[The Sun and Stars Tavern]Sauced Snakes[Sshasslomila]

[Ssafirsotibones]

15 Winter 511 Bones had gone for a walk once more, taking a short trip around the city. He was always finding interesting new things, new places in the confusion that was Alvadas. So he was not surprised when he saw a place which he had never seen before. It certainly did not seem to much, not a very new building, though it did look like the name on it was freshly painted, only a recent addition. Bones walked to the door, and went inside, to see a rather sparse room with little decorations. He quickly went and took a seat in a stool at the bar, and called for a mug of ale. Looking up, he saw a odd sight, the ceiling had been painted. The sun was still showing, though it seemed to be oddly flickering, as it reached the edge of the ceiling, and was only just apparent. Which did seem to reflect what Bones had seen before entering, as the sun had not set yet, but was fast on its way to setting. In a few bells it would be down, and it would be night, but for now there was still light to see by.

[Sshasslomila]

Ever since Mila had arrived in Alvadas, she has found herself wandering the winding and unpredictable roads of the city. She looked up from the hood of her fur cloak, carefully placing a piece of her dark hair back into place with her delicate fingers. She saw the sun, just on it's way to making it's nightly break from hovering in the sky all day, spreading out it's warm and embracing light. Mila was thankful for that light, especially on a chilly winter day like it was. Even though she was comfortably wrapped in insulated cloth, the cold still bit into her skin like mosquitoes on a humid summer day. She ignored the frigid air for just one second to look back up to the sky. In most areas it was dull and cloudy, but off in the distance you could see all the neutral colors blending into one another. The tans mixed in with the yellows, and the blues with pinks, all highlighting each other beautifully.

Mila sighed deeply, her breath hissing out of her mouth like a smoking chimney, slowly dissipating into the air. She wished every moment of her life was as easy as that, just being able to blend into the sky with no worries or troubles. But then she felt the numbing cold again, and it snapped her back to reality. Nothing was as easy as that.

She closed her eyes, just for a moment, to take in her new surroundings. Every time you would step out into streets of Alvadas, nothing was the same. It was an interchanging city, but Mila liked that. It was one of the things that drew her here, like a fish to water.

She heard the continuous clacking of her shoes on the cobblestone pathway, leading her to nowhere, and children off in the distance squabbling along about some little game of theirs. The only thing she could smell was the distinct scent of winter. The unmistakable smells of dead, withering, and cold. You'd think that being a Dhani, that would only bring her delight, but it did not. She hated it.

Opening her eyes, she spotted a building, eloquent lettering embroidered on one of the musty windows. "The Sun and Stars Tavern" it read. You'd never be able to tell by her face, but a spark of curiosity ignited in her at the site of it. A tavern that she had never seen before, well that was quite rare for her. But then again, she had to remember where she was.

She put her hood down, stepping into bar, one elegant leg first. At first glance, she had to admit that it was a pitiful little bar, no wondering into why there was only a few people inside. But then again as she surveyed the place with her glassy yellow eyes, it seemed to have a sense of small charm to it, or at least it did to her. The old dusty smell was something she could get used to.

She shrugged off her cloak and placed it neatly on the back of one of the bar's stools, dragging a hand across the length of the chair, smoothing out her warm coat. She walked around it, her hips swaying sensually as she walked, and took a seat on the stool. Her eyes made their way to one of the bartenders who was currently catering to another customer. She smiled, one of her pretty smiles that she'd practiced a million times, to the man, gesturing him over to her with her unnatural eyes. "One mug of wine, please." she said, all the while continuing to keep up her smile. He nodded, pulling out something below the counters to pour her. She nodded back when he sat the drink in front of her, its contents splashing about inside. She could already smell the wine. It was sweet, and had an almost iron-like smell to it. Like blood.

Taking the mug by the top of it instead of the handle, she lifted it to her lips to let the drink just sit there for a moment before opening them slightly to let the red liquid pour in. She set it back down, sighing, letting her eyes wander. She finally caught on to see the pattern of the ceiling and it's resemblance to the scene outside. She found it interesting and kept her gaze on it a couple moments before letting them rest on the a man beside her, drinking something himself. "Wonderful evening, is it not?" she asked, leaning back in her chair and taking in the sight of him. He was tall and muscular, something that she did not see much of in her time in Alvadas, despite the Colosseum that was not too many minutes away. She let her back arch away from the chair, trying to get comfortable. Long ago she found that bar stools weren't the most comfortable thing, but that didn't keep her from coming.

[Ssafirsotibones]

It took a few chimes, but soon enough his ale came. Bones took a long sip, and swallowed about a quarter of it down in one go. He tossed the few copper mizas that the drink cost on the counter, before taking a slower smaller sip. It had a odd twang to it, but also had a thick flavor. Bones was not much for drinking, but he did on occasion. Anyone who had spent much time around humans certainly would have savored some of there inebriates. There it was he found himself, slowly sipping at his ale, when another customer walked in, this time a woman. She was a bit on the short side, certainly if compared to Bones prodigious height. As she walked in she lowered her hood, to reveal her brown curls. The way that she moved obviously spoke of allure, every motion trying to entice eyes to focus on her. So when she came and sat neatly close to him, on another stool, a rather obvious thought was running through his head as to what she was... Prostitute... Well it was a rather common way for attractive woman to make a living, certainly it was also common for such practitioners to come to bars to do so. Though as Bones sipped at his ale, he did think he had heard something, as she had ordered her wine... Had that been a slight slur, or a lengthening of the S in please? It was hard to tell, but perhaps it had... Of course that could be one sign of a dhani, but that alone could not show it. Some people just had trouble with that letter. But he had not met a dhani yet who did not have trouble pronouncing their S's, and TH sounds... Both tended to turn into a elongated hissing sound. Bones glanced over at her once, taking another sip of his ale, as she looked up at the ceiling. He looked back over at the bartender, who had walked off to another patron. Then she spoke to him, addressing him directly, such a simple thing, stating that the evening was nice... But he thought he heard it again, not very pronounced or noticeable, but he had spent enough of his life with dhani to be able to notice it... It was not as obvious as his own, but it was there... Bones turned to her, setting down his own mug of ale, looking her over once. He did not speak right away, and had a rather neutral expression, as he finally responded. "Sse evening isss not over yet... It isss hard to sssay how it will be... Perhapsss it will be good, and perhapsss it will not be... Only time will tell..." Having said that, Bones turned once more to the front, and took another sip of his ale. Perhaps that would interest her, letting him see how she reacted. Some people would find it off putting, to hear the way in which he spoke. But he had long since stopped trying to hide the way he spoke, to conceal the fact of what he was. Let those who were smart enough to figure it out do so, most had never heard of dhani, they were so few, except other dhani, or those who had directly interacted with them. Certainly in this region, were no dhani nest resided, there were few tales of the dhani race...