Open [The Scholar's Demise] A Thought Upon The Lyre

[Ai Shou]

Timestamp: 54 Winter, 513AV - Eighth Bell It had been a long, long day. Normally it wouldn't be so sluggishly slow, but today was monday and a chilly monday at that. Leth had already begun to take his place in the sky as the sun set along the horizon. The mid-evening glow of purples, blues and even the occasional green burst of color in the sky had set a moody feeling upon the Scholar's Demise. Normally, Ai would have refrained from entering a place that sounded like the death trap of all smart people, but today she had been a bit too curious. She'd never actually entered the place before, the name alone keeping her from going inside, let alone the rumors of how disliked the Vantha were in taverns. Still, she had somehow managed to talk her way inside and into a small booth off to the side. She'd been allowed to stay for as long as she wished, so long as she paid for her food and drink and didn't cause trouble for anyone. She sat in her booth, dressed in a delicate red dress that she'd gotten for the upcoming Masquerade. It was finely made, with one shoulder of the dress removed and showing off a decent amount of her shoulder-skin. The dress was ruffled as well, the bottom filleting out in many waves of silk-like fabric that seemed to flow like liquid when she walked. She'd not left her arms behind, though, for her father's katana sat beside her, the blade seemingly always with her. She had also brought with her the flute that was the last of her possessions that once belonged to her mother. The flute was in a sleeve of leather and tied to the leather belt that wrapped about the red dress at the waist. She reached down and fondled the instrument, the quiet din of the tavern bringing her thoughts into a haze before her. She really wished that she could try out playing the flute again, even though it had been years since she'd played it. Startling her from her thoughts was a serving girl that appeared from nowhere and asked the Vantha girl if she wanted anything to eat. Ai muttered a small order of fried onions and a veggie platter before the serving girl was gone again and Ai was alone. "This day grows long..."She muttered, resting her hands in her head as she looked over the rest of the tavern, noting how many people were present, and how none of them seemed to give the poor-looking Vantha a second glance. Besides the dress, she had little that begged others to notice her. Her angular features and sharpened eyes were beautiful in the mid-light, even despite her messy hairdo and constantly-changing eyes that faded from a subtle blue to a vibrant pink and then to a dullish grey, as if they could not make up their mind as to what color they should be.

[Halon]

His entrance was a quite one with very little fanfare, his steps easy and used to this path by now as the young Isur had found himself returning more and more to this place. Halon stepped into the common room of the tavern, green eyes searching about for a quite place to sit, think, and drink a little. The short man settled on a nearby empty window seat, striding over to it and sitting himself down with not a single word spoken to anyone. The man was dressed as he often was, his thick robes falling about him to protect him from the Winter chill and his left sleeve pulled up to the elbow to reveal his black metallic arm. The silver veins stood out starkly from the black background, his arm a sign of his being a child of Izurdin and a source of great pride for him in this land where outsiders ruled. Though short he was extremely well toned in ways that most human bodybuilders could only dream, and the slight ridge over his eyes deepened his natural scowl into looking fair bit more severe. Halon leaned back in his chair, carefully placing his blackened arm on the table to rest before him as he waited for a serving girl to come to take his order. He breathed out a silent sigh, still suffering from the cultural shock of being separated from his own customs and living in a world he was unused to. Making matters worse he could practically feel his knowledge as a Magesmith slipping away through his fingers, it had been too long since he had enchanted something. Instead he worked on mundane weaponry and improved his skills on that front. The Isur regarded the young woman who came to take his order, giving a curt common word for water. The language assaulted his tongue in ways he preferred not to describe, his conversations with Aska were certainly a comfort and she was helping him a bit to understand the finer points of Common. It was unfortunately still a heavy work in progress, as the common tongue still offended his sensibilities. Aska had brought up an excellent point though when she commented that this trip had been his own decision. Halon allowed his eyes to scan the tavern, searching for anyone that might very well gain his attention. His eyes settled upon a dark haired woman seated not too far from him, one who appeared lost in her own thoughts and looked a bit startled when asked what she had wanted. She was dressed rather nicely and were Halon a xenophile he might have found her attractive. The Isur snorted slightly in amusement, idly playing with the idea of opening his mind to Auristical sight. The thought was thrown out quickly enough, there were too many people around and the amount sensory information would likely be far too overwhelming for his eyes to handle. Best to continue to play it safe regarding the use of the sight and simply settle for mundane vision. His eyes flitted away from the human woman and back out to the rest of the assembled outsiders. He learned best by observation, best to simply sit back and watch the customs of the outsiders to gain some semblance of understanding.

[Raien Ironarm Pitrius]

Raien drug himself through the wooden archway, stepping into the unfamiliar brandy house. He muttered a prayer to Yahal as the smell of spirits pervaded his nostrils. Asking him to keep him from betraying any of his oaths due to the source of said smell. Regardless of Raien's wish to stay somewhat sober, his path was undeniably taking him straight to the bar. Raien was having a bit of trouble finding a job, and while he had enough money for the immediate future he needed to scrounge up some for the next few seasons. And hopefully said seasons would have him sleeping in a bed and not freezing to death in his tent at night. Something he had grown far too accustomed to over the years.

Said trouble was really getting to Raien. And to be honest he just needed a break, and just a little alcohol to calm his nerves. Finishing his predetermined course, Raien made haste to procure the bartenders attention. Whom after giving him the one over muttered the expected greetings. Speaking in common, a language Raien was not really too adept at, still it was a simple phrase and didn't take too much concentration for Raien to grasp.

"What will you have?" The man was what Raien knew as an Ethaefal. Or what he barely knew as one. Sure he'd heard of them, everyone in Lhavit had. However he'd only just learned of their existence upon coming to the city, so while he knew their title he knew very little else about them. Regardless Raien admittedly didn't care too much either. He just wanted some ale.

"I'll take a pale ale, if you wouldn't mind." The bartender just looked at him for a minute. Raien was starting to wonder why he was just standing their with an irritated look on his face, when he realized he'd hadn't reciprocated the man's choice of language. Instead he'd spoken in his own familiar tongue.

"I'm Sorry, common is not my own. Pale Ale is my order." Raien quickly fixed his mistake, speaking in somewhat broken common with no where near perfect pronunciation. He appreciated the language of humans, it was full of life, however it was also unfamiliar to him and painfully grated over his tongue every time he used it. Not to mention the fact that he had to worry if he even made sense to over people when he spoke, a source of stress he didn't need right now. Raien's fear were quickly dismissed however by the bartender's prompt nod.

After which he slowly went off to pour what Raien had asked for in a semi slow fashion. As he did this Raien unknowingly started to take in his surroundings. Nothing quite warranted his eyes to linger for long, that is until they happened upon one of his clansmen. So, he wasn't only Isur here. Maybe he'd talk to the other man later providing he didn't look down on muts like him, or maybe not, as with the bartender he still was just too focused on his alcohol. His thoughts were still on said drink when the bartender caught his attention this time, asking for payment before he slid the drink over.

Raien reached into his pocket a sudden realization dancing over the base of his neck as he touched a rimmed object. He'd neglected to trade in his Mizas and had no other currency. Petch, Raien beat himself up, both feeling embarrassed for his lack of funds and because he was going to have to make himself look like an idiot.

"I'm afraid I don't have the money... I thought I did." As Raien waited for the man to respond he was forced to endure an agonizing moment of awkward silence. It was the feeling you get when your a child about to get scolded, and oh he did so hate it.

[Ai Shou]

Ai sat quietly for a moment, her thoughts pervading about before her like a carriage in a parade of naked men. It was an odd thought, one that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand... or was it the thought that did that? Ai shifted a bit uncomfortably, her eyes darting about as she realized she was being watched. It didn't take long for her eyes to meet those of a brawny-looking Isur. To Ai, he appeared as just another human despite his strange skin tone and chisled body. She blinked a moment before her eyes flared a gorgeous shade of pink and her cheeks reddened. They had locked eyes for only a moment before Ai tore hers from the grip. He's kind of cute. Ai shook her head, smiling softly at her childish thought. Of course he was cute. He had muscles that made an Akalak's green with envy. Not to mention his jaw, which held so many right angles that she could of swore he could cut wood with the strength and power that his chin held. The thoughts died down as her keen senses caught wind of the other Isur at the bar, and the bartender who began to berade him about coming into a bar without any money. The bartender was cold and harsh about how he commented on it, saying things like 'Who in their right mind goes into a bar with no kina?' and 'I'd sooner give free food to the dogs out back' and such. Ai felt a bit queesy at the thought of being poor. She'd gone through it before and almost had to resort to begging once. She couldn't let herself live with the thought of someone else being poor or without money. She slid from the booth with a determined, if not shy, look on her face as she gingerly glided towards the bar. Her footsteps where silent, seeing as she had nothing on her feet at the time, and the dress flared out behind her as she walked. She cleared her throat only once she was beside the half-Isur, leaning onto the bar with both of her hands keeping her from tipping over the bar. "Pardon, but he's with me."She said with a kind smile, her pink-hued eyes flashing as she smiled at the bartender with a reassuring nod before sliding over enough kina to calm the need for payment and any hope of the bartender wishing to throw her out for what she was. After the bartender's attention was assuaged from the half-Isur, Ai turned to face him, having to look up a bit to even meet the larger man's gaze. She smiled softly and offered a little curtsy to him. "You can call me Ai."She said, her smile quirking for a moment as she pushed the drink that the barkeep left for him into his hands. "You know... if you're staying in Lhavit, you might want to get some of your money switched over to Kina. Most places won't accept Mizas."She explained with a smile, but after a moment, she felt her outward personality shy away from her as a feeling of nervousness began to overtake her. She'd just helped out a man she did not know for a reason she could not bring up and yet she still felt a little insecure about doing so. Maybe it was the thought of her appearance being off that frightened her. Yeah, maybe it was that...