Solo Acting as if Everything is Normal

Ambrosia tries to keep cheery at work

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Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

Acting as if Everything is Normal

Postby Ambrosia Alar on November 28th, 2017, 3:12 pm

Acting as if Everything is Normal

The 17th of Fall, 517 AV

Thirty-seven days. The more Ambrosia thought about it, the more it consumed her. Thirty-seven days since she had last seen her little sister. The more consumed she was by that thought, the less she cared about her hospitality, and it showed. Hospitality was key at the Stallion’s Rear, because all the Rear had was hospitality and alcohol. Sure, people would keep coming for the alcohol regardless, but it helped to have a pretty, and friendly, face to serve it. Pretty wasn’t difficult for Ambrosia to do, but the friendly part had been suffering of late.

Setting a drink in front of Bandon, a man who was becoming more of a regular than he had been in the past, she have him a distracted, empty smile. Bandon, for as far along to being completely hammered as he was, was quite observant and noticed the absence of her usual cheer. There was an obvious struggle going on behind his eyes as he debated whether or not to say anything. Choosing what he was certain was the wiser path, he remained silent and started to drink the lager he had been brought.

If there was one thing Ambrosia hated more than feeling this way, it was that everyone always seemed to notice. When she was brooding about something, she wanted to keep it private. With that thought, she was slowly becoming aware of how irritating her patrons had to find her curiosity. For a moment, she vowed to be less nosy but immediately quashed the idea. Some small part of her knew she could never keep this promise. There were some things she had to know, no matter how private others might think those things should be. If others had to know what was getting to Ambrosia, she’d have to let them ask. Hopefully, though, she could avoid their questions.

Creaking of old timber on hinges brought Ambrosia’s focus to the new arrivals to the bar. There were several there whose names Ambrosia didn’t know, but the two patrons who came at the end were the newest additions to the regulars at the Rear. The man was a handsome sort, but that always seemed to get overlooked in the presence of his beautiful date. Winnie was short, shorter than most, enough so that she ought to go unnoticed, but she always seemed to be the center of attention. Paul, for his part, didn’t mind not being the object of folks’ attention. What he did mind was that Winnie’s beauty tended to draw the attention of other men who had romantic intentions.

“Welcome,” Ambrosia called to the newcomers with a wave and a friendly smile whose insincerity wasn’t evident from a distance. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be around to get you drinks.”

She hoped that would give her enough time to compose herself, to put on her lie of a smile, but Winnie had already seen her and, with a wave and her own bright smile, was headed Ambrosia’s way. Preparing herself as best as she could, Ambrosia turned and greeted Winnie with a smile she could feel fail on her lips.

Winnie’s smile was quickly replaced with a tight frown, and her brows furrowed with concern. “Ambrosia, what’s wrong?”

Gathering all the happy thoughts she could muster and pushing them to the forefront of her mind, Ambrosia tried to bury and smother that one ever-present thought about her sister, but like any drowning thing, the thought struggled and only made itself more noticeable. Ambrosia tried a lighter smile, as if less effort would somehow make her distracted nature less obvious. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

“It’s nothing.”

The brows that were furrowed in concern hardened into an angry glare. “Don’t lie to me, Ambrosia. I’m your friend, and that means I care about you. It also means I think I know you and I know when you’re lying. I don’t like being lied to, especially by my friends. Friends should never feel the need to lie to friends.”

Dropping any attempt to smile, Ambrosia met Winnie’s eyes. “I’m not fine. It’s not nothing. But it is a private matter. I’m sorry if that answer isn’t good enough.”

“It’s good enough.” Winnie nodded. “For now.”

Ambrosia gave Winnie an appreciative smile. Appreciation she could manage. “Thanks. Can I get you a drink, love?”

Throwing in a wink at the end, Ambrosia waited for Winnie to blush. Ever since their first meeting, whenever Ambrosia used that title for Winnie, the other young woman blushed, and tonight was no different. Lately, they seemed to be having a competition going on of who could make the other blush more, and Ambrosia was definitely winning. The smile returned to Winnie’s face as she turned away, but Ambrosia caught the sudden light rush of red into Winnie’s cheeks that only made her more stunning. That brought Ambrosia’s smile briefly back.

“No. I’ll go up to the bar.” Winnie pointed to her regular seat. “Paul’s already up there anyhow.”

Over at the bar, Cade was filling two shot glasses with degtine. The bartender held up his to Paul, and the man returned the gesture before the two took their shots. If there was one thing Cade loved more than drinking, it was drinking with friends. Watching Winnie cross the bar, Ambrosia returned to work, walking about to each newcomer and getting their orders.

Midway through one table, Cade called to her. “Ambrosia, I need to talk to you.”

“I’ll be right over,” she called back. Her voice hadn’t lost its cheerful lilt. That she could fake well enough that her patrons bought her happy façade. When she had everyone’s drink preferences, she weaved her way between the few tables and back behind the bar.
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Ambrosia Alar
"The kid's got smiles for days."
 
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Acting as if Everything is Normal

Postby Ambrosia Alar on December 17th, 2017, 4:42 am

As Ambrosia began to fill two mugs, one with lager and the other with ale, she nudged Cade playfully with her elbow. “What’s wrong, Cade? Getting bored back here without me?”

Her smile came a little more easily around Cade, though it still wasn’t her usual one. Most days, Cade found her joshing antics amusing. Today wasn’t most days. No hint of a smile cracked his features, and his straight face said he wasn’t in the mood for joking.

“What’s got you in a bad mood today?” Ambrosia asked carefully.

Cade looked down into a mug he’d already been drying for the past half a bell. He didn’t like confrontation much if it was someone he knew well. “Honestly, kid, you do.”

“Shit.” Ambrosia didn’t like being called out, mostly because whenever she was called out, whoever was doing so was right. She looked over to Winnie who suddenly became very interested in what her wine looked like. “Winnie said something, didn’t she?”

Cade stopped polishing his mug and glared at her, and it was Ambrosia’s turn not to meet his eyes, There was little in this world she hated more than his disapproval.

“It doesn’t matter who said it, because she isn’t the only one who’s noticed. She’s not the first one to say something. I’ve been getting complaints about you for about a fortnight now. When you’re as good at being hospitable as you can be, people tend to notice when you’re suddenly shit at it. Listen, I know you’re worried about Tessa. Hai, I’m starting to get worried, too. But when you’re here, I need you here, not distracted by other things. I know it’s a lot to ask, love, but-”

Shocked horror crossed Cade’s face as he realized what had just slipped out of his mouth.

“Petch!” He slammed the mug down on the bar top.

Everyone in the bar turned his direction at his exclamation. Outbursts weren’t something Cade was easily prone to. He tended to be a calm man who handled most situations with words rather than aggression, so loud expletives always got his customers’ attention.

Picking up his mug again, he began to dry it furiously, inspecting it for spots and not meeting Ambrosia’s eyes. “I swear to the Gods, Ambrosia, if I start calling customers ‘love’, you’re fired.”

A smile spread across Ambrosia’s lips and not just any smile. It was her smile, the one she was so accustomed to having come easily. It had been too long since she had smiled it, and it felt familiar and good to have it back. “I’m too pretty to fire.”

“Oh, trust me. That’s plenty worth firing you over. If I-” He stopped when he looked over at her. A smile spread across his face. “There it is. That’s the smile I’ve been looking for.”

Ambrosia’s smile saddened a little as she apologized. “I’ve been trying.”

“Hey, come here.” Cade held his arms open and wrapped them around her when she stepped up against him. “I know, kid. You just let me know what I can do to help keep that smile there.”

“This is good for a start.” There was little Ambrosia coveted more than Cade’s attention, though the attention he gave her was never the attention she was seeking. The hand at the small of her back was placed there protectively, not for any other purpose. He saw himself as her protector. Kid. She was nothing more to him than that. A little girl who needed protecting. A little sister, at best. It seemed to be that way with everyone Ambrosia wanted to have see her as more, Cade and Cordon mostly, but there were others as well. Still, his arms around her felt good. Comfort was what she needed at the moment.

“We should probably get back to work.”

“Probably.” She didn’t let him go.

“Go get people their drinks. I’ll still be here at the end of the night.”

Ambrosia let him go, and her smile returned to her normal happy one. “Thanks.” She pulled away but turn back and added as an afterthought, her smile brightening a little more, “Love.”

Cade glared at her as she went back to filling beers. “I will fire you.”

Ambrosia just beamed her smile back at him. Filling all the beers her patrons had ordered, she picked them up by the handles, managing to hold three in each hand and working her way around the tavern. Her memory was good, at least when it came orders, and soon she had everyone’s drinks in front of them.

Returning to the bar, Ambrosia saw Winnie had nearly finished her glass of wine, so the barmaid swiped a bottle from Cade as he was just finishing uncorking it.

“I was using that,” Cade called after her.

“I know. Thanks for opening it for me.”

Shaking his head, Cade pulled another bottle from beneath the counter and went to work popping the cork. Ambrosia slid up, so she was standing on the other side of the bar from Winnie, beaming her newfound smile at her friend. Seeing Ambrosia on her way over, Winnie dropped her eyes to the bar top and refused to meet her friend’s eyes.

“If you drink that wine any faster, I’m gonna start thinking you’re only doing it to get me to come back. You can always just talk to me, Winnie. The wine’s not expensive, but my company’s free.” Satisfaction filled Ambrosia’s smile as Winnie blushed slightly at that comment.

Winnie watched the depleted bottom of her wineglass, hoping it would give her some sort of escape. It didn’t, so she was forced to respond to Ambrosia. “Listen, Ambrosia. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with Cade. I was just concerned, and I thought if I said something, he’d be able to cheer you up or at least give me some insight on how I could. You’re my friend though, and the last thing I wanted to do was put your livelihood at risk.”

Winnie continued to ramble, her eyes trying to jump up to meet Ambrosia’s but glancing down every time they briefly did. When she finally finished talking in circles, Winnie’s gaze had fixed on Ambrosia’s chest.

Waving her hand in Winnie’s sight, Ambrosia pointed up toward her face. “My eyes are up here, love. Staring at the dress isn’t going to make it come off.”

A blush brighter red than any Ambrosia had ever seen on Winnie before spread across her friend’s cheeks. Winnie’s gaze went to the bar top, and once more, she refused to look up.

Leaning across the bar, Ambrosia placed a gentle hand beneath her friend’s chin and tipped Winnie’s face up, continuing to smile as she did. “I was only kidding.”

Winnie’s blush began to subside when she saw Ambrosia’s smile. “I was already starting to miss that smile.”

“You saying something is what led to it coming back. Thanks for being concerned.”

Winnie returned the smile. “I’m glad.”

Ambrosia filled Winnie’s glass back up. “There. That should keep you busy for a bit.”

“Careful.” Winnie’s honey-smooth took on a seductive air. “You keep on filling my wine, and I might start to think you’re trying to get me drunk.”

That brought Ambrosia’s first blush of the night.

Winnie’s voice dropped into a secretive whisper. “If I get that idea, I’ll have to start drinking even faster.”

With the warmth that flooded her cheeks, Ambrosia was certain her blush rivaled Winnie’s last one. “Not fair.”

Winnie smiled victoriously. “We’ll call tonight a draw.”

Wood creaking alerted Ambrosia to another patron entering, and when she glanced over, she saw Eli, one of their longtime regulars. A bee crawled across Ambrosia’s hand and on to the counter, buzzing its wings expectantly. Leaving a few droplets of wine in front of the little yellow and black illusion, Ambrosia caught Winnie’s attention quickly. “Keep an eye on him, would you, Winnie? Don’t get him too drunk. I gotta go see to Eli.”
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Ambrosia Alar
"The kid's got smiles for days."
 
Posts: 221
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Acting as if Everything is Normal

Postby Ambrosia Alar on January 29th, 2018, 3:04 am

The truth was that she didn’t need to see Eli for Eli’s sake. He was her major connection to the docks, to much of the city, if she was being honest, and she had told him to keep his eyes and ears open for any information on Tessa. A loud, outgoing man, Eli knew plenty of people, and if those people asked all the people they knew, someone was bound to have heard something about the youngest Alar sister. Almost ready to approach Eli empty-handed, she remembered what Cade had asked of her. When you’re here, I need you here. She had to remember that her patrons were here to have a good time, to drink, and to enjoy friendly company, not to be her eyes and ears and definitely not to be interrogated. To that end, Ambrosia filled a mug with lager, thought better of it, and filled a second. Lager was Eli’s drink of choice. She’d pay for these two to keep him happy. Not to mention, the drunker Eli got, the more alcohol he’d buy later on.

With the two mugs in hand, Ambrosia crossed the bar and set them on the table in front of Eli. “Hello, Eli. Have you heard anything about Tessa yet?”

“Goddammit, Ambrosia!” Eli had been smiling when he had come in, but Ambrosia’s constant pestering with that question over the past week had worn his patience thin. Tonight, it broke. Exasperation and annoyance were all that was evident on his face. “I told you I’d come fund you as soon as I heard something about her. I came here tonight to drink, not to be pestered. Petch.”

Ambrosia shrank some, trying to fold in on herself. She didn’t like making people, especially her regulars, angry at her, not without a good reason. Her face fell, and she pushed the two mugs closer to him. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to ruin the night. I’m just concerned, and I start to lose hope. But whenever you walk in here, I get a little hope back. I know I’ve been bothersome lately. That’s why I brought these. They’re on me. As an apology.”

Letting her dejection show, she turned away. It was truly felt, but it had a secondary purpose. If she managed to make him feel guilty about admonishing her, she could calm his anger against her a bit.

“Ambrosia.” Eli’s voice held a small apology in it. When she turned back, Eli motioned her back over and put an arm around her shoulders. “I know you’re concerned. Believe me, I’ve heard it from you enough over the past couple weeks. But you need to trust your friends. When I tell you I’ll come straight to you I mean I will come the instant I know anything. Trust me. The word is out, and people are looking. Tessa means a lot to most of us. I know she means a lot to me. I don’t let anyone forget that we’re looking for her.”

Hugging him back, Ambrosia held him there for a moment. “Thanks, Eli.”

“Hey.” He held up the beers. “Thanks for the drinks.”

“You’re welcome.” She turned back to the bar and made note of a few empty drinks on the way. Stopping at one table, she swiped up the empty mugs. “Can I get you boys some refills?”

The two men at the table were deep in conversation, but one of them caught Ambrosia’s gaze for a quick moment and nodded before going right back into his conversation. All night long, those two had been an odd fixture. They held a steady conversation and never broke it, but whenever anybody, Ambrosia included, wandered near, their voices dropped into protected whispers that no one could hear.

The one man, distracted by the question and his assumed need to answer it, let his voice return to its regular volume before Ambrosia was out of earshot. “-if they send him looking again. You know we’ll have to kill him, because he’s always been-”

That was all she caught, but it was enough to disturb her. She set the mugs down on the bar with a frown.
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Ambrosia Alar
"The kid's got smiles for days."
 
Posts: 221
Words: 242735
Joined roleplay: September 28th, 2014, 2:54 pm
Race: Human
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Acting as if Everything is Normal

Postby Ambrosia Alar on December 27th, 2019, 3:50 pm

Intermission
(Temporary Grade)


Ambrosia

Skills
● Acting +2
● Detection +1
● Intelligence +1
● Observation +1
● Persuasion +3
● Rhetoric +1
● Seduction +1
● Socialization +2

Lores
● Reading a familiar face
● Ambrosia's Smile: Familiar and comforting
● Who blushes first? A game between Ambrosia and Winnie
● Eli: Connected


Comments

Keep up the good work. Win Miz. Don't forget to edit this once you return to this story.
User avatar
Ambrosia Alar
"The kid's got smiles for days."
 
Posts: 221
Words: 242735
Joined roleplay: September 28th, 2014, 2:54 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Medals: 6
Featured Contributor (1) Featured Thread (2)
Mizahar Mentor (1) Mizahar Grader (1)
Donor (1)


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