Completed Tavern Songs [Aislyn and Yisanareysin]

[Yisanareysin]

Good company? Seemed like Alvadas was just full of people who weren't nearly as scared of Dhani as they really should be. First the nuit, now this bard. Idly, Rey wondered if this one had met a rattler as well. Well, he wasn't complaining. Good publicity made his life that much easier. And, it seemed, this was his opportunity to add to that. What were Dhani like? He could answer that in just a little over 30 seconds, but he doubted Micah would appreciate him eating one of her employees. So, how to describe his kind flatteringly? His eyes flickered between the two. Zeke had met one briefly, so outright lying was out of the question. Still, there weren't that many ways to spin vicious ruthlessness into a positive trait. Except... Rey almost laughed. The bard had already handed him his answer. "Funnily you should ask. They're a little like your Gordol, actually. If I didn't know better, I'd have said your tale was about them. They're a secretive race, able to hide in plain sight, and their unique abilities make them deadly to cross. They can be temperamental, but are fiercely loyal to their friends and family." That last part, at least, was true. Non Dhani friends, maybe not. "They also have a strong sense of racial loyalty. Even Dhani from feuding" nests, he thought "tribes will defend each other against those who would harm them. Their reputation as bloodthirsty walking stomachs is far too simple." In that people underestimated just how clever they were. "There's a reason the Eypharians, their closest neighbors, welcome them with open arms." The reason being that Eypharians were also ruthless cunning bastards, but Rey should probably leave that out. Then he heard what Zeke wanted to do, and nearly choked on his ale. What? Just how drunk was this bard? And real form? This was his real form, or at least one of them. Rey wasn't sure which to be more indignant about, the idea that this human form was somehow less real than his snake or dhani form, or the idea that any number of Dhani would be so obvious in their congregation that word would get back to the public. Still... this could be an opportunity for some fun. The bard would find out from the wolves eventually. This could be the perfect opportunity to have some fun with him before he found out. As the bard moved off to perform his duty, Rey turned to look at the silent woman, wondering if she would be coming as well. She still seemed distracted, but there was something thoughtful in her face now, and as Zeke began the first chords of his song, she whispered something, then looked up. He turned back to his mug, studying her out of the corner of his eye. That's right, he thought. In his focus on Zeke, he had dismissed her at first as boring and shy, but now that he thought about it... She was a mystery. And there was nothing he loved more than a mystery. Would the straightforward approach work with her? Well, he had at least one opening. Setting down his half full mug, he turned to her properly. "You know, I still don't know your name. You don't look like the type to stay in the Wolf's Cave." Whatever her answer, he was forestalled from asking any more by the return of the bard. Rey grinned as the two humans spoke. "How could I say no? I'll come with you to this Garden."

[Ruzekiel Soren]

Zeke listened intently to the man’s explanation, but found all too quickly that his words were starting to fuzz around the edges. He nodded slowly and murmured more to himself than the others, “Good, good. Wouldn’t...want to get on their bad side, eh? Sensible.” He put his hands on his knees and pushed himself off the bench, wobbling a little on his feet. “Allright then!” He declared mightily, stepping forward and nearly tripping over his lute case as he beckoned to Rey and Nise. “Onward, to adventure and possible misfortune! Wish us luck, Micah, for we may never return.” Micah barely looked up from her cleaning. “If you’re not back within the week I’m setting Etienne loose.” “S’allright, he’ll get loose anyway. Forward then, friends.” And with that Zeke stored his lute under the bench and marched out of the tavern...right into a summer gale. Rain pattered down onto the cobblestone streets and distant thunder rumbled. Within seconds the group was drenched. Zeke lifted his face to the sky and stuck his tongue out. “Perfect day for a stroll,” He announced cheerfully to the others as the wind picked up and whipped his hair into his face. He spat it out delicately and pushed it back with a sheepish smile. Truth be told Zeke was a little afraid of the Garden of no Return, but he was not going to let fear get in the way of blind, reckless stupidity, no sir. Instead he put on a brave face and looked around and down both streets. “Which way do you reckon the place is at this time of night in Alvadas?” He asked his two new...friends? No...companions? Still too personal. Fellow adventurers, he thought. Yes, he liked the sound of that. Good ol’ adventuring. It had been far too long since he’d had a good adventure. This would make good story fuel...if they ever returned, that is. Zeke had heard some strange things about this garden...strange, awful things. He shook his head to dispel the thoughts (and the water, though this was fruitless) and instead addressed Nise. “Excited for the pleasant rainy evening excursion?” He asked, practically bouncing. He was looking forward to a rainy night walk. Not so to the getting lost and possibly going insane bit but, beggars can’t be choosers. He’d take the horribly awful and terrifying with the good. Nothing beat a long walk. Besides sanity. Zeke batted away the logical thoughts again and leaned against the wall of the tavern, watching the old, battered sign creak back and forth for a spell in the wind and kicking up water from the muddy puddle that was forming near his feet.

[Aislyn Leavold]

"You know, I still don't know your name. You don't look like the type to stay in the Wolf's Cave."
The question, albeit simple, caught Aislyn a bit off guard. She had forgotten the man had not been nearby when she had introduced herself, and therefore wouldn’t know her name. Or, at least, the name she had chosen.

”Nise… And I don't stay here. Merely... Exploring the city. Do you live here?”

Aislyn’s question unfortunately remained unanswered as Ruzekiel returned from thought, lute in hand, words already falling from his mouth. The man nearly tripped over the instrument’s case before putting it away, and, afterwards, promptly declared it was time to leave. Aislyn was puzzled at that; Didn’t he have a job to do? Singing, or storytelling, or whatever? Whatever it was he did, Aislyn let the thought pass. It didn’t matter to her if he got paid or not, and, technically, he had done his job. She supposed a song and a story were enough to pass whatever expectations had been set for him.

After giving a miniature speech about adventure, Ruzekiel dragged himself up from the bench, not looking back to see if his two companions followed. Aislyn wondered at what she was getting into, though she jumped up after him, following diligently until they got to the door of the den. The sight of what was outside had her doom written all over it. It was raining.

Normally, rain didn’t bother Aislyn in the slight. Her looks didn’t matter, especially when she could simply wish them away, and being wet never bothered her that much. However, she wasn’t too terribly good at casting illusions of water, so as soon as she stepped outside, anyone with half a brain would be able to tell she wasn’t nearly as wet as she should be, standing in a rainstorm. Sure, she could cast an illusion of raindrops, but she would have to constantly add onto it, until she ran out of illusions to cast. Aislyn already had six illusions running and, though she had tried it, she could never go over ten. The illusions just didn’t appear, unless she got rid of some preexisting ones.

And, unless the two men didn’t question the fact that her appearance suddenly changed, getting rid of preexisting illusions was not an option.

Hesitating at the door, Aislyn waited for as long as humanly possible to go outside, hoping to get the two men in front of her, so they didn’t see the missing raindrops. No such luck. Ruzekiel stayed in front of her, marching onwards, while Reysin was lagging behind, for whatever reason. Someone was going to spot the difference, as Aislyn was now sandwiched in the middle.

Stepping out into the rain, Aislyn rushed after Ruzekiel, praying he wouldn’t turn around, and hoping that Reysin didn’t look too closely at the raindrops that didn’t leave any marks on her clothing. She was taking a severe risk here, even if they didn’t notice. Even if no one noticed. There was no one on the street at the moment, supposedly due to the rain, but Aislyn’s heart still raced. She had kept up the habit of being unknown for so long, to be exposed felt like impending death. Even though her mind knew the two men were no threat, her body still felt like she was about to die. She was so afraid of these two strangers knowing who she was, just because she had taught herself to be afraid of the outside world. Aislyn had brought a miniature panic attack upon herself by thinking day in and day out that if she were ever unexpectedly without an illusion, she would surely die.

To distract her two companions- And, really, herself- from the silent episode she was having, Aislyn began talking to Ruzekiel, answering his idle chatter in an equally idle manner. She was shaking slightly, though she couldn’t be sure if it was from the rain or from her mind practically shutting down. Why was she so afraid?

”I-I… The maze is quite large, from what I’ve heard… So I’d say it’s away from areas densely populated with buildings...”
Aislyn trailed off, motioning towards a clearer path, down near a park. The maze had to be somewhere, and Ionu save them, they were going to find it.

Taking deeper breaths and distancing herself from Ruzekiel’s side, Aislyn managed to calm her nerves. She assured herself they wouldn’t notice, that everything was fine. She let her mind drift from the thought, as if unattached to her body. She still slugged along, though, in her sopping wet clothes, although she appeared dry. It was not a pleasant feeling. Soon, Ruzekiel began talking again, presumably towards her. Her voice was smoother now, and she had managed to calm herself enough to create an illusion of raindrops all over her clothing, though if one looked closely they could see that no new watermarks were appearing.

Ruzekiel was practically skipping along, seemingly very happy to be walking through a storm to almost certain doom, or a very long puzzle. His voice was happy, though Aislyn could tell there was something he was worried about. Most likely the maze of doom, but it didn’t really matter to her. They would get out of it, wouldn’t they? Answering his rainy-day question, Aislyn kept his pace, her pulse finally slowed down.
”It’s very… Well, wet… Though one would expect that.”

Turning to Rey, Aislyn wondered at the man. Something was definitely off, though it wasn’t as if she could judge. If anything, she was the off one, not the mystery man.
”Where do you think the maze has claimed as it’s land? I know there’s no way to be certain, but… Do you have any ideas?”

[Yisanareysin]

Well, Zeke, at least was definitely drunk. And it seemed that Nise was rather eager as well, leaping up after him. Downing his mug, Rey padded over to Micah to pay for his latest round of drinks. As she slipped the coppers into her pockets, Micah leaned in to whisper to him. "Make sure he comes back eventually, alright? I don't want to have to go find another bard willing to play for the type of people who stay here." "If I do, will you let me curl up near the fire?" "A giant snake curled up near the fire will scare off customers. No." Rey pouted, but conceded. Turning, he made his way to the door, where Nise seemed to be rather reluctant to go out into the soaking rain. Still, by the time he reached the door, she had darted out after Zeke, leaving Rey alone inside. Slipping a hand into his pocket, he fished out a small leather band to tie his hair back, then stepped out into the rain. He quickly fell in behind Nise, who had apparently finally found her tongue. He paid them only a little attention, but a niggling feeling at the back of his mind told him there was something wrong, something that disoriented his senses. Yet, he could not for the life of him figure out what it was. Glancing down the path Nise had pointed out, he found himself agreeing with her. It did look like that path would take them where they wanted to go. Turning back to look at Nise, he was hit again by that slight disorientation, that sense that the world was not as it should have been. He had gotten used to it in Alvadas, but this.. this was different. What was it? He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. There had been nothing when he closed his eyes. Something he was seeing then. His confusion was interrupted by the now not so silent woman, asking for his input. Rey frowned. "I say we just go down that path and hope for Ionu to guide us. There's not much else we can do." He told her. As he looked at her, the discomfort increased. Her? What was off about her? Whatever it was, best not to clue her in that he had noticed, he decided. Glancing away like nothing had happened, he continued to follow her. When he was certain she was looking away, he began to study her. Her features and body looked human, her dark hair was short and straight. Her slightly fancy blouse was splattered with rain, and her skirt.... Rey felt his breath hitch. Rain was falling through her skirt. What in Siku's name... He looked closer. Now that he had an idea of what to look for, he began to realize just what it was that had so confused him before. All of her was just.. wrong. The rain that splattered her clothes was static, and the drops were just falling through. Yet she walked like she was wet, like the rain was really weighing her down. Rey was very tempted to touch her, to find the truth for himself. No. Slow and subtle, that was the way. Someone who hid like this certainly had something to hide, and he wasn't about to make himself a threat to an unknown possible danger. He'd wait until they stopped, then use his sense. It galled him that he couldn't just use it then, but it still required too much focus for him to feel safe both scenting her aura and not slipping on the wet cobblestones. Oh, but how he itched to know. A mystery indeed, one that he hoped Akajia would allow him to work out.

[Ruzekiel Soren]

“This way it is then. Excellent!” Zeke said, marching forward on the little path towards the park, whistling a jaunty tune as he jumped to avoid the gathering puddles. “Watch those,” he called over his shoulder. “Last time I jumped in one it turned into a pond,” he chuckled to himself. “Muddy water up to my chest. Korin had to fish me out with a wooden pole. Refreshing, but also pretty disgusting.” As they walked along the path Zeke kept sneaking quick glances behind him at Nise and Rey. What an odd two people they were--Rey with his fierce calm, Nise and her quiet, steady focus, but with a dash of fidgetry. Again his mind started creating stories: Rey was...almost definitely some sort of assassin. Or, maybe he was a prince, and Nise was the assassin! Or they were both assassins, both with orders to slit each other’s throats in the night--but as friendship bloomed they found it harder to realize their assignments. He nodded to himself surely and looked back at his two sodden companions. Nise’s clothes may be a little too fancy for a lady assassin, he decided, and--what was wrong with her skirt? For some reason the rain just...wasn’t falling right.. He dismissed it as a trick of what little light was cast by the lanterns, or maybe his muzzy vision, and turned back around, continuing their stroll until the path began to widen and split in two directions. He looked around briefly and found that he could see more foliage in one direction than the other, so he took that path, though he wasn’t exactly sure of himself. Direction had never been Zeke’s strong suit. In fact he had very few strong suits besides music and making a fool of himself--the latter which actually had served him well in the past when dodging death-by-unsavory-types--but he wanted to look confident, and like he knew what he was doing, so he soldiered on. We must be getting close, Zeke thought, as he spotted some lush branches emerging from behind a city wall. “Onwards!” he declared in his best storyteller voice, rolling his ‘r’s like a proper fellow. “And so the brrave adventurrerahs came ever closer to their destination!” He plucked a wee stick from the ground and brandished it as a weapon, pointing it at each adventurer in succession, “Ruzekiel the Bard! Rrreysin the Bold! Nise of the Fancy Fabrics! Let us venture into the dark enchanted garden!” Mostly Zeke did it to lighten the mood, as Nise looked nervous and Rey looked deep in grumpy concentration. He also did it to keep himself from sprinting in the other direction, but he would never say that aloud. Zeke looked over his shoulder and flashed them a grin, twirling the stick in his hand and stepping in a clumsy jig.

[Aislyn Leavold]

Aislyn felt eyes boring into her from behind. It seemed Reysin was staring at her, for whatever reason. Sure, he had been seemingly interested before, but now it was a bit obsessive. Had he noticed her… Disguise? No… With the seventh illusion, the water damage on the clothes… There wasn’t anymore visual hints, were there? The shaking of earlier came back for several ticks, before Aislyn reassured herself she had covered everything. Unless he had figured out from the short moments she had been out in the rain, there was no way.

Unfortunately, Aislyn didn’t get to give the topic much more thought before Ruzekiel began speaking again, going on and on about his adventures in a pond. Not that she dismissed his stories, it was just that the ramblings of a drunken man were not of much interest to the woman at that moment. The stories, however did fill the dead silence that would have otherwise protruded from the group. For once, Aislyn was glad for his constant chatter.

However, nothing lasted forever, and soon, the man trailed off, finishing his story and leaving the pair in silence. Aislyn took that time to observe him, though there wasn’t much she couldn’t already see. He acted like he was, looked how he felt. An open book, so to speak. He looked like an drink-loving bard, and he was just that.

The other man, however, was almost the opposite. If he was a book, he was just as far from open as could be. He was a coded text, locked in a safe, encased in chains, guarded by dogs. No one would ever know it’s contents, no matter what the cost. It was like a competition, they had to find out each other’s secrets without revealing their own. At the moment, it seemed Reysin was winning, unfortunately. What was with him?

Once again, Aislyn’s thoughts were interrupted by the brazin call of the oblivious, albeit drunk, man, who began calling out adventurous-like things, with his words rolling off his tongue. Had he gotten more drunk as they had gone on? It wouldn't surprise her. Though, Nise of the Fancy Fabrics? That was really what she had become known for? Aislyn sighed, she had probably gone overboard with the outfit. She didn’t usually put an illusion over her clothes, besides changing the colour, but it had just seemed appropriate for that adventure. Maybe she would change it later, when the two men wouldn’t notice.

As the steps went by, the group fell into another silent spell. Aislyn once again questioned her choice to come with the men; It most definitely wasn't safe, nor was it good for her paranoia over being found out. Nevertheless, she had always wanted to see the Garden of No Return, be it alone or with others, though at the moment, others seemed preferable. And, Aislyn noticed as they trekked on, adventuring into the garden with others seemed to be what she was going to do, as she could now see the garden, stretching out far ahead. Maybe a hundred paces in front of the group lay the entrance, and Aislyn felt her heart speed up. It was huge. How had she not seen it before?

”Well…” Pausing momentarily to shiver, though whether it was from the cold or from the fear was unknown, Aislyn continued. ”...There it is.”

OOCOkay I kind of lied about having time to post while on vacation. Sorry about the delay.

[Yisanareysin]

Continued here

[Caela Dorin]

Grade Awarded Ruzekiel Experience Skill XP Earned Acting 1 Instrument: Lute 1 Observation 2 Socialisation 2 Storytelling 1 Lores • Lore Earned • Lute: Trying to Play a Song by Ear • Lute: Improvisation • Song: Rabbit in the Rosebush (Improvised Version) • Nise (basic) • Judging a Crowd • Storytelling: Using an Instrument to Help Create Atmosphere • Story: Gordol the Beast Man • Reysin Ekans (basic) • Reysin: Been to Ahnatep • What the Dhani Are Like as a Race Expenses : -4CM for ale (The money you listed as making is equal to the price of the meal so they cancel each other out) Aislyn Experience Skill XP Earned Observation 2 Socialisation 2 Subterfuge 1 Lores • Lore Earned • Illusionism: The Thief Disguise • Location(??): The Wolf’s Cave Inn • Nise: Alternate Name to Use for Thief • Ruzekiel Soren: Entertainer at the Wolf’s Cave Inn • Story: Gordel the Beast Man (Partial) • Stories Can Sometimes Be Too Close to Reality for Comfort • Reysin Ekans (basic) • Reysin: Been to Ahnatep • Nise of the Fancy Fabrics: Title from Ruzekiel • Reysin: Can See Through Illusions? • Location(??): The Garden of No Return Yisanareysin Experience Skill XP Earned Intelligence 1 Observation 2 Socialisation 2 Lores • Lore Earned • Story: Gordel the Beast Man • Ruzekiel Soren: Entertainer at the Wolf’s Cave Inn • Nise: Mysterious Woman • Nise: Rain Falls Through Her Clothing?! • Reysin the Bold: Title from Ruzekiel Expenses : -8CM for 2 mugs of ale Additional Comments This was a fun little thread. It was a fun read and I'm sure you all had fun writing it. I loved the paranoia of Aislyn and Reysin both thinking that Zeke's story was about them. Plus Zeke is an amusing drunk. I really look forward to seeing the continuation of this thread and see how the Dhani adventure turns out. Write for me! Aislyn: You’re a bit ahead of yourself where your ledger is concerned. The summer season hasn’t finished yet so you don’t have to pay seasonal expenses and you shouldn’t have wages until they’ve been approved by a ST. Additionally as the summer season isn’t over until the end of this month, you shouldn’t have expenses for the fall season. Please correct this. The font you use from the appearance downwards on your CS is a little difficult to read it. Perhaps you could make it bold or something just for the ease of future graders Please edit or delete your grade request and PM me if you have any questions or concerns about your grade. x