[The Trough] Home Sweet Home (Closed)

[Nero Czan]

83rd day of Spring, 510 AV. Nero Czan was sitting at a table in the quaint "bar", if you want to call it that. He was wearing his usual smirk as he sipped his mug of beer and gazed around the place. It was somehow reinvigorating to be in the midst of this nomadic city, feeding itself off of what Nature wishes to give it. He had, at least for the time being, managed to repress the sickly feeling from earlier, and had decided to pick up the latest news, as is the norm when travelling. What better place than the pub, right? He went to the "bar" (Once again, just a line of barrels), and got another mug-full, and sat back down on his cushion. That's one thing this place could use, better seats. But eh, it's all part of the atmosphere I guess... He pulled out a tightly bound and worn book from his cloak and outlined the remnants of a name, long ago smeared clean from it's cover. Nevertheless, that name would ring within him for eternity... He shook his head as he withdrew from his memories and swiftly put the book away, as if stashing away the very memory itself. He went back to scouting out the locals, and sipped at his drink as his head scanned the crowd...

[Khiara]

Restlessness tugged at Khiara, as it had for the whole season she'd spent in Endrykas. Her time here had changed her, for the better, and perhaps for the worse. Guilty thoughts consumed her, and at times, she considered just saddling up and leaving. After the reception, she had not left her tent, hungover like nothing she'd ever known before. It was awful and she'd vowed never to drink again. However, the urge to move again began to eat at her, and she found herself in the city again.

Moving towards the Trough, she hoped that it would be quiet. Just because she couldn't stay in her pavilion, didn't mean she wanted to have yet another rowdy experience. Entering the establishment, the vantha went to the makeshift bar and ordered herself a small wine. Even then, what was handed to her was larger than expected. Sighing, she turned from the barkeep and wove her way through the crowd, searching for somewhere to sit. It wasn't rowdy, but it wasn't dead either. There were a lot of tables, but they were occupied by either one or two people - and the young foreigner didn't feel right interrupting. Moving towards the rear of the Trough, her violet eyes looked around in defeat, before finally spotting a table at the back. There was a man there, drykas maybe, and he appeared to be reading. It was probably easier to sit there than anywhere else. And as soon as she was finished she would go. Moving toward the man, she smiled a little.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here? I'm not staying long, and there aren't many other quiet tables..." Khiara trailed off, waiting for a response.

[Nero Czan]

Nero glanced up with his usual playful smirk and patted the cushion next to him. "It'd be my pleasure." Nero took a long sip of his drink as he sized the woman up, quickly making a few mental notes on her appearance and features before absently eying another damsel in the crowd.

[Naomi]

Naomi was a little too drunk than expected, especially after two mugs of beer. Looking down at the liquid, she felt her head fall into a brief haze. Her eyes struggled to focus before she closed them for a moment, trying to collect her senses. When they opened, she felt drunken warmth wash over her in pleasant waves. Smiling to herself, she vowed to lay off the alcohol for the rest of the night. This being her first time drinking, she realized she was a complete and utter lightweight. Sighing, she returned her mug to the 'bar', unable to keep up with the avid drinkers in the crowd. As she walked past the various tables, she glanced at a man, eying him by chance. A woman was sitting at his table, though he seemed disinterested. Realizing he was, in fact, gazing at her, Naomi felt her stomach flutter. Well, she was drunk. What the hell, mm? Approaching the two slowly, careful to keep her walk balanced, she smiled at them, though making eye contact with the man. "Would you mind if I sat with you both? It seems I've taken down a little too much than I could handle," she said giving a sheepish grin. "I've never touched a drop before...and I'm fairly sure I won't be feeling too great in the morning."

[Nero Czan]

Nero smirked as the woman across the pavilion started towards him, albeit a bit clumsily. It was apparent she was a bit drunk, due to the way she slowly walked, but when she told him how many she'd had, he stifled a chuckle, and just smiled back at her. "I see. Please then, take a seat. We wouldn't want you to end the night on a bad note." He smirked over at this new woman. Heh. I get back and women are attracting to me like a magnet... He couldn't help but gaze into her deep eyes, with her slightly flushed face only emphasizing the brown sheen. His vision subtly turned to her lips, which were lusciously playful, and the alcohol had even exaggerated her expressions. He watched and took note of her curves and physique as she sat. After a few moments he realized what he was doing, and with a chuckle to himself, looked in her in the eyes as it is polite to do when speaking, and with his characteristic smirk calmly stated, "You have some of the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. And I've been places." He chuckled again as he shyly turned away for a moment, downing the small remains of his drink, and sliding the mug aside. He wheeled himself to face her, before realizing how close these seats really were. Nevertheless, he extended his hand (Almost over-extending, which might've been awkward at such close distance), and introduced himself. "The name's Nero. It's a pleasure to meet you, mi lady."

[Khiara]

Khiara looked at the girl as she approached, smiling a greeting and moving to allow her entrance. As the man shifted closer to her, Khiara suddenly felt awkward. A third wheel. Downing the last of her wine, she nodded to the two and quickly stood.

"Thanks for the seat." She said softly, leaving the two to their own private world.

[Naomi]

At his invitation, she sat, albeit a little slowly. Her legs felt somewhat shaky, she realized, which sent a flare of fright up her spine. She would need to wait her drunkenness out, that's for sure. Her mind attempted to think back to any of her chemistry or biology classes, searching for the affects of alcohol. Finding none, she settled on obtaining some bread or food. That would help, she knew. Naomi found this man handsome, though mostly because of his rugged look. His tanned skin, though not overly dark, reinforced her immediate assumption that he was a traveler. He was lean rather than robustly muscled, though she found that more appealing in a man, especially in Cyphrus. Every Drykas male she had seen so far must have loved to bodybuild; some arms seemed larger than her head. His compliment sent her cheeks ablaze. "Oh...well, thank you," she said, giving her head a tilt. Not quite sure how to reply, she moved her eyes away for a moment, pleasantly embarassed. When he turned towards her, she watched the other woman stand and leave. Her mouth curved into a frown, as did her eyebrows, obviously saddened. "Ah...I'm sorry..." She mumbled, afraid her sitting had upset the other female. However, Naomi returned her attention to the man after his brief introduction. Grasping his hand softly, she moved her arm for a handshake. "Pleased, Nero. My name is Naomi," she said smiling. "If it's not too personal to ask, would you happen to be Drykas? You look a little different." Pausing for but a moment, she quickly added, "From the rest of the Drykas men, I mean." Resting her elbow on the table, she leisurely placed her chin in her palm to enjoy the conversation. "Not to say you aren't handsome, of course." She gave a playful smile.

[Nero Czan]

Her adorably flushed cheeks brought a smile across Nero's face, which managed to remain for a good few moments before being overshadowed once more by his dominating smirk. "Naomi... A lovely name for a lovely lady." He chuckled almost under his breath before returning to her question. He opened his mouth to answer, but then decided on a better way. He carefully rolled up the sleeve of his cloak to reveal the spiraling and intricately detailed tattoo that enveloped his right arm. It could be seen continuing into his chest and shoulders, a traditional birth-mark of sorts, and one of the only mementos of his childhood, albeit painful. Even with the myriad of small scratches and scars that dotted his forearm, the spiraling design was still vividly clear. "I may not be a full Drykan, but the blood does run through me. I felt it fair to give half my body with the mark, to represent the half of the blood it owns." He idly scratched his head as he continued, giving himself a moment to collect his thoughts. "Still, I may have the Drykan sense of pride, and the reverence for nature and it's harvest, but I don't think I'd fit in as a natural if I were to act as I am." He shrugged with a grin, "Being the same as others is too boring for my tastes though. I prefer being someone no one else can ever be. Enough about me though, Tell me a bit about yourself. I'm almost certain you're not Drykan, you're too beautiful." Nero once again ended it with an accentuated smirk, obviously enjoying himself. It wasn't often he had the chance flirt around, especially with such a lovely lass.

[Naomi]

"Oh," she breathed as he lifted his sleeve. Her eyes trailed up his arm, taking in the tattoo with amazed eyes. She smiled, impressed, almost reaching out to touch it. However, she resisted the urge. Her curiosity with these windmarks needed to halt; she doubted she would ever be given one of her own. "It's absolutely beautiful, Nero." Her eyes continued to focus, realizing he had a multitude of scars along his forearm. "Seem to be quite the adventurer, hm?" Nodding at his explanation, her eyes brightened at the mention of pride and nature as she laughed, covering her mouth in modesty. "Fair enough. I didn't fit in with other children in my childhood, so I know both the strength, and weakness, of being unique." His flirtation caused her cheeks to flush again, though Naomi could feel the alcohol as being half at fault. "Oh...well, I'm a northerner. Zeltivan. I graduated from the university not two months ago. I'm heading south for now to fulfill a wish of my mother's." She bit the corner of her lower lip in thought. "Though I think I might stay here for a while. I want to learn a little more about the culture, learn how to tattoo maybe. And...well, I should probably get some sword practice in." She grimaced. "Vanator, another Drykas, saved me from a wolf out in the tall grasses. My studies did nothing to help." Shaking her head, she sighed. "But...well, that's about all for me. How about you, Nero? Have you spent most of your life here in Endrykas?"

[Nero Czan]

Nero couldn't help but smile when she explained her history. There was something about her that just made him want to know more. Despite attempts to hold it in, when she talked about her encounter in the grasses, he couldn't help but chuckle. The grasses around these parts were as dangerous as some jungles. Somehow her inability to protect herself made him even happier, although he quickly disregarded that as his ego looking to play the Knight in Shining Armor. He had grown to be able to distinguish those kinds of things, and immediately learned, through experience, as to which thoughts to listen to. "Well, Maybe not most... Still not enough though." He gazed off into the distance, past the edge of the pavilion, before quickly shirking off the feeling of painful memories. "I spent a good amount of my childhood on these plains, before being moved to Syrilas, where I grew up under less-than-favorable conditions. Nevertheless, I had it better off than most, and I'm grateful for that. Although, I did leave as soon as I was able. At first just off into the woods surrounding the city, but soon after I would branch out further, exploring lakes and just enjoying life. Nature was my playground, and I fought for the chance to call it home." He subconsciously patted the book under his cloak as he continued, "'I'd rather live life to the fullest." He yawned a bit as he swished the few drops of alcohol in his glass. "Now i'm just rambling again. Excuse me. I always get a bit loose of tongue with a few drinks." He chuckled, almost absently, and with the sober remnants of his mind began to think over where he was going with this. "Anyways, I was thinking about going on a little walk through the woods later on. It's a good distance away, but I usually find a way to make the trip interesting." He smirked as he remembered his last time in the tall grasses. A giant bucket of water, thrown into the air had quickly doused the grass, and sagged it enough to destroy his cover. He quickly scurried off to find a better hiding spot, laughing with the certain ring that only an innocent child has. That was before the pain and the sorrow. But through that he had grown, as all things in nature do. Thinking aloud, he spoke the phrase, "After all, the journey without obstacles is the one not worth taking." He realized what he had done a few seconds later, and tried to keep his laughter to a minimum, "Excuse me again, It's just been a while since I've been back to these grassy plains... It brings back some unfamiliar emotions... just like you do." He shrugged, as if unable to even understand his own words for a moment. "If you'd care to join me on my little escapade, it'd be my honor to have you. And don't worry about no wolves, I'm sure we'll find something even more fun." His devious and playful smirk returned as usual, and it seemed as if the drunken reverie had ceased. The flirting was back in full-force, and Nero couldn't have been happier.