto realized he hadn't thought of the bruises on her skin for some time, and how irrelevant they were in what he thought of Lilith. Maybe something terrible had happened to her, did she want to talk of it? Still, it had no place in Adrasto's mind right now, he felt she would openly talk about what happened when she was comfortable; it was clear to Adrasto Lilith hadn't just fallen down a hill.

"Even if all of you was purple I'd bet people still wouldn't say anything, you're too pretty for someone to notice some bumps.. Buuuuttt if you did tell someone that I'd laugh, say you did it for attention hoping some big-hulking Akalak would come save you; wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith truly appreciated the fact that he had been silent on this topic until now, so she didn't mind the compliment he had sneaked into the conversation. This didn't keep her from engaging in some friendly banter though. "You would, would you?" Lilith put on a tough face and hoped the affect wasn't lost when a smile broke through. "That sword doesn't scare me and I'm not afraid to leave you with a nice shiner of your own." She put her fists in front of her and punched the air a couple times before breaking out laughing. The idea of her even trying to damage someone as physically superior as he was absurdly comical. She would probably break her knuckles before she broke his face. The conversation had distracted Lilith from how far they had already walked. To her surprise, the sun had almost set already and they were at the door to the White Crane. As they entered the tavern they were greeted by the jovial sound of music and singing as well as the smell of food and ale. This was a good place; it was a safe place. Lilith immediately recognized the bartender and a couple of the patrons. For tonight, she would be okay with them not recognizing her, but in the event they did, she had already been brave enough to joke about her injuries with one person. She didn't see any reason why she could lightly play them off again. Hoping that Adrasto would follow her through the crowd, Lilith found two empty stools at the bar and took a seat in the one closer to the music. She motioned to the bartender and pulled five gold Mizas out of her pocket. Lilith slapped scooted them across the counter to the bartender. "Keep the drinks coming until these run out or my friend here has to be carried out of here. I'll have an ale." She looked back at Adrasto to see what he wanted to drink. Lilith hadn't thought at first how her actions might make her appear to Adrasto, but, after she had done it, she began to worry. Had she been a little too gung-ho about getting to the alcohol? She didn't want to seem like a drunkard. Lilith didn't drink often, but when she did, she did it right and she had a natural talent for holding her liquor. After only a moment's consideration she decided not to worry about what he thought. He didn't seem to be the judgmental kind, and, even if he was, his opinion shouldn't keep her from enjoying herself.

[Adrasto]

Riverfall wasn't a worry on Adrasto's mind as he stepped through it with Lilith, cheer and an attitude made it easy for Adrasto to past time with the stranger turned acquaintance. The two moved through the city like locals not stunted by the moist air, the smell of fish, the blue people, not to mention all the sounds of words, water falling, and tools at work; instead they got past the aesthetics and found each other in the alleys of the community.

"You would, would you? That sword doesn't scare me and I'm not afraid to leave you with a nice shiner of your own." Lilith shadowboxed with the air, she actually had pretty decent form; maybe she had gotten those marks from fighting, although Adrasto thought that a long shot. The pep in Lilith's step showed her colors, she was fun when it got down to it, she was perhaps a little cold at her shell, but Adrasto grew similarly in the city of blue people. Adrasto wondered what destiny had in store for the two of them, although they were two different people who had never met before, their lives seemed to run in parallel. Adrasto couldn't help but feel a pull to his fellow human and he wondered if Lilith felt the same meeting someone of a similar upbringing as her.

When they reached the White Crane, Adrasto became a little flustered thinking of what awaited him in the place. His mother had played here in the past and it wasn't unlikely that Adrasto would have to re-meet some people he had known as a child. It also crossed his mind that Lilith might know some people as well, being that she had just listed herself as a musician before she probably had some past here. Instead of continuing to frustrate himself with what-ifs, Adrasto decided to let go of his thoughts and enjoy the night, who knew what opportunity waited inside the tavern.

The two stepped into the bar, crowds of people clung to tables that enclosed a dance floor with a live band playing oppossite the entrance. Adrasto had been here before, but only as a kid and it had confused him then; now, as an adult, Adrasto was impressioned upon by the tavern and tonight, if anything, he had found a new place to frequent for a drink. Lilith took lead and headed through the crowd, being that both of them were shorter than the usual patrons, Adrasto kept close to not lose sight of his companion. In the mob Adrasto had what he thought was his first slip in chivalry and glanced at Lilith's hips, his eyes pleased but not yet satisfied. Lilith eventually found the bar and took a seat, motioning the bartender over, "Keep the drinks coming until these run out or my friend here has to be carried out of here. I'll have an ale." Adrasto was stunted as he didn't take Lilith as one to party, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that she did. Being that most of the women in town were slaving all day to save the backs of Akalak's, Lilith stood out seeming as if she knew how to unwind, or perhaps was just an alcoholic.

Adrasto sat on the right side of his female acquaintance, his eyes met the bartender and the man smiled. This smile was familiar enough to make Adrasto's mind quickly flashback to an earlier time. He thought of a time when he had fallen off a bar stool as a child and had to be rushed to get his wounds treated, Adrasto wasn't over the age of 8 when all this had happened. An old Akalak, the bartender drew Adrasto's attention beyond coincidence and as he brought Lilith the ale she requested he turned to Adrasto smirk in face. "Little Addy, I haven't seen you since you took that fall over a decade ago, never thought you'd be coming for a drink the next time you stepped through my doors."

Adrasto was surprised the man could remember him, and even further surprised that he remembered the man, you would of thought that with an experience so traumatic he wouldn't of been able to remember anything else from the day. Instead the man shined through in the memory enough to lighten Adrasto into smiling. "To be honest, I never thought I'd be coming here for boos either. My mother always made me promise I'd never touch the drink as a child, I bet its cause' she saw this coming, ain't that right old timer?"

"Yeah, your mother could always stomach hers, it was only a matter of time for you." The man and Adrasto shared a laugh, and than the Akalak looked at Adrasto with sincerity. "I heard your mom skipped town a few years back, I'm sorry, It must of been hard having her leave you so young." Adrasto swallowed, it had been long since he had talked of his mother. While it no longer plagued his mind, Adrasto wondered how Lilith would react to the information. The man sighed and asked, "Anyway, what can I get ya?"

"Fix me Syliras dry on the rocks," Adrasto stopped, "And its okay, she left and now its done, don't let it bear any of your mind." Adrasto thought about how out of the loop Lilith was in the conversation, but he didn't feel it was time to tell his life story. He turned to talk to her, "Sorry about all that, I used to come here as a kid, that might happen a lot tonight but I'll try to brush em' off." Adrasto paused, thinking what to ask, "You walked up to that bar like you knew how, I was impressed. How do you feel about being my official new drinking buddy Lilith? We'll be heroes among the local drunkards, chugging our way to glory.... and maybe a black-out or two." Adrasto laughed with mischief in his eye.

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith watched as her companion sat beside her and began to converse with the bartender. They seemed to know each other from a long time again. Lilith didn't mean to eavesdrop, but there wasn't much for her to focus on other than the conversation going on right beside her. At first their conversation seemed lighthearted and nostalgic, but it took a sudden dark turn. Lilith thought she could see a slight change in Adrasto's demeanor when the bartender mentioned his mother leaving town. At this point, Lilith knew she should stop listening in, but she was so engrossed that she couldn't tear herself away. She was disappointed when Adrasto dismissed the talk of his mother so quickly, but Lilith didn't feel as though she could really ask him about her. Especially considering how guarded about her past she had been with him. She had been so caught up in an internal conflict about whether or not to ask him about his mother, Lilith didn't even notice when Adrasto started talking. She had done it again. Why was she always so self absorbed? Lilith caught enough of what Adrasto had said to piece together his meaning. That didn't mean she rebuked herself any less harshly in her head for not paying attention in the first place. When the man paused, Lilith thought he might have caught on to the fact that she hadn't been listening. However, his pause remained brief, which gave Lilith hope that her rudeness had gone unnoticed.'You walked up to that bar like you knew how.' Instantly, Lilith began to worry again that he thought she was some kind of alcoholic just because she had been bold about buying the drinks. Her face turned pale white and her heart missed a couple beats, but Adrasto was kind enough to release her from her brief panic attack by continuing to talk. The question he posed her seemed to be a joke, but Lilith wasn't quite sure. Either way, he didn't seem to think any less of her for her drinking, so she was relieved. Adrasto even seemed to embrace the drunkard inside Lilith. He might not have known what he was getting into, but now he had a challenge on his hands. "Heroes, your say? Well, I could never pass up a chance for some heroics. You know, saving children, catching crooks, passing out on the side of the street, all that sort." Lilith smiled deviously and took a long gulp of ale. "I just hope you can keep up and don't have anywhere to be tomorrow. 'Cause the only thing worse than trying to out-drink me is the hangover that follows." Lilith finished her drink and set the mug back on the counter. The bartender must of noticed, because he walked over to her and was about to refill her mug when she stopped him. "Wait a second. We are going to need something stronger than ale if this is going to be a real challenge." She paused and flashed another playful smile at Adrasto before looking at the bartender again. "Two of whatever the strongest drink you've got is." The bartender went to grab a glass bottle from behind the counter and Lilith turned her attention back to Adrasto. "Well, Adrasto, I don't think I've been fair. You didn't know what you getting yourself into, I'll give you a chance to bow out now and save some dignity." Thought Lilith had offered to let him out of it, she didn't actually want him to accept. It had been too long since she had really let her guard down and had some fun.

[Adrasto]

Adrasto's stumble with the bartender didn't seem to have a negative impact on Lilith's thoughts. In fact, it had actually led to Adrasto changing topics to drinking which Lilith had taken a suiting too. The two sipped and Lilith called over the counter-man for ale, she hesitated and ordered harsher drinks, reluctantly for the both of them. Adrasto hoped Lilith knew what she had gotten herself into, Adrasto had a thing for hard liquor, although rough, the years made it smooth.

Adrasto finished his glass while the bartender fixed the drink, hungry for the challenge. Although she was a bit reserved at first, Lilith had begun to show her true colors. It clearly wasn't her first drink, and Adrasto wondered of her past. Questions ran threw his mind: "Did she always talk with strangers? Or had Adrasto caught her liking?" "Had she had any family or people close to her in her life?" "What of the Akalaks? Had they claimed another precious beauty for their death-ridden child making?" All these thoughts puzzled Adrasto as he began to realize Lilith had drawn his interest, who would blame him? She was fun, interesting, and had enthusiasm for mischief; Adrasto wondered if he thought these things to cover for lust, but that was neither here nor there. Here there was a cold-hard drink, and a challenge from a young miss which Adrasto couldn't back down from. After all her talk, Adrasto wasn't about to let the little lady get away from the game either. The drinks were poured and the two of them each took their sniffs, Adrasto winced before trying to hide his disgust for the smell. The young man smiled though as he realized the cheerfulness about the completion of alcohol drinking. Adrasto raised his glass to touch with Lilith's and uttered a simple "Cheers,'" before touching the rim of the cup to his lips.

The taste was awful, the beverage tasted of the pits of earth from which its flavoring came, as it dripped down Adrasto's throat the liquid became entangled with his sense of smell hinting to him cow filth was part of this concoction. As much as he wanted to back out, he had made a commitment to chug and the only outcomes that were possible was an empty mug or a stained bar. The first few swigs felt easy as it had no time to touch the tongue but on the back end it had splashed all over his insides, need not be said the young-aspiring alcoholic felt disgust run through his body. He felt the urge to project but pitted it beneath the boos as he finished the last bit of backwash. "I can keep up with the drinks,” Adrasto put his cup down with a punch of self-ridden triumph. "I hope you don’t wanna ‘end up on your doorstep at 12 am. I know the dance floor isn’t your thing, but do you have any other interests aside the bar and cello?”