Flashback Tut - kids, these days.

[Jayce Asher]

Relief and anger clashed in Jayce's mind, he raised a hand, as if about to smack the Inarta for using his initiative. When he realised the Inarta was just trying to be helpful earlier, he lowered his hand, and a laugh echoed down through the trees. "I don't know. Maybe--" His own train of thought stopped him from continuing, he figured that if he jokingly asked Manx to shoot an apple off of his head, he would probably attempt it - Jayce didn't need that kind of risk, "Maybe," he started again, "Try and hit my shield from across the grass!" The idea felt like a stroke of genius to him! The shield was carefully crafted, with various ridges and indents that were designed to catch and repel arrows - the round shape help angle arrows away from it, too. The fact that the shield was made of a tough steel alloy, meant that it would withstand a hefty blow from any weapon, so if on the off chance the arrow caught the shield at the wrong (or the right angle, arguably), it would probably not damage it. Jayce had to find some way of finding out his shield's strength, since nobody in town would fight him properly to test it, and he dared not get into a real fight, in case he didn't have the skill he thought he had. Jayce wandered down to the edge of the garden, past the newly adjusted pavings, that were comfortable on the feet now. He situated the shield, angled upwards slightly (just to make sure), and facing Manx from about 30 metres away. The shield was now about 50 metres away from the house, almost at the iron portcullis that marked the end of his property. It didn't seem right to leave Manx estimating the distance, so he left a trail of candles on the way to the shield, lighting up the path; the surface of the shield was lit as well, meaning they'd both be able to see the impact better. Jayce wanted to joke about the Inarta being able to take practice at him, wearing his chestplate, but he thought better of it. "So Manx, all you have to do is shoot the shield, I want to see your accuracy, and the resistance of my beautiful defensive utility!" He didn't quite know when his father would be arriving home, but in the distance he heard signals that told him it ;was the expected time. Things like: public bells ringing; shops closing for the night and doors slamming shut after parties. It worried him that Melchior wasn't back yet (or at least that he hadn't heard him come through the front door), but he did work a lot, and perhaps he was just taking a break in a tavern. Besides, the later Melchior got home, the less likely it was that he'd encounter his friend. 'Friend', he pondered over that word, he didn't know whether or not to consider him a friend - he barely knew him. Like most things, the notion ended in an, 'Oh well', and he got back to what he was doing.

[Manx]

Though Manx wondered whether or not his arrow would be damaged by shooting something as hardily built as the shield Jayce had in mind, he decided to take faith in the fletching of his kind. Jayce began walking around the area of the shield lighting candles, Manx did notice that it was easier to see the shield now as he could see the glint of the metal under the candle's fickle light. It winked at him tauntingly from it's armoured face and Manx observed it closely. He could see the fine ridges lining it's surface and could see that this presented problems for him if he was seeking to shoot it - especially if he was seeking to damage it or prevent damage to his arrows. With this, Manx slowly relaxed the string of the bow and removed the arrow entirely, reaching up with it in hand to then slide it back into his quiver. "Nasty shield you have there for me to shoot at." Manx remarked sourly. with this he gripped a hold of a different type of arrow and removed it from his back, taking it down to the bow at hand. Lining the groove of the arrow with the bow-string, he pinched it and drew it back, lifting the bow as he did so. It took him a moment to adjust for his range, aiming directly at the target because of the extreme power that a composite bow gave the shot, especially one of Inarta make. The tip of the arrow lingered for a moment like a spider from a web and similarly as small in comparison to the bow - the tip was barely visible next to the first arrow knocked. This wicked looking nib sat on the end of the young Inarta's bow definitely would have given credit to the phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" if pointed at one's face. The bow string sliced all air in-front of it and sent the arrow shaft flying forwards towards it's target almost too quick for eyes to see. Having aimed just lower than one of the crests of the shield, the arrow bent downwards to hit the weaker parts of the shield that were hiding in the trench put up by their stronger companions and the arrow head sunk into the shield. The shaft of the arrow did not let the head stop there and pushed against it, persuading it to carry on through now that the tough outer metal had been beaten, it was only after the shaft had begun passing through the shield that it's energy dwindled and the arrow stopped for a moment. Manx's face was one of a grimace, he'd merely hoped this arrow would have hit a crest and sunk into the reinforced part a bit, hoping only to blunten his arrow tip. He had not expected to successfully impale the shield.

[Jayce Asher]

Jayce thought that his eyes deceived him, he believed it, in fact. He sometimes dismissed the evident truth, when it would otherwise bring him distress. He didn't even want to wander of the shield to check it, he simply left it, punctured and abandoned. He wanted to seem strong in front of the guest, but that shield had sentimental value. Sentimental Value. Those words didn't have a lot of meaning to Jayce, anything he wanted, he could just buy. Anything he didn't have, because it had been broken or misplaced, he just bought another version of. The first of anything that had any value to him, in that sense, was his sword. His sword was given to him by his father, Melchior, when he was only eight. He'd pretty much dedicated his future to the sword, by that point - the sword enabled him to do so. The shield had sentimental value because it was given to him by his trainer when he was seen to be 'ready' for training with it. It felt like an honour, to be given such a thing because of personal achievement - it was rare to have that happen in his case. He'd get it repaired later, but he had to look less bothered in front of Manx, because he didn't want to seem like a weak person. Suddenly, Jayce was bombarded with emotion. -Bang- The front door slammed shut! He quickly ran to the garden, whispering behind him as he projected his voice, "Follow me, quickly!" He kicked his shield aside as he ran forward, kicking down the gate quickly, as he'd practised many times before. He'd learned from being a young child how to kick the gate at a certain angle, the angle necessary to unlock it. It damaged the lock, but it swung open quickly enough for him to get through whilst controlling the momentum. He found it much easier to make this manoeuvre now that he'd had some acrobatic training. Only hoping that Manx had followed him, he kept his eyes forward, darting down the narrow alleys and betweens of houses. He suddenly ducked behind a low shelter, that was designed as a rain cover for a small back alley market stall. He got his breath back, having used a great deal of energy to get here so fast. He had no weapons, only his fancy clothing to serve him while out in the streets in the dark. He considered some options to pass time, now that he was left with a teenager in the blackened-by-night city. 'Maybe I over-panicked at my dad's arrival', he thought, 'I definitely shouldn't have broken the padlock'.

[Manx]

After twisting around to regard Jayce with a sort of apologetic facial expression, he could see the struggle on the man's face and though he would usually doubt that Jayce felt much sentimentality about anything: it did seem that he was more annoyed than Manx had expected about the damage dealt to the shield. Though he little idea why, Manx was suddenly filled with adrenaline - as if he really had come here to rob this household all along. It definitely felt that way as he felt his feet pound against the ground and his heart pound against his chest. Manx found it strange how Jayce then kicked his precious shield out of the way, but he guessed that it was just the adrenaline of the situation - what was the situation? Running over to the dark alleyway that Jayce had paused in, he saw no-need to duck down as his companion had, since they were now out of sight of the house. Was that not where he lived? Manx was confused and worried about the fact that some of his belongings still remained within the household. After a few deep gasps for breath and a yawn, Manx managed to control his breathing enough to loud nasal inhaling and exhaling and enough to be able to talk. "Why are we running from your house?" Manx asked with a mixture of confusion and accusation, he managed to frown at Jayce but there was little conviction behind the gesture. "So what are we going to do now?" Manx said with a genuine tone. He looked around, trying to see what sort of an alleyway they were in as his eyes adjusted to the poor lighting surrounding him. "Sorry about your shield as well" he said quite awkwardly, looking down at the floor as he said it.

[Jayce Asher]

"Hah, don't worry about it, my friend!" He felt more genuine about the way he thought about him, as if they've already bonded enough to consider themselves in a friendship. "We're going to make you familiar with both myself, and, the locals!" He started to describe his plan, to go and get a drink in one of his favourite places, and he threw in the odd hint about women, and told Manx of how he wanted the young Inarta to be familiar with them, as they'd be his future from now on. He didn't exactly know why he did it, but he began to act like a father to Manx, or at least an older brother. He felt like it was his duty to bring up the Inarta child properly. By tonight, if he never saw the Inarta again afterwards, he wanted to make sure he knew a thing or two about the women of Zeltiva. "We're going to go to the finest bar in Zeltiva, my friend!" He started off down the dark alley, with his fists up (as if he was trying to put across the message that he knew the first thing about defending himself without a sword - which he didn't). After getting his wits about him, he realised that he was going in the completely wrong direction. A few minutes passed while he tried to escape the alleys and back-streets, and eventually he came out of a rather messy, littered passageway, opposite a spectacular looking Inn. He didn't bother introducing the inn by its true name, he only stood before it and announced to his partner, "This, is the Inn of Thirst Quenching Delight and Fantastic Harlots, my good man!" Crossing the cobbled path, he entered the building, and song filled his ears. In the far right corner of a room, a band was assembled, travelling musicians of different genders and races. One of them stuck out in Jayce's mind, an attractive lady, with long, blonde hair - she looked a fair bit younger than Jayce, perhaps around 20. He didn't fancy risking it, though, as it would mean separating her from the band - and there would be no aid given by alcohol. He scouted ahead quickly with swift glances from side to side, taking into account all of the women, and the men they were with. Not seeing anyone of fancy to begin with, he approached the bar. "Anything that will get me well and truly off it!" He didn't stop to collect his drink yet, but he figured that he'd not need to for a little while - until it was ready. He wandered down through the tables, moving around cautiously, but with a certain style that made him all the more approachable. As he bended around chairs and squeezed through tables set close together, he eventually found himself a table of women - he pulled up a chair without being invited, and summoned Manx to sit by his side. "Allow me, ladies, to introduce you to my new friend!" He gestured at the lady on his left, and grasped her hand gently, looking into her eyes when he whispered, "And for you, I might be able to introduce you to something special?" He raised an eyebrow, as he typically did in these situations. He then rose from his seat, wandering around the table, and allowing a finger to slide along the woman's back in a tantalising manner. He walked down towards the bar to collect his drink, and clasped a hand around the tankard when he got there. Of the four women on the table, the girl he'd engaged in conversation with was the only one he hadn't already had interactions with. It wasn't because she was particularly unattractive, she was just about as good looking as the other girls, it was just that he'd seen less of her around. He'd literally almost slept with every wealthy girl in Zeltiva, though, and ran out of women to have affairs with. Again, his thought train ended in a simple, 'Oh well' - he knew, that like with everything, it would work out for the best in the end.

[Manx]

The word 'friend' rung out in Manx's mind as something he had not heard for a very long time and for a moment he let his heart sink in memory, before he grabbed the sensation and let himself realize that he had, perhaps, found a companion - one unlike any he had met before. Manx did wonder how women would be his future, though. Manx adjusted his bow by letting his head slip under the string, the bow clanked against the quiver on his back as he moved forwards - letting Jayce lead him to this tavern that he said he enjoyed. Taking a moment to observe Jayce's shadow boxing, Manx wondered if this evening would be a safe one, as he thought the shadows in this alley themselves, were more threatening than Jayce's display of flourishes. Following Jayce for some time, Manx realized that the pair had, in-fact completely turned around and wondered if they would even get to the inn they sought, but then Jayce turned out of the alleyways and Manx stood in-front of quite a high-class looking tavern - nothing like the ones he had crossed or stayed in over the past years. Manx heard Jayce's naming of the inn, but doubted it was it's true name. As he entered the inn on Jayce's tail, he felt the song rush into his mind and the heat of the building roared in his face as well as the smell of alcohol. Though it would usually be too much for one as young as himself to take-in the young Inarta's blood roared with life at the party atmosphere, like he belonged here. Manx tried to see what Jayce was looking about so much for and could only see women around him: he felt like he deserved a slap in the face when he realized that Jayce had practically told him they were coming here for women. Re-scanning the room, as if it were a totally different place, Manx began to pick out quite a number of good-looking women and wondered if Jayce saw everywhere and everything in this shallow manner. Manx was taken aback as he spotted the young-looking women with blonde hair, the woman's hair descended gracefully down to about chest height and every part of the light-soaking material was bending in a different direction, it was if the hair was an illusion and it entranced Manx. He looked away from her hair and found nothing to fault at all, her eyes were sparkling and deep green, her face was light and supple looking and pale, her lips were huge contrast as they were a bright red. As if slapping himself awake, he turned around to find Jayce again and spotted him making his way across the room from the bar. He wondered why he was walking so strange and thought that perhaps he had already become intoxicated. When Jayce sat down at the table, Manx took a look at those situated on the other seats around it and noticed that they were all attractive women. Seeing Jayce summon him over, Manx for a moment felt a rush in his stomach like something important were happening - though he was only going to sit at an ordinary table at a slightly high-class inn. Focusing on what the usual thing to do in this situation would be, Manx simply strolled over and pulled the chair backwards from the table a distance and then sat himself down into it, the chair was on the right-side of Jayce and he could see that Jayce had already engaged with a girl to his left. Almost as soon as Manx had sat down, Jayce stood up again and walked away from the table and the women besides the one he had been conversing with looked to Manx. There were three other women: one of them had darker skin and darker hair to match, black in-fact, and it was balled up on the back of her head, strand of wavy hair fell out of the ball in mimicked roughness, but it was too neatly done to be a true mistake: Manx observed. Another women had blonde hair like the girl on the stage, except that her hair was no-where near as curly as her's and her skin was not as soft-looking nor as pale. The third girl had light brown hair and eyes that were wide and open and made Manx's heart-rate rise just a tad as they looked into his eyes. As if completely entranced, half by his own blood and half by the look of the brunette in-front of him, Manx said in a soft, not too controlled voice "You are truly beautiful". He blushed as a finish to his own words, the red-ness in his skin was fainter than that of his hair and made the colour stronger in the faint light that made it round to his face. The women giggled and said a prolonged 'Awww'. Because of course - Manx was quite young. He managed to smile awkwardly at the girl whilst they talked with one another and glanced back at him.

[Jayce Asher]

Jayce was owed a personal favour by the bartender, who was (to help you understand the situation), an attractive female. Because of the favour, Jayce was allowed to take the drink, without needing to pay for it. It was a good job too, because he'd left all of his money in his trouser pocket, that was now in his bedroom. He sipped at it as he wandered down to the table again, and gently placed the the tankard in front of him as he squeezed in between two of the women. He gestured at Manx, and looked rather pleased with him when he saw the woman giggling. "I see you've already made your self acquainted with Fawn!" He then leaned in to Manx from across the table, and whispered loudly, as if only pretending to whisper. "She's lovely isn't she?" His intention was to let Fawn think that she overheard him, when really it was an indirect compliment. He then returned to his seat, and took a small swig of his beverage. "Do you know what I like?" He started, and then threw in the comment, "Except for you girls, of course!" His eyes shifted to Zoe when he said this, who was the woman he'd started talking to at the beginning. "I like alcohol!" His aim was to encourage the women to get a drink, and it almost worked as he'd imagined. The girls were laughing at the build up, for something as simple as an appreciation for alcohol. He then took Zoe's hand and stood up, implying that he wanted her to rise. When they were both on their feet, he let go of he hand, so that it fell awkwardly to her side. Jayce took his right hand, and brushed back her hair behind her ear, "What can I buy you, my lady?" His voice was as it normally was - developed to be an alluring and masculine voice over the years. At first, he had to practice his voice, to make it sound more appealing - suppressing his vocals so that he had changed his voice completely. Now, it came naturally to him, and it was actually a bit more of a struggle to speak in the voice he was born with. When the girl replied, requesting for a rather expensive beverage, Jayce conformed. He wandered down to the bar, where he set his hands on the wood and leaned in close to the bartender's ear, "Listen, could you get me a drink?" He explained the situation with his money, and offered to pay her back with more than it would cost anyway. Eventually, the drink was ready, and he brought it back to Zoe. "Oh, my lady! This drink smells sweeter than you?" He spoke in a questioning tone, as if he wasn't agreeing with himself. He then leaned in to the woman, and inhaled deeply, "Oh no, I was wrong - you are the sweetest smell here." He was trying particularly well to seduce this woman, because he wanted to look more charming in front of the other women, too: just in case things failed with Zoe. He noticed Manx looking rather impressed with the place, and could see the excitement filling him with a warmth. The heat of the tavern varied greatly from the chilling outside, and there was definitely no wind in the building. The smell was that of alcohol, mixed with assorted fruity aromas. It was definitely a classier building than most of the taverns, though the principle was the same. Flowers hung from the walls in handwoven baskets, and unlike the common tavern, the walls were decorated with gold swirls, painted on a white background. Jayce liked the furnishings, but never detached himself from the conversation - he wasn't the type of person to appreciate things like that. Instead, Jayce kept his eyes fixed on to Zoe's, under the table, he locked his right hand with her left.

[Manx]

Manx sat on the chair with his back quite straight against it's wooden frame, he'd never really been taught to do so for posture - he just did it sub-consciously and had never really noticed. Manx decided to take off his coat to better suit the warmer insides of the tavern and did just that. He unbuttoned the front of his coat and shrugged his arms out of his sleeves, the coat still clung to his body some what from the bow-string and quiver's straps but he quite easily took his hand back, tilting the bow and quiver off of his back for a moment to let the Katinu fall onto the back of the chair. Manx was now topless in the inn, which was quite different to the rest of the people in there - dressed up as if they wanted to show skin but felt that everyone else in the room thought it rude. He leaned forwards and rested both fore-arms onto the table, his vambraces glinted in the light of the inn and made the Sontavs lining his wrist darker in comparison. As Jayce leaned down next to him, Manx almost jumped at his appearance but managed not to - he was quite confused when Jayce whispered quite loudly in his ear but smirked when he read into the content of the 'whisper'. His face lit in agreement with the statement and Manx found himself regarding 'Fawn' with his eyes without any motion from his neck allowing them so. His eyes lingered on her neck, seeing the delicate muscles lining her soft skin. He lifted his eyes up to her eyes again and found himself swallowing, his throat independent from his mind for a moment - now being host to a solid lump that wasn't really there. Manx felt the attention of the table slipping away from this incident and inclined his head to look at Jayce lifting the blonde-haired woman from the table. Manx thought Jayce was quite alike to a bird for that moment, dancing about and doing strange traditions that he had built into him to gain the attention of the female - Manx thought it quite strange, but the familiar thoughts of home brought a warmer, less lustful smile to his face. Feeling his attention being drawn to the brunette across the table once again, who was regarding Manx occasionally with an expression he had no clue how to read, he feared he would succumb to his Inarta blood again. That was before Jayce came back over, he sat down to the left of Manx - where he'd sat originally - and Manx guessed he was still using some technique on the blonde girl next to him. Whilst Manx was distracted again by Jayce, Fawn questioned herself about the young man - he wasn't from around here, nor was he particularly old, but he did not feel like a child at all.

[Jayce Asher]

The reaction of the girl, Zoe, showed Jayce that she'd had a little bit of alcohol before the pair of them arrived. She must have been out looking for a partner, because she was the only one of the four girls that payed an interest to Jayce specifically. He had the blonde just where he wanted her, and he took a moment to absorb her appearance. She wore a white gown, that didn't stand out a lot in the bar, due to the colour of the wallpaper. It wasn't in Jayce's nature to seek out these kinds of women - the women that didn't especially try to be enticing - but he had to allow Manx the freedom of choice as to who he made interactions with. Her gown covered all of her legs to Jayce's knowledge, and it actually brushed against the back of Jayce's hand while he gracefully held her fingers beneath the table. It was made of a silk, so he knew that she had money - money was good, because it meant that there was no embarrassment in reaching intimacy with her. He couldn't see under the table, and he didn't want to appear perverted by looking, so he didn't know what she wore on her feet. The girls had never seen him wearing the clothes he did. It must have been strange for them suddenly being approached by a more 'natural' looking Jayce and an unfamiliar foreign Inarta boy. The blonde's hair didn't curl as it fell on her shoulders, it was straight, as if little effort had been put into grooming it. The woman's body was an exception to her look. She had a toned body, which the tight gown revealed. Her arms (that stuck out through short sleeves), were a pleasing colour to Jayce's eye, and not hands nor nails were far from his idea of perfect. As her fingers caressed his hand's posterior, he became more under the impression that she was ready for Jayce to take the next step in his quest for copulation. He turned his head to hers, and whispered softly in her ear, "So, what time's father expecting his princess back?" Rich girls were spoiled, and parents always referred to their daughters as 'princesses' - when Jayce used the term, her eyes lit up, it felt more genuine coming from him. He moved his hand and hers onto her leg, positioned so that his thumb could curl around the fabrics of her dress. He did it in such a manner that it was barely recognised by her, as he was subtle in the movements, and introduced a conversation at the same time. "I'm glad we all met, here! I have to say, this tavern is remarkable, and you are my favourite girls in the town!" He definitely admired Manx at this point - he had been so involved with the girls for the time they'd been here. Although Manx hadn't made any significant progress towards physical interactions with the ladies, he had definitely learned a thing or two about them! The heat became harder for Jayce to bear, but he left his coat on. Jayce looked much better with his coat on, and it would allow women something to marvel at. Also, the moisture, and blood flow in his body, would make for more interesting intimacy later. "Father's not home," was her introduction, "This princess has her castle all to herself tonight!" Although he doubted it, he didn't really care - his overwhelming thought was that Manx would need somewhere to go once they'd spent the night out, and by what he heard, it seemed like Zoe wanted him to sleep at her house. He'd finished his drink, and looked beside him to see that she had finished hers, too. He took his hand away from her leg, as if he was becoming less interested. "Manx, my friend, would you care to invite one of these ladies to keep you company tonight?" He honestly wanted an escape from the girl by his side, and although he kept their fingers mingling, and even their legs moving against one another, he felt like he'd fallen into a hole. "By that, I mean of course, that you are more than welcome to stay at Asher Manor tonight." He then promptly added, "If you don't have other things to do, that is!"

[Manx]

Manx's attention was almost completely removed from Jayce at this point in the night, Fawn had obviously decided to think less ( or think more in one way ) of Manx's age and rested her fingers against the little of his right fore-arm that was bare. His face lit up red again at the woman's touch and Manx felt warmth spreading throughout his body. Looking down at Fawn's hand as it moved very slightly over his arms, Manx gazed at the soft skin that covered it and with a smooth, slow motion - moving his left hand up from the table and gently down onto it. His fingers traced the soft skin, he couldn't stop himself from breathing out quite deeply. He looked back up from the hand within his own to see Fawn smiling at his actions, thinking them strange but quite enjoyable. Manx managed a smirk, the woman's eyes meeting his own. Just as Manx thought he had become accustomed to the situation and was mentally comfortable once again, Fawn's legs rubbed up past both of his own, even through the baggy trousers of his Bryda, he could feel her soft-skin as it ran up the insides of both of his calves. His breathing deepened to the point where he almost choked at Jayce's words 'Would he like to invite one of them around to the manor?'. Manx began a number of sentences but had no way to develop any of them "W- I... don't think..." he said in a jumble of words, it was Fawn that interrupted him - to his surprise - with an incredibly amorous tone she said "I guess I could go with the little cutie". As Manx tried to turn to look at Fawn, he felt a severe burning sensation in both his head and his stomach and by the time he turned to the woman his vision had become tunneled and he was not looking at her face like he'd have expected - but her neck. His vision was filled with her soft, glistening neck and then as his head sunk further his eyes fell upon her breast and with a thump of his heart he was taken away from the world altogether: his vision fading away into blackness as his head thumped into the wood of the table.