A meeting of empty pockets [Crawlers (you know who you are)]

by **Emma** on June 17th, 2010, 6:05 pm

16th of the Summer Season
Riverfall
Kulkukan Tavern

Kulkukan Tavern and Inn

The lowest section of Riverfall, aptly named the Third Tier, is host to the city port and is therefore one of the busiest and more bustling areas of the city. The Bluevein River finds it’s end here after a three thousand foot plummet into the Suvan Sea causing a wide radius of moisture laden air surrounding the location where river becomes much more. The mists create stunningly beautiful rainbows during the days when the sun shines brightly down into the port and it offers a soothing effect to the skin during the scorching summer days. However, during the bitter arctic winters when strong winds come roaring from the Suvan, those same mists coat the port with a layer of white frost and cause work to slow down incredibly on the docks.

The thunderous collision of the falls into the sea surprisingly seems to assume a harmonizing role when compared to the noise and chatter of the port. The deckhands constantly load and unload all sorts of goods from the incoming and outgoing ships. Different foods and supplies fill crates for other men to unpack and take to their respective recipients while wheat and gems are packed into outbound containers ready to see destinations anywhere around Mizahar.

Along with vegetables and fruits not commonly found near Riverfall or the Sea of Grass are wines and other drinks not native to the area. These goods do not have far to go before reaching their final destination, the Kulkukan Tavern and Inn. Located in this busy lower tier of the city, the ‘Kulk’ as it is affectionately known as by locals is always a place to find company and conversation. No matter which bell or chime throughout the day you walk in, there will be patrons ending work for the day or visitors wasting time before their ship leaves or becoming drowsy or drunk before ending their nights.

The red lanterns lighting the reception area and main bar give a soothing yet edgy atmosphere to customers as they wander in from the Third Tier. The entire lower level of the building is the tavern while the upstairs area is completely an inn. The same crimson theme is found throughout the inn and tavern to maintain the gentle premise and make all guests feel comfortable. The operator of the Kulk is an Akalak named Nystir and can always be found around either helping behind the bar, sharing conversation with guests, booking rooms, or preparing the place for the next rush of business. Nystir is the only Akalak working in the Kulk considering many of those coming in are not accustomed to Riverfall and the blue hue that accompanies it. Most of the employees are humans and half are female, a rare proportion in this city, in an effort to draw in more customers from the ships finding port here. The lead bartender and Nystir’s assistant is a human woman named Chelltaire, though the locals know her simply as Chell.

With the helpful and genuinely caring employees of the Kulk and the tones of ruby conveying a sense of comfort laced with a hint of secrecy, the Kulkukan Tavern and Inn is one of the more popular spots in Riverfall for all of its citizens and visitors alike.

Price List :

NPCs :

It was just after the rush hours of lunch when a lone figure wandered into the Tavern. Slightly under five and a half feet tall, the girl was quite a sight to behold. She wore a two-tipped sack-cloth hat, with an embroidered skull on the front that had pointed ears and angular eyes. A heavy looking pair of goggles rested on her head, designed to look like the eyes of a cat and protect against bright light, with only thin slits that could actually be seen through, like narrow pupils. A thick black belt was worn like a collar loosely around her neck, just wide enough to slip over her head without undoing it. Unruly, dirty-blonde hair fell around her face, framing it, almost all the rest pulled back into a low ponytail wilt a single strand directly between her eyes.

Her attire's oddness didn't end there. She wore a fine white tank-top, stained in places from mud and dust, and over it a brown jacket with baggy sleeves and orange-yellow shoulder patterns. Neither article was long enough to cover her midriff, giving a slightly teasing look at her flat stomach and highlighting her hourglass figure. She also wore baggy brown pants, covered in pockets and bulging with trinkets. Oddly, while she wore no shoes, showing bare feet with slightly pointed toenails and scarred soles, she did wear gloves, brown like the rest of her attire, with a pink-ish pad on the tip of each finger that was rubbery for grip, and a small but sturdy metal hook, emulating claws. While not a real weapon, they might do in a pinch. That said, the two tigerhook blades crossed over her back were obviously not for show.

Strangest of all, though, was her physical features. Her ears ware triangular, pointing out sideways and back from her head, and seem to twitch at the occasionally, the left studded by a gold earring. She had a small nose, and her mouth was an odd shape, as though cleft in the center of her top lip, like a cat's. Her eyes were most shocking of all, large and expressive with golden iris's and black slit pupils. All this combined with what could only be described as a feline grace in how she walked were proof enough that the girl was actually a Kelvic.

Quietly, Emma Treaded across the tavern, finding a round table with booth seating in the corner. Silently as ever, she slid into said booth, finally stopping her movement as far into the corner as possible, with equal amounts of booth seating on either side. She stretched luxuriously, again seeming to unconsciously flaunt her feline other half, then settled back, resting her hands behind her head and putting her bare feet on the table as she closed her eyes. Griffith would be here soon, with anyone else who had seen her fliers and was interested in some adventure or easy money, and the Mage's two companions as well...

by **Griffith** on June 18th, 2010, 12:18 am

Griffith had managed to track down Korin in time to tell the Kelvic about the meeting, but the lion in man-form hadn't shown up at Griffith's camp this morning. Still, Korin was resourceful, and the Benshira trusted his fellow mage to find his way to the Kulk.

As it stood, he led Vitalos - the other man he had spoken of to Emma - into the tavern about half a bell later than the Kelvic's arrival. The place was starting to clear out, so finding her would be easier.

The mage wore a rather different outfit today than the last time Emma had seen him. He'd been working then, and supposed to look the image of "his people". Now he had abandoned the turban, instead letting his unruly dark-brown shoulder-length hair fall freely about his head in a loose framing of his face, although the way the bangs were parted suggested that combing had at least been attempted, however unsuccessfully. For a Beshira, he was of middling height at 5'11". Amongst the Akalak, he was dwarfed. The features of his face were softer than one might expect without the head covering; certainly not what one might expect from a desert dweller. But even back then, Griffith had not spent much time outside, and the turban had protected his face from wind and sun alike. The red light of the room set his eyes to take on the appearance of dark crimson as the hazel of the orbs reflected the coloration of the room. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt under a red vest with gold lining composed of the same material over a lean frame. A set of black studded gauntlets, fingerless, hid his hands and forearms. About his waist an azure sash was tied, with a new waterskin attached via cord through the weathered cotton. He wore a pair of long pants, of a color to match the vest. The only similarity was in his choice of footwear: leather sandals.

Griffith had been here from time to time - usually when hunting went poorly. He nodded to the barkeep - Chell, as most seemed to call her. He looked around and found the person they sought. He looked to Vitalos and tilted his head at Emma's table. Then he made for said table, stopping at the space where the booths stopped. "I'll get introductions out of the way," he said quickly. Gesturing between the two, he exchanged names rapidly. "Vit, this is Emma. She's the one I told you about. Emma, this is Vitalos Umbraeffigia, a fellow trainee of mine."

by **Vitalos Umbreffigia** on June 18th, 2010, 12:40 am

Vitalos Umbreffigia glanced around the tavern and smirked playfully as he did so. He was frankly glad Griffith and Emma had chosen this spot. He was by no means a regular, but he'd been here enough that he'd learned the names of Chell and Nystir, and spoken to them once or twice. The red lanterns painted his normally white and blue robes pink and purple. His left arm, however, remained entirely bare of everything but the bandages around his palms and knuckles that were mirrored on his right hand.

Vitalos was a relatively small man at 5'10", though this standard of height would be far different outside the reach of the Akalak. He had a lithe, quick frame, and fairly pale skin. His eyes were a cool blue, the color of steel, and his features were lean and wolfish, striking to most. But what drew the most attention was his hair, jet black, pinned up with a crescent-moon hair pin, and hanging long, down to his waist. His bangs hung down to his shoulders, and framed his face.

He wore a heavy pack, clearly laden with heavy supplies for a lengthy trip. A few items hung tied to the bag, including a pair of heavy steel gauntlets, open on the inside of the fingers for grip, but clearly thick enough on the back to block most blades. A hint of Vitalos' white leather armor poked through from beneath his robes, but for the most part he was bereft of protection. He too wore leather sandals, strapped tight so that he could move easily - though the callouses on his feet would display his penchant for going barefoot.

Vitalos seemed to be fairly grim and unforgiving, but as soon as he came into contact with Emma, his demeanor brightened considerably.

"Oh, hullo! I'm Vitalos, but you can call me Vit. After all, it seems we'll probably be spending a lot of time on the road together; why not make things friendlier?"

He smiles warmly, then extends his hand in greeting.

by **Emma** on June 19th, 2010, 3:38 am

Emma, while she was waiting, had done yet one more thing that screamed "Cat". She had tugged the brim of her hat down, and with it blocking the light, started to doze. A "cat-nap", if you will. She could fall asleep anywhere, and it was relatively normal for the girl to snooze a bit whenever she had to sit still for very long without interaction. She'd even snuck out of classes before and hidden herself in closets to catch a few extra "Z's". it was just sort of... what she did when she was bored.

At the sound of the mildly familiar voice, her eyes opened. Reaching for her hat, she tugged the rim up, then smiled when she saw the familiar face. And right on time, or close enough, if she had to guess. She was never very punctual herself, so as long as it was before sunset, she didn't mind. As Griffith made his introductions, she stretched lavishly where she sat. Her legs straightened, leaving her feet in the air over the table as her bare toes clenched and un-clenched. Her fingers did the same once as her arms went straight over her head, then slowly spread to the sides as she yawned unashamedly, golden eyes scrunching tight while her back arched, pushing her torso forward by connection and stretching both her abs and pectoral muscles a bit. She relaxed again a second later, and smiled crookedly up at Vitalos and Griffith.

A hand was offered. Emma only smiled, then proceeded yet again to seemingly defy most conventions of society. She wasn't an acrobat, but she was a cat, which coincidentally rhymed. That being said, her natural grace made it look effortless as her hands pushed off of the booth, leaving the girl crouching atop the large, round table on the balls of her feet, her right forearm resting on her thigh while her left gloved hand extended for the shake, grabbing the back of Vitalos's hand and shaking it.

"It's nice to meet you. I assume Griffith has explained the general situation, at least?"

It was a humble assumption. After all, why else would the man be here? As her pointed ears twitched, awaiting a reply, Emma sat back, her hands finding the back of the booth before she gently lowered herself back down, her feet never leaving the table until she was down, and even then only to cross her legs in a relaxed manner. She frowned as a strand of her unruly blonde hair fell forward, landing smack-dab in the middle of her face, and she tried to blow it out of the way with little success, suddenly seeming to have forgotten Vitalos completely as she looked to Griffith. The other man would just have to wait for her attention again to reply, it seemed.

"By the way, I found your waterskin in my pocket the other day. Very irresponsible of you to just leave it lying about. You're lucky I picked it up with my things, or someone might have stolen it."

Reaching for a pocket, she managed to unbutton it with one hand before pulling forth a rather empty container. She might have even forgotten it, had the firm opening not been stuck between her leg and the table, creating a rather uncomfortable poking sensation. Inspecting it one last time, she unceremoniously tossed it to Griffith, smiling that crooked smile yet again and tugging down on the brim of her hat once more before remembering Vitalos's presence, and quickly fixing it so she could see him.

by **Vitalos Umbreffigia** on June 19th, 2010, 4:13 am

By the time Emma returned her attention back to him, Vit had moved. With an expression of child-like concentration - as though preparing a practiced and amazing feat before one's prepubescent comrades - he slides across the bench, legs held up in the air. He loses momentum just as he taps into Emma and, with rapid flailing of his arms - along with care to avoid striking his employer - manages to keep his balance, a feat that causes him to grin with unabashed pleasure. His task completed, he stabilized himself by placing his sandaled feet firmly on the ground and opening a space for Griffith beside him.

"Yush! Treasure hunting and the like. All the stuff you normally hear as a child from your parents, except for me 'cause I'm an orphan, but the things you would normally hear, if you had parents. Or parental-like figures. Which I did happen to have, even if he wasn't my actual parent, and he didn't really raise me."

He stops, frowning slightly, as though solving a complex math equation in his head.

"I have come to the startling conclusion that somewhere along the line of my elucidation my point has become... Muddled."

He pauses and shakes his head, then yawns and continues in a much more precise tone, though that was not a difficult feat when compared with his light and airy monologue.

"In any event, yes, treasure hunters. Cliche, perhaps, but it's better than any of my plans at the moment, which are nonexistent."

He blinks at the water skin, then, as comprehension dawns, chuckles at Griffith.

"You really should know better than that. Shame on you."

He was not blind to what had actually happened, but it was far more fun to play to the part. Especially the eccentric part. Vitalos was in fact far more focused than he put on; he simply found the act humorous. That was not to say, however, that without any airs he was by any means "normal."

"Sho, sall we dishcush thish over drinksh?" he asks cheerily.

by **Griffith** on June 19th, 2010, 7:27 am

Griffith watched Emma give a full-body stretch, the likes of which most people only pulled off immediately after having a great deal of deep, undisturbed sleep. How long had she been in here in that state? While the Kelvic could likely take care of herself in a fight, it didn't make the action any less careless. He held his tongue on the matter, though. He was basing what to expect from her off of Korin, who possessed quirks of his own to constantly remind those around him that he was still an animal given sentience and human form. And the lion Kelvic was known for sleeping a great deal whenever he spent a span of time near the Benshira's camp. He put it down to a feline thing and left it at that. Besides, she woke readily enough.

The magician watched as Vitalos slid into the seats on one side of the round table, nearly falling over against the elongated seat in his rush, resulting in Griffith bringing a palm up to smack against his own forehead and letting the hand slide down his face for a moment before letting the arm drop. Well, it could never be said that the other man had any lack of energy or minded making a fool of himself to be a center of attention.

Griffith was about to take a seat of his own while Vitalos rambled, but then Emma chucked his waterskin at him. The scholar almost caught the container smoothly. He fumbled, however, and had to bend to catch it before it hit the floor. He straightened up, frowning at the lightness of it. In response to Emma's admonishment - and Vitalos' teasing - the Benshira muttered an almost surly "Yeah, yeah. I'll keep a better eye on it." Vitalos, at least, would know that the desert man was not always the greatest source of humor, but that his going along with the joke was at least an attempt not to ruin it.

Then the mage raised the waterskin to his ear and gave it a shake. Empty. Completely. He gave Emma a knowing smirk which simply conveyed a so you did drink it, the meaning of which would likely be lost on Vitalos. Again, however, he bit his tongue on the subject. The Kelvic seemed to prefer pretending she had no interest in his best craft, and Vitalos had no idea that he was a practitioner of Reimancy. Best to keep things that way.

Nonetheless, when his fellow martial artist made space for him next to him, Griffith went the opposite route, sliding in on Emma's right and leaving a respectful distance between them in the seats. Vitalos could think it rudeness if he wanted, but the fact stood that the Kelvic was now his employer. The mage trusted himself and Vitalos well enough. They were a pair of adventurers, after a fashion. But Emma's advertising had promised gold; there was no knowing what sort of beings that might attract. If nothing else, the scholar wanted no one who might mean her harm to be able to get too close to her without going through either himself or Vitalos first.

Feeling no need to explain himself on that particular matter, the Benshira shrugged in casual indifference to the other man's offer of drinks. "Knock yourselves out, but I'll stick to water."

by **Korin** on June 19th, 2010, 2:57 pm

Outside of the Kulkukan Tavern, Korin stares up forlornly at the sign. He is far from a small person, with a large muscular build, standing over 6' 3". His only clothes are a raggedy, worn cloak, and drawstring pants in the same condition. His cloak and pants are a dark green, small holes and tears appear randomly on both, and stains of the road and travel cover more of the area then the dye. His feet are as bare as his hands. Long claw like nails extend from both his hands and feet. His head sprouts an impressive mane of golden hair, and his eye's are golden hued and slit like a cats. Across his visible skin, long, thin scars cover his body. From his face, to his bared feet and hands, think old looking scars cover most of his body. He has the look of someone who belongs in the wild, and he has drawn more then one stare in his trip into Riverfall.

I hope this is the right place, is the thought that goes through Korin's mind. This would be the fourth tavern he has tried that day, being illiterate does not help when you only have a name and directions you only vaguely remember. He went to Griffith's camp this morning, but he must have missed the man. So now, after wandering through Riverfall, looking for the Kulkukan, Korin thinks he has finally found it, but the only way he can know for sure is to go in. With some small trepidation, Korin slowly opens the door to the tavern, he is not sure what to do if he gets the wrong place again.

Looking around, the Tavern is relatively empty, but the only people Korin cares about seeing are there. Sitting off in the corner is Griffith. Along with two others. Walking over, he looks at Griffith, then the other two.

"I hope I am not to late?," Korin says as he takes a seat next to Griffith.

by **Griffith** on June 19th, 2010, 7:57 pm

Griffith looked up as Korin walked in, having developed a sixth sense of sorts for the man's presence. Not that the Kelvic was hard to miss.

The Benshira gave an inward sigh of relief that the man had remembered the pants and the cloak. On more than one occasion he'd had to tell the lion to remember his clothing if he was going into the city; it drew too much attention. As it stood, the lack of a shirt was acceptable. Summer was approaching, and more than a few Akalak were already doing the same.

Korin took a seat next to Griffith. and posed his question. The scholar shook his head. "No one else has shown up. Did you oversleep?" He made the same quick introductions he had with Vitalos. "Right. Korin, this is Emma," he said with a gesture to the other feline Kelvic at the table. "She's the one in charge of the whole operation. Kelvic, like you." He gestured at Vitalos. "And this is Vitalos, a fellow trainee of mine in unarmed combat. Been at it for longer than I have, though. Emma, Vitalos, this is Korin, a lion Kelvic."

by **Emma** on June 19th, 2010, 8:32 pm

OOC: Sam, it's a booth that goes all the way around, like the corner seats at some restaurants for big groups, because she was expecting more people than this. I'll reply as though it was written that way

BiC: Emma watched Vitalos with amusement as he rather clumsily slid into the booth, just barely bumping into herself as his momentum ran out. The slightly crooked grin took on a new form, broader and sillier, showing off her oddly cleft-lip as her eyes closed, the picture of delight. She even giggled a bit, leaning slightly away as the man re-situated himself just as clumsily and began to speak while she turned to Griffith with a smile.

"I thought you said he was a fighter, not a clown!"

Luckily for all involved, The momentary words to Griffith had made Emma miss the whole bit about parents. Though none of those present had seen it happen yet, the topic always turned her somber, moody even, and made her likely to snap at people for things she would normally find somewhat entertaining. As it was, she looked back just in time to catch the word "Muddled", then listened intently to the rest of what the new man had to say.

Ironically, the humor of the situation with the waterskin was lost on Emma. Despite Vitalos's joking tone of agreement, she was inclined to believe he was being honest. After all, she had found it, and if she hadn't someone might have stolen it! Admittedly, once she realized that it seemed to have clipped itself to her belt outside the library, she had taken it with her, but with every intention of returning it after she had throughly inspected the formerly magical contents. It was while thinking this over, however, that she realized Griffith would guess she had drank the water, which would be entirely true, and she hated it. Why had she been so stupid? It could have cursed her, or poisoned her, or... or... something! Suddenly scowling defiantly like a child who was being falsely accused, she glared at Griffith.

"And for your information, I think you need a new one anyways. It sprung a leak, ran all over my bed. I had to throw away perfectly good sheets because of you."

At the mention of drinks, the brightened up again, and leaned back once more, yet again tugging down the front of her hat, fully intending to doze back off, seeming to have forgotten their business there in the first place, or to be waiting for others to arrive.

"As long as you're buying, I'll take some milk if they have it."

Settling back, she was about to doze off once more when the bell over the door rang, and Griffith stood again. Scowling yet again, she yanked her hat back, taking her feet off of the table and slamming them down on the floor, the sudden motion causing that same strand of hair to fall in her face. She angrily blew it away, and when it fell back, she reached up, took hold of it, and pulled. She had expected the pain, but still winced as the follicles tore from her scalp. After gritting her teeth, though, she managed to peek open her eyes, and smile at the lack of hair in her face. For all of two seconds, before a new strand took it's place. Immediately, she pouted comically, eyes seeming to grow as her pupils spread and her lower lip jutted out, triangular ears drooping before she closed her eyes and began to quietly bang her head off of the table. Only when Griffith introduced the other kelvic did she look up, her gaze baleful as she slowly raised a gloved hand to wave before returning to her action of mashing her brow and rather bulky goggles into the wood.

by **Griffith** on June 20th, 2010, 12:10 am

Griffith gave a small smile when Emma accused him of falsely labeling Vitalos. Small smiles were the only ones he gave. No one present - not even Vitalos or Korin - had ever seen a full-blown smile from the man. It was not that he was unhappy - he was in a good mood, in fact, what with all the joking around - insomuch as that the sorcerer was just a rather reserved man. Of course, this was an even greater oddity. The Benshira were known for their festivity. It was just a further highlight that Griffith was not like the rest of his subspecies. "Yes," he intoned. "That is the impression he gives."

At the mention of his old waterskin springing a leak, though, even that small smile turned into a frown as he lifted the container, examining it. It had been with him ever since he'd left the Burning Lands. If it really had finally broken, it was long overdue. But still, it was a rather sentimental piece. Was it possible to have a waterskin mended? He didn't know. If so, he might pour water into it later to find the source. It was possible that she hadn't drunken it after all. He might owe her an apology on his suspicions. "I don't know what it was doing on your bed, but couldn't you have just put the sheets up to dry?" he asked.

Korin's arrival prevented him from seeing the Kelvic girl rip out the offending piece of hair, so when the Benshira sat down again to find his employer banging her head against the table in apparent frustration, he was confused, to say the least. "Woah, woah!" Timing himself accordingly, he reached out to put a hand between her forehead and the table, effectively cushioning her impacts.
"What brought this on?" he asked, thinking that something one of them might have done something. He raised a hand to pat her on the shoulder, thinking the gesture might help before thinking better of it. This was their second time meeting. Even stopping her from hitting her head against the table might have been unwelcome contact. Moreover, if it was him she was upset with, he'd rather not antagonize the Kelvic.