Open A Drunken Touch!

[Leda]

37th Day of Spring 513 The Herald's Arms Evening Somehow, after the exhilaration of her first week of working in the Bazaar (and it had not been such a horrid failure. In fact, she had been rather relieved by how well it had gone and now it was not so daunting to go know she'd be doing that for a while) Leda found herself wandering absent-mindedly into the Herald's Arms, almost drawn by the excitement which the establishment seemed to promise, lit as it was by roaring fires. It was warm and inviting, as of yet unknown to her, and the scent of perfume which wafted out through the doors and windows was pleasant, if a little strong. There were so many people there, of all different types, but it was not exactly aggressive. In a stroke of naivety, unknowing of what the Inn doubled as, it seemed to her to be merely welcoming if many of the people there were more than usually bold and libidinous... something which she didn't think she'd mind anyhow, as long as they didn't impose upon her. At least, not straight away and not too much. She was, after all, the type who had the greatest trouble saying no to being held in a seductive man's arms. Any feelings of self-preservation tended to freeze up at that sort of contact. Leda went to the bar and bought a drink before sitting down on a seat to the left of the bar. She tried not to get involved with anyone around her, at least not immediately, and merely listened to their conversations with curiosity. "That one. She's pretty." said one man to another, indicating a woman with curly blonde hair, sitting on the knee of a man on the other side of the room. "And alright going." replied his friend gruffly, with a salacious smile. Leda raised her eyebrows at this and turned away with a slight smile of amusement, not completely shocked, but a little so anyway - something which she tried to hide, taking another sip of her drink. After a couple of minutes she pulled her knee up to her chest, as was her habit, and rested her chin indolently on it, and she would quite happily have passed the evening in complete anomaly if it some drunk or other had not lurched up to her at that point. "Ello darlin'. Fancy a bit o' fun." The tall man was built like a tower, tall and thick, with long, thinning blond hair. He didn't look very old but his best years were clearly past him. He seemed a rather unpleasant drinking companion, sitting down next to her and reeking of alcohol. Leda, immediately taken aback by this, raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure I do not know what you mean." she said coolly. "Come on... sure ya do." He leaned in and pinched her thigh for emphasis. Leda shrank back with a dark frown, trying to be calm though she could feel her blood boiling dangerously. "I do not engage in that sort of fun." Maybe if she didn't react, if she was completely unresponsive he'd go away.

[Sigrun Dominic]

The smell of intoxicating perfume wafted well past the entrance of the Herald's Arms, swirling rings of fire around Sigrun's nostrils as she closed in the space between her and the tavern. The blonde winced as she squeezed her nose with her fingers, and then proceeded to toss the lingering scent to the side. The smell was nothing like the flowers she had to work with at the Flower Stand. It was muskier, somehow, and darker; as if the aromatic petals of a flower were plucked and removed of their innocence and purity. Nonetheless, the girl was looking for a drink. She had a bit of ale back at her apartment, but the environment of a public place seemed much more inviting and enjoyable at the moment. The cold air of the evening immediately dissipated when the warmth of the tavern's hearths. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she scanned the room. Suddenly, the perfume no longer offended her; instead, it attracted her. A man sitting nearby eyed her with interest. Slowly, he rose from his seat and approached her. "Are you looking for somebody?" he whispered in her ear. Sigrun turned to him and dipped her chin, her eyes looking up at the man, "I'm not interested." "Perhaps I can be of service?" the voice of a sultry woman slipped its way into her other ear. The man to her other side smirked and put his hand around Sigrun's waist. "Neither am I interested in you, I'm afraid," Sigrun took one last glance at the male brunette by her side, looking deep into his eyes before moving towards the bar. "I'm only interested in a drink," she said to no one in particular. The blonde sauntered over to the bar slowly, carefully weaving through the tables filled with people. She noticed a young woman sitting by the bar who appeared to be bothered. She thought to simply look away and mind her own business, until she noticed that the man seated next to the young woman pinch her thigh. "Not so discreet, are we?" she rolled her eyes and decided to take action. Swiftly, she made her way towards the pair and wedged herself in between the woman and the man. "Excuse me," she called over to the bartender, "a tankard of ale, if you please." She rested her arms along the countertop and leaned over, appearing to have no intention of leaving her newfound spot. The bartender gave her a small smile and a nod. She then turned her head and nodded towards the young woman. "Oh, I'm very sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting something here," she said casually, glancing for a moment at the man on her other side, who was clearly intoxicated. Hoping silently that she didn't sound impolite, she added, "it doesn't seem like you two are very close, now, are you?"

[Leda]

"I should think not." stated Leda with a laugh, not mentioning how relieved she was not to be sitting next to the unpleasant drunkard anymore. Usually, she might have objected to being interrupted in that manner but the woman looked interesting, a much pleasanter person to sit next to, and one could hardly expect an 'excuse me' and 'if I may' in an establishment such as this one. Good thing too, she supposed, it made life seem so much more spontaneous and less strict. However, although she was happy with the new seating arrangement, the man, on the other hand, looked a great deal less pleased. "Oy. Me and the lady was talkin'." "Were we? I do not remember." murmured Leda with a light smile, "Or rather I do not remember anything memorable or even pleasant about it, so it is just as well." She turned to the blonde woman. "I'm Leda." She flicked a dark lock out of her eyes and tucked it back behind her ear. The blonde opposite her had a thin, slightly androgynous face and a nice smile. There was something quite wild about her but it was tempered by a kindness. Leda was about to say something when the drunkard spoke up again. "Look darlin', I don't..." He didn't finish his sentence, but rather noticed that the new woman to his left was not exactly plain. "Hey. 'Ere. Do I know you?" He punctuated this with a smile, revealing the sharp contrast between his bright white teeth (the ones that were still in his mouth) and the gaps indicating where some were missing, probably punched out in a fight or something along those lines. A moment later, he had made a lunge and grabbed the woman's waist. Leda frowned but didn't speak straight away, leaving it up her to put him on his guard against such a move.

[Adsila]

Adsila was walking around town and she decided that she wanted to go and have a couple of drinks after the long day that she had had. She decided that she was going to go into the Harold's Arms and see what was happening in there. She decided to walk up to the bar and see who was there. She noticed a nice young lady who seemed to be being bothered by a guy that was bugging her. Adsila walked up to where the lady was, and looked the man right in the eyes and said,

"Would you bugger off, I do believe that this nice lady right here wants nothing to do with you, you Petcher. Could you just bugger off, i would hate to have to take this outside and make you wish you never picked on this nice woman." Adsila smiled at the girl as she noticed the drunk man walk away.

"Sometime you just have to be straight to the point with them. I have had to deal with them a lot around here and I have helped people get away from stupid drunkards like that one. The name is Adsila by the way." I said to her as I offered her my hand.

[Sigrun Dominic]

OOC NoteI loved the way you described Sigrun, Leda! It was precisely the sort of character I was going for, actually; feminine but a bit androgynous, and rough around the edges.

"I should think not." Sigrun's face softened at the sound of the woman laugh. She was prepared to introduce herself when the man on her other side began to speak again. "Oy. Me and the lady was talkin'." The young blonde stared at the ceiling, visually miffed as she curled her lips into a scowl. "Were we? I do not remember." She turned to the young woman as she spoke. She had long ebony hair almost as straight as silk, causing the blonde to feel the need to reach out and touch it. She had striking, expressive blue eyes and a soft face. Suddenly, she found herself envying the woman a little for her graceful beauty. "Or rather I do not remember anything memorable or even pleasant about it, so it is just as well." Sigrun burst out laughing. She turned over to the drunk man and raised her eyebrows, smiling down at him mockingly. "I'm Leda." Sigrun heard the young woman say. She turned over to her and flashed her a genuine smile. She saw an ally in Leda, a potential friend of sorts, but while she was open to being amiable, she was not comfortable with revealing anything too personal. "Dominic," she responded kindly. "Look darlin', I don't..." "Oh, give it a rest," she muttered, her amuzed tone laced with exasperation, glancing over to the young woman and then back over to her little suitor. The intoxicated stranger fell silent, his eyes scanning Sigrun up and down rather carefully, his eyes pausing on her waist, chest, and face. The girl's expression darkened. "Hey. 'Ere. Do I know you?" Sigrun pursed her lips, her eyes sharpening as the man flashed her a licentious grin. The blonde winced at the sight of his missing teeth. Before she could react, however, the man took a lunge at her and grabbed at her waist. The young girl elbowed him in the stomach and kicked his barstool back. Grumbling as she did so. The drunkard's hands moved away from her waist and transferred over to the counter as he struggled to balance himself. "I'm familiar, because I'm a regular here," she growled, grabbing a fistful of the man's clothing and bringing him closer to her, "now go bring your petching hands elsewhere, they're unwanted here." Sigrun spat out the last of her words and let go of the man's clothing. Her heartbeat quickened from the rush of adrenaline as she turned to face Leda with a sigh. The drunkard sat silent and still, his mouth agape as he struggled to make sense of the situation. "Would you bugger off, I do believe that this nice lady right here wants nothing to do with you, you Petcher. Could you just bugger off, i would hate to have to take this outside and make you wish you never picked on this nice woman." Another voice joined in on their conversation; a woman's. It snapped the drunkard out of his reverie and he quickly turned around and made for another side of the bar. Sigrun turned to face her. "Sometime you just have to be straight to the point with them. I have had to deal with them a lot around here and I have helped people get away from stupid drunkards like that one. The name is Adsila by the way." The anger still had yet to subside from Sigrun's reddened face as she turned to look at the woman, a little too harshly than she'd planned. "Sometimes people like to avoid confrontations," she responded coldly. "Dominic," she introduced herself, reluctantly shaking the woman's hand, and then turned to Leda.

[Adsila]

"I am sorry if I offended you or did something wrong but it looked like this man was making you quite mad so I thought that maybe I could help. I am sorry if I stepped in and did the wrong thing." I said to Dominic as I looked around to see if I knew anyone else in here, but turns out I did not, "Nice to meet you Dominic, as I said I didn't mean to step on any toes, I just thought I was helping."

Asilda then moved down a couple of seats, but kept an eye on the girl and the guy to see if she would need her or not. I really wasn't trying to do anything wrong, usually people appreciate my help.

[Sigrun Dominic]

Sigrun assumed a defensive stance as she waited for Adsila to respond. However, the woman reacted in a much different way than she'd expected. "I am sorry if I offended you or did something wrong but it looked like this man was making you quite mad so I thought that maybe I could help. I am sorry if I stepped in and did the wrong thing." The young blonde opened her mouth and furrowed her brows at the woman. "Does this woman really frequent the Herald's Arms?" she thought, confused. She was oddly placid and completely passive, and she wondered how she could handle the more brutish members of the tavern with such an attitude. "Nice to meet you Dominic, as I said I didn't mean to step on any toes, I just thought I was helping." The blonde's mouth parted for a moment, only to close again. Her jaw slackened and her brows arched as Adsila moved away from them. She watched as the woman moved over to the other end of the bar as well, and turned to Leda with a confused look on her face. "That woman," she said, with a concerned and hushed tone, "is arguably the politest person that I have ever met!"

[Lindel Ward]

The consumers and 'consumees' - if ever there were a neutral word for them - were frolicking about at such paces, swift flights to the bedsides or drunken drones, that it was easy to slip in unnoticed. The light within changed a little, maybe being darker, and of course the smells hit you like a full-packed wagon rolling down the hill unmanned, but it was pleasant in its own way. Lindel saw it now, three young women getting familiar at the bar, a few drunks far gone enough to go in for a kiss, while the rest drank their confidence from the sides and observed for the time. If they had been looking for attention, they got it. He knew things could spiral from this, even if the knights were around, the alcohol could make you do things. He didn't like the idea, but Lindel found some relief in the first drink, and totally ecstasy by the second. Was he a lightweight? Maybe, that and he wasn't much of a drinker at all. He was shuffling through though, as a minnow might in the stream through rocks and pebbles and whatever else was adrift. He tried to place himself far apart from the women, in a view good enough to look if anything might happen but also to avoid the dank corner. The bar keeper was flagged down, and Lindel was served a nod. It seemed to be busy enough. He took the time to spy around in the meantime. There really wasn't much going on besides the usual business. The girls were pretty, in their own way, but by far the three at the bar were some of the better kept. The tallest of them looks quite fierce for the castle, probably an outsider, some dangerous warrior from the west who had just slain a man and came to wash down his blood in ale. The short blonde looked a bit edgy, and awfully young to be in any sort of bar – not that he was necessarily one to talk… The steel of her eyes was fascinating to him though. They could kill a man, probably. Last there was the other dark beauty, dark hair, her eyes a deceptive shade of blue in the shadow, with some high born features: tall neck, high cheek bones, and stern eyes. He didn't mind them much, nodding off as the Myrian walked away. "What'll it be?" The tender was quick about it now, keeping up with business. "Something cheap to get me drunk?" Lindel's reply might have been undesirable, the keeper puffing up a little with all the cheap booze and free-for-all flirting that was going on. "They're pretty," he said absentmindedly. "Just wait till you finish that," the keeper said on delivery and exchange – Lindel's coin at the ready, his own tone twisted by a chuckle. He did a shuffle with the mizas and bid Lindel good drinking. Lindel took a sniff of the drink first, just out of caution if he had offended the clerk. He started sipping thereafter, his lips doing a swing with the drink swishing in his mouth, getting a taste for it. It was actually pretty good, not awfully light or nasty bitter. He went on and watched as the torches began to hum and crackle in greater brilliance and all seemed warmer. Head posted up by an arm, his right as he'd learned to not trust his left, and watched the two pretty guests continued with their drinks, and he played games in his head: trying to figure out who they were, what they were talking about, or whatever else would make them more interesting from way over there. OOCI'll follow after Sigrun or Adsila, whoever was posting last. Thanks for the invite, Leda.

[Adsila]

Adsila was just sititng there and she motioned for the barkeeper to come over so she could order another drink. She wasn't always the nicest or poiltest person but she knew that when you are in company of others they are respectful towards you that you should be respectful back. Sometimes that was hard to come by for a Myrian but she was brought up a different way; her whole family was a little bit different than the average Myrian but she knew her background and to watch her back when it was needed but she knew that she also had to be polite. The barkeep finally came over and she ordered another strong drink. She wasn't a light weight and she knew her limit. She wouldn't get completely drunk because she knew that she has to clear her mind enough that if there was a fight to break out or that she was needed that she would have the mind to be able to do so.

Adsila slowly sipped her drink and watched all the people around her in the Herold's Arms.

[Leda]

Leda had watched Dominic with a light smile as she dealt with the man. She had to admit that she was happy to see the back of him and more than a little amused by the manner in which they had been expelled of his presence. She was about to laugh at his expression of horror at being thus treated, when another woman got involved. Usually, Leda was quite open to making new acquaintances but she was ashamed to admit that she had been brought up to be distrustful of Myrians - no matter if they had integrated into society - and this woman looked to be one, if the hair, the tattoos and the piercings were anything to go by. That said, her politeness seemed most unusual. If she was not the most polite person she had ever met, she was certainly incredibly so for a myrian, who were considered by most to be ruthless and savage. Still... "Hello," said Leda cautiously with a small but genuine smile, "I'm Leda, and I suppose I must thank you for assisting." She took another sip of her drink, watching Adsila move away with a raised eyebrow, and turned back to Dominic. "Arguably." she agreed, "So, do you have much call to kick the petch out of intoxicated morons like that in your day to day dealings or are you simply a natural? I must say, I was very amused," She realised that it could be taken the wrong way and added hastily, "And impressed. Unfortunately, my own defence skills are somewhat lacking. I tend to try and avoid confrontation but I should probably learn a trick or two for they day when they'll definitely be much needed." Leda paused and rested her chin in her cupped hand with a smile, observing Dominic with interest. Many people reacted negatively to such scrutiny but it was a habit - the unflinching and unabashed observation and study of a person - and she had been doing it since childhood. "Are you a squire? Or a knight? Though, admittedly, I would not think you were one. Not because you don't look capable. It just doesn't look right, so to speak." It was then, as she turned back to her drink, that she noticed a boy or rather a young man looking at them. She returned his gaze with raised eyebrows and a winsome smile before turning back to Dominic.