Friendly Conversations [Caela]

[Jaka]

6th of Summer, 514AV

The Pig’s Foot was as usual the Pig’s Foot. It had drink. It had chairs and it had people. But for once Jaka was paying no heed to the people or, for that matter, the time. As a someone who was too old to be that dumb she should have left before Syna had given way to Leth. Yet, she hadn’t. The Kelvic had wanted to practice her spying and there really was no better place than a Tavern. For a suspicious lot Sunberthians were predictable, including Jaka, secrets came and went in the ears of the Pig’s Foot walls. This night, Jaka had hoped to be those ears. Instead she’d gone and got herself a drink.

So the Kelvic had drank. “Only one, just one little, tiny, teeny, itty-bitty drink.” Jaka said to herself liquidly. It had made her tongue feel like it belonged to someone else then made her head beat, beat, beat. Her vision, not the best, had gotten worse and talking was harder than it should’ve been. The cherry on the cake was how her hearing grew fuzzy. Logically, another drink was the cure.

Except, it wasn’t. Jaka felt her whole body take on the fuzzy. It was as if her body were simultaneously made nothing and several rocks. She didn’t even manage to finish the second one because her stomach had even begun to protest the pure liquid diet. And so she sat. Slumped against one of the least crowded tables in the tavern, hidden amongst the many other Sunberthians. No one seemed to pay her much mind but they also didn’t say anything that caught her interest. Just the usual complaints.

Too much ale.

Not enough money.

Tourists.

Work.

What could she use any of those for? You couldn’t blackmail someone with his or her lack of money. Hardly anyone had money! These thoughts swam fuzzily while she sulked further and further into her chair. The bones on her back tinked until she was almost entirely on the floor and suddenly it wasn’t as comfortable as it had been. Jaka made to push herself up but found a hand grasping hers to help. Immediately she jerked away. Her teeth bit down on air while she spoke, trying to bit the offending limb. “Oh no, no, no. No touching.”

“Look at that, she’s got some teeth on her!”

Jaka glared at the man, or rather, the two men. One had already dropped his hand while the other held her wrist in an confident easy grasp. The angle was too hard for her to pull her arm up. She used her free hand to search for her daggers and heard the onlookers snicker.

“Whaddya want a scrawny thing like that for.”

The answer was vulgar even by Sunberths standards and Jaka flushed warmly. This time when she pulled it surprised the other just enough for her to step back.

“You’re not doing anything because I’m not leaving the tavern no, no, no and, and, and…” Her brain stopped short, forced into repeating the words over and over. There was something she could do. Something to flee. But she couldn’t remember what. Jaka seemed to curl in on herself, hers elbows coming together while she flashed her too big teeth. She took a step back towards the table with a weak squeak in the back of her throat. It was meant to be a warning but sounded more like a whimper. The Kelvic began to pat the table, looking for her mug to throw but didn’t dare take her eyes off the two men. Strangely it was quiet one who made her more wary with his watchful eyes and set mouth. The other was too loud and brash, a drunk, her brain supplied pointlessly. Her hand curled around the mug.

“Don’t be throwing that now, wouldn’t want to start something you can’t finish. So how about you just let us buy you a refill?”

[Caela Dorin]

A scowl had found itself fixed upon Caela's face. Nobody was paying any attention to her right now so she didn't have to smile and shoot suggestive looks at the men around her. She wasn't working, she was drinking, or rather trying to drink. Her entry into the tavern had made her look around her in horror and disgust. Packed. People were absolutely everywhere. People along the bar, people crowded around tables, people standing all around the place. It was almost enough to make her turn around and go straight back out again, to go home and sit miserably with a candle or go to bed early. But no, she wanted that drink and she wasn't going to let a crowd chase her away from it.

Striding up to the bar confidently wasn't on the agenda because it wasn't possible to get to it without weaving around and dodging groups of drunken customers. Such a gait would have turned some heads but it would have also sent a message: this girl is way out of your league. Instead, she had to count herself lucky that she could even reach the bar to shoulder her way through the men who clung to it like limpets.

"Drink," she told Merv shortly, lip curling disdainfully as a man fell slowly sideways towards her shoulder. It wasn't an intentional act on his part, he was too drunk to have any control anymore. The young woman heaved against him when he came too close, sending him toppling into the lap of the man beside him. The dancer didn't hang around longer than that, gratefully taking her drink and making a hasty retreat from the bar. Her retreat didn't go to far as she had nowhere in particular that she wanted to go, just far enough away from the limpet drunks. There was no hope of an empty table with it this packed and while there were spaces at some of the tables, she wasn't willing to join the wrong sort of crowd. She couldn't just stand around either or else, she'd attract the sort of attention that she wasn't in the mood for right now. She didn't want some idiot to try chatting her up. Besides, Merv probably wouldn't appreciate it if she bled out one of his patrons because he pissed her off. Looking for a seat at the better sort of table was her only option.

Eyes scanned the clusters of humanity, weighing each individual up as she moved about the room, unwilling to stay still while she looked. Nowhere seemed particularly appealing and she was worried that she'd just have to stand around until her drink was gone and make her escape from this hai hole. A quiet night wasn't on the cards tonight, at least not in the tavern.

Close by, a girl who'd had far too much to drink, spilled off her chair and onto the floor. Caela closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. Did the girl have no sense? Did she not realise how easily she could be taken advantage of if she allowed herself to get too drunk? Maybe she didn't care, maybe she was naive, or wasn't from around here although men could be just as dangerous outside Sunberth in the same situation. When her eyes opened, she found that the drunk girl had attracted two men. They'd be the wrong sort of course, not the sort to help a girl out of the goodness of their hearts. Their target seemed to have realised that though as she tried to back away from them, her eyes shifting from glazed to alert and back again as she tried to fight the drink haze. Hand scrabbling the table behind her for some sort of weapon, nobody coming to her aid. The dancer could just turn around, turn her back on the poor girl and mind her own business. This kind of thing happened all the time. Those were the things she told herself but yet she knew the fear the girl was experiencing, could empathise entirely. She couldn't stand by and pretend that nothing was happening.

The dancer had brought herself over to the table before she could talk herself out of doing something. Caela ended up between the two parties, partly blocking the girl from view as she looked at the men in revulsion. One was all talk, a drunk, throwing his weight around where it wasn't wanted. He could probably be dealt with easily enough. Even if he was the type inclined to fight, the dancer would be able to evade him, or so she hoped. The other had a calculating air about him as if he was weighing the situation and working out how to get the outcome he wanted out of it. He gave her the creeps.

"Why don't you both petch off when you're not wanted?" she said coolly, getting straight to the point. The drunk guffawed, obviously finding her attempt to scare him off very funny. The other didn't share the drunk's humour,. He looked annoyed at her interference. "Why don't you petch off, you little tart? You're the only one not wanted around here. We're doing just fine," the quiet one shot back, his eyes dark pools of malice. He wasn't a good one to cross at all. Even if she could get him thrown out, Caela could see him as the type to hang around to wait to follow her home later to get his revenge. There was no way of appeasing him now, she thought and she didn't appreciate him calling her a tart either.

She moved closer to him, her voice coming out as a hiss. "Get out of my sight before I get you thrown out. I work here and if you endanger me or I say you did, Merv will have you out on your ear." As she spoke, she removed the dagger from her belt, her fingers wrapping around the hilt, ready to use it or threaten with it if necessary. It was a good thing that she had because the quiet one stepped closer to her as well, too close. He probably would have grabbed her or hit her, if he hadn't found the point of the belt suddenly pressing against the soft flesh of his belly. The hatred and rage in his eyes made her cold but she stared back at him, her eyes a challenge. The dancer exhaled in relief when he stepped back, grabbing his friend and dragging him away in the process.

Turning to the girl, she regarded her critically. She was a slip of a thing, scrawny, teeth on her like a rat. They'd gone after her because there was an opportunity, not because she was particularly pretty. "You all right?" Caela asked, slipping the dagger back into its rightful place.

x

[Jaka]

Jaka raised the mug to sent if flying into her nuisances face but a head of bright color hair stopped her. The mug slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor with a crack. Not broke but not to be used again. In front of her she watched the pieces of shyke gain a new target. Jaka debated leaving. Arguing as they were no one would notice but her ears caught a piece of information that stopped her. Works here? I can use works here. Free drinks. Hidey place. Yes, yes, yes. She thought. But it brought a new question to her sobering mind.

Maybe she is a trickster. Working here and helping? A bred Sunberthian helping? Her eyes narrowed and her mouth stayed open in a silent hiss. Not a pretty picture for the onlookers. But there weren't many left, bored with the lack of action people had already turned away. Now they jeered at the shyke heads. Calling them poor for being afraid of a woman and a skeleton. For a tick Jaka did not answer but eventually her lips pulled down over her teeth as she gave the other girl an eye interrogation. To Jaka she looked well-kept, someone who didn't belong. "Fine, fine. Why did you help? What do you want? I don't have money for you, no, no, no."

The Kelvis eyes followed the dagger warily, and her defensive posture didn't change. Her mind was beginning to clear but her body was still wobbling somewhat. She was forgetting something, that much she knew but her brain couldn't be bothered to remember what it was. When she was done here she'd only be drinking in the privacy of her tent. Speaking of her drink, Jaka looked at her feet. Her shoes were covered in what had been left of her beer and she cursed. Forgetting her rescuer to shake off her boots. "Petch, petch, petch." She hummed to herself. However, she was soon reminded of the other woman when she spotted a pair of dainty legs.

Whether it was the past shock of the situation setting in or the ale settling badly Jaka began to feel hot all over. She avidly avoided eye contact with the other woman while her body grew more and more restless. Her hands jerked, as did her legs to dodge imaginary blows. Her wiggled with the smell of her own agitation. The Kelvic wiped sweaty palms on her shirt then took another step back. Her gaze flitted up to her saviors or soon to be killers, as was more likely, with clear confusion that bordered on panic as to what she was to do next.

“Not drinking anymore, going to leave, go home, not be here, and you are going to work. But not them, they’ll wait outside, yes, yes, yes. Can’t leave yet, need weapon. Can I keep the mug?”

It was blurted out in a rush of agitation, her teeth flashed again but without a target. Finally Jaka made to step around the other woman, mug in hand and mentally checking off how much it would cost so she could write it in her book later that night. If she made it home.

[Caela Dorin]

A skeleton they had called her and a skeleton she most certainly was. Scrawny certainly didn't do her justice. She was far too thin, far too... hollow looking. Caela wasn't exactly plump but she was always careful to make sure that she kept her curves filled out. She still looked too skinny for someone so well fed with what her dancing burned off but she must look fat beside this girl and many of Sunberth's occupants. Maybe that was why the waif looked at her so strangely, she must look too well off to her, suspiciously so.

The laughs and jeers of the nearby patrons still filled her ears as they continued to joke about what had just happened. The young woman tried to block them out, leaning closer so that she could catch the other's muttered words. The girl did regard her help suspiciously. She obviously was looking for an ulterior motive behind Caela's actions and for once she didn't actually have one, a first for her. This one was not naive then and more than aware of the darker objectives that many in Sunberth had. The muttering of money almost made her laugh but she bit it back, not sure what such a thing would mean to this drunk and paranoid girl. She'd thought that the dancer was going to rob her or something, fleece her. Did she look like a con artist? Perhaps in this one's eyes she did but certainly not to her own.

Still on the defensive, the woman she'd rescued seemed to have been wary of her dagger. It was safely away not but yet her gaze still flickered to it like it was a coiled snake, ready to strike at any moment. Maybe she'd had more than just drink this evening. Her reactions seemed to bizarre to be simply caused by alcohol. But then looking down she saw the remains of the girl's drink, beer sloshed all over the other's shoes. She had second thoughts then. It may taste foul but Merv's beer was exceptionally strong and she had seen some have adverse reactions to it before. It wasn't outside of the realm of possibility then so perhaps she wasn't on drugs.

The sudden and spasmodic movements that erupted from the girl made her reconsider. It was like she was fending off invisible enemies, attacking people that only she could see and Caela took a wary step back. She would jump to the defense of someone completely barmy. That was her luck. She did something out of the goodness of her heart for once in her life and she got landed with an absolute lunatic. The idea of just walking away now before she got anymore involved crossed her mind but she couldn't take her eyes away from the weird jerking. It reminded her of a puppet she had once seen with the strings that controlled its limbs all tangled up. It certainly a grotesque image to apply to something in real life but she couldn't help but make the connection.

The confusion of limbs ended as suddenly as it had started as if the puppeteer had gotten everything straightened out again. The girl still seemed insane, her short clipped speech and the way she seemed to half speak to herself seeming to point that way. Aware enough to know that the men would wait, something that Caela agreed with but only on the part of the quiet man. He would stay although his brash friend didn't seem as patient or as interested, even if he had been embarrassed. He might have been too drunk to even notice that anything was amiss. She didn't think that it was wise to let the nutter outside just yet anyway.

"No, I don't think you should drink anymore. Except water, you should drink that. Clear your head a bit," she explained, approaching the other cautiously in an attempt to bring her over to the bar. "Once you've sobered up a bit, Merv can get someone to bring you home. Bring us both home. Someone who can attack men with something more than a mug. Think you should put your one down. Don't want you clocking yourself in the head now, do we?" Her fingers made to wrap around the mug to pull the weapon from her hands before she did something else stupid and bizarre. She was hoping that the girl wouldn't overreact and attack her or try to fight her off. Remembering the girl's over large teeth, she hoped that she wouldn't be the sort inclined to bite. That would seriously hurt, she knew. Those teeth looked sharp and a bite from them was the very last thing that she needed. As a result, she was almost treating the girl like a wild animal. She almost was like one!

Hopefully she doesn't act any more like a cornered rat, she thought grimly.

x

[Jaka]

Jaka cocked her head. The advice was sound, and did not sound layered with any ill intent. So obviously the other woman was lying. Which also meant she should drink more ale. But that idea didn’t sit well with the Kelvic, her stomach still roiled with the queasy yet pleasant warmth from her last drink and she hadn’t even finished it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the other approached. In response she nearly scrambled up and over the chair. Her inebriated state did not allow it so she only accomplished tripping over the chair. Jaka caught herself on the table, rattling the other occupants drinks.

“Watch it!”

“Stupid girl!”

The Kelvic chatter her teeth at them threateningly. They waved her off, returning to their own drinking and Jaka returned her attention to what she saw as the cause of her current troubles. Now that other woman had her mug, Jaka gave a low sound of agitation. But without the cup she had no reason to stay at the table. Not to mention she did want to go home, her shoulders were slumped now though. She forced her lips back over her teeth once more then nodded jerkily at the woman. “Yes, yes. Water now, you go first, I won’t give anyone my back, not never, ever.” Jaka even had the audacity to make a frantic shooing motion and where she had once been pulling away she now began to crowd in the blond haired woman’s space to urge her faster. Her teeth snapped but unfortunately she was still not coordinated enough to aim. They closed on nothing but air. The snap of them jarred her drink scrambled brain. It brought another piece of information forward and her hands fluttered in the air. “Your know where I live? Oh, no, no, no. You can’t know where I live. I don’t like that. I don’t like you. I don’t live anywhere so I just want water, to drink. Then I can go; you can’t look when we go. No looky-looking!”

Again Jaka cut herself off abruptly upon realizing they were likely nearing the bar. People would be listening. For whatever petty reasons they had. The Kelvic could not trust them, and she couldn’t trust her limbs to do as they were told. It left one choice but she didn’t like it. It made her panic at the thought of someone touching her things, being near her home. Her hands opened and closed rapidly. She’d have to trust her blond rescuer. Jaka smacked her lips and found a mug in her hand, pressed in by another barmaid. The glass was clutched so hard her finger nails ached against the glass. She brought it to her nose, sniffed it the licked the edge quickly. Nothing tasted strange to her. Just the usual plain, dirty water. She drank it quickly, in loud gulps. It was luke-warm and did little to nothing to cool her down in the crowded tavern but it made her stomach heavy enough that that curling in her stomach didn’t curl so much.

When she finished she held it out to the blond like a child waiting to be praised for doing well. “I drank water. We can go now. Oh, yes, yes, yes.” To bely all she said, Jaka wobbled in place. She may feel better but the rest of her certainly didn't.

[Caela Dorin]

She didn't try to bite or attack her, instead opting for a very clumsy retreat by trying to go over a chair. Caela didn't particularly care that the girl had fallen into a table because she'd relinquished her mug so she was no longer armed although she still might be dangerous. If she decided to attack, the dancing was hoping that sh'd be able to defend herself by strength alone. Perhaps the girl would decide to come with her without a fuss but from what she'd seen so far she wasn't hopeful. The woman sighed. She should have walked away when she had the chance. This one was definitely not right in the head.

When the girl stripped her teeth at her, Caela took a step away from her but she nodded and agreed to come and get water. More than that, she ushered the dancer ahead of her, apparently paranoid about having anyone behind her. The young woman hurried towards the bar, eager to get this youth as sober as possible. She didn't quite get close enough, sending a barmaid that she knew, Romilda, to get a glass of water instead. The water couldn't come fast enough as the other was muttering things that the dancer had to respond to with great patience. Patience wasn't always her strong point.

"No, I don't know where you live, I'd never seen you before tonight. I just meant that you can show us where you live so that we can get you home safely," she growled back through clenched teeth. The girl was truly nuts if she thought that Caela was going to come home with her and not look at where she was going. The girl was an enigma, very bizarre. The blonde wondered just how often she'd come into contact with people because she was acting almost like a... animal. She'd heard that people could go that way if they'd been isolated for awhile. They forgot how to behave around others.

The stranger fell silent as they got closer to the bar and Caela sighed with relief as she saw Romilda wending her way towards them with the glass of water. She gestured to the girl beside her so that the barmaid would know who it was for. Her job completed, Romilda gave her a nod and made her way back up to Merv. The dancer stopped, waiting for the girl to drink the water. It would probably take a few glasses and a half bell or so before she was fully right but they'd have to work up to that. She had to ensure that the girl would actually drink it.

Her reaction to the glass of mostly clear liquid was unusual. It was clear that she didn't trust it as she licked at the inside of the glass. It was not a normal human reaction at all. If she hadn't been watching she would have missed it. The tongue only darted out briefly, snake-like as she tasted to see if it was safe. If something had been put into it, did she think that she would taste it? Sunberth's water had a... distinctive taste that was likely to mask anything put into it, Caela thought but the girl didn't seem to think the same way. She downed it anyway, apparently eager to go home despite all the things she had said.

Her words made Caela snort. "You are joking, right? You can't even stand straight. Drink more water and wait. Then we'll see if you're somewhat sober. When you can walk straighter then we'll think about going, all right?" she said, her voice firm. She wasn't going to take no for an answer.

x

[Jaka]

“But—“ Jaka held her tongue. I don’t want to show you where I live, don’t wanna. She thought petulantly but she logically knew they didn’t have to take her home. Jaka would lead them towards her house but not to it. It wouldn’t be hard, a tent was a tent and no one without one went far into the tent city. The Kelvic turned to leave but found the flow of people around, the strong stench of sweat and ale made her too antsy to shift properly. She was tired and hungry. Neither made for a shift at all. “I can stand straight, I can, I can. You are just not standing straight. You’re always moving, I know you now. You do that dancing here.”

And she did. Remember her form colorful blurs at the edge of her vision while she spied in on more interesting things. “You can’t tell me what to do, you can’t. I’m not a pup, no, no, no. Give me more water and I will show you straight. Give me.”

Jaka made a ‘give it’ motion with her hands, and was given another mug. But this mug wasn’t water, as one quick swig told her. It was more ale. Tilting her head this way and that she shrugged and promptly seen her escape route. With a little jerk of her hand she threw the liquid in the general direction of her savior. Except the blond was no longer her savior but an obstacle stopping Jaka from getting home. Reason told the Kelvic that this was not a proper fight to pick. It warned her that the men from before might follow her. Again and again.

But she was already dropping the cup and trying to push her way through the crowd. She thought it was like trying to get through a wall. A wall of sweaty shoving, boney people. Her feet refused to do what she demanded up them and it took only several short steps for Jaka to feel a sharp crack to her when someone stood up.

Colors burst behind her eyes and she crumpled. It wasn’t a hard blow but it was enough for to sit stunned on the floor, hand barely avoiding being squished under everyone’s feet. If she were being honest, Jaka didn’t understand her own actions. These were not the actions of a smart person, they were the actions of a drunk. And she was not a drunk. “I’m not a drunk, my head hurts, stupid petching idiot can’t you not hit people when you move, who told you to be stupid?” Jaka called to her aggressor though they were long gone. With wobbly legs she turned and spun back to her false savior, “Take me home!” Her thoughts were as disjointed as her limbs movements. With several little twitches forward she reached for the others hand, her nose wrinkled when she did.

“You say you take me home, so lets go, go, go. Air is good for the ale, it makes it not strong, too much ale here. You know, dancer girl.” For a tick Jaka’s voice was more or less sober before she fell back into her slur, “I don’t want to be in here forever. Too loud, too smelly, too much of everything. I will pay, come, come.”

The Kelvic then attempted to pull the other girl with her. She didn’t understand herself. She didn’t want to owe the girl but maybe if the men were outside she could fling the other at them first. Or maybe she felt a pinch of guilt for throwing the ale. But most likely it was the fact that she didn’t actually know how to end there brief acquaintance. Maybe she will have useful secrets.

[Caela Dorin]

Every time the girl opened her mouth, Caela's emotions warred between frustration and impatience. Strangling her would be the easy solution but she didn't think that Merv would appreciate having a dead girl in his tavern; it would discourage business. So instead she ground her teeth together and put up with her. She just wanted the girl to drink more water and sober up faster. Maybe she wasn't as irritating sober but Caela didn't think that she'd be so lucky.

She said nothing in the girl's talk of standing straight, ort the statement about her being a dancer here. There was no point saying anything about it because the girl would probably find some way to misinterpret it. She was one of those paranoid drunks, or so Caela thought. Maybe she was like that sober as well. If she was then the dancer never wanted to run into her again. All she owed the girl was safe passage home and after that she could do whatever she wanted. Caela had gone to the effort of saving her in the first place so it was the least she could do to make sure it wasn't a wasted effort.

The girl could alternate between being cooperative and uncooperative. Cooperative was the current mindset thankfully and so she signalled for more water, something that resulted in a mug being pushed into her unresisting hands. Caela watched as she took a sip from the vessel and then the next thing she knew, she was covered in ale. The sour liquid splashed over her head, dribbling down her face and through her hair. It dribbled down her chest. Her skin was left sticky and reeking of alcohol. The woman could only stand there gaping, wiping the liquid from her face. What had just happened? She cleared her stinging eyes and looked around her. The girl she'd rescued was gone.

"Why that ungrateful little-" she hissed, staring around for where the girl had gone. It didn't take much to realise where the girl had disappeared to. The girl was drunk after all so she couldn't move very fast without getting wobbly. There was something on the floor that was being walked around, something that was squirming. Before Caela could reach her side, the girl was up again and spinning around. As soon as she saw the dancer, she threw herself at her. The young woman took a step back, expecting another attack. Instead she had demands thrown at her and had her arm grabbed to be dragged away.

The dancer pulled free, seething at how the girl had treated her. The attempt to drag her was the last straw. Her hand lashed out, aiming to slap the girl across the face. She was furious and unwilling to allow this drunk to boss her around.

"I'm not bringing you anywhere. You can go back up to the bar and drink water and I'm going to make sure that it's water this time so don't think about throwing it at me again," she snarled, glaring at her. "If you try to pull another stunt like that again, I'll have you thrown out and those men if they're still about can do what they like with you. Or you can leave right now with the same result."

Caela turned in the direction of the bar and marched back to it, eager to get something to clean herself up and to sober up that annoying brat if she made a reappearance. She was going to reek of ale and so she looked forward to when she could clean herself up properly at home. It was even in her hair!

Word Count609 words

x

[Jaka]

Jaka stumbled then felt the hair rise all over her body right before the slap connected. Her instinct was to attack but her reaction was dulled, and she was in shock. Frozen with her hands still outstretched and her head to the side. It was not as if no one had slapped her before but she hadn’t expected a reaction from the other woman. When added with the earlier accidently blow to the head she was completely out of her depth. There were threats involved and her apparent savior was leaving. For a few moments Jaka did nothing, trying to understand what happened and what was going to happen. But each bump of the body made her tense until it felt as if she would snap out of her own skin. It was a shove, hard enough to force her in the direction of the bar, that finally got her to move.

Stiffly she scampered up to bar but her body stayed stilled and wary, waiting for something else to happen. After several moments nothing did and the Kelvic relaxed enough to accept any water given to her. I’m only drinking in my tent. Not here, no, no, no more here. She thought wildly. Lifting the cup she eyed it for spit and sniffed the rim. She’d pissed off barmaids before, and they weren’t against spitting in her ale. But this one seemed fine and tasted as good as any water in Sunberth.

Without making a conscious decision Jaka was doing as the other woman had demanded. Sitting and drinking the water, she took the time to actually mull over the others words. As she did, Jaka winced; the hits and water were serving so sober her up quickly. She was lucky the blond hadn’t thrown her out or even decided to give her to the men. Not that she could trust the woman to not do it now. There were too many possibilities and thinking about them at that moment did nothing but give her the beginnings of a headache.

Jaka tipped the cup up, distracted and found it to be empty. As she stood to wave for another a wave of ale-induced dizziness swept through her. She slunk down into her seat again. The Kelvic wondered if she should chance just leaving or if she should ask the dancer when they could leave. Just thinking about the other girl made her teeth grind. Now that she wasn’t scared of an impending attack she found herself angry. She wouldn’t act on the anger but it made her feel more justified about throwing the ale, even if she had done it before she’d been slapped.

Restless Jaka tried standing again, just as another water appeared. Rather than take a swig she scanned for the blond head and tottered slowly towards it. When she face the other woman she shifted awkwardly then spoke to a spot behind her head, words still slurring but slightly more coherent. “When do we get to leave?” More words slipped out without her consent, “I have to pee. And I don’t want more water, too much and then I’ll get sicker and I don’t want more. I drank two. I can get you knew clothes, oh yes, yes, yes.”

So far the Kelvic had managed to keep herself standing but the heat was getting to here and she wanted to be as far away from the bar as possible. Her head was clearing more and more even if her body wasn’t. And since she had noted it her bladder screamed frantically that she needed to chamber pot. So when she wiggled this this it was less from the ale and more from the urge to stop the sudden forceful urge to pee.

[Caela Dorin]

Her hand stung from the slap but she shook it out on her way to the bar, returning normal feeling to it. She wasn't in the mood for waiting around for the girl to comply with her demands. If she was willing to sober up then the dancer was willing to put up with her but if she wasn't then as far as Caela was concerned she could go petch herself. Once she reached the bar, she gave one of the barmaids instructions to provide water to the girl if she approached the bar, pointing her out in the crowd as she did so.

It took her a chime to get Merv's attention, waving at him while he was dealing with a troublesome customer. When he was free, he turned to her, his gaze taking in the wet nature of her clothing and raised his eyebrows. She didn't miss the touch of amusement in his eyes.

"Ya look like a rat tha' took a swim in th' ale," he told her, chuckling at his little joke. It wasn't something that Caela found particularly funny. It made her wonder if he'd just given away the reason for the unique taste of his ale. She was suddenly glad that she avoided it although she wondered if there were other drinks affected. It wasn't a pleasant line of thought so she tried to focus on the task at hand - getting herself cleaned up.

"Funny," she replied, her tone one which indicated that she thought quite the opposite. "I need to get cleaned up so can I get use a wash basin somewhere? In one of the empty rooms upstairs, maybe?" Her employer thought about it before nodding. He obviously didn't see he harm in it. "Second door on the left is empty. Be quick about it though."

Nodding, the blonde made her way upstairs and entered the room that Merv had indicated. She left the door open a crack so that some light would filter in and she could see what she was doing. She quickly unbuttoned her blouse, using the stagnant water from the basin to rinse the ale from her skin. Then she bent her head over it and splashed water into her hair, trying to take at least some of the mess out of it. Until she could get a change of clothes, she'd still be unpleasantly sticky but she'd certainly be fresher than she would be otherwise. A rag beside the basin served as a means to dry herself and once that was done, her blouse was closed again and she was heading back downstairs, closing the door behind her.

Once downstairs, the young woman made her way back towards the area of the bar where Merv was, letting him know that she was back down. She'd only just caught his eye when the drunken girl appeared beside her. She wasn't pleased to see her as her expression showed but if she was willing to stop her nonsense then Caela was willing to listen. The girl did sound a little more sober and she was clearly willing to be reasonable; she hadn't thrown anything over her this time.

The girl's words made her frown. She didn't want the girl to wet herself, especially as it would probably be near to her. She didn't need to come in contact with any other unpleasant liquids. The smell of piss wouldn't have a positive impact on the aroma that permeated the tavern's floor. Now was probably the best time to go. She certainly seemed sober enough as she seemed to possess some sense now. The offer of new clothes certainly showed her change in attitude. The young woman nodded, silently agreeing to what the girl wanted. That meant that arranging an escort was in order.

The girl had to have another quick word with Merv, explaining her fear that some unsavoury types might try to follow her. A mercenary was produced from somewhere, a large man whose ebony skin was crisscrossed with pale scars. He certainly seemed an intimidating sort and she had every confidence in her employer's choice of protector. This man would suffice. She led him back to the drunken girl and gestured her in the direction of the door before heading that way herself.

Once outside she found herself glancing into the shadows, looking for any sign of the men from earlier. There didn't seem to be anyone about and the mercenary also provided a reassuring presence to the girl. It made her feel far more at ease. It allowed her to consider striking up a conversation with the girl, even if it was only very basic.

"So whereabouts are you heading, uh... I didn't catch your name before," the dancer said, a question in her words. "I'm Caela by the way, in case you're interested."

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