Free Advertising! (Canali)

[Essik]

Essik followed the tugging of Canali over to the table that she had found. He did a quick look around, looking over the other people immediately around the table to make sure that none of them were going to pose too much of a threat. All the closest ones seemed filled with drunks and miscreants. Anyone who looked like they might be able to handle themselves in a fight was at least a few more tables away. That made sure he’d have good reaction time if anything happened. He stood at the table for a second, watching Canali and waiting for her to sit. Alinar had schooled Essik in etiquette, and it was usually proper to wait for a woman to sit before he did. But she stood there, waiting patiently. Essik’s brows creased in curiosity for a second as he sat, only to have her quickly follow suit, sitting down across his legs. Essik’s eyes went wide for half a second, but he quickly pushed the look off his face and replacing it with a sly smile as his arm wrapped around her back, his hand gently resting on her hip once more. He didn’t pull her any closer as she leaned against him in the chair. He was about to say something when the barmaid came over. Essik listened to Canali’s short order before sighing and looking to the other woman who waited for his order,” I need a good mug of mead, and two shots of the finest whiskey you have here tonight. After that, then I’ll have a mug of ale.” He grinned playfully to the barmaid before she strode off to get the drinks. Essik looked to Canali, his devilish smile slowly spreading across his face like the surface of a thawing lake,” You did say you were buying, right?” He chuckled once more, but was cut off as Canali leaned in once more and kissed his jaw line. Essik smiled a little wider for a second at her comment,” I like to keep myself clean shaven. That way, if I need to change my look for some reason, I can grow out a beard or moustache and look completely different.” His expression changed slightly when she brought up the topic of the circus. He had figured that she had seen what he was painting on the wall of the building when she found him, but she was talking like she hadn’t. Essik’s mind willed itself back into action against his desire to remain blissfully ignorant. Was she working for someone after all? Was she working to get information about the circus? It had gotten shut down before by the ner-do-wells of the city. Was someone else out to put it down again since there were only rumors of the actual restart of the circus currently? Was she using her beautiful looks, charming personality, and maybe a dash of frivolous banter back and forth with him to get information out of him now? By the gods he hoped not, but he was going to have to approach this lightly. He didn’t want anyone stabbing him in the back because of some circus. That would never do. He smiled to her once more, nodding a little bit,” Yeah, I had heard something about it as well. It used to be a thing around here before, a few seasons ago, but I guess it all fell apart before it really got off the ground. I guess someone else wants to give it a try now.” He shrugged a little bit as the barmaid brought the drinks back over to the table and set them down. Essik leaned into his pocket and tossed out a few coins to cover the drinks with a nice tip for the maid as well. She bowed his head to her before she headed off to tend other tables as well. Essik handed Canali one of the shots,” No… you can’t say no to this. It’s just one shot. I start every night in the tavern like this. And I’m not breaking the tradition. So you have to toast with me.” He grinned wide as he picked up the shot for himself and held it up infront of them,”” To spilled buckets. Without which, I’d have never had the pleasure of meeting such a oddly wonderful woman such as you.” he waited for a second to see if she would add anything or accept the toast as it was before taking the drink.

[Canali]

A childlike joy lit up Canali's grey eyes. Nathan, her father, had talked highly of a circus in the past. Claming it was the best thing around, people from all cities came to visit it and watch the amazing tricks from bendable humans. Even a few symenestra mixed in there, wooing the crowd with their amazing flexibility and arts. More than once, Canali had dreamed of the circus, mind filled with crowds oohing and ahhing over tricks done in the air, holding their breath at wild beast taming, and giving a thundering round of applause over life to death acts such as sword swallowing and fire breathing. There had been, of course, women with beards and snake charmers with dancing lullabies. Women who could bend over backwards and men who walked high-ropes. Others who rode on strange creatures and performed tricks, and even more! Nathan had often lulled her sleep with his low voice murmuring on about the large tents and beautiful colors. No, Nathan had never let Canali know of the swindlers who lingered nearby or the pickpocketers who ambled freely through the crowds. Or the illusions centered around certain people. Canali had been aware of these even though her father did not speak of them. She didn't let it spoil her daydreams and ignored these little evil tidbits which could easily something children everywhere thought of running away to. "Are you planning," pausing when the barmaid returned with the drinks, Canali shook her head. Essik must have been a drinker or something, because she definitely couldn't slurp down as much as that. "I thought you were going to let me pay?" Canali teased, sticking her tongue out at him childishly. Regaining her original thinking process of how Essik seemed to sound involved with the circus and attached, Canali placed a mental bet he was in the middle of it all. "Are you planning on restoring it fully?" To the full gleaming glory it had been before. Where children in the streets would snatch money from bystanders just to get in and thieves visited everyday along with rumors whispering through the streets about what had happened the night before. Grey eyes innocently blinking up at him under thick black lashes, Canali gnawed anxiously on her fully bottom lip in impatience. Rolling the shot between her hands, Canali noted the moisture coming from it. The beer was sweating. Knowing there was only one easy way to handle such a situation, Canali threw the liquid back into her throat after clicking against his. Ice cold flames licked all the way down, scorching and burning her nostrils. Coughing, Canali screwed her eyes shut against the burn. Once able to breathe again, Canali smacked Essik's chest with the back of her hand. "Trying to kill me already, Essik? I knew," a slight cough, "you wanted your mizas back, but damn." Teasing, she curled up against him, deciding to leave her own drink alone for right this second.

[Essik]

Essik smiled a little wider at the joyous look that washed over her at the mention of the circus coming back to life. Obviously she had an interest to see it come back. There were a lot of people in Sunberth who did. Unfortunately, a lot of them were the thieving, money grubbing petches that ran this city. They only wanted to see it come back to life so they could make money off of it. And the fact that he wasn’t selling the whole thing out was going to be trouble. He was sure that somehow, the city would sent up some god forsaken tax to take every miza of money they made, so that if they didn’t “go with the flow”, they’d end up getting shut down. But Essik was determined to make sure that didn’t happen. He was not going to play by the broken rules of this cesspool. He’d get the whole thing running for a few days, pull in just enough money to get something in their coffers and then pack up shop and get the heck out of the area before the pissants who ran the city knew what was going on. Essik waited to answer her other questions until after she took the shot. He smiled brightly and laughed out loud as she smacked him. She obviously didn’t do this too often. Essik wasn’t a drunk by any stretch, but he did like to come to the tavern now and then and have a little bit of fun. He shook his head in defiance of her accusation, ”Beautiful, I’d never try to kill you. And if I hde been looking to kill you, I’d have ordered shots of that rot gut grain alcohol they make in the back room. Shryk will turn you blind if you drink too much. And no, I never let anyone else pay for me at the tavern.” He signed a little as she curled up against him again, taking a moment to take a drink from his mead and wash down the taste of the whiskey. He thought about what she had asked for a moment before looking to her, Well, you’ve already got it all figured out. But I swear to the gods, if someone comes and kills me over this circus stuff, I’m going to haunt your arse until the day you die.” He chuckled a little bit, “But anyway, yeah, I’m going to be restoring it fully, at least as much as I can get around here. The main thing I am worried about is this city trying to drag it back down to fill its own pockets once more. So, I’m making it a traveling circus. I’m working on making the money to rebuild it all now so that way, once it’s ready for show, we can have a few nights of shows here in town before we pack it all up and head for the next big city. Otherwise the people who run this city will try and turn it into a mockery of what it’s supposed to be just to make as much money as possible on it. I want this whole thing to remain as pure as possible. Make it a good place for people to be able to come and see the shows. Unfortunately, they’ll have to watch their own coin purses, because thieves are always drawn to places like it to make their money.” He looked to her again, smiling brilliantly for a moment, “You know, you should come with us. We could always use more people and Sunberth isn’t a place for a good woman like you. Join up with us. Come with. Please.” There was a genuine interest in his eyes for her to come along. And it was only partially because he was attracted to her. The main reason was that he didn’t want to see Sunberth ruin another good person. And so far, from everything he knew about her, she was a good person.

[Canali]

Already Canali could feel the effects of the shot kicking in. A light headed feeling coated her mind, making thinking more difficult but not impossible. No, the hazy mist covering her thinking process did Canali struggle through and came out victorious. This small conquer caused a smile to burst from her lips, blinding and full-fledged. Unlike most Canali gave. Again with the temptation, Canali thought, only half listening to Essik as she traced his facial features with a wandering finger. Circling his eye with a dull nail, flickering over his nose and making its way to trace his speaking lips before trailing away down his throat before falling away. Bending upwards, head tilted backwards, Canali caught his earlobe between her teeth, practically purring as she massaged it teasingly. Moist breath grazed against his ear as she pulled away, having to concentrate to listen to his words like they were a a secret. Perhaps the shot hadn't been a good idea. When he talked about haunting her if anything were to disrupt the circus plans after their talk, Canali couldn't help but be amused. A light giggle popped from her still somewhat bruised lips. "Who says I would mind if you did?" she breathed against his ear, "I've heard I'm pretty fascinating, but they could be lying." Listening to his plans, Canali nearly nodded before she realized her head would knock oh so romantically against his. This caused another husky chuckle to burst forth from her somewhat drunk-frame. He sounded so… Determined. Set to make his plans happen, one way or another. Canali couldn't help but to admire him for his inner strength and the ability to truly want something to the core. Somehow, Canali didn't doubt he dreamt of the circus being up and running again to the glory it once had been. To the amazing tales Nathan had told of it. She didn't know if she could last for so longer against a plan where everyone was so set against you. Yes, Sunberth did have some people who were out for their own gains, even if this meant committing an act Canali couldn't forgive; murder. The daggerhands were just one group to name of many who were trying to make a name. The Crimson Edge was another. On the opposing field lay rumors about a clan called the Night Eyes, but no one was really sure of what it was all about or even who was involved. Simple rumors which most likely have no actual fact backing them up like a muscular bodyguard. Lips curving back into a straight line at the mention of her joining the circus, Canali held in the sigh which wanted to erupt. If only she wasn't in the Crimson Edge; she'd go and live out her childhood fantasies. Of course, actually being behind the scenes and seeing what truly happened would ruin what she thought happened when she dreamed of the circus. No, ditching the Crimson Edge, who would most likely be forced to hunt her down and extract revenge upon her and whoever she was with, did not seem like very much fun at all. If only Essik had asked at the beginning of the season, before she became involved with the up and coming gang. Shaking her head and lightening the mood, Canali taunted, "What would I do; be an act where people could see me drink and kiss a man?" Tilting her face back towards him instead of his ear, Canali winked a grey eye at him, teasing. "Or what would you have me doing?" Canali was flirting and setting him up to be involved in an even more awkward position. No pun intended, of course.

[Essik]

Essik face swayed and moved with each touch of her finger, fighting to follow it each time she moved it along his skin. Thought he didn’t stop talking as her fingers traced along the edges of his lips, he did pause momentarily to kiss the tip of her finger gently before she continued. Ad by the gods, he couldn’t hep himself but lean his head back slightly as her touch lingered along his neck. Part of his mind recoiled from the act, the part of him that was training as an assassin. The part of his mind that was telling him he should never expose his throat. It was the weakest point in anyone’s body. But the rest of his mind was telling him that it was alright. He was pretty sure that if Canali had wanted to kill him, she’d have done it already. There were too many perfect opportunities through the last few hours that would have been much easier, with fewer witnesses. She he pushed his training aside for the moment, letting himself go again as her touch eased away his worries. He shivered again as she moved to his earlobe again, a faint sigh starting to escape him befor he locked it away. He was amazed how this simple action could cause his eyes to nearly close, almost completely lidded as he felt he breath whisping through the fine hairs along the back of his neck, causing his skin to prickle just slightly. He looked to her once more as she turned her face to look him in the eyes again. Her retort about his ghostly presence brought only a knowing smile from his lips as his eyes twinkled slightly in the dim light of the bar. He had to admit, there were fewer things that would be as nice in the afterlife. At least that he knew of, “I am sure that you are. And even so, you’d be even more fascinating when you had the ghost of a handsome devil like me follow you around, huh?” He winked and laughed playfully for a moment before he took another small drink from his mug. He watched her carefully as he continued on with his short speech, watching the reactions of her face carefully, judging what her thought process might be from the look on her face. She hid herself well, but he could definitely see concerns etched across her face. Especially at the comment about joining the circus with him. A definite desire, but a strong reluctance stopping her. He smiled sadly for a moment, but brightened his continence when she looked back to him posing her question about what she would do. He chuckled a little bit as he looked over her face, at least she was partially entertaining the idea. He looked over her face once more, pausing as he looked deeply into her eyes, reminding him of the color of a coming rainstorm in the skies. He had to admit that he had never actually seen anyone with eyes like hers before. Not a color that stuck in his memory like hers. But he caught himself after a moment, blinking once quickly, “Of course not. The drinking and kissing would all be done backstage, when the performances of the night are over and we get to count the daily earnings. And there is nothing saying you have to do an act. There are many other things that would be necessary. A beautiful woman like yourself would make the perfect ringmaster for the entire circus. People would come daily just to see you . you could be part of every act, or none of them. Whatever you wish. You would control how things flowed through the performance. Or, if you don’t like the bright lanterns? There are even more things that could be done throughout the entire operation. It’s all up to you.” His eyes stayed locked on hers, gazing deeply into her the entire time, wishing he could tell exactly what she was thinking.

[Canali]

Canali laughed out loud, a bellied chuckle that didn't qualify as a girlish giggle. Her grey eyes lit up with humor and she mockingly tossed her hair behind her shoulder with one hand before stating with an obviously acting voice, "Come one! Come all! See your favorite performers risk their very life for your entertainment. You won't want to miss this, folks! It's incredible, insatiable, wonderful, and unique. You'll never see something like this again, so grab the opportunity with both hands. Bring your children, bring your wives, and settle on in for a seat gripping, death defying, act!" Pretending to hold a megaphone, Canali was quiet enough to keep from attracting the unwanted attention of others nearby, but loud to show she was pretending to be the ring master. She even had the gall to tip an imaginary hat and bow. As well as one can while sitting upon another person, at least. "A low price; affordable for nearly everyone. Children, alike. Come on in, grab a seat and wait for the most marvelous, mind-blowing act to ever cross this side of Mizahar!" Pausing for a long chime as she reached forwards to sip from her sweating mug, Canali waited until she had set it back down on the wooden table before continuing. Acting like there was a person nearby, Canali pointed, "You! Yes, you there. Have you ever seen a man stick his head inside of a lion's mouth? No? Why, come right in, my boy! I heard the lion was acting out earlier, pacing and swatting with his long nails earlier at the performer! I haven't heard news of the lion calming down, but the show must go on! Maybe if you're lucky, you'll even see the one thing which has never happened before. So go on, hurry on in!" After winking, Canali dramatically swinging her hand out as if to direct the imaginary person through a tent-flap. She could imagine herself in the middle of a circus ring, all dressed up in a shining outfit, hair spiraling down her back dramatically, and a megaphone in hand. Perhaps a whip would lay nearby, on the ground, in case an act were to go wrong or to make one go faster. Shining red lips would hold the crowd at the edge of their seats, eyes peering at her, waiting for the next sentence to drip. Lanterns would be hung around, lighting only the ring and blocking out the crowds into blackness. Standing in the middle, Canali would spin slowly, as if to address everyone, but instead only signaling to the workers backstage how much longer they had before the next act would go on. As she would introduce it, Canali could imagine the afore mentioned act bursting from tent flaps, shocking the crowd. Instead of holding the limelight all the time, Canali could imagine herself handing over the megaphone to the performer, letting them explain what they were doing and how dangerous it was. Without a doubt, Canali would have to ask the crowd to be quiet, as sometimes the speaker wouldn't be able to hold onto the megaphone to address the crowd. She could practically hear a pin drop or a shocked gasp ripple through the viewers as each act was performed. Perhaps some laughs and chuckles here and there, also. Oh, yes, Canali could practically see it. Bursting into giggles a few chimes later in an effort to shake the sight from her mind, she rested against Essik's shoulder, cheeks slightly tainted pink. Eyes flickering with amusement of the situation and acting, Canali murmured quietly, "How was that? Good enough for you?" A teasing tone had slipped through her surprisingly non-slurred words. Settling better on his lap, Canali tucked her feet backwards; across his knees. One foot tapped its toes against his leg. "You strike a pretty good deal, Essik, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. Keep the offer open, though. You never know, I might just drop on by to take you up on it. Besides, who says I'll be drinking and kissing you again?" Pushing her lips together and outwards, Canali tauntingly teased him with a pout. One finger tapped against his nose again.

[Essik]

OOCUgh, been out of it for so long it’s going to take me a little bit to get back into the swing of it again. Sorry if this turns out to be a crap post. LOL! Essik shook his head at her little pretend performance. He wasn’t quite sure if it was supposed to be a mocking effigy of what he was suggesting or if she was actually entertaining the idea. He probably had different ideas in his head about how things would look than what she was picturing in her head, but she had the basics down for the whole thing, even if she was mocking him. He still had yet to determine. Either way, he was fairly impressed with how she responded to it, even when she was being even more melodramatic than even a ring leader needed to be. Yes, the profession did call for a little bit of over acting and slightly exaggerated hype behind the entire thing, but he knew she was going a little over the top just to be funny. Essik smiled warmly and shook his head a little bit. Part of her little theatrics brought up part of the circus that Essik had really been worried about. The animals. It was going to be a task to get the animals that he would need, but he knew that the circus was going to have to start small. There would be one or two things he was going to try and haggle up enough money to buy, but they would be for utility usage as much as entertainment performance. So they would be of necessity. But still, he wondered just how hard it was going to be to get an elephant in these parts, and then getting someone who knew how to handle an elephant. But he could use the animal to haul heavy loaded wagons, help to raise and lower the big top tent, as well as performing for the audience. Once he had one, it would be a critical part of the entire operation. One elephant could do the work of an entire team of horses. It was much more cost effective in the long run. Even so, Essik brushed of the thoughts of exotic animals as Canali finished up her little ‘audition’. He laughed slightly at her question, nodding his head slowly, “I think you’d fit the bill perfectly. You’re born for the part. And even on top of that, I am sure there are other things that you could do as well.” He sighed heavily, though., as she turned down the offer, “Well it will be a lot harder to make it happen after the whole thing gets off the ground. After all, once someone gets accustomed to the role, it’d be hard to get someone else to do it. So…” He shrugged a little bit, “ I don’t know if I can make any promises on it. You may just have to come along now to ensure that you get the spot.” He winked playfully once more as he reached down to lift his glass once more, taking a long, stiff drink from the contents, drinking down the last of it and setting the empty glass back on the table. He sighed once more as he settled back further into the seat, gently pulling her with him to rest against his chest still. He smiled to her warmly, reminding himself again how long it had been since he’d had a good night out. He was recovering himself a bit, though. He realized that he had been acting rather foolishly so far. Boyish around the attention of a pretty woman. It wasn’t often that he actually found himself close to anyone other than his mentor. This had happened by surprise and he had let himself get swept away in it. He was going to have to make sure he got out a bit more often and enjoyed himself more often, even with the ever escalating probability of getting mugged or murdered in the streets. Essik looked to Canali once more, smiling again, “I’m sure there will always be a place for you with the circus, though. So the offer will always be open. But, besides that, I have to say that this has been a good night. I hate to see it end, but as the night gets later, the streets grow more dangerous. And I would ask that you let me see you home, wherever it be, so that I can be sure that you don’t end up getting mugged, or worse. I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself.”

[Canali]

Taking a slow, drawn out sip of her drink and swallowing the bitter taste, Canali met Essik's eyes bravely as he spoke. Instead of flittering away from his gaze, she tilted her chin up with a touch of defiance; of determination. The movements of her body contradicted the tough gaze, though. She gently tugged upon his hair tips with her fingers. "I might just have to take you up on that offer, sometime." Oh, yes, she just might. Thinking ahead to the future, Canali wondered if her schedule would fit the circus and what the Crimson Edge Gang would do. If she figured correctly, they wouldn't take well to one of their own ditching it in the situation of chasing after childhood dreams. Even still, Canali was willing to take the chance and follow through. It would take quite a bit of thought, however. "I'm sure I can find my way home. Thank you, Essik." Playfully, she tugged once more on his hair as she slid off his lap slowly. "However, if you feel you would get mugged and need me to protect you…" Tauntingly, she teased him. "I really must be going, though." A pause as she took one last drink of the alcoholic beverage. Flicking his nose gently, she mussed his hair up. "Stay out of trouble and, if you're lucky, we'll run into one another again." The End

[Archelon]

Thread Award "..." And the Results!!!!: Can.nah.nah.Can Can!... Canali : SkillName 1-5 How/why? Stealth 2 Socializing 2 Acrobatics 2 Negotiating 1 Intimidation 2 Seduction 3 Observation 3 Singing 2 Running 2 Acting 3 Subterfuge 1 Lores: Essik(basic) Essik: Subconscious Attractions, or juat manipulations? Subterfuge: Lying about boyfriends Knowledge of the Circus(Basic) Ledger notes: Add 12 gold mizas from your ledger for canali's extortion Eeeep! It's an Essik, D: ! XD : SkillName 1-5 How/why? Running 3 Acrobatics 2 Observation 4 Socialization 3 Acting 3 Intimidating 2 Stealth 3 Painting 2 Seduction 3 Lores: Canali(basic) Canali: Subconscious Attractions or just manipulations? The Circus(basic) Ledger notes: Take 12 gold mizas from your ledger for canali's extortion Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? : Interesting thread!Keep them up.