Old Acquaintances (Murdoch + Nel)

[Murdoch]

15th Day of Spring, 510 AV

It was early evening yet in the Rearing Stallion, and so it was perhaps not as rowdy as it could have been. Not exactly Murdoch's favorite time - no, that was much later in the evening, when the brawls distracted men's hands from their purses, when the ale flowed freely into cups that had not paid for it, their owners none the wiser.

He'd had a good round of cards with the guards, though, which meant he lost most of the silver that'd been in his pocket. So he had to make it back, and the best way to do that was by getting here early and seeing who really spent the whole evening drinking and who was just trying to be cool in front of their friends. The latter were a dangerous sort, for catching a thief was a good bump to their reputation. Better to know, he thought. Knowledge was as much a power as magic or blade.

So he leaned an indolent hip against the bar, heavy-lidded eyes keeping tabs on the patrons as he slipped the barman enough money for another round and a bit of silence. "Bo-ring," he mumbled under his breath, rubbing at his scruffy cheek a moment as his cup was refilled.

((OOC: 6sm spent))

[Nel Sayo]

Nel nearly didn't go into the tavern.

Who would name a tavern after horses? Nel hated horses. They were big and had big black eyes full of evil and hooves for crushing a girl's bones and those prickly ears that heard you coming a mile away, teeth for gnashing and what was the big problem with walking, people? When did walking go out of style? Almost everyone had feet. Sometimes more than just two. Feet were great. They took you places.

But her tummy growled, and she patted it consolingly, and decided that maybe eating horses wasn't so bad, and all the other taverns she'd seen so far were just obscenely priced. So in she went.

She stuck out immediately, like a Zith in a china shop. Lamplight kissed her white skin golden and struck shimmers of sterling through the pale curls of her hair. A-clacketa-clacketa, the sound as she turned her head to find a table, seashells and beads roped into the braids of her hair toppling. She decided on the bar instead.

She spiked the black collar of the shirt she wore higher against her throat as she got to the counter, shifting the elegant rapier on her hip so that she could climb up to a seat, prop her elbows on the bar, and slump there until the bartender came along to ask her what she'd like.

"What's good?" she asked amiably.

"The food."

"I know, but what kind of food?"

"Dinner."

"Just...dinner? Is it horse meat?"

The bartender gave her an odd look and shook his head. He started to move along to the next customer, but she dropped a few coins on the counter.

"Fine, dinner it is."

((spent: 6sm))

[Murdoch]

"Aw, shit."

Barely mumbled, and that straight into a mug of ale and no further. Trouble, that girl, and a bit he recognized. Oh, he'd kept his hands out of the pot the last time, but that was only because her big brother had threatened to cut them off. So to speak. More literal than figurative, he'd always assumed, and he liked his hands attached, thankyouverymuch.

But... she could mean money as well. He'd made a pretty penny on those rubes the last time Sy had dragged his ass in here, and that might mean another bit now. Had he stolen from them? He couldn't remember. It was hard to keep it all straight. He'd fenced some merchandise, he knew that much, and made enough profit to pay his landlord for the week and take a trip to the massage parlor. Worth it, he finally decided.

And so he shifted his weight and sidled along the bar until he could lean his elbows against it and give Nel his most roguishly charming smile. "Lost, little swan?" he chuckled, dark eyes taking stock of whatever weapons she had on her just in case he had stolen from her and just couldn't remember it.

[Nel Sayo]

Murdoch found himself the sudden focus of a pair of blinking, brilliantly blue eyes. Tucking a pale braid behind her ear, those eyes narrowed a moment on his face as she tried to place him.

And then her eyebrows shot up, and she leaned in the opposite direction of him.

"Hands where I can see 'em," she commanded, pointing at him, and then to the countertop. And Sy always said that you should threaten first, and apologize later, so she added, "Or I'll stab you in the eye."

But she didn't say it like she hated him, or even really disliked him. She said it like she knew it was the kind of thing Syon would say if he'd sidled up alongside him instead. Well and she meant for him to keep his hands within sight, but the stabbing part -- she might stab him, but only if he did something stupid.

"And I'm not lost. I'm exactly where I know I am."

[Murdoch]

He just snorted a laugh at her pointing and threatening, lifting his mug for another sip of ale. He didn't stiffen at all, seemed just as relaxed and uncaring as he had before she'd entered.

"Easy there, girl. You don't get to barge into my neck of the woods and order me around. I wouldn't get very far if I stepped foot on your ship and started telling the crew what to do, now, would I?" he asked with another wolfish grin. "So just keep your panties outta your ass and enjoy your meal. I just figured I'd say hello. Where's your smart-ass brother, anyhow?" he asked, eyes darting around as if he expected Sy to pop out at any moment.

[Nel Sayo]

"He's...around," she lied.

The tense line of her shoulders didn't relax completely, shifted perhaps a fraction downward, but she delivered him her profile, at any rate, and dropped her eyes to the countertop instead of watching him like a hawk.

A glimmer struck her eyes before she'd looked away, when he mentioned the ship, something...heartbroken. She shrugged, let out a breath, and leaned across the counter to peer towards the kitchens, as if that would make her dinner appear faster.

A quick glance at him, and she shrugged again as she eased back into her chair.

"How're you?" And like she needed to confirm who he was, "Murdoch."

Sy called him Doc, jokingly, she remembered. Doctor Sticky-Fingers. He wasn't always referring to the man's chosen profession, either.

[Murdoch]

He wasn't the best at telling lie from truth, but he was enough of a gambler to read someone's face - and tragedy was crouched in her pretty blue eyes sure as the seasons changed.

"Huh," he grunted, shrugging a little. "Yeah, well, I'm sure I'll see him real soon," he snickered into his mug. Which meant she was alone. Maybe knew where she was, but was definitely still lost. And very, very beautiful. There were worse things to stumble upon.

"Me? Same as I always am, little swan - prosperous and happy. Lost a bit in a game of cards today, but they can't all be winners, can they? How 'bout you - what brings you back to my big, shiny center of civilization? Something good to sell I hope," he smirked.

[Nel Sayo]

"Just passing through," she said tersely, shooting him another glance. "Sy says...we're just passing through this time."

Blessedly, her food arrived. In a perhaps surprising display of manners, she snapped a linen over her lap and grabbed up the utensils, digging into the food like she hadn't eaten in days. And maybe she hadn't.

"Do you know somewhere I can stay?" she asked, around a mouthful. "I mean -- Sy wanted to go out, y'know, with the others, and I'm tired, so I figured I'd just get a room somewhere." She swallowed, licking the fork clean. "Any suggestions?"

The more she ate, the more comfortable she got.

[Murdoch]

He watched her eat, fascinated by her precise movements, imagining this little creature pillaging a coastal town or overtaking an enemy ship, and couldn't help the slightly lascivious smirk that touched his lips. Yes, that would be a sight.

By the time she looked up, though, he'd hidden it behind his usual charming grin.

"Well, there's a couple of inns around here," he said with an easy shrug. "The Golden Dragon is probably in your price range, though I've no idea if it's in the range of your... sensibilities," he drawled, a dark chuckle revealing just what sort of character that inn usually catered to. If you really want to throw down the gold, you can go to the White Swan, which is appropriately named for you, I think. I can show you where either of them are, if you'd like," he said, eyes going wide and friendly. Just trying to help, he was. "How's the food?"

[Nel Sayo]

He'd be a fool to think that she couldn't pillage just as well as the next pirate. If Syon Sayo had been anything, he'd been thorough about teaching her how to stay alive. That meant the pretty rapier on her hip wasn't just for show. But it was true that the actual sight of Nel killing anyone was difficult to conjure.

"Pretty good," she said, about the food, in between bites. Her eyes continued to flicker between him and her plate, like she half expected him to steal it out from underneath her fork. Her eyebrows inched a fraction higher at that dark chuckle of his, and she was already shaking her head to this Golden Dragon place -- no, no thank you, the last thing she needed was to be confused for someone's paid-for-bed-mate. Those days were long behind her. And she'd never been paid.

She set down knife and fork, crinkling her nose a little as she tried to decide whether or not to let him show her this inn, so aptly named for her. Spending a lot of money wasn't practical, not for her lofty goals, but she wanted...a bed. Oh gods, she wanted a bed. So she sighed down at her plate, and finally nodded.

"Yeah, if you could show me, that'd be great. The swan one? That sounds good."