Silver Ale (Clyde)

[Aello]

11 Fall, 511 AV Aello sat in the far corner of the silver silver. Her bag, bow and quiver lying on the table before her as she placed her feet on the chair across from her. She was leaning back in the chair, pressing her flesh into the wooden beams which lined one end of the chair, as she simply stared at the wall. She was lazily watching the auras of several patrons dance, a mist that seemed thicker than usual, in the sense that it had taken on several more qualities of water than gas. The auras all shone a shimmering silver, matching the shade of the ale the tavern was famous for serving. They seemed to swish together, as one, rocking from one wall of the tavern, before sliding towards the other, and then back again. Moving like the waves of the sea as they gave off the familiar scent of the ale. It caused the girl's stomach to churn as she simply waited, wondering where on earth the barmaids could have gotten to. It seemed to her, that whenever she was in need of their services, they were no where to be found, and when she wanted nothing to do with them, they refused to leave her side until she had ordered something. The content's of Aello's stomach swished from one end of her stomach to the other, matching the movement of the auras as her pupils dilated and a wave of exhaustion overcame her. She closed her eyes momentarily, before opening them again, forcing the magic away as she sought to regain her composure. When her stomach had ceased to churn quite so ferociously, she turned to face the center of tavern, and called, "hey maid, would you mind doing your job?" There was a slight pause as her eyes raked over the other tables, the patrons, trying to determine where all the maids had gone; who was keeping them from her. But they were no where to be found. Aello's brows furrowed as several patrons got up from their tables and stumbled out the door. Obviously too overcome by the drink to walk properly- without their bodies swaying, keeping them from walking in a straight line, as they bounced into table after table before reaching their destination. Aello shook her head and sighed. Some things never change, she thought, as a patron wobbled into her, his face whacking her shoulder as he fell to the ground. "Hey! Watch it!" she shouted, as she heard a loud crack, what she assumed was his nose breaking upon its meeting with the hardwood floor. She could just make out a clear fluid around the edges of the man's face, his short, matted blonde hair. Is that saliva? she wondered, as she pushed her seat a little closer to the wall. She was not at all in the mood to deal with drunks.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde once more found himself at a tavern... Wandering around... The place seemed familiar.... But for the life of him he could not recall what he had done here last.... Surely that was simply because he had drunk to much.... Though he did not remember being someone who drank... Perhaps he had been drugged to forget? Yes, that would be it.... Perhaps it was the same time he had been given the other drug?... The one that made him shake like someone in need of a fix.... Whatever it was.... He dearly wanted more.... But he could not recall taking it.... What could be so intoxicating that it would make him feel so good, and that he was unable to get to it.... He clung to his staff for support, feeling a bit weak.... Walking in, he saw someone familiar, a women... Yes... She had been there that day.... He had felt so good after meeting her, though he was pretty messed up and injured.... But a bit later... He started to feel this need... Which made his entire body ache, and his head to feel like an isurian smith was hammering at it.... So he found himself walking to her table, perhaps a bit to fast in his haste to ask her.... But then reason kicked in, and he thought that might not be the best way to ask about it.... So he stood there at her table... Shaking a bit... Trying to keep his voice even as he fought the urge to shout at her what he had taken and were to get more! "Hello... A... Aello wasn't it? How are you? Mind if I... I sit? I believe we met didn't we? With that fr... freak storm? Out in the woods?"

[Aello]

Aello looked up when she realized the shadow Clyde cast wasn't passing along with all of the others. She smiled weakly when she recognized him, and gave a slight nod. "Aello indeed," she said simply, as her eyes danced over his flesh, noticing, quickly, that he seemed far better than the last time they had met. But then again, the last time they had met was last season, and someone had been trying to kill her then. How could things not be different? After all, the pair now found themselves in the relative safety of the Silver Silver. At least there, they knew what sort of danger lurked in the corners, at other tables. In the wilderness however, one never knew until the last moment, when it had already struck. "Well enough," the young spiritist added as she pulled her feet off the seat that rested across the table from where she sat, and plopped them down on the floor. Pulling them close to her, so that they curled under her seat. She picked her bag off the table, and set it to her left side, against the wall. "The nasty gash that bastard gave me is healing up nicely," she whispered, as she gestured towards the now empty seat with her right arm. "No, not at all, make yourself comfortable. Although, do mind the uh... unconscious body that's strewn across the floor. I doubt the drunkard would appreciate it if you stepped on him. But then again, if he hasn't gotten up yet, he isn't likely to get up for awhile, don't you think?" she asked. She paused for another moment, awaiting an answer, and perhaps Clyde's descent into the chair opposite her. "Which, I suppose, could mean that he wouldn't feel much of anything we do to him. May as well kick him to get the anger out. If such a thing does it for you," Aello finished with a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling devilishly as they settled on Clyde's. Finally realizing that she still had to answer the last of Clyde's questions, the young spiritist spoke again. "Yes, last season in the woods... we were out for a hunt when we were rudely interrupted by one who could create illusory images. Such a pity too, we were so close to catching a handsome buck... would have added quite the amount of coin to our coffers." There was a slight pause as Aello cleared her throat, "but that's a small matter to consider. We escaped with our lives, and but a few minor flesh wounds. Although... you never did get around to mentioning how it is that you came by your memory at the last moment. Was it Cassandra who helped you? Or do you not remember her either?" Aello asked. "For you don't seem to remember a lot of things..." The girl's voice trailed off as she considered the things she had picked up within the man's aura the last time they had met. It seemed unlikely he would have any idea as to what she was referring. It scared her a little, knowing that. Knowing that he more than likely thought a storm appeared out of nowhere and destroyed their enemy for them. He had no idea he created the storm.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde nodded, trying to listen to what she said, only half listening... To be honest he was having a bit of trouble concentrating.... His mind kept drifting to a need to do something.... But as soon as he tried to focus on what that thing was, his mind went blank... His hand was starting to shake once more, and he gripped the staff in his hand tightly, trying to hide it... And his head still ached.... Flashes of pain lancing through his skull every time he moved his head at all.... He did his best to hide his discomfort, but he was not really that good at doing so... He snapped back to attention as she said something, and dropped her legs, inviting him into the seat. He sat down gladly, as if a great load was being lifted... And it did seem to make his head hurt a little less... But only just.... He missed the thing about the man on the ground, but tried to play it off with a smile in response, though he was not sure if that was the right response... Maybe he should just ask her... He responded, though missing part of what she said, some because of his memories being lost... And some because of his growing inability to concentrate.... "Yes... That entire thing was odd.. Some man attacking us.... I am sorry I was not more help... I am not really much of a fighter physically..." He stopped here for a moment, opening his mouth to say something further, but then he once more got that distant blank look, and continued on as if it had not happened.... "It was odd though for him to be struck by a lightning storm... I wonder what the odds of that are? I guess thats what you get for running around in the woods with a metal dagger over your head..." Some of this did not make sense, since some of it was fabricated... Or simply a distorted view of how he remembered things... But obviously not what happened... Finally Clyde tried asking about his problem, though trying to be discrete... Letting out a obviously fake cough, he tried to draw her attention. "Hem Hem...Yes... To be honest the entire thing is a blur... And I have not felt right since that day... Perhaps you remember better... Did I by chance come into contact with anything odd then? Some substance or something? Maybe a poison or a... drug?" Clyde stared at her, waiting for her response. He once more tried to hide it, but he was obviously much to interested in the answer to the question.... He seemed to really want to find out... He needed to find out....

[Aello]

Couldn't expect the man to remember a darn thing now could you? Aello's brain whispered as she wiped the sweat that had gathered on her left palm on the folds of her dress. She was drumming her fingers against the table with her other hand, considering her options. Was it even worth it, to explain the truth to this man? Could he even grasp some of the concepts, or should she let it slide? Move on to newer and greater things? The girl sighed heavily as her eyes bored into Clyde's flesh. "I did notice. It's a bit hard to miss Clyde," Aello commented cooly. "But no matter, presented a bit of a challenge when attempting to dispose of him, don't you think?" she asked. "Provided a fair amount of exercise, kept the blood flowing," she added with a small nod as she cast her gaze towards the wall to the left of Clyde's body. She was staring at several droplets of silver ale as they trickled down the side of the wall, silently wondering how they had gotten there as her eyes began to glaze over, and take on a far-away look. "You forget that he also fought someone who brandished a bloody blade," Aello commented absently. "Don't you think it even a little strange that she was not struck by lightning as well? That she was not reduced to ash and charred bone as well?" she questioned him cooly as she returned her gaze to him. "And for that matter, why weren't you harmed by it?" There was a slight pause, "not including the damage it did to your poor mind," she added, under her breath. "Why is it, if we were so close to him, that we did not die too?" Aello asked. "That we escaped with little more than a few flesh wounds?" There was another slight pause, for Aello was trying to regain her composure. She hadn't even noticed that she had begun to clench her teeth, and that she was angrily scratching her leg through the fabric of her dress with one hand, while the other's fingers drummed all the more furiously against the table. "You bloody called that storm," Aello hissed, her eyes flashing menacingly. "But for some reason, you can't remember that. In fact, you probably think me insane for so much as suggesting it. But believe it or not Clyde. You once knew magic, you still do, it's just... you don't have access to it for some reason," Aello explained, not bothering to refer to his aura once again to confirm the things she had already seen. To confirm that which she already knew. "And unless the people at the healing hand gave you something, you came into contact with nothing which could alter the state of your mind... except well, the bloody magic you wielded." That bloody ghost must have done something to him, Aello thought. Not that you could be sure. Since he can't think clearly enough to remember. As her mind yelled in frustration as well, Aello took a few, deep cleansing breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. By the time she spoke again, her tone was only marginally different. A little quieter, a little less agitated. "What are you doing here anyway Clyde?" she asked. "You don't seem the type to drink."

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde listened, on the edge of his seat. From how it started, it sounded like she did know... Had seen something... Maybe she could help? So he tried his best to listen, completely focused on what she was saying... He was about to answer that surely it had happened that way becuase the man had been hit directly, and they were only near. Surely such a strike would do much more than being near. And even from were they were they were knocked for a loop... But she did not stop there... And said some things he knew were not true... Why was she messing with him? "Cccome now... If you do not know, don't make up stor...stories... I can't control the weather, no one can! And really, magic? I am not a little child believing in tall tales, I know magic is not real... Just a trick..." Though his voice sounded sure, his eyes were a different story... He thought what he said was true... But his eyes betrayed that a part of him unconsciously did not... They looked Aello in the eyes with a pleading look, which did not match at all with his tone or what he said. In his head, Clyde wondered.... Magic?... Was that maybe a street name for some new drug? And she was simply referring to it in such terms? It was not unknown for drugs to make you see things, or to believe impossibilities... That could also explain what she was saying... Why she thought these things had happened... Maybe she had taken something else... Hearing her speak once more, he wondered for a bit... Drink? Why was he here? "Drink... no... I don't drink... I try to keep my mind clear... I was simply walking by... And I felt like someone I had met was in here... Just a burst of intuition I guess... It does happen... So I came in to see... And here you were..." This last bit seemed a bit odd... As if he was not trying to convince Aello of what he said, but himself... Though he did not realize he was doing so. In truth, Clyde had used a very simple bit of passive magic, without meaning to... He had passed so close to Aello, that the edges of their auras had touched... And his mind had interpreted that little bit of familiarity as a burst of human intuition that he should go inside, as someone he knew was here. As auristics was prone to doing, it presented information in a way that your mind could comprehend. And due to its passive nature, Clyde could do it without meaning to, though only the most passive of types. Though due to Aello's skill in auristics, their was a good chance she would see this passive use of magic for what it really was... Even if Clyde could not...

[Aello]

Aello lifted a single brow. She was clearly rather frustrated, if not somewhat confused. The edges of her mind ached, and felt as though it were being poked repeatedly by slender fingers with unkempt and unclipped nails. She grit her teeth as she spoke again, her tone cold, "I didn't say you controlled the weather, merely that you managed to create lightning, and shoot it out of your hands. Thus, destroying that filthy assassin for me..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced at his hands, and then back into his eyes. "If you had conjured up a true storm, then we would have been drenched in more than blood and dirt by the time the assassin had been disposed of, don't you think?" she asked. "And if it were a true thunderstorm, the same could be said, no?" Aello gave Clyde a moment to consider her words before continuing. "Now whether you'd like to believe it or not, on some level you have control of a powerful magic known as reimancy. You conjured up the lightning, you finished off what I began." Her voice rose as the veins that trickled between her wrists and elbows began to pop. Small rivers of a bright green shade splaying across her pale skin. "Magic is no trick. It's not a game Clyde... magic can be used to kill people, easily. The wielder not having to so much as bat an eyelash to destroy the life of another... in some cases anyway." There was another slight pause, "magic isn't simply something you talk about with children either. It isn't something you pretend exists, solely for the benefit of their imaginations. Simply to put a smile on their faces. This is reality Clyde. Magic exists within this world, that's a reality, and you'd best not forget it... again." Aello sighed as she cast her gaze downwards, onto the table. He just doesn't seem to understand... he can't understand. What is the point in arguing, and trying to point out the obvious to someone who simply, cannot see? What is the point in getting so frustrated over something that simply does not matter? Why are you bothering to get so worked up over the likes of him? the young spiritist wondered as she stared at a splinter in the wood. A tiny slit that stuck up, off the smooth surface of the wooden table. Swiftly, Aello wrapped her fingertips around it, and pulled it away from the table, before flicking it onto the floor. Because he has been stripped to nothing, same as you have been... before, her mind answered its own question after a moment. She was considering his words as she kept her eyes on the hardwood. "What do you mean by intuition?" she asked, doubting that the sudden burst could be explained away by something a simple as a coincidence.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde tried to listen to what she said... But the whole thing was pretty laughable... Him a powerful wizard, using magic? Really... He was pretty sure he would remember something as big as being able to do such a thing... Let alone that magic was real, which he knew for a fact it was not. At this point Clyde was starting to believe she had been exposed to some of the drug to, and unlike what happened to him, she thought a natural occurrence of weather was magic. And due to her inhibited faculties, she could not tell truth from fiction... Clyde looked down at his hands, and held them up for her to see. "Funny... I would have thought that if I shot lightning out of my hands, they would at least be burnt or singed or something..." In fact he had not really shot the lightning out of his hands, but emitted res from them. And then forming a cloud, turned the cloud of res down from the sky in the shape of a bolt of lightning. If he had shot a bolt of lightning that size from his hands, they would probably have been blasted off, leaving nothing but some charred nubs. Regardless, Clyde was starting to worry about her mental health, for the degree by which she seemed to believe in magic... Maybe she had been more affected by the drug than he had originally thought? Or perhaps there was some kind of underlying mental issues? Though she did ask a further question, which he would try to answer... Though to tell the truth the whole thing was a bit fuzzy in his head... "Intuition? Well I was walking by... and just passing.... When I got this sudden feeling.... I felt like I knew someone inside, like I recognized them... For some reason... A feeling of you I guess..." "And when I went in the door... There you were sitting... Just a little trick of human intuition... Kind of like how you can sense when someone is looking at you behind you when you cannot see them... Though you weren't really looking at me so... Its hard to explain... It just happened...."

[Aello]

Aello shook her head. "No, not exactly," she commented. "Cuts perhaps, from when you were first initiated into the craft, but nothing more... the only other wounds you'd develop would be the ones you acquired if you got in the way of your own magic," Aello explained. "Since you didn't get in the way, but the assassin did, he was harmed. Not you... well, not physically anyway." Aello shook her head, and sighed. This was hopeless. Everything was hopeless. Clyde wasn't even making any sense anymore. Not that he made a whole heck of a lot of sense before, but now it was merely getting worse. Magic was real. Everything she had seen, everything Aello was saying to him was true. She was the only one who knew that. Other than Cassandra she supposed, and perhaps the assassin's ghost, if it had one. "You don't just have sudden feelings like that..." Aello whispered, thinking that something larger than his mere mortal senses were at work. Perhaps it was magic, the remnants of his own, which were cast into the farthest portion's of Clyde's mind. A magic that somehow, still managed to effect him by permeating his soul. Reflecting his thoughts and actions in the slightest of ways, even though he did not know it. Or perhaps, choose to believe that it was so. Or perhaps, it was something else altogether. Sheer luck for example. But that seemed unlikely, at least, to Aello. "The feeling is a familiar one," Aello said simply. "It's odd though, that such a sense led you to me... especially when you weren't exactly, expected." There was a slight pause. "But no matter, now that you're here, we may as well make the best of it, if you'd like." She ran her right hand absently through her long brown hair, pulling apart a series of knots, before she dropped her hand into her lap. "Are you hungry? Thirsty even? These people have to have something to offer other than that petching silver ale... Unless you mean to be going now? With or without company..." Aello's voice trailed off. "Hopefully, you won't be nearly killed this time... I seem to attract trouble you know, and even though our paths have only crossed for but a moment, you are never safe here." There was a slight pause, "so what will it be Clyde? Will you stay, or will you go? Try to run from trouble, or stir some up here, simply for the sake of it?" she asked. "It's quite a bit of fun," she added, with a small chuckle. OOCEverything she says in this post is spoken in a much more neutral tone... since she seemed to be finally calming down in the last post.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde wondered for a bit what she meant on one of her statements. Human intuition was quite amazing, and often you would notice things with a sense you did not know you had. So he was not sure what she meant by saying that it could only happen by unnatural means... Of course this was just his reasoning out what he saw, not necessarily true or false. One of the effects of the magic he had been affected by was that he usually explained away what most would see as magic, through some natural phenomenon, or other thing not requiring magic to exist. "Why was it odd? I don't really see the oddness in it... I was not planning to leave, I just got here... I tend to attract trouble to.... Of an odd variety..." Clyde wondered a bit what exactly she meant by "stirring up some trouble"... It was rather open to interpretation... Clyde held his staff in his hands, wondering if he might use it.... He also had his slingshot, but that was a bit more obvious being pulled out in a bar... Clyde gave a bit of a mischievous grin at what she said, and leaned back in his seat for a bit.... Then he dangled his staff out were people walked between the tables, waiting for someone to come by... It was not long before a man carrying a mug of ale in each hand came through. Lifting his staff just as the man passed, the man tripped, sending both of the mugs flying through the air to smash into the back of a man. For some odd reason he was pretty sure that was not a very smart act, and that the man to rise from his chair would be a big meaty fellow who could rip him in half with there bare hands... Or at least lift the table from the ground and send it flying across the room. Though he had been wrong before... He really hoped he was wrong...