Completed [The Rearing Stallion] Bloodshot Eyes

[Kaie]

Kaie had to strain a bit to catch the Common within the thick accent. She had spent three years in Syliras, but that certainly didn't mean that slurs and unorthodox contractions didn't cause her brows to draw together, trying to translate properly. After a moment she did find the meaning, though. Another misshapen knight-to-be in Syliras. That was quickly becoming a cliche, but one she always enjoyed. It seemed for whatever reason, the lesser of the ranks found her. Of course when she thought that, it wasn't this guy who came to mind. Oh, no. The squire that came to her head was far less respectable, far more sloppy, and definitely less polite. Had the three been in the same tavern tonight, Kaie would've given both their rounds to the man speaking with her now.

Then the man was asking her a question in return. A question that rewarded him with a small smirk of amusement. Certainly her position must've looked like a cliche to him as well. Foreign girl working a tavern. All alone in a strange country. Mysterious past. Kaie couldn't help but laugh suddenly at the though. She looked down the counter again, seeing no new patrons nor any barmaids searching for a fresh drink to be made. When it was deemed clear, Kaie leaned toward the empty glass. She stared at its brim, tracing her finger lightly around it. Thinking.

"Considering I bought you a drink, I don't think you're allowed to ask personal questions. But to be fair I will let you guess!" Kaie said with a smirk, eyes flashing up from the glass to stare at him. Seeing if he would accept her challenge.

[Jantys Vane]

Jantys actually chuckles a bit, driven into good humor by the presence of ale and the amusing conversation. A guessing game? Once again, he runs his eyes over her figure, this time with a more shrewd countenance, thinking it over. She looked relatively normal at first glance, but a closer look unearthed eccentricities. The piercings in her ear, for instance... and was that a necklace made from a tooth? She looked civilized, but he wondered just how much. He runs a finger along the rim of his mug, then shrugs. "I haven't a petching clue, t' be entirely honest," he states, taking another long, dawdling drink. "Only thing I c'n figure is, you ain't lookin' for a husband or any such thing. You ain't th' type t' settle down any time soon." It was a laughably bad attempt at observation, but he doesn't particularly mind. He supposed he could also make another guess, just in case he was right. "I'd also say yea some kind a' fighter. Mebbe spent some time down at th' pits or somethin'?" He hazarded, shrugging again with another sip. "Dunno what kin'a future awaits a lass like tha'. An' I bet yea don't know any better'n I do."

[Kaie]

She watched the squire stare at her, trying to form some sort of educated guess. Her grin widened as she watched him. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was thinking, what he might throw at her. It was entertaining, far more so than simply sitting around. Finally he became confident enough in his answer to voice it.

"Not too bad, squire. I knew they must be keeping you around down there for something," She teased, standing back up again rather than leaning across the counter. A barmaid shouted an order to her and she placed a mug under the spout, turning the keg lever so the liquid flowed freely. Once the liquid was foaming over the top, she cut it.

"You might be right. What I do know is it gets interesting. Fast paced. You'll just have to get back to me in twenty years and I'll tell you all about it," She offered sarcastically, well aware not even she had a specific direction in mind. Other than home that is. It had been a long time since she could get back there and now she finally had the funds. Now she just needed to wait for the perfect time. She needed to plan and map out her route. Maybe find some traders making a trip in the same direction. Surely they needed guards through the Sea of Grass? Kaie felt confident she'd find money making opportunities along the way.

Though part of her wondered if the squire knew something she didn't. That bit he mentioned about not knowing what laid in the future of a girl like her. What kind of future did he see?

[Jantys Vane]

Jantys grunted mildly, not exactly put off by the jest, but believing he had to at least act like he was. He observes her over the rim of his tankard. "I guess I guessed be'ter 'n I thought," he ponders out loud, taking another long sip. He looks at her levelly, nodding a little at her words. "Aye. If yea live that long." He runs a large finger around the rim of the mug, suddenly struck by melancholy. The alcohol he had previously enjoyed so much was beginning to sour, just a little. Maybe he had gotten a bad mug. Or maybe it was flavored by guilt. I live a dangerous life, too. Who knows how many years I have left in me? I can't waste anymore. He looks back up at her, frowning slightly. "Yea got a far-away look in yer eyes. What're you thinkin' about?" His questions were mainly mechanisms to avoid having to think too hard about his new revelation. Later, after a hard day's work of training, it would be worth thinking about. For now, it was time to relax a little.

[Kaie]

She eyed him neutrally with a thin smirk edging up her mouth even when he contemplated a possibility of her shortened lifespan. She knew the facts. It didn't matter if she was in the jungle or in the forests. she was a Myrian through and through and if she didn't find trouble, it would certainly find her. Though they could easily live past one hundred years old, it wasn't too common. They were too pugnacious. Too resilient to steer clear of danger. They assaulted it head on. It was simply their nature and, by default, hers too.

She was thinking just then. Thinking about the future, naturally. They were on the topic, weren't they? Why not consider her paths now? There were so many roads to take. So much to see and explore. Yet she yearned for home most of all. She cared not to money and coin, nor respect in eyes of mere barbarians. Kaie cared only for her Goddess Queen and her family. She longed for home, the steamy jungles of Falyndar where her family had long ago erected their longhouse. Hell, she even missed the hanging carcasses of recently slaughtered Dhanis that hung from the trees just outside their domain. Their visual marking of Cutthroat Shadow lands. It was funny how even the most morbid things had become natural occurrences to her. How violent genocide had become wrapped up with the idea of home. Yet this was completely normal in her eyes. She grew up with it. She lived with it. Most of all, she embraced it. Though after spending so much time away, realizing how far it would take to get back, she wondered if she'd ever have the chance to leave again. More so, did she even want to?

"I'm thinking you're far too broke to manage to get yourself drunk tonight," She said off the fly when his question came. Eyes snapped back to the speaking, a coy grin displaying across her features. This was all bar talk on a similar level. Socialization like this had become thoughtless on her end. As far as her mind could go, she could always come back like she had never left before. A few years behind the counter does that to a girl.

[Jantys Vane]

Jantys didn't exactly want to be reminded of the fact, but she was entirely right. The sigh and the obvious sorrow in his next statement reveals this to the barmaid. "Aye, h'ven't ah coin t' m'name." He drains the last drops of his ale, the sorrow quickly getting plenty of facetime as the tankard drops back down. Most of it was for show, though; the look quickly drops off his face as he stares at the mug, thinking. His brain, addled by exhaustion and the faint tendrils of inebriation, didn't really come up with anything meaningful, but he did understand that the ale in his belly wasn't making it quite as warm as it once did. He eyes the barmaid again, shrugging, and stands, sliding the mug closer to the barmaid. As he does so, he also slides his eyes over her form again, but covertly. While she was seemingly a veteran barmaid, he simply didn't feel quite right eyeing her up. Must be 'respect', or something similar. His eyes meet hers; his are in no way clear, dulled and without the fire inherit in younger folk. But they were surprisingly steady. "Good 'ealth an' fair for'tune t' yea, lass, an' thank yea f'r th' ale." He tilts his head slightly, his brow contracting a bit. Then he sticks out his hand. "Jant's Vane, ah pleasure."

[Kaie]

As she figured he soon would, the disgruntled squire removed himself from his seat when he was through. Kaie extended her hand to take the mug and pull it closer to her. Naturally she'd put it off to the side for a wash when he formally left. Of course his leaving would be far sooner than the rest. No coin means no ale, and what's the point of hanging around the bar without a drink? She almost felt bad for the guy. Not bad enough to risk her job to hand him off another one though.

Just before she began swiping a cleaning rag across his end of the counter, he was speaking to her again. His words were friendly and cordial all at once. The Myrian decided then that he was far better than half the squires she'd met before. It was too bad he chose the line of work. Honorable in the eyes of Syliras denizens but something more resembling a plague on her end. Nonetheless he proved alright. The least she could do was allow him her name.

"Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows. I hope you don't find yourself in the wrong end of the tank, Jantis Vane," She returned slyly, a last goodbye sort of smile painted across pink lips.

[Jantys Vane]

oocThat seems to be about it! Do you want to post it in the grading thread or shall I? Jantys dropped his hand with an internal shrug, not really expecting a handshake in return. He listens to her name, or at least, the first part, attempting to memorize it. Also, he attempted to remember how to pronounce the damned thing; he had no doubt that, should they ever talk again, he would either forget it or mangle it horribly. No matter. Her 'last name' was typical (he was pretty sure, anyways) of a Myrian. "Mmh, ah hope so too. This squire stuff 's hard work, bu' worth it." He gives a little wave. "Ah'd leave a tip, bu'..." He didn't have a copper miza to his name. He then exits the Rearing Tavern, exhaling a bit in the warm summer air. He wondered how often he would stop by the old tavern, now that he was a penniless squire. Probably not very often, if he didn't want to get drunk anymore. He glances back at the barmaid. Then again, with interesting people like her around, it was probably worth it to stop by every once in awhile. Whistling a little, he walks off down the street.

[Radiant]

The Shining Gift!

Kaie :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+2 XP
Socialization	+3 XP
Rhetoric	+3 XP

Lore Earned

Friendly Facade: Part Of The Job

A Polite Young Man, A Tough Guy, And Another Ghost

A Myrian's Generosity

Cleanliness Is Universal

Cliche: Foreign Girl In A Tavern

Jantys: Acquaintance

Loots

Jantys :

Experience[/size]

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Socialization	+2 XP
Rhetoric	+2 XP

Lore Earned

Still Completely Mizaless

Rinn: You Again...

Treated For A Drink By The Barmaid Herself

Foreign Girl In A Tavern

Kaie: Acquaintance

Loots

Notes :

Good job, guys. Enjoy your grades.

My radiance is not bright enough?If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.