[Main Gate Cortyard] Dancing Until Dusk (Open)

[Jokor]

Jokor was completely stumped for a brief moment at what his auristic vision told him about the mark. How in the name of yshul could something as simple as a spiral on the back of somebody's hand radiate an aura like that? Not to mention he felt something similar, jet differen't coming from two vague points on the konti's neck. Shifting his focus form the back of irine's hand towards the faint feeling that was coming from her neck, ignoring the slight headache that was slowly forming behind his eyes. When she gave her comment about how a worshiper of rhysol would be allowed to stay in syliras if he kept to the laws he chuckled a bit. “Right somebody who worships the god of chaos, evil and betrayal following rules. That will happen when I'm shitting diamonds.” Jokor snickered at the thought. Awkwardly dancing with irine for a few moments in silence before she suddenly spoke up again, asking where he was from. “I was born in sunberth.” jokor just gave the simple reply, not making any motion to elaborate at all.

[Archon]

Jokor "It seems you will be coming into a fortune then, though I imagine it would be quite unpleasant for you," Irine's smile held a bit of amusement as she replied to Jokor's comment regarding followers of Rhysol and strange bowel movements, "As I'm quite sure they follow rules frequently. Whether out of fear, submission, or an attempt to deceive they, like most everyone else, will follow rules most of the time. Otherwise, how could they maintain order in Ravok?" "Well, that does explain a few things," Irine nodded in response to Jokor's place of birth, "It would be good to remember you're no longer there, or else you might find yourself in trouble in the future." As the music faded and stopped Irine stepped away from Jokor, giving a pleasant curtsy, "It was a pleasure to get to know you more Jokor, but I should continue my rounds," she smiled pleasantly at the young man, "I would be happy to meet you again, in more pleasant circumstances," with another serene smile she turned and started to make her way back towards the crowd. As Irine was moving away Jokor caught a glimpse of a tall and simply dressed man who seemed to be glaring at the short rogue. Even if Jokor turned his full attention to the man his glare remained there, along with a deeply displeased frown. It wasn't someone Jokor recognized, but for some reason the man seemed to have great dislike for him.

[Tessa Poe]

The first thought that crossed Tessa's mind as soon as she entered the courtyard was a realisation of just how many people were here. It never failed to amaze her that you could get this many people in one place, or that that they'd do it so willingly. The second was that she really wasn't dressed for this. True her clothes had been laundered this morning after she'd gotten her room at the White Swan and they'd done their best to make them presentable again, just as she'd tried to do the same for herself in the bath, but when you got right down to it she really wasn't going to fit in. Everyone else seemed to be dressed in colours to honour the season and her slightly travel worn greens and browns seemed drab in comparison. At least she'd been able to leave her pack and her coat back at the room, and she'd managed to do something with her hair, which for a change was actually staying out of her face. How long that was going to last she didn't know though. She reached up just to check it quickly, finding it still pulled back into a smart pony tail before twitching a couple of strands back into place.

Thinking about it it probably didn't much matter what she was wearing, everyone was here to have a good time weren't they? But Gods there were so many of them here today. She shifted slightly uneasily from foot to foot, trying to work out if this was a bad idea after all. It wasn't like she was ever going to see most of these people again, well unless they happened to work the bazaar and she happened to visit their particular stall... maybe she should just head back to her room, get a nice rest and then head back out in the morning? The thought of relaxing in bed for a while was tempting, for all that she liked her own company she had to admit that her bedroll was nowhere near as comfy.

Or she could stay for a little while, there seemed to be a refreshment table, so she could just skirt the crowd, see what was on offer, stay a little while and then head back? She'd made the effort then, and Ma always said she should get to know people whenever she had the chance, and what better chance than this? With that Tessa set off slowly around the edge of the crowd, careful not to bump into or jostle anyone as she made her slow progress.

[Runas]

"He is indeed very scrawny..." She said this as though musing upon it, but her green eyes observed Maenon with interest. How typical that an Isur would work in a place like the Ironworks. She could never make herself work there, not unless she was hard pressed for Mizas and that was the only place hiring, and even then she'd be very reluctant in her work. "Do people there treat you well?" She asked suddenly. That was always her greatest concern for outsiders. She didn't treat others well, though, outsiders included, but at least she knew she didn't. It would be so boring if she didn't make an enemy or two in this decade. Who knows? Maybe those two, Seven and Victor, could become her new Rima, the Kelvic that was so fun to irritate and taunt.

When Maenon asked her to dance, she smiled and nodded, but his sudden firm grip left her with a breathless laugh. She'd not been dragged into a dance floor before by a gruff Isur. Even if his grip was light, less firm than before, she had no desire to wrench away. When she took interest in someone, only Dira could drag her away.

"I'm not a swell dancer myself, Maenon. I just love the revelry enough that I'd drag a stranger in with me." She looked to his left arm, the ruby red appendage that she had taken note of but discarded as unimportant earlier. She'd not seen such a thing, a person with an arm the opposite colour of his other skin. And the colour was so lovely. Red paint, next to green, was her favorite colour. It almost always was the colour that smeared the curve of her neck. She had enough tact not to inquire about the arm, however. She felt it was his private business.

"If I step on your feet, I'm sorry." She said lightly, eyes flashing with dark mirth.

[Jokor]

Jokor was a bit miffed that the konti one upped him on his rather course remark, but then again he never was any good in verbal struggles. Preferring the kind where you cracked open the others skull with his fists. Slowly pulling back the djed and releasing his auristic vision, making sure that his slight headache wouldn't get worse. He did raise his eyebrow at the mention of order in ravok though. “Never knew there was any kind of order in ravok. Thought it was an anarchistic hellhole just like sunberth, only that most of the people there worshipped rhysol.” he just shrugged after he said that though, signifying that he didn't really care about it. When the music stopped irine stepped away from him and jokor just shoved his hands back into him pockets, just nodding at her pleasantry's. “Well if ya ever need me, just look around in the squire's dorms. If I ain't there I'm probably getting my arse kicked by alero as training.” He just said in response to her comment, a bit of a shudder coming in his voice at the word training and gave her a polite wave with his hand as he turned around and walked back towards the crowd. As he was walking back towards the crowd he noticed a man that seemed to be glaring at him for some reason or other, he didn't recognize the man at all so it whatever his problem was it wasn't his fault. That or he just forgot about him after he pissed the guy of. Still he wasn't going to take any crap from anybody anymore, and that included that tall vagik that thought he could annoy the crap out of him by glaring at him. When he finally reached the crowd he tried to get himself lost in it while trying to keep an eye on the man at the same time. If he had managed that he would try to get as close as he could to the man without getting noticed, hoping that he could figure out why the heck this guy was pissed at him.

[Tessa Poe]

She'd made it most of the way round without drawing too much attention to herself, or so it seemed at least, and for that she was grateful. She had to admit the noise and the sheer lack of space with all the people around her were getting to her just a little. She missed the forest, the comfort that the sound of all that life brought was something that she'd never get here. At least the celebration was in the courtyard, it would've been hellish if they'd held it indoors... but then that would have been a bit silly since it was dedicated to Syna and all and Tessa knew from experience that her light wasn't seen within the sprawling fortress city's interior much.

It was strange making her way like this apart from the crowd, she'd catch little snippets of conversation as she moved, none of it making any sense really. However, there were times when one fragment would match up with another and create a frankly bizarre turn of phrase that she couldn't help but grin at. So maybe this wasn't so bad? It was kind of fun watching the people as they celebrated, little groups of friends that would break up and form other groups as some went off to the refreshments and others would go and dance, lots of laughing and joking and all under the bright clear sky. All in all she was glad she'd decided to hang around a little longer.

She finally made it to the refreshments and smiled as she simply pointed at one of the mugs of ale and a couple of pastries, handing over the 5 silver mizas the girl asked for without exchanging a single word. Carefully balancing her purchases Tessa made her way back to the edge of the crowd and found a wall to lean against, sniffing at the food and detecting some sort of spice. Savoury then, which was good, she wasn't really in the mood for cake at the moment. She settled back to enjoy the food and the ale, happy enough in her little bubble of solitude.

OoC: (Sorry, should have done this in my first post - 3gm for lodging at the White Swan)
-5 sm for a mug of ale and a couple of pastries

[Archon]

Jokor Thanks to Jokor's stature and skill he was able to easily slip into the crowd, and it seemed the man lost sight of him. Jokor could see him looking around, as if trying to catch sight of Jokor, and as Jokor got closer he turned and started to make his way away from the dancing and celebrations going on. Jokor caught up with the man as the crowd was starting to thin out some. Most people around him were talking in small groups, but the man simply continued on his path away from the festivities. Either he was unaware of Jokor's presence or ignoring him, as the tall man didn't even glance in his direction as he walked towards the edge of the courtyard and the thoroughfare that wound its way through Stormhold Citadel. Runas "Aye, they treat me well enough at the Ironworks," Maenon grumbled in response to Runas' question, "Isur are respected for their work there, at least," the sour note in his voice gave the impression that he didn't agree with the situation. Maenon gave a gruff bark of laughter at Runas' comment, and his lips even curved upwards ever so slightly, "It'd take more than you steppin' on my feet to bother me, Tawna. Ya look light enough I could probably carry you off on my shoulder." As the odd looking pair arrived in the area where everyone else was dancing Maenon turned and placed his ruby colored, silver veined, hand upon Runas' waist. As sturdy as the rest of the Isur seemed his left arm seemed much sturdier, but it was still light in touch as Maenon began to slowly lead Runas through the simple circular steps of the dance. After a little time dancing Maenon spoke again, "Tell me, Tawna, are ya always so concerned 'bout others being treated well, or is tonight just a special occasion?" Tessa Poe Most everyone seemed content to just leave Tessa be, too absorbed in their own merry making to give much attention or thought to an unfamiliar face that faded away into the crowd. It seemed that for now snippets of conversations would be her main company for the night. One such conversation seemed a bit more interesting than the others, a somewhat drunk and rotund man loudly complaining to his companions, "Why'd Rothan have to go and get himself petching arrested? All over a petching woman, and with us leaving in a handful of days!" "He might be out by the time we head out," one of the man's companions tried to assure him, and then quickly had to jump back when a mug of ale was swung his direction. "Petching fool, you think the Knights are pushovers? You think they give you a bump on the head when you break the law? It's hard labor in the mines for him, and I'll not lose anymore money watching for the petching fool to get out." The group was not that far away from Tessa's chosen resting spot, the four men standing in a loose circle as they spoke. They fell into an awkward silence for a time, drinking their ales and muttering softly to each other, until the rotund man spoke up loudly again, "It's not petching likely that we'll find another guard here either. Most anyone who can fight is already part of the petching Knights," to which his companions responded by quickly hushing him and glancing about fearfully for signs of said Knights.

[Tessa Poe]

The spot she'd chosen was pretty much perfect, dappled by the sunshine and warm without too many people too close. Anyone who was close seemed happy enough in their little groups which meant that she was left nicely to her own company, with this surprisingly refreshing ale. They must have gotten the good stuff out for the celebration, or they were selling so much that the barrels didn't have the time to go off. Tessa drained the last of her ale and tried shyly signalling one of the girls carrying a tray through the crowd for another. When that entirely failed to work she had to resort to raising her hand and waving a little madly at her as she stuffed the last of her pastry into her mouth. That at least did her attention and Tessa quickly paid for the drink, glancing round to see if anyone was staring at her following that little display.

Satisfying herself that everyone was still more interested in the people they knew than her she let her eyes slide shut, leaning back against the sun dappled and comfortably warm wall with a satisfied sigh or relaxation. For a few glorious moments Tessa was entirely comfortable amidst the crowd, that is until she heard the raised voices, well just one voice in particular. She opened her eyes just a crack, not wanting to draw the attention by staring openly and soon found the source of it all.

A rather large man seemed to be complaining about losing a guard, and they were leaving soon. Given that he was getting wound up enough to bad mouth the Knights in public that could only mean he was... well desperate for someone to replace the man. Tessa silently thanked her Ma for the good advice, if it weren't for it she'd never have overheard this piece of damn good news. She needed a job, she needed out of Syliras again, this was practically perfect! She did feel a little bad for the man who's been arrested, but then he should have known not to break the law round here. It wasn't like the Knights were famous for being a tolerant group now was it? All she needed to do was convince the merchant, well she assumed he was a merchant, that she could do the job and negotiate a suitable salary and she was set. Though that meant she'd have to approach them, and this merchant did seem really quite angry.

Tessa took a large gulp of her ale, and then another one for good measure to calm her nerves and pushed off from the wall, making her way towards the group, clearing her throat and giving them all a smile as she arrived. "Excuse me sir? I couldn't help but overhear that you're having a little trouble?" She did her best to keep her voice level, and confident and as far as she could tell was managing it, maybe the ale was helping? "You said you were looking for someone who can handle themselves in a fight, right? Well I can do that, I can cook too, and patch up people who get themselves into bother... so if you're hiring sir, I'd be interested. As long as the pay's right of course." She finished by taking another pull at her ale, realising she'd almost finished this one too, still if she got the job she might be able to treat herself to a third, or even a fourth. The only worry really was that it hadn't been the most professional way she'd ever heard someone ask for work, but the probable merchant wasn't exactly in the position to turn anyone down by the sounds of it. Hopefully it'd be enough to get her the job, and then soon, soon she'd be out on the road again.

[Archon]

Tessa Poe The group was oblivious to Tessa's approach until she cleared her throat, but when she did they turned nervous glances in her direction. When it became clear she wasn't a Knight they relaxed slightly, and the rotund man who had been speaking before gave her a contemplative look. "That's quite the list of things you claim to be able to do, young lady," there was obvious doubt in the man's voice, "I'm indeed hiring, but surely you can understand that I can't offer pay sight unseen. Tell me though," there was a faint curve to the man's lips as he began the process of haggling, "What is it that you feel your services are worth?" The two men with him, most likely guards by their appearance and temperment, regarded Tessa quietly as the man spoke. The one on her left was taller than her by a good deal, and as his hazel eyes moved over her a slightly lecherous grin moved onto his lips. The one to her right gave little more than a quick glance over her with his muddy brown before apparently dismissing her and turning his attention to the drink he had in his hand.

[Tessa Poe]

Tessa returned the lech's, that was how she’d started referring to him in her head, gaze levelly, annoyingly that involved craning her neck a bit to do it. He was a big one wasn’t he? Her usual nerves at seeing that familiar look in a man's eye, that grin of desire, were quite submerged beneath the ale she'd had, something that really was for the best. She was here to get a job, and worrying would only ruin her chances of getting it. She drained the dregs of her ale, eyes still carefully focused on his over the mug's rim, refusing to look away until she turned and signalled to one of the girls carrying a refreshment tray. Thankfully she noticed this time and came over. She held up four fingers, reaching into her purse and laying four silvers onto the tray in payment for a round for the group. As long as she got the job those four silvers wouldn’t matter all that much, and you never knew, if might help win the man over. She nodded at the merchant and his apparent guards with a smile and a gesture towards the tray, "Help yourselves, and I'm Tessa by the way. As for what I'm worth? Well, I last worked for Ruttgarth and his caravan, he paid two and half gold plus rations a day, time before that was with Borden's, he was only offering a single gold without rations, but if you've met him you'll know what a tight arse he is with his purse strings. Anyway he knocked that up to two with food when I turned him down flat." Tessa paused to take a mouthful of her fresh ale, hiding a little smirk behind the mug. It hadn't quite played out that way with Borden. It was true she'd turned and walked away as soon as he'd made his offer, but it was in state of panicked dejection that he must've thought was anger or something given how quickly he'd called her back. He really was a bit tight with his mizas though, she'd learned that fast enough from the grumbling of his regulars, and the state of the rations he'd bought. There'd been an awful lot of trail 'biscuits' involved.

"Now I know you need another body between your cargo and whatever's out there, and we both know I need the work and you're not likely to find anyone else round here before you're due to set out, so shall we say two and a half gold a day plus rations? If I’m doing the cooking that is." In the back of her mind somewhere a more sober part of her was practically quaking with nerves, but the ale, oh the ale was lending her tongue wings at the moment. She was just lucky she'd not had quite enough to start slurring her words. "Course you need proof that I can actually handle myself, I'll spar with either of them," and her eyes flicked to the pair of guards flanking him, "If that'll satisfy you, or you can trust that I'm not stupid enough to volunteer for a job that'll take me out into the wilds when I can't look after myself." She made sure to keep her eyes on the merchants as she spoke, hoping that it'd help convince him of her confidence in her own abilities. She knew she could handle a job like this, it wasn't like she hadn't done it before. If he still wasn’t interested in taking her on... well she'd done her best, and she could always try the employment office in the city, as long as she could find it, and see if anyone was looking to hire there.