Completed [Rearing Stallion] Over A Mug of Ale (Kaie)

[Aoren]

46thth of Summer 513 AV
Late evening

Aoren wasn’t typically one to frequent the pubs and taverns of Syliras city but tonight was most certainly a night where he could use the social interaction brought on by being in public. He sauntered into the Rearing Stallion expecting to find himself absorbed into a crowd of boisterous laughter and drunken revelry. His shouldered sagged once he opened the door.

Deserted.

There was barely a soul inside. Of all the nights where Aoren didn’t want to be left to his own devices he ends up having no choice in the matter whatsoever. It was too late to turn back at this point and he had no desire to go back to his living space. The small apartment was far from welcoming at the moment. He flinched inwardly as he remembered the not so warm quarrel he’d had with his former lover the previous day. Be it man or woman Aoren had rotten luck when it came to relationships. He’d attempted to be with both and neither seemed to make much sense to him.

“Maybe I just haven’t met the right person yet?” He shook his head and entered the tavern going immediately to the bar. He could count on one hand the amount of people mulling over their own spirits. They seemed to be the remnants of the night’s more active hours. Hiccuping or burping in drunken stupor. Aoren put them out of his mind. It looked as if he wouldn’t be getting his desired social interaction. He knew that the Rearing Stallion was open at all hours of the night and day but if there had been a busy hour today it was well past the current hour.

He seated himself without really looking at the attendant behind the bar. He was too busy sifting through the thoughts in his own head to pay whoever it was much mind. He was contemplating his decision to leave the Fortress City. It weighed heavily on him. However, he knew he wouldn’t be able to reach that decision right then and there. Shaking his head he ran a hand through his hair then rubbed his face as if trying to scrub away his sour mood.

Dropping his hands and leaning forward on his forearms onto the bar he looked up at the barmaid and was struck for a moment at her exotic appearance. He blinked at her for a second before regaining his composure.

“Pint of ale. Isuran if you have it.” Aoren reached into the pocket of his trousers and retrieved the appropriate coinage to deposit it on the surface of the bar. He then lay his head on his arms and heaved a tired sigh before sitting upright again. The picture of a truly miserable man.

Receipt-2 SM

[Kaie]

The night was dull now that the most boisterous of the drunks had stumbled back into the streets. The aura of the usually packed tavern had calmed to become almost soothing. That of course was largely due to the inactivity of the patrons. Most were mumbling incoherent phrases at their drink or staring off into space. Kaie knew how it was, the way the alcohol could lull even the most bubbly souls into tranquility.

It seemed to be winding down quickly now. Within two hours the place would be empty, much to the glee of the miserable chefs. Kaie on the other hand was enjoying herself. Once largely introverted and reserved against socialization with barbarians, she found a level of enjoyment from late night conversations. Of course half the time the words were indistinguishable and the subject was twisted and easily lost. She had adapted well and tonight was one of her better moods. It was too bad she hadn't the knights to exchange dangerous jibes with.

When the gentle voice reached her, Kaie had been turned around to example her stores. It caught her off guard actually. The Myrian woman turned her head to peek over her shoulder, noticing the haggard looking man at the counter. Naturally she'd seen real pitiful characters find their way in but this one? This guy was depressed looking. At least he had a little style in what he drank.

"For a pretty face like that? I'll see what I can do," She said amiably in almost a lazy fashion, flashing him a light grin. Promptly she turned and retrieved the drink. When the froth was bubbling just up to the brim of the mug, she cut the flow of ale. Kaie turned then with mug in hand and slid it along the table toward his hand. Something she had done a thousand times over.

The Myrian thought about turning away, about walking to observe what they had left in the shelves. Or maybe she might've mulled over the idea of conversing with a coworker or purposefully driving the already unpleasant cooks insane. Something about the man's body language stopped her though. She knew better than to outright ask about his life from the get-go. That's just a bartender no-no. On the other hand, Kaie couldn't just watch the guy brood so miserably over his ale.

Impulsively, she leaned forward to put her forearms on the counter casually. Now in the candlelight, her chocolate brown eyes and turned over into amber hues that danced as fervidly as any flame. Like they were the closest thing to a window to her very soul. That is if they hadn't shrouded it with their careful and unrehearsed dance. Bronzed fingers drummed the table top so softly that there was hardly a tap when they landed. She was thinking, wondering where to start. When all seemed futile, she simply went with what was natural. Barbarian or not, all were people, right?

"You know, most people are pretty excited to get a nice cold brew in the Summer," She started coolly with a brightness to the flames in her eyes. Meanwhile her fingers slipped toward his arm, pausing just beside it to grasp the 2 sm. She drew the Mizas back and pocketed them. All the while she waited patiently for the man's reply, unsure of how he might react.

[Aoren]

Aoren paid little attention to the lighthearted compliment thrown his way. He knew it was just bar-speak. Contrary to popular belief there was a difference between casual conversation and bar-speak. It was a language in and of itself. Subtle. Enticing. Made for the art of seduction or the jostling of character to cajole someone into a fit of drunken stupidity. When the ale was slid along the bar toward his hand he caught it without much effort. Not that he would have needed to. The expert manner in which she slid it across the smooth counter top said she'd done it a thousand times and a thousand times again. He had to hand it to barkeepers. There was definitely an art to the serving of beverages and food that was lost on the Drykas.

He brought the edge of the mug to his lips pausing for a moment. He was caught between whether drinking away his troubles or meditating on the depths of their impact on his life was a good decision or not.

"Petch it." He tipped the mug back with a deep breath and started to down the dark brown Isuran ale.

Glug. Glug. Glug.

Within moments he'd downed half of the ale before setting the mug onto the counter top. He wiped away the foam left on his upper lip with the back of his right hand briefly flashing the stylistic lily etched into the skin. He turned his attention away from his brooding and his ale to the barmaid.

Where her eyes were flecked with golden hues of amber mixed with warm chocolate brown, Aoren's were as blue as the tropical waters along the shores of Falyndar. His cobalt irises took in her open face and the distinguished pronunciation of her bone structure. When she spoke he knew for certain that she was most definitely not from Syliras. He'd never encountered an accent like hers though.

"Oh I'm very happy to have some quality brew in my hands right now." He raised the mug to her in salutatory gratitude before tipping it back and taking another long swig from its contents. After only a few moments he'd nearly emptied the whole pint. He set the mug down again but kept his hand situated firmly around the mug.

"I just wish I had happier reasons for needing it right now." He chuckled and shook his head. He picked up the mug and downed the rest of the contents before sliding it toward her along with two more silver mizas.

"If you would be so kind?" He nodded toward the empty mug before bringing a closed fist up to conceal his low belch in a display of cordiality. Aoren knew she must have been used to more vulgar displays of intoxicated behavior but he was far from being heavily drunk and he'd maintain his dignity as long as he could. When the barmaid returned with another mug of ale he nodded his thanks before taking a less greedy sip from it. He observed her over the rim of the mug.

"Not from Syliras, are you?"

Receipt-2 SM

[Kaie]

She watched him chug the remains of his brew all too quickly. Many a time she'd seen men down their drinks to drown all sorts of feeling. Considering he finished his in two, Kaie figured he was in a pretty bad place. Even his voice seemed a bit empty when he spoke to her. The salute was almost halfhearted and forced. She found herself feeling bad for the guy, even if he was a barbarian. He had confirmed her beliefs though, hinting at his troubles before passing another 2 Silver Mizas her way.

She repeated her previous action, giving him the courteously of filling the mug to the top once again. She could tell he needed it, and he caught her slide the same way he had the first time around. It seemed they'd have a great rhythm for the rest of the night. The Myrian woman was back to leaning on the table again shamelessly. It wasn't like there was anyone else worth speaking to.

Kaie was finding herself lost in his eyes upon returning to his face. It wasn't because she was infatuated with the guy. She wasn't so easily captivated and completely idiotic as half the girls who came into he tavern were. All coy and flirty, twirling their fingers in their hair and laughing far too loudly. Her captivation was more along the lines of appreciation. The way one admires art. The color was astounding. Bright like the seas between Falyndar and Cyphrus she traveled once as a child just three years ago. They were stunning and she was struggling to keep herself from gazing into them.

It was only when his voice returned with a question that she was yanked roughly out of her fixation. She blinked twice and refocused, thinking about what he had just said. Foreign. Right. She was composed again, a smile slipping up the right side of her face. Though Kaie had no tattoos or an unusual amount of piercings, her features and her accent remained. Still a Myrian through and through.

"It is quite obvious, isn't it?" She asked rhetorically with a gentle laugh. She adjusted her position so the edge of the table didn't dig into her arms. A hand raised to remove one of her loose brown curls from her face, tucking it behind an ear.

"I'm actually a Myrian from Taloba in Falyndar. You heard of it?" Kaie continued nonchalantly, head tilting somewhat in question. Of course she figured he had heard of it. Well, them at least. It seemed Kaie hadn't met a barbarian in quite some time who didn't have preconceptions about her race the moment they saw her. Sometimes it was awe or respect. Most of the time it was fear and intimidation. Open loathing on the other hand? Not so much. No one really had the guts to randomly and opening hurl derogatory slurs her way. Certainly none stepped forth to challenge her too often either. When one's racial reputation includes slaughtering entire barbarian villages and engaging ritual cannibalism, most tend to avoid you. After all, Myri, the Goddess Queen of War, hadn't picked the Myrians as her chosen people for nothing.

[Aoren]

"Only because I've lived here my whole life." He managed a half-smile to her slight rhetorical joke at her very obvious heritage. Obvious in that she was merely foreign to Aoren. Technically he was too but after being raised within the walls of the city and spending an entire life knowing only the protection and sovereignty of the Knights he didn't really consider himself foreign to Syliras.

There was a part of him that was never content with the stone walls though. A part that Aoren was listening to more and more as the days went by.

"Myrian?" He shrugged and took another swig from the mug of ale. He'd heard of the reaches of Falyndar and that there were people living well within the depths of the tangled forests there. He'd never heard of the Myrian's though. Not once in his entire life had he ever encountered a Myrian. Nor had he ever heard stories of them. He shook his head once he'd had his fill of his current mug of ale.

"I've never heard of your people. I've never heard of Taloba. I only know of Falyndar because my employer once mentioned it in conversation." He took another deep drink from his mug lowering the total contents to a third. Aoren was beginning to feel a light buzz but it wasn't nearly enough to consider himself carelessly drunk. He was still a ways off from that delightfully unpleasant place. Delightful in that it would grant him a momentary reprieve from everything that weighed down on his conscience at the moment and unpleasant because of the rude awakening he would have afterwards.

As he sat there trying to figure out exactly who and what a Myrian was a notion popped into his mind. He inclined his head slightly, his eyes taking in the barmaid's full form. She was quite athletic. There was little soft roundness to the body that was hinted at beneath her clothing.

"Tell you what..." He gestured to the decidedly empty tavern. "...because there's very little in the way of conversation and entertainment to be found tonight what do you say to playing a game?"

Aoren took another sip of his ale. He then decided it would be better on his nerves if he downed more than just a sip.

"I look at you. You look at me. We both do our best to try to discern something about one another. Our character. Our past. Whatever we please about each other. For every guess I make that is correct..." He dips into his pocket and retrieves a copper miza. "...it's worth twenty copper miza. When I've guessed enough things right I get a drink. On you. For everything I get wrong..." He flips the copper miza into the air then catches it extending it toward her as if to deposit it into her hand. He then sets it between the two of them. "...that's twenty copper miza in your pocket. In addition to the ale I'm already going to purchase from you. Sound fair?"

He drinks from his mug watching her closely as she weighs the options of his proposed game.

OOCTotally inspired by Game of Thrones!

[Kaie]

A Syliras native. She should've guessed. Of course his dress was traditional for the region and his appearance wouldn't really cause him to stick out of the crowd. Though there was something strangely familiar about him she couldn't quite put her finger on.

She watched him sit there with his drink, clearly quite deep in thought over what she had just said. Kaie waited with an expectant expression. Why hadn't he blurted out any of the insane rumors yet? Surely he had heard of the fiercest race in existence...The people born in the light of Myri herself. Were they not the shining example of greatness? Call her ethnocentric but she was raised to believe such thoughts. It's not like she could turn around and denounce those claims when Myri herself blessed her.

Kaie practically gawked at him. Not only was he ignorant regarding Myrians, but he hadn't a clue about Taloba. He'd heard of Falyndar once?! It was blasphemous to her culture. She couldn't decide if she should be insulted or indifferent. The woman arched a brow at him in immediate shock, but quickly her expression was relaxed again. Back to that cool barkeep.

At the suggestion of a game, Kaie's eyes lit up fiercely. Her eyes narrowed some in amusement. What exactly did this guy have up his sleeve? Kaie appraised his expression before deciding he was serious. He had a point, though. There was nothing better to occupy their time. Her bosses had called it in hours ago. She'd play.

Kaie watched him intently, translating each word carefully in her head to understand the rules of his game. He was almost poetic by taking out the coin. Theatrical more like it. It was entertaining, the way he played with it. Yet when he caught the coin she noticed his arm. Watched the bicep tense and flex when he moved it. That was when she actually noticed him. She had finally gotten past the eyes then, surveying him almost invisibly. Kaie wasn't at all obvious.

He was a fit guy. Carefully sculpted and chiseled into a muscular, athletic specimen. He appeared strong to her. A quality she naturally admired. She was actually surprised to discover he was good looking...For a barbarian.

"Fair enough. Choose your questions wisely though, friend. You might just be going home drunk and broke," She teased with a shrug, completely comfortable with the circumstances. Kaie loved games and challenges of many kinds. This one would also prove to be equally entertaining no doubt.



"Ask away."


OOCRespect. Love that show!

[Aoren]

By the look of absolute shock on her face Aoren got the feeling that she expected him to know exactly what she had been talking about. In regards to her people that is. He honestly didn't have a clue though. He meant no insult by it merely that he wasn't educated about her heritage or her customs. He took a deep drink from his mug downing the contents to just below half-full.

When he suggested his game he took note of her reaction. She was definitely a woman of confidence and chance. He could see the glint in her eyes and the defiant set to her jaw. The concealed smirk that he knew she was just itching to flash at him gave him a little bit of insight into her character right then and there.

"Game set..."

He narrowed his eyes for a moment doing his best to keep his face impassive. A face of indifference was always easy for Aoren. It was the face he wore at almost every hour of the day. The alcohol however, would make it difficult to maintain that face. He took a deep breath as he studied her visage. His eyes trailed over her physical form and the first thing he noticed were the shallow cuts on her arms. He also noticed that she favored leaning on one arm over the other.

"You're not a barmaid in your off time, are you?" He nodded with certainty then gestures lazily at the markings on her arms and her posture.

"There are cuts on your arms from a recent scuffle. You're favoring the use of one side over the other and that defiant look in your eyes says that you're not afraid to challenge someone. I'd say you're a warrior." He eyed her over the rim of his mug as he tipped back the rest of his ale in a few short gulps.

"Am I right?"

[Kaie]

Throughout his studying and meticulous glances, Kaie's expression remained completely neutral. Objective and unclear. She didn't want to betray anything she hadn't already. Besides, what fun would it be if she silently gave him all the answers? Any guess he'd simply have to work for and think about himself. She would do her best to deprive him of all else.

When he voiced what he'd noticed, Kaie couldn't help but reward him with a satisfied grin. Just a light one that twitched up the corner of her lip.

Not bad, barbarian. Not bad at all...

So he'd noticed the remains of her recent scuffle in the woods? Of course it didn't help that she wore such injuries like armor, proud of her victories as her people encouraged. She was impressed.

"You have a careful eye. Very observant. Well done you, you are indeed correct," She congratulated with an arched brow to convey her admiration. Then, as if almost self conscious about her arm favoring, she leaning both onto the table. She had come in closer though never too close. Never violating his personal space. Then with curious eyes she followed up to elaborate on what he had claimed.

"Now since you're so clever...Tell me how exactly these marks came to be," She challenged with a devilish grin, waiting to see just observant and thoughtful the man really was.

[Aoren]

Aoren smirked as she inclined her head in admiration. He chuckled when she inquired further. He toyed with the empty mug of ale in front of him for a moment before narrowing his eyes in concentration. From what he could make out from the cuts they were not recent. At least not very recent. He'd seen enough people pass through Stormhold Slaves looking for ointments to treat cuts and ease bruises to know that whatever had given her those cuts was nothing too serious. He leaned the rim of the mug against his chin before pointing it toward one on her left arm.

"From the way that cut is healing it couldn't have been a sword. I know that much. It would have gone deeper and you'd still have it bandaged. Could it have been something smaller? An arrow perhaps? Or maybe a dagger?" He shrugged but there was this sly look in his eyes.

"As for why you're favoring one arm over the other?" He propped his elbow up on the counter and rest his chin in the palm of his hand. "I couldn't say. My expertise in medicine ends there." Aoren slid the mug toward her then reached into his coin pouch and procured two more silver mizas.

"Since I am a fair man and didn't quite answer your question completely I believe that would still be just twenty copper mizas total for me and we can consider this question a win for you. Fair?"

Receipt-2 SM

[Kaie]

Kaie grinned at him, watched with a furrowed brow and amused expression as he guessed. It wasn't a bad guess at all. He was simply just a bit off target. Truthfully, she knew the meager slices on her arms had largely been by her own doings. Just a prop her employer required for her act. An appearance to set the plan in motion. Those were with a dagger. Her food knife, to be exact. The rest? Not so purposeful and with different weapons. A valiant effort on his part regardless.

"Not bad. All educated guesses. Close, too, but not quite," She allowed with an honest shrug. Her fingers reached toward the coins but did not take them. They simply tapped a few, dancing on them once. She eyed them, but made no motion to do much else.

"Since you were almost right...I'll give you a chance to earn them back. All you have to do is tell me your name," The Myrian teased with a sly smile. Her fingers suddenly splayed over the tiny pile like a dome. It was if she was shielding him from retrieving them without playing up to her demands. She watched him carefully with a challenging look, guarding his money though it was probably not much to contend for.