Completed [Kelp Bar] Day after the Ball

[Weylin Quickshot]

Date: Winter 512, Day 86, Afternoon.

Weylin yawned. Loudly.

So far the morning had gone slowly and was tiring on both her mind and her body. Through being staff at the Winter Ball the previous night, Weylin was wrapped up in tidying the hall after the guests had left, which in turn took her into the early hours of the morning. Then she had to stagger back to where she was suppose to be sleeping, to which by the time she had gotten there day break had occurred. The unfortunate curse of trying to work your way around and alien town in the dark. Being uable to sleep in the day, Weylin found her list of tasks growing. Firstly there was chasing down Averti, the damned horse had decided to dash off again before racing back towards her in the little 'game' he played. Perhaps when both were younger Weylin would not of minded so much being charged and head butted by a horse, but now Averti was a grand Strider- and a stallion at that- she had enough common sense in her to leap out the way even when half asleep. When 'play time' was over, mid-morning had arrived and Weylin had yet to stop. She managed to get the horse to obey for a little while, enough to allow her to check his hooves and coat, before he dashed off again.
I should really ride you more, burn off your energy.

Weylin exhaled, and rubbed her brow as she stared over the mug of Kelp. She had never tried it before, and perhaps now regretted asking for it. It stunk, and made her already sleep clouded mind foggier.

After dealing with Averti she dragged herself about the streets, watching the cold of the winter slowly begin to fade. Soon spring would be upon them, and so a good season for hunting. It was about lunch time that Weylin fell into the Kelp bar, and sat herself down at a table in the corner, receiving the strange and confused looks from the few patrons that were present. Why she was drawn to such a place, the Drykas did not no, but right now she felt a reward was needed. And so now, here she sat, looking into the mug of kelp, her tired face being barely reflected in the liquid...

And then she remembered the red head, and so spoke the universal word that seemed know among the many languages of the land, "Well Shyke."

[Valo]

It was surprising just how much alcohol Valo could poor into his slender body without feeling the lightest bit of intoxication, for the bar counter was now littered with mugs at the very corner. In fact he had spent a good amount of time drinking at the ball after which he had continued to indulge in the liquid of various forms and tastes until the very early hours of the morning; when soothed by the melodic squeaking of his feathery companion, he had fallen asleep. Waking up way too early with a thundering headache, he had taken to alcohol yet again. At first with his dear friend Morgan and finally alone, as he wound up once again in the Kelp Bar. A place which at certain points in his life was like a second home. And now he sat by the bar, conversing merrily with the barkeeper, who in turn gave him condescending looks with her eyes which might have once been beautiful and replied very rarely.

Valo had once been a regular face within the interior of the Kelp bar, to the point that his vibrant red hair and fine dress stopped turning heads as he walked in. But that stopped in Fall for the artist had finally been swallowed up by work. Feeling overly relaxed now and with very little to do with him self, his life had taken a full circle; and the young fool who had wasted all him money on women and alcohol had returned to reek havoc in the artist's mind. He no longer wished to identify him self with that fool, but past cannot be erased.

He didn't quite understand why he was drinking so much. There was no heaviness on his heart, no clouds over his mind. In fact for the very first time in his life he felt overly content. And perhaps that had left his restless. And what better way was there to relieve one's restlessness than with a healthy dose of alcohol.

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin exhaled deeply and help her head in her hands. Her mind was already spinning without the aid of alcohol, and now with the memory of what she had asked of the man 'Valo' the previous night. She let out a quiet groan, and let her head slink to the table, and rest upon it. She could hear a man talking loudly at the bar, and the barmaid perhaps looking less interested by the moment by his speech and perhaps instead by his purse. From where he table rested she managed to sneak a glance at the man, his red hair and the empty mugs that filled the side. Weylin sat up, and analysed the man with careful thought.
Is that Valo?
She stood, quietly, and carefully, picking up her mug with a firm grip and then proceeding around the bar, stepping around tables until she could get a better look of the man. It was hard for her to decide if it was or was not, he was after all masked at the ball. She on the other hand was not so, and perhaps slightly that he would recognise her. But judging by the amount he had drunk not only at the ball but now presently, she had her doubts.

Weylin eased herself down into a few chairs away from him at the bar, and proceeded to drink the mug of the seemingly poisonous liquid. She did her best not to think about it, not that it helped much. The moment she took a mouthful of the liquid, she had to force herself to swallow, or else it would of been spat out across the floor. She coughed, a flicker of surprise on her face as she sat the mug firmly down.
"Water... Water please! Now!"
She could hear the barmaid laugh, and saw the glass being slid towards her. She did not hesitate to down it, before letting out a gasp. Most of the taste was gone now, but bits still lingered in the back of her throat. Better than nothing.

[Valo]

A woman sat down beside him and took a great big sit of the beer in her mug before coughing loudly and begging for water. The barmaid seemed as amused as Valo was. "Kelp Beer is an acquired taste." he said with a note of ridicule in his voice. But it wasn't a nasty thing. Valo was the kind of man who never quite took him, or anything around him quite seriously, which gave him the ability to make a joke out of pretty much everything. Nothing could be nasty when spoken in the smooth pleasant tone of his, with an exotic accent which seemed to attract women to him so. However his mind now was fixed on only one woman from last night and here he was just making conversation.

He turned to look at the woman as she downed a glass of water, washing away that salty taste. Her wild hair pulled back with a leather strap like a warrior, dark green eyes just like his own. The very woman who had been in his thoughts for what was really around 24 bells or so, but seemed much longer than that. "And so we meet again." he whispered very quietly before addressing her with an ever-pleasant smile and genuine concern within his features. "Forgive me, are you ok lady Weylin."

[Weylin Quickshot]

For a moment Weylin still coughed and spluttered, giving him a brief glance of disapproval before the look softened. Her eyes met Valo's, and she sat herself upright, a deep sigh and a tired look on her face. She gave a nod, and suspiciously looked down at the mug.
"I suppose you are right about acquired taste good sir Valo," her lip curled for a moment "I will forgive you. For now at least. But tell me, how are you Valo?"
Her voice was not as neutral toned as it was at the Ball, the Drykan accent had crept back in, perhaps due to no longer being at a large social occasion and the lack of sleep. But she was still polite, and gave a smile and returned her unwavering gaze to him.
"And there is no need to address me as lady," she leaned slightly towards him "I do not like it," at this point she also slid her mug to him, giving a wink as she leaned away "You seem to quiet like it though."

For a moment she was quiet, observing the bar, watching the mannerisms of the fellow patrons. Although the bar was a place to relax, she could not help but feel on edge as if all eyes were watching, she was after all the youngest piece of flesh present. Weylin drew her gaze from Valo, and rested her hands under her jaw letting her eyes stare out but not focus on anything in particular.

[Valo]

Valo had passed though Endrykas, the city on the move very briefly in the past and he had grown very fond of the exotic accent to the common language they spoke. Of course he had also developed a love for Vani, he could even speak it very poorly, providing that speaking was the right term for this. And such a lovely flavour was indeed present in her voice as it rang melodically in his ears. He wanted to hear her speak more just to hear this accent of her's.

"And there is no need to address me as lady," she said and leaned slightly towards him.

"Well then there's no need to address me as sir Valo. I am no sir." he laughed, for if he held any meaningful title within the city, he would definitely not loiter around the likes of the Kelp Bar. "Just Valo is just fine. A simple name without the need for overly formal pleasantries."

Her mug of kelp beer has somehow ended up by his hand and a long, slender finger circler around it's glass rim. There was a blush caused by the intake of alcohol on his face. And perhaps it would not contrast so terribly against his pale skin, but the complementary redness of his hair had made the blush impossible to miss. Such were the perks of being an Inarta. Intoxication was hell to mask. "I think it might be enough alcohol for me too." he laughed, looking down at the mug. "Otherwise I may start slurring my words with no coherence and then I would be truly terrible company."

She rested her head on her arm and looked quite beautiful in doing so. The arch of her neck was so crisp against the dark interior of the bar. Her eyes, focused on near to nothing in a somewhat poetic manner. There was a sense of peace about her which manifested it self in her very stillness. A magnificent painting she would be, if she was a painting. But her apparent reality was much to Valo's pleasure indeed, for it is truly difficult to converse with a canvas.

"I would complain about my tiredness but perhaps you have more right to be tired than I do." he laughed quietly unable to take his eyes off this beautiful lady before him.

[Weylin Quickshot]

Weylin stayed still for a moment, before her eyes slid over to him. She did not move from her position, for there was no need to, the conversation after all had only just begun. They glazed over him, studying every aspect before returning to his face and the blush caused through intoxicating himself. She smiled again this time with a small laugh, and lowered her gaze to the glass.
"I doubt you could be that terrible," her eyes flickered to his "After all, you were not that terrible last night."
Weylin clearly remembered all the events of the previous night, despite her tired mind, she was after all both sober and staff, meaning she knew all the embarrassments the guests put themselves in before the night was done. But that was then, and this is now. She smiled to herself, remembering the drunken squabbles that occurred towards the end, and having to guide the very few rowdy guests out. Fortunately, most people had an element of sophistication to them.

She studied the man back, just as he was her, hunting down every last feature and recording it in her mind. From his matching eyes to hers, his lips and his some what slender form. Her lip curled, an element of interest was growing within, but for the moment she dulled it and withdrew her hunting eyes. Time after all was the greatest revealer.

"I would complain about my tiredness but perhaps you have more right to be tired than I do."
She turned her head to face him, and gave him a small regarding look "Perhaps I do, then again, perhaps I do not."
She covered her mouth when she gave out a second yawn, and returned her head to her hand. For a moment the longing for sleep swept over her, but the Drykas pushed it down and inhaled deeply. She was indeed tired, but she knew it would be possible to wait for sleep. Besides, she wished to know more of Valo.
"So, Valo," she moved in her chair so the bar now rested behind her, thus allowing her to lean back upon it "Tell me about yourself, if there is indeed anything to tell."

[Valo]

She seemed to want to know more of him just as he wanted to know more of her. He wanted to know very much but at the same time he tried not to be too forward. There's a fine equilibrium between talk enough and talking too much.

He looked her straight in the eyes with the ever-existent smile upon his face. There was indeed a lot he could tell. "All right I will. That is if you promise to do the same." he said, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the sealing as if he was trying to remember something. "Well my art is my work, much like every other man in Zeltiva, it seems. I travelled here from Wind Reach where I was born, to enrol at the university but fate so had it that I was not able to do so, you see. I have travelled all around Mizahar and only arrived here at the beginning of the year."He gestured with his hands as he spoke, almost as if it was his limbs speaking not his lips. He looked at her and then back at the sealing with each statement, drawing to the conclusion that perhaps his life was not as interesting as he hoped. Then again he wasn't quite sure what would interest her. "Now it's your turn." he finished briskly, almost with embarrassment for no one had ever taken interest in his life, only his art.

[Weylin Quickshot]

"I hail from the Emerald Clan in Endrykas," her eyes seemed to glaze over as memories came flooding in and an element of stillness took hold of her face "I would ride out with my brothers for days on end, to race through the sea of grass with only the wind holding us and our Striders back. The sky seemed to stretch on forever there, like a never ending sea of air..."
She felt for a moment that she sounded stupid, with a flash of embarrassment filling her face. But just as quickly as it appeared it vanished it disappeared to be replaced with what could only be described as a deep resounding guilt. She looked down, and fell silent, locking her eyes onto her feet.

"So, an artist?" there was still an element of curiosity in her voice "What do you paint then? Or is it simply what ever the mind desires?"

[Valo]

He listened with intent as she spoke, his eyes fixed on her as if she was the only one in the Kelp bar. And perhaps not being the only person, she was by far the most worthy of looking at. The more he looked at her the more her beauty radiated. But suddenly her expression shifted tot hat of embarrassment before fading into something much more profound. He suddenly wanted to comfort her, to put his hand on her back and ask what was wrong, to provide reassurance to the lovely Drykas lady. But before he had the chance to react she questioned him on his work. People indeed seemed interested in his work, not so much of him. A man may breathe art, he may bleed art but he may never be art. And he found him self hoping that one day people will think more of him than just an artist.

None the less, he replied somewhat sceptically but ever presently. "Architecture." he said simply. "Though my real passion lies in portraiture. But portraiture doesn't sell you see. The dreary old buildings of Zeltiva however, do. It's surprising how many people feel the need have an abundance of architecture paintings lettering around their homes, before realising they can just look out the window. A passion is a passion but a man must eat." he chuckled, realising for a moment what a thankless job his was.

He took a deep breath. A brief recollection before he spoke, for if there was a reason to truly be fond of Valo, it was his profound sense of culture. He had been everywhere and seen everything and hopefully this would help her relate to him, perhaps make him seem more interesting. "Emerald clan you say? Their hunting skill was indeed famous during the brief time I has spent in Endrykas. I've even came out hunting with them once. You see I've been taught falconry as a child and these birds really do come in handy during hunting... and what a feast it was." he smiled. "Seems like the Drykas treat even strangers like me as their kin, wonderful people. I, my self, stayed with the Amethyst clan. A friend of a friend turned out to know someone within the Firetongue family and they allowed me to stay in their pavilion. Wonderful people indeed. Do you miss your family?" he asked with nothing but good intention.