Closed How To Make Friends (Kaie)

[Jax Bradshaw]

5th of Spring, 514 AV
11th bell

Jax walked along the cobbled path, kicking a small stone that he'd found a few chimes back. The desolate image of Sunberth was all he could see after the citizens were trying to rebuild after the harsh Winter, which ended just days ago. A horrid smell filled his nostrils, although he couldn't figure out what the source was.

The human turned onto a small street and kicked away the stone. The sides of the street was littered with homeless Sunberthans, who grovelled at Jax's feet as he strode past, attempting to pester some modicum of coin out of him, even if it were just a lowly bronze miza. One tried to stop Jax with a limp, dusty hand, which resulted in a heavy boot in the nose from Jax, for the poor man.

Jax stuck his hands in his coat pockets and continued out the street, heading for the Pig's Foot. He knew Merv despised his very being but Jax needed a drink and there was nothing at his apartment other than stale bread and out-of-date... water? Jax didn't even know it had been there so long. The tavern was just down the road, but a pair of Dragoons walked out, laughing about something.

The blue-haired man ducked beside a garbage bin and hoped they didn't see him. He watched as the two made their way down the street Jax had just come from, so he left his hiding place, pulled up his hood and walked towards the Pig's Foot at a quicker pace.

Jax entered the tavern and over to his favorite corner booth. He sat down on it and stuck his feet up on the table, surveying the clientel.

I'm a God and it's judgement day.

[Kaie]

For Myri's sake, what an absolutely vicious cycle it had become. It mattered not the location, the unfamiliarity the place held in her mind. The smells were always the same as were the voices within. It called to her like a voice within a dream, beckoning her forth and promising her twisted offerings of temporary salvation. That voice was like the sweetest honey, and though she did her damnedest, it was one almost impossible to refuse. So there she was again, that sunkissed Myrian woman. Once again among the boisterous laughs of drunken patrons, the sloppy catwalks of prostitutes, and a room so filled with the stench of ale and poor food that she would remember it for days. Just another tavern in another barbarian city. Another shyke hole to pass the time in.

Kaie was already on her third mug. All were bought by wasted, near alcohol-poisoned men that either hoped to get lucky or simply wished to mock her for her roots. Regardless of their motives, all were sent on their way quickly. She just wanted to sit there in peace and enjoy her ale, which apparently was so much to ask. Crashing in places like The Drunken Fish left one rather exhausted in more ways than one, and though she might've been drunk when she woke up that very morning, it didn't deter her from exploring Sunberth a little more. How typical was it that by the end of the day she'd find herself seated at another bar stool?

"You wanna find somewhere else to go, savage girl?"

The young Myrian woman ran a hand down her face in a exasperation before turning in her chair. Three burly men sat behind her around one of the nearby tables. One stared at her with a wicked grin while the others openly snickered over their own mug. Two of them were dressed in a similar manner, but they remained seated. Instead it was the common looking man that strut over toward her to lean on the counter, his meaty fingers daring to reach up and run down along one of her curls.

"So what do you say?"

The woman tipped the mug back and emptied the contents, savoring the bitter taste of the drink slipping over her tongue and down her throat. The mug hit the counter surface again with a dull clink. Kaie licked her lips and shot him back a cynical grin of her own before pink lips parted to reply.

"I like my men a little more...down to earth," She responded in mock innocence, a dangerous gleam suddenly finding its way into her eyes. That's when the man found the audacity to try to wander down toward her chest. Without missing a beat, Kaie swung the mug into the side of his head with ferocious speed. It thudded off his skull and sent him into a stupor, which she capitalized on by gripping his head and hurling it down into the counter. He rebounded like a tossed doll from a wall and hit the floor out cold. She turned back in her stool to face the bar. "Yeah, kind of like that," She murmured darkly, expecting the two men she spotted before to rise and come at her. Instead there was nothing but a few pointing fingers and some chuckling. And here she thought they'd once again bad together against the "bloody savage."

"I think I'll need another," Kaie stated loud enough for the bartender to hear, turning the broken container around in her hands.

"I think you'll be paying for that," The barkeep answered, obviously far less amused by the damaged goods and the violence all together, though he made no voice of the distaste for the latter display. Kaie slid ten copper Mizas in his direction. The man seemed to become immediately less disgruntled and even managed to force her a smile. Then he disappeared to retrieve her drink. The Myrian sighed and glanced about the room again. The pair of uniformed men were gone then and besides the classic displays of alcoholism, things felt almost...ordinary. She doubted it would last. And she was right, for right then came a blue haired man with an air about him that made her curious.

What was in the air about him that drew her attention besides the hair? Without a straight answer she was left to simply observe from her seat for a moment, looking for an explanation that was just not there. Setting her jaw she turned back around to receive her mug, but still the perplexity was there...

Deductions:10 copper Mizas.

[Jax Bradshaw]

Jax pulled the hood from his head and then removed the coat completely, tossing it onto the chair next to his. He ran a hand through his hair and shook it loose again, the strands falling upon the sides of his head. Jax inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, looking over the tavern once again. One thing caught his eye.

A female, sitting at the bar. Of course, every man with enough to buy a drink were lining up with catcalls directed at the girl or offers to buy her alcohol. To be fair, she wasn't that bad looking. The unconscious man at her feet made him think twice about approaching her through, along with the dozens of men she'd simply ignored.

Gods, she's a tough one.

Jax swung his legs off the table and watched the lady more closely. She didn't look local. Or even from anywhere nearby. It was as though she'd just materialized out of thin air and nobody had seen it happen. He needed to talk to her. His inquisitive nature was getting the better of him. A lot like the time he'd met Razkar in the Pig's Foot a season ago. Jax stood from his table and walked over to the female.

"Ignore this rabble scum. None of 'em know how t'treat a lady."

I'm a God and it's judgement day.

[Kaie]

Within a chime the bartender had returned with the new mug. The ale froth sloshed like a thick cloud within the mug just barely remaining within its confines. Her open hand wrapped around the handle that was slid her way. She wasted no time lifting the ale to her lips and drinking the fresh brew. It seemed she was going to be left alone for once. Or so she had thought. Kaie brought the mug back to the counter and turned to find the voice. Beside her stood the blue haired man she'd seen walk in only moments before.

"Here to mock me too?" She interrogated bitterly with another sip of her drink, her voice growing empty. The man upon the floor stirred with a groggy moan. Already was his face swelling where he'd been struck. Certainly he would remain down there for some time. "Look, I'm not really in the mood for this shyke. You wanna call me a savage and throw me into the street, go right ahead. See if you can." The Myrian woman's expression grew dark suddenly, hand wrapping tighter upon the mug handle like she would her gladius. After a tick she turned to him with a quirk of her slender brow.

"Well?"

[Jax Bradshaw]

Jax rested his head in his hands, looking over the woman once again, but at a closer view. She looked relatively... normal. For a local Sunberthan. No noticeable cuts, bruises or scars. The girl didn't look as though she wanted his head mounted on her wall as a trophy. That was good, to say the least. With the wannabe criminals outside the doors of the tavern.

"Here to mock me too? Look, I'm not really in the mood for this shyke. You wanna call me a savage and throw me into the street, go right ahead. See if you can. Well?"

The words took Jax aback a bit. He'd hadn't come on too strong, had he? The human hadn't come over looking for a fight. He thought he was being helpful by turning away the riff-raff that advanced on the woman. The story about the dozen Dragoons that attacked Jax and Razkar spread throughout Sunberth, so a couple recognized Jax and backed off.

"No, no, I've just come to buy a woman a drink," Jax smiled his pearly-whites at the woman, whilst beckoning Merv over. "I'm Jax."

I'm a God and it's judgement day.

OOCApologies on the late and short reply, I still don't feel very well.

[Kaie]

At first the Myrian female narrowed her eyes slightly, amber pools studying his face and dress for a tick before she decided his words seemed genuine enough. Then she tipped the mug back to her lips and drank a generous amount of the bitter liquid. The mug returned to the counter again with almost ceremoniously. A curious smile spread across her face, tongue probing her inner cheek almost hesitantly until she finally answered.

"Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows," She introduced herself slowly, gaze still stuck on his features in a look of utter perplexity. Little time was wasted before she finished the ale without so much as a grimace. Only a couple years ago she might've hacked and coughed at the amount she was taking, but even that seemed like such a lifetime past. "Your kind usually does one of two things. Either you avoid us or you get in our faces like you've something to prove. And here you are. Trying to buy me a drink." The young woman shook her head and laughed quietly to herself, muttering something in her own tongue. "So...Jax? Why are you so...comfortable?"

Perhaps "comfortable" was used for lack of a word besides "tolerant." Still it was a valid inquiry all the same.

[Jax Bradshaw]

"Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows, your kind usually does one of two things. Either you avoid us or you get in our faces like you've something to prove. And here you are. Trying to buy me a drink."So... Jax? Why are you so... comfortable?"

Jax listened intently on every word Kaie had to say. The slight tinge in her voice had sparked some remembrance in him. The way she spoke reminded the human of somebody he'd met in the very tavern he was standing in last season. Then it dawned on him...

Razkar.

"I'm comfortable, m'lady, because," Jax paused for a moment, a grin appearing on his stupid face. "I've met your kind before in this very building. Nice gentleman. Covered more in tattoos than clothing though. I think you might have heard of the fellow?"

He ran a hand through his hair, shaking the blue locks loose and returning his gaze upon Kaie, sitting opposite him. Jax spoke again, this time his voice lowered so the conversation would only be heard between the two.

"The name Razkar ring any bells?"

I'm a God and it's judgement day.

[Kaie]

The young woman studied the man intently for several ticks or so, amber orbs surveying his expression and the way he reacted to her previous statements. There was something so passive and careless about him that made her utterly curious. No doubt the other patrons behind them were chuckling to one another, prodding their companions with grubby elbows and pointing at the new pair. Some would bet on her race's violent nature, expecting her to wield her mug like a lethal weapon as she had only a chime before. The minority might declare more hopeful events to follow yet they were rare and fleeting wishes. Even the kindest in Sunberth would shake their head at the seemingly idiotic gesture. Didn't he know Myrians approached upon their own terms?

Jax was clever though and strangely polite to a woman foreign enough to sport a loincloth and leather vest so casually. Kaie couldn't recall anyone ever granting her worthy of the title "m'lady" in her life. And yet here this blue haired guy was strolling over all kind and gentlemanly, claiming only the desire to simply buy her a drink.

What kind of game does he think he's playing? Do I look that gullible and naive that he would think I'd be blind to how utterly artificial this whole thing is?

Jax's response was not what she had expected. It certainly wasn't anything she was capable of imagining. How cruel and unusual were the Fates now, to send her to the shyke whole and have one of its denizens utter a name she had all but forgotten? The very man who unknowingly tore her out of her state of uselessness and despair to show her a way to cope with her circumstances? The only Myrian she'd seen outside Taloba in years? The one who showed her the way...

Razkar...

As soon as the name left his lips there was a wild fire ablaze within her newly brightened eyes. Kaie turned to him now and stared with a look of utter disbelief.

"Razkar. He's here? You know him? Do you know where I can find him?" The questions flew from her lips without hesitation, her voice struggling to keep a pleading tone out of her words.


OOC:Sorry for the wait! Had some internet issues that are all worked out now!

[Jax Bradshaw]

Kaie seemed to perk up almost instantly at the mention of Razkar, the Myrian who'd he fought side by side with after the Dragoons had found them at Riverside Park towards the end of the Winter.

"Razkar. He's here? You know him? Do you know where I can find him?"

Jax shook his blue hair and laughed quietly to himself. It was almost as though the girl had been the psychopath's lover and she's just looking for him once again. He turned around on his seat and leaned on the bar, whilst looking out over the tavern. The patrons seemed to be in relatively small groups, all looking at the two at the bar, their ales sloshing about in their ale mugs, chuckling between each other at the Myrian girl.

The human just brushed the snide humor and comments off, tilting his head towards Kaie once again. She looked quite pretty but he refused to show any sign of him thinking that way.

"I haven't got a clue where he is now," he said to the woman, somewhat disappointed with himself since he couldn't answer a simple question. "Last I saw of the guy was towards the end of Winter. Haven't seen him since. How d'you know him anyway?"

Thoughts.
"My words."
"Your words."
"NPC's words."

OOCApologies for the short post. I again felt I need to get something up.

[Kaie]

Almost immediately heart sank. It had been such a tease, really. There she had been sitting there at a bar, drinking much like she hadn't a vision of a future ahead of her, only for a barbarian to reveal her kin was indeed in the city. It was only poetic for Jax to be clueless as to Razkar's location. It would be far too easy, she supposed. There wasn't a single time the young Myrian woman could think of where life didn't grant her something. Not a moment when she was clawing tooth and nail up some slippery slope, struggling with the weight of fate tugging her down. Would it really be such a loss on Lhex's end if something came easy to her?

She turned from him to face the counter again, the tankard lifting to her lips to another drink. Then it returned to the table with another ceremonious tap. Not even for a tick did that newly lit fire dissipate from her eyes. However when Jax inquired about her relationship with her fellow Myrian, she couldn't help but raise a disapproving brow at him. Kaie laughed sarcastically to herself before she turned in her seat to face him, hands gesturing to her face and clothing.

"We were both born in the light of the Goddess Queen Myri. We traveled and braved the jungles of Falyndar like our ancestors. This world may be far from our home, but not many of our kin venture into barbarian lands. Especially not as far as Sunberth. We were bound to run into one another sooner or later," Kaie said matter-of-factly with a shrug. Then her eyes narrowed, gaze following up and down his frame once more. This time there was skepticism in her tone. "And what of you? How did you come to know my brother?"

OOC:Don't worry about it! I understand. Just post whenever's convenient and not a moment sooner.