[Flashback] Pardon, Barton ? ( Bob Barton )

[Gloria]

Timestamp: 506 AV; 24th of Summer Doing her usual routine of gliding over the streets of Syliras, whilst in her act ofcourse. The one where she seems to be a victim of a great drama, the one where she lures unsuspecting kind strangers to her only to gnaw on their bones until all their flesh has been devoured before tossing the bone on the pile next to her. This is just metaphorically ofcourse, she can' t gnaw on bones, not unless she materializes. But if she could do it on a regular, there's no doubt that she'd have her own lair in the wilds with piles of skulls, bones and material remains lithered everywhere. Well anyway, she was on her routine right? And just as she was about to pass a loud taverne, she spotted from the corner of her incorporeal eye a man. He seemed to be sitting alone. She wasn't going to let a possible demise by her touch just go to waste without trying. So she passed through the door of the taverne, still in her play-act. Sighing and looking down at the boarded floor until she finally " gains courage and strength " to look up at the people. Most of the residents there were uncaring and didn't give her a second glance. She purposefully didn't stare or look at the man she had noticed, waiting for a while and looking around 'till she finally turned her head and "noticed" the man who was sitting alone. Their eyes locked. In Gloria's mind the first move has been made, now to see if he will slither his way out of checkmate, or not.

[Bob Barton]

For a capital, Syliras today was a little bit boring, Everyone seemed so busy doing their thing, even the knights. They were patrolling the city more focused than usual so Bob had to hold off busking. Even the tavern as one of Bob's usual spots gave nothing for him to do. The usual drunks and happy people all seemed to be serious with something talking amongst themselves. Bob tried to get them to join him in a game or chat a little bit but all they did was brush him off.

So Bob found himself at a tavern alone and thinking to himself whats going on. "Could it be a special working holiday? Could the Knights be more hard on things and are seriously cracking down? Is it just Syliras?" As Bob was musing, a young woman entered the tavern.

Bob wanted to ignore her like the rest of the people at the tavern. It was not his job to get involved with other people's problems, he had plenty of his own already. To anyone else, she might be some distressed damsel in distress if you looked at her face and the way she brought herself. But Bob knew better. Her eyes may look troubled, but the lines on her face says something of satisfaction. Her body may look tired, but it only shows nothing less than confidence.

"Interesting" Bob found himself saying even as they made eye contact. He kicked the chair on the opposite side of the table to give some space and moved his eyes towards it before putting them back at the woman, a gesture to get the woman over there. "Now its time to see what she is up to." Bob thought to himself.

[Gloria]

The man mouthed something as their eyes connected, followed by a harsh kick to a chair opposite of him. Gloria smiled politely and gratefully for his invitation to have her sit with him. In her mind she had a different reaction though. " What a crude and tactless way to invite, must be a peasant of sorts. Easy pickings then I guess...Although his eyes showed hints of confidence and disdain as their eyes connected. As if he could read my mind and read my motives...Nah, that's impossible, he's a mere peasant and nothing more. " She floated towards the man's table with a semi-cheerful, semi-saddened look on her face and greeted him politely with a nod and an introduction of herself, making sure he knew her name was Gloria before asking what his name was. She played her role pretty well, for a relatively inexperienced Ahriman anyway. She played the submissive, shy, have-been-wronged part with conviction and giving it her all. Looking down and avoiding direct eye contact, waiting for the man to strike up a conversation first and claim his dominance over the conversation. Not a single movement nor word was made without a hidden agenda behind it.

[Bob Barton]

The woman took her seat and Bob looked all over as she did to get a feel of this woman. Eyes looking from top to bottom, head to toe he observed that her body was a hard image to capture in his mind or blurry even. And there was even this odd smoke around her. He thought back to some stories he heard some people told him. Individuals who refused to die, staying on with the living for some unknown purpose. Still, this was Syliras so if she was a one of those dangerous ghosts she should have already been hunted down by now. In a big central city like this, Bob knows that even the undesirables have their rights.

She started talking, telling Bob that her name was Gloria just looking away. Even as she was shying away and trying to avoid Bob, her body showed him signs of impatience as though she was waiting for something to happen. In Bob's head he was wondering what was going on. Clearly she needed something from him and she was trying to get it from him somehow but he still did no know what yet. Bob looked around the tavern to see if maybe she was being chased by someone or whether someone is unusually interested with their "conversation" but looking at everyone there, there was no other newcomers he could identify or anyone trying to look or listen in to the pair.

Bob's instincts started screaming at him that he was in a dangerous position of now knowing what he had gotten himself into and he should just leave. But where is the fun in that? He would continue on but he refused to play according to her game. Drumming his fingers a little, Bob answered "Well Gloria, I'm Bob. Want to have a game to kill the time?" and Bob fished out his dice.