Completed The Streets Hit Back (Black)

[Jadlin Hayes]

Jad slipped the desert cowl from his head. It just seemed respectful to do so. He was glad to see that the girl was still willing to talk to him. It was completely new to him that a Kelvic could think for itself, at least beyond what thinking it needed to do to complete a task given it by its master. He found it reassuring to discover that things could be different than how he'd always believed them. Something had sparked in his memory at the mention of "Ravok". It was confusing at first because the people he'd known all his life had always spoken of how wonderful Ravok was. How eager they were to expand its influence. For some reason, this had been a repeated factor in the trial in Syliras. The one which had resulted in his freedom. It all started to fall into place now though, with this girl's attitude towards it. The advocate for Syliras had made him repeat everything he could remember his masters ever saying about the "dark city" of Ravok, as his questioners had called it. His old masters had denied everything, insisting that Jad had been coached into the "lies" he was providing for what they were calling a "travesty of justice". But as testimony had mounted, they finally broke their facade of innocence, casting threats and gloating over the fall to ruin that Rhysol would bring down upon all foolish adherents to weak gods. There was so much hate in their demeanor as the trial wound down. And they cursed Jad as a traitor. The words the girl was saying were lost in a haze of remembered anguish. Jad hadn't known what to make of his feelings then. These people had been his only connection to life and what little he knew of family. And now they hurled words of contempt and malice at him. Praying to this "Rhysol" to see him spend his next hundred lives in slavery and torment. Now with the girl's remarks about Ravok, a new consistency began to ease his confusion. It finally sunk in, it was a BAD place, and his masters had been BAD people. It was suddenly completely logical that they would love Ravok. He knew now that he needed to be prepared to discard any impressions he'd developed in his time with his masters. One such memory suddenly forced its way into his mind. He stared straight ahead, his gaze becoming a glare. "Memories can be a bad thing too, when they are twisted to affect your judgment..." He ventured, his brow furrowing with a slow brewing anger. "...Like mine were. I...remember now...Leianna...yeah, that was her name..." He turned to his companion now, and something burned in his eyes. But it was not directed at the Kelvic before him. She would be able to tell by the way they focused beyond her. "There are much, much worse things a person can do than lift a few purses!" Fury warred suddenly with strangling grief as he took a staggering step backwards and dropped suddenly to sit on the walkway. "Those...monsters!" was all he could say for a few moments. "They killed her...THEY did...not me!...That never even came UP at the trial!..." Rage burst suddenly in his eyes and his voice grew quietly intense with loathing. "And they said they'd keep it secret for my sake...for MY sake!" he suddenly hissed. Now his eyes focused on the girl before him, and his expression sank into an apology, "I'm sorry, I was too busy on the ship to think about this. It was buried so deep. But I remember now...Gods! Now I wish I could forget again." Resolve steeled his features, "NO...No, I'm NOT going to forget! That's how you keep making the same mistakes!" he suddenly looked around cautiously, his voice quieting, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what yo-...uh...about you." He extended his hand with a sad smile, "By the way, my name's Jad...well, Jadlin. They say my last name's 'Hayes', but I really don't think it is. but it's good enough for now, I guess. Can I ask yours?"

[Black Onyx]

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Black watched the emotions that flickered over the man's face and she briefly wondered what was going on through his mind. She listened as the words bubbled to his lips, almost as if a wall had been knocked down and he had suddenly been exposed to something that was maybe really horrifying.

In truth, this had been the reason why she avoided talking too personally with people, for it seemed that her name Black, was most definitely a curse placed upon people. Even just mentioning a name like Ravok seem to trigger awful memories and she hated seeing, no watching other people as they fall into sadness or anger. Sometimes she wondered if it was her fault that her parents were murdered.

Her brown hues watched as he staggered backwards to fall into a sitting position upon the walkway and she felt the need to want to comfort him in any way she possibly could, to shield him from the memories that seemed to cause him nothing but pain.

A sigh settled upon her lips as she moved to seat herself beside him on the walkway, gently placing the bag of produce beside her form. Sometimes, or so she had observed, misery loved company. She had seen a drunken sailor cry into a tankard of kelp beer once, that was somewhat disturbing really. However, that sad sailor had attracted the attention of what had appeared to be a fellow sailor and they sat together sharing stories.

He extended his hand towards her and she briefly wondered if he was now going to slit her throat or something. Wouldn't that be the tale? Sit on a walk way to comfort someone, only to have your throat slit. Lovely she thought as she listened to his name. "By the way, my name's Jad...well, Jadlin. They say my last name's 'Hayes', but I really don't think it is. but it's good enough for now, I guess. Can I ask yours?"

The man wanted to know her name? She blinked for a moment before she gently took his hand to shake it. "The name is Black, just Black to most folks around here because no one really knew my parents, but my full name is Black Onyx. Most people say that my name suits me, due to my profession and all."

She smiled softly at the man for a moment, forgetting that she was even holding his hand in what was suppose to be a quick hand shake. "Look, if it's any consolation, two people that were very dear to me was killed once and no one even bothered to look for their killer. Mostly because they were kelvics."

It was then that Black realized that she still had a hold of his hand and she quickly dropped it, a blush rising to her pale cheeks as she looked away. She wasn't sure why she was beginning to grow an interest in him, perhaps it was because of the fact that his memories were some what blocked or by the simple fact being that he had the nerve to track her down. She had never had someone track her down before.

Drawing in a deep breath, her gaze drifted back to view the male, what ever had happened to him, it had involved a trial, so it was most definitely serious stuff that he had experienced. "Anyway, you're in Zeltiva now and you're human so things should be looking up for you now." Which raised a question, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why exactly are you in Zeltiva?"

[Jadlin Hayes]

Jad nodded as the Kelvic woman before him spoke. He felt a slight pang of grief as she pulled her hand away with a blush. It was not so much the sense of present disappointment, though he was enjoying the contact. It was more that Leianna had made a gesture very similar when he'd first met her. His eyes dropped and looked away. "I never even knew my own parents. I guess you could say I was "cared for" by the criminals I grew up with, but only so far as to ensure my survival against their daily djed drains. I don't even know if one or two of them were my parents. I was just a source of djed for their magic, to prolong their practicing." He suddenly realized he might seem like he was trying to outdo her suffering. "I'm sorry if I seem like I'm trying to "one-up" you in childhood misery. really, I was only leading up to explaining that I, too, have something to hide." He looked around quickly and lowered his voice. "You see, I am a 'Leecher'. The cult that kept me prisoner started draining my djed for their use long before I can remember. it's really the only thing I DO remember. But it gave me a strong affinity for learning the same thing." he caught himself making assumptions again. "Oh...do you know what 'djed' is? It's sort of the life...energy...essence that empowers and defines us. Most magic...well I suppose, really, ALL magic is primarily the manipulation of djed, either your own or someone else'. Leeching is sucking the djed from someone else so you don't have to tap into your own to do something." Maybe it was his imagination, but she looked like she found this distasteful. He couldn't blame her. It was a terribly invasive concept. Which was why he only used it defensively. And not at all if he didn't have to. There had been one man among the criminal cult that had been kind enough to teach Jad a discipline so that he could expel the absorbed djed as soon as he got it. None of the others had felt any obligation to inform Jad that retaining absorbed djed greatly increased the tainting effect of foreign djed in your body. So the man had taught him Shielding, so Jad could immediately expel the absorbed djed into forming a shield. The cult had also taught him Projection. They had hoped to see if Jad could absorb djed from a target at a distance using this technique. It had not worked at the time, but who knew if it was really impossible. Maybe he just needed to develop one or both skills to achieve it. He spent several chimes relaying the greater portion of this before realizing that Black didn't really look terribly interested in such things. He assumed she had never had any experiences with working magic. "I'm sorry, if I'm boring you. I just wanted to let you know that we are even now." he smiled, "We both know something about each other that the other doesn't want us telling anyone. People don't like Leechers either. Especially mages." He took a deep breath, "Well, to answer your question, I'm here following a lead on someone that MIGHT be my father. After the trial of the cult members, a lady told me that the "Lykata" - whatever or WHOever that is - anyway, she told me that Lykata told her that this ring-..." he showed her the ring with the large single "M" on it, "that it belonged to my father, and that I should search for him in Zeltiva. Shyke. At the time I'd never even heard of the place. And now, here I am." He made a something between a smile and a grimace as he shrugged. "I'm not sure why a ring with an "M" on it would indicate my family, when my name is 'Hayes'. But I guess i don't really know what my name is. 'Hayes' is just what I've always known." he turned suddenly with a sniff and scanned the sky. "Smells like rain. Do you have somewhere to go?"

[Black Onyx]

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Black had listened to his words in silence, occasionally giving a nod here and there to his words. She had realized that he wasn't trying to shadow her own grief with his own, but something about her must have gave him that impression because he apologized for it and a gentle smile curved her lips as she shook her head. "Oh I know that you were not trying to 'one up' me. I have noticed that a shared misery is helpful to both parties, although I have never actually shared with anyone before." Her shoulders lifted and fell in a simple shrug, "I just never really trusted anyone. Besides, I don't mind listening to other people's stories, it's a break from Zeltiva really."

Her muddy hues glanced over towards him, the simple smile remaining upon her lips as he explained to her about being a leecher and using magic. It was at this point that a frown had crossed her forehead and she felt a degree of concern for the male that she was seated beside. There had been mages turning up dead around Zeltiva over the passed summer, well only three had been killed, but the killer was still at large and it was a cause for concern.

He must have picked up on something because his next words caught her attention. "I'm sorry, if I'm boring you. I just wanted to let you know that we are even now." She watched him smiled "We both know something about each other that the other doesn't want us telling anyone. People don't like Leechers either. Especially mages." She continued to listen to him about why he was in Zeltiva, however, she wasn't so sure whether he should be in Zeltiva at this point in time.

She noted him sniff and then scan the sky after a moment and she was about to ask him about what he was doing, when he appeared to have already read her mind, for he followed up his actions with words. "Smells like rain. Do you have somewhere to go?"

It was then that she blinked and she too glanced towards the sky, well petch, she thought to herself. "I'm just heading to 'The Grotto,' it's where I've been staying for a little while. She paused for a moment before she reached out to grasp his hand tightly within her own pale fingers. "Look, Zeltiva might not be the best time for you to go around revealing yourself as a mage, or at least to anyone you don't know personally. Lately, three mages have turned up dead this summer and the killer hasn't been caught yet..."

The young woman took a deep breath as her gaze flickered to view his own muddy hues, "They are calling him 'The Mage Silencer.' I would feel awful if you ever turned up as one of the dead mages, so promise me that you will be extra careful with who you talk to?"

She would probably feel better if she was able to look out for him, but she doubted that he would ever trust a thief with his back. Hell, for all she knew, he probably still half expected her to rob him blind the moment that he turned his back. If his family was in Zeltiva, now was a very bad time to be inquiring about such things, especially seeing as 'The Mage Silencer' still hadn't been caught and no one didn't even know what this killer even looked like.

[Jadlin Hayes]

Jad was just about to express his delight that he, too, was staying at the 'Grotto', when Black took his hand in earnest and warned him against revealing himself to be a magic user. The sky itself seemed to support the ominous nature of her concern. By the time she was done, it seemed to have changed to early evening in a matter of moments. Fat drops began pelting dirt, cobblestone, human and kelvic alike. But she stood there, seemingly oblivious to it, worrying only that he might be in danger.

Jad was speechless. This was completely new to him. The woman that had told him what the ring signified was the only other person that had seemed to care what happened to him. But it had not been the same. That was not concern over his actual welfare. She had simply given him information so he could find his path. She hadn't warned him of dangers along the way, or made him feel like she would give him any thought once he was gone.

On the ship, the Captain and crew had given him safety tips and warnings. But those were only to ensure his continued ability to be useful. He had not HAD to work his way to pay his fare. He had simply wanted to learn something new. And the many intricacies of manning and maintaining a huge sailing vessel had drawn him in. He had worked for free. Naturally, he'd had no obligation to work the full schedule of a hired crewman, but by the time they'd reached Zeltiva, both he and the rest of the crew knew him to be a reliable deckhand.

But now he was stricken by this woman's genuine concern. She did not draw her gaze away, and neither did he. He blinked several times. He suddenly remembered that it was now raining. He brushed a soaked lock of hair from his face, absentmindedly tucking it in as he replaced his desert cowl. It lasted all of five seconds before it too was soaked. He seemed to realize the pointlessness of it and let a few laughs slip out. The streets were quickly empty. There was only the two of them.

"Thank you, Black...Really...Thank you for your concern. To be honest, I hadn't even thought of that aspect of it. I doubt that any crazy mage killer would figure ME to be any sort of target. I was frankly more worried that people would think me to be the killer, not a victim. Due to being a Leecher. It's a very good defensive skill against magic users, given an additional edge to get the time you need to suck enough djed from them. But I promise I''ll be careful."

He was going to add 'if it means that much to you', but something held him back. The worry that she would correct him, that it didn't mean that much to her. There was an awkward moment. "Uh...look, we don't have to stand here in the rain. I live at the 'Grotto' too." He waved his hand in the direction of the inn, several blocks away, offering her to go first. The truth was, he did not mind the rain all just then. No small part of it was the way her wet clothes clung to her figure.

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[Black Onyx]

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"Thank you, Black...Really...Thank you for your concern. To be honest, I hadn't even thought of that aspect of it. I doubt that any crazy mage killer would figure ME to be any sort of target. I was frankly more worried that people would think me to be the killer, not a victim. Due to being a Leecher. It's a very good defensive skill against magic users, given an additional edge to get the time you need to suck enough djed from them. But I promise I''ll be careful." She was still worried about the man before her, so she forced a smile onto her lips, to reassure him some-what that she believed him.

It was then however that she felt her clothes cling to her body, and she tilted her head back to view the rain that fell from the sky above. Nothing like a good soaking to get rid of a sour day. Well, actually other then the boredom and the insulting run in, it had been pretty good afterwards and the rain just made it even better.

She had smiled at him before she let go of his hand to remove her cloak, laying it into her lap to gently put the produce from the paper bag into her cloak, gently wrapping them up within it, tying it off.

Her soaked hair dripped down her back, her shirt clung to her pale figure, outlining all of her womanly curves, even her pants clung to her form with a vengeance. While it might have been brought about by the rain, she virtually did not mind. Rain, as she pictured it, was best spent in the company of another and from what she had seen, with the male beside her laughing at the fact that the hood of his cowl was soaked from the rain. He enjoyed it too.

He was funny, in an odd way she thought to herself as she moved to stand up, pushing strands of her own black hair, that had stuck to her face, out of the way. The way she saw it, if both partners liked the company of rain, why bother rushing, she smiled as she offered a hand out to him, to help him up. "I would ask if you are stalking me, seeing as I don't believe in coincidences, but if you wanted me to be in irons you would have set the wave guards upon me already, so I'm sure it's just a coincidence this time." A chuckle came to her lips at this, followed with a shake of her head.

While she did believe that he meant his words, she still couldn't help but feel worry eat at her though and she figured that maybe she should get one of her informants to watch over him, just to keep her mind at ease. In case something happened, she or her informant might be able to help the man out. However, now that she thought over the people that she had gathered in order to gain information, they didn't look combatish enough. Wait, was that even a term?

Shaking her head, she then decided that maybe it was best for her to just tail him, he was after all, staying in the same place, so it made it easier for her to be able to tail the man. She just hoped that he didn't see it as she was 'The Mage Silencer' or thought that she was stalking him to steal his coin. Could someone get put into irons for stalking someone just to make sure that they were ok?

Once he had taken a moment to stand up, she then moved to rearrange the bundle she carried, so then the material was grasped within the fingers of her left hand. She hadn't forgotten about the soaked paper bag, in fact, she had also put it in amongst the apples and carrots to avoid any more shyke running around in the streets.

[Jadlin Hayes]

They wasted no time, but neither did they truly hurry, making their way back to the World's End Grotto. There was an appealing "openness" to this town. in all directions there were low buildings and sky. Syliras had been so enclosed, even the parts that were not encompassed by the citadel, had a nearness to it that made it feel as though a lid was about to be placed over the whole thing at any time. The ship of course was the opposite. A very condensed enclosure in only the immediate vicinity, and a vast expanse in every direction beyond the rail. Here the rain was an embellishment that added to the atmosphere, not a force that overpowered it, like it did the little world on a ship. Nor was it an outside discomfort to be kept from notice beyond castle walls. It was not that Jad had no experience with a cold, heavy rain, driven by a hard wind. It was that very contrast which made this summer rain enjoyable. Black didn't seem to mind it at all either. It added a flowing elegance to tiles on roofs. The pattering sound was soft, but pleasantly pervasive. He found himself raising his voice slightly as they passed a cascade of rainwater filling a barrel off a corner of a building. He felt no great urgency to get under cover, though he knew he'd be well advised to get a change of clothes when he got to his room. Of course, he wondered where Black's room was, in relation to his own. He was not to find this out this time. They came around a corner and saw a small crowd milling around in the rain. No, Jad corrected himself. It was not so much a crowd, as a squad. A squad of soldiers. Or some sort of civilian group. They looked to be investigating something, and were detaining a few people. It appeared they were just asking questions. But Jad recalled that this was the same way his ordeal with the soldiers of Syliras had started. He knew what it meant that several men were dressed all in similar colors, and all with some matching symbol showing. In this case it was a wave, embossed on a shield. Most had only a single crest, but there was one with two. That man looked to be the one the others answered to. Jad had enough experience to tell the bulk of a round shield beneath a rain cloak and turned to find Black looking uncomfortable. She mentioned something about "The Grotto" being the first place a victim of the "Mage Silencer" had been found. He assumed that her thoughts tracked the same conclusion his had: that there was another body and the Wave Guard was investigating. Her look was all he needed. He put his arm around her and adjusted his path slightly to appear to be simply passing by. She did not resist. It was a strange thing, he had enjoyed walking in the rain. But now that he suddenly did not have an obvious destination, now that he had nowhere to go, he wished to be out of it. His arm had not been placed with any romantic intent, so it did not immediately occur to him to notice if she minded its presence or not. He turned to look at her, "Well, where shall we go now? They serve a delightfully dismal travesty of ale at the Kelp Bar. I would happy to buy the first and last mug you will ever try. That is, of course, unless you've already tried it. In which case, I suppose we could go buy some dry clothes. I'd really like to get you out of those w-..." He stopped, mid-word, his face reddening noticeably. Now he pulled his arm back as if it had been stung. "...Uhh...I'm terribly sorry, I only meant that you really ought to wear something besides tho-..." His face froze again. This was not helping. She was clearly about to scream for the guard or scold him severely. He put his hands up defensively "Okay, okay...wait...I meant nothing offensive towards either your honor or your clothes, I swear. I only meant that it's not a healthy practice to wear wet clothes for any length of time." he exhaled then, with satisfaction, feeling he had explained himself properly. She still looked as though some sort of outburst was coming. He hoped it would be laughter.

[Black Onyx]

Black had enjoyed quite a nice quiet walk with the male and it seemed like they both simply liked to enjoy the feel of the wet drops that fell to continue soaking their clothes, the cloth clinging to their skin. She had this feeling of wanting to just gallop around underneath this down pour, to toss her head and act like a young filly. Instead, she opted to just simply enjoy it quietly with Jadlin as they walked towards 'The Grotto.' Besides, she didn't want to freak the man out. She wasn't sure whether he had seen a horse or not, but chance were, he probably had, but he probably hadn't seen a shift before. Or maybe she shouldn't just assume that he hadn't, he did say that he knew about kelvics.

As they walked around the corner, she came to a complete stop her brown hues widening at the sight of the wave guards before her, her form freezing to a likeness of a statue. Shyke, had she been caught doing something? Was there something she hadn't been careful enough about? Maybe 'The Mage Silencer' had been seen within 'The Grotto' and the wave guards had been notified, could she be suspected as the killer of those mages? She shook her head, mostly in disbelief. Had Jadlin maybe been suspected? No, he couldn't be the killer because he was just too, he was just to different to that of a killer.

It was then that she felt an arm wrap around her form and she felt the clammy warmth of the male beside her and she of course did not resist this, for she needed to blend in quickly. However, she wouldn't believe that they were after her, due to the simple fact that if they were indeed after her, she would already be in irons. She allowed the male to guide them along the streets as she ducked her head, pressing her lips together. They must be investigating the first murder, she thought to herself.

After a couple of chimes, she felt his gaze settle upon her form and she glanced up to view him, his words reaching to her through the rain that fell steadily downwards to the pavement under their feet. "Well, where shall we go now? They serve a delightfully dismal travesty of ale at the Kelp Bar. I would happy to buy the first and last mug you will ever try. That is, of course, unless you've already tried it. In which case, I suppose we could go buy some dry clothes. I'd really like to get you out of those w-..." She lifted a hand to cover her mouth, as she tried to hide the smirk that had settle upon her lips. She knew exactly what he meant, especially seeing as he had mentioned dry clothes before-hand.

However, he didn't know that she knew what he meant and his arm pulled back away from her form, the colour of red staining his cheeks. "...Uhh...I'm terribly sorry, I only meant that you really ought to wear something besides tho-..." His face froze as she struggled to avoid chuckling at his embarrassment as he continued to dig himself further into a hole. Her brown hues watched as he then seemed to try and gather his thoughts to put into a sentence that would help him out of the proverbial hole that he had dug himself into.

She watched him hold his hands up defensively as he tried one last time to explain himself again. "Okay, okay...wait...I meant nothing offensive towards either your honor or your clothes, I swear. I only meant that it's not a healthy practice to wear wet clothes for any length of time." Finally, he exhaled and became silent, however at this point Black's form was shaking with laughter and she couldn't hold it back anymore. She pulled her hand away from her mouth as she doubled over and laughed, a full hearty laugh.

After the laughter had died upon her lips, she straightened up and swiped her black hair away from her face, as it had fallen forwards when she had doubled over. "Oh Jadlin, it's fine, I understood what you had meant the first time, especially seeing as you had mentioned buying dry clothes before getting out of the wet ones." She angled her head in the direction of the Kelp Bar and raised a brow. "I haven't had a drink of ale before, simply because I've seen too many people stumble out of the bar and fall flat on their face. Although, I'm willing to try at least one, so long as you don't let me fall flat on my face." A smirk settled upon her lips at this as the man before her had proverbially fallen flat on his face just before.
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[Jadlin Hayes]

Black's laughter, though directed at him and his conversational clumsiness, was nonetheless one the most beautiful things he'd heard in his life. Jad felt a warmth spread through his soul, despite being soaked to the skin. His clothes were nothing more than a second layer of soaked skin to him now. His awareness of how hers clung to her body in a similar fashion prompted an inner warmth of a different kind. He forced his thoughts into recalling the look of the leeching master that had taught him, before his attraction to Black displayed itself too obviously. The memory of that sickly, liver-spotted, yellow-toothed, red eyed, old invalid withered his reaction to Black's lithe beauty quite effectively. He chuckled inwardly at the thought that the old bastard had finally made himself useful. There was no purpose in hurrying now, they could get no more drenched than they already were. So they passed the time as they passed the streets, making mention of whatever they knew of the buildings they passed. Jad's contribution to the exchange was less knowledgeable, but more enthusiastic. Mostly it was a comparative rundown of what each shop's counterpart in Syliras was like. His excursions in Zeltiva thus far had all been to homes. And while he'd logged considerable knowledge of where various shops were, he'd entered almost none of them. Mostly he expounded upon the openness of everything. This was not to say that the interiors of shops were roomy, but they were open to the sky, rather than enclosed in stone hallways, with air that was perpetually half-stagnant. He gave a laugh though, at the concession that Syliran ale had the local Kelp variety beat by a league. But that was all that was available as they sat down in the dim tavern. Jad ordered a Kelp Beer for each of them. As they waited, Jad noticed that a few of his shipmates from the voyage out of Syliras were occupying a table on the far side of the room. The two of them sat for a few sips and a few moments, making small talk. Jad decided a display of outspoken confidence might impress his companion. As well, a good laugh at someone's expense besides his own seemed like a good goal. "A man walks into the Kelp Bar..." he suddenly announced, adjusting the classic old joke to suit the current environment. Immediately, one of his shipmates joins in amid anticipatory laughter. "What did he say?" Jad's voice rose to the challenge, as he stood, playacting his part. "He said 'All Ravokians are assholes!" Once again taking the part of narrator, Jad continued, "A man at the far end of the bar objects, saying..." "Hey now Lad, I bloody resent that remark!" A second shipmate filled in, turning it into a bit of theatre, by taking the part of the new fictional character. Jad rose, beer in hand, and turned to the man, also getting into his role, and called in mock challenge, "Why, are you a Ravokian?" "NO, I'M AN ASSHOLE!" The entire other table chorused as one, and broke into roars of laughter. Jad raised his mug in salute, and downed it without tasting it, which was probably for the best. The mood became festive, if sweaty and poorly dressed, as the other crew of seamen came over to scrape a horde of chairs around the table. "Oy, he tells a good yarrrn, he does! For a halfwit Nancy-boy!" growled one through crooked teeth. "And do ya know why it be called 'Ravok' in't first place?" "BECAUSE "SHYKE-HOLE" WA' 'READY TAKEN!" the new guests agreed in unison, clacking their mugs together with fish-breathed laughter and much splattering of briny foam. It was now Jad's turn to extend the round of insults. "Aye, and taken it was when yer MA named YOU after her ol' man!" he said with a grin to the man who'd called him 'Nancy-Boy'. There was a rowdy barrage of drunken agreement with this observation. "Hey now, Lad, don'cha be saying such shyke about our poor 'Plugs' here. Nowt after he be standin' up fer ya the way he done," a greasy old salt said with a twinkle in his one eye. "Why just last night, ol' Jimmsy says ya weren't fit to eat wi' the pigs, and Plugs said YA WERE!" He could barely finish before he was drowned out with raucous laughter and back-slapping. "Well, 'ts'only cause the lad said Mica dinna' ha' the brains Caiyha gave a sheep. And by 'The Bringer's bilge buckets, we all know he does!" offered a third, with a slap on the name of a rival vessel. One of them claimed that Mica smelled, and an incredibly tattooed figure called 'Scribe' said "Like SHYKE he does!" Another said Plugs wasn't as pretty as a sick ox' backside, and it was unanimously argued that he was. Jorick was said to have a voice that "couldn'a compare with the scrape of a nail on a chalkboard." and his own screeching laughter was foremost among the insistence that it could. After a second and third round, pretty much every characteristic of every race on Mizahar had been insultingly compared with some wretched example found in the lowest walks of filth. But all in a good time. The group began to split up, many with suggestive winks to Jad, accompanied by none-too-subtle nods toward Black. Jad made a show of waving away the smell, earning growls of good-natured offense and requests that he "stow it." "W-well" Jad said, with a noticeable slur to his voice. "I may've - *hic* - have over-r-done it..a tad. I hope my friends wer-ren't in wors-s-tas-s-tes than the beerr." Actually, he kind of thought the Kelp Beer didn't taste half bad.

[Black Onyx]

Black leaned her forearms onto the wooden top before her, an easy smile settling upon her lips as her first kelp beer sat before her on top of the table. While she had been in this bar before, mostly to steal from the customers, it was quite an experience to be in the bar and not be on the job. Her brown hues had watched as Jadlin had decided to speak with a few of the bar's patrons and she couldn't help but admire at his confidence when it came to talking to others. She lifted her mug of ale and took a sip of the sinful liquid and she pulled a face as it burned its way down to her stomach. This was called kelp beer? And this was what people came here to drink? Perhaps it is an acquired taste, she thought to herself as she watched while Jadlin stood up, as if he had just been challenged.

Her gaze lingered upon his face as he spoke, his voice carrying around the room and the other men joining in with laughter, carrying on the joke and making it into an insult. It was like a funny insult in a way, just delivered in the form of a joke. Pretty clever, she thought to herself as she took another sip of her beer. The man, the one of whom she had ran into at the store, was funny, he even had a lighter spirit than she originally thought he had. Perhaps it was because of the fact that he had nearly died and tumbled over his words when he mentioned her wet clothes. Ones, she was still currently wearing and she imagined that a pool of water was gathering underneath her chair.

Slowly, she leaned back into her chair, holding her ale firmly between her hands, her brown hues continuing their line along Jadlin's form. While it was tempting to linger upon his face, to watch the confidence radiate from him as well as that smile that gave a twinkle of mischief and wonder in his eyes, she was rather curious about the rest of him. The young woman hadn't really paid all too much attention to his outfit before, it was different, something not really often seen within Zeltiva, but then again, Zeltiva was made of a lot of different people and sometimes some, were seen more than others. This man's choice of clothing, rather suited him in a way and she especially enjoyed the clothing further, as the light material clung to his form and a smirk settled upon her lips as this. Only if he had seen her wandering gaze, would a flash of crimson flush over her cheeks.

The topic of their insult was also catching to the listening ear, while she only knew a little bit about Ravok, especially about the part about kelvic slaves and their experimentations. She had never really heard of Ravok being the brunt of any jokes before, especially seeing as they were a serious bunch of people. She hadn't met one before, but if she did, she wouldn't hesitate to run, the last thing she wanted was to be caught and experimented on. It was then that she watched Jadlin downed his mug of beer and she couldn't help but chuckle with the mood. She had to admit, he would probably eventually make her see the lighter side of things and she couldn't remember when she had laughed at someone without fear of reprisals.

As the third round eventually came to, she was still on her first, although, almost finished, but she had been amazed at how Jadlin could just drink the stuff and not worry whether he was too drunk or not. Black realized when she had almost finished her first, that it made her a little light headed in a way, almost as if the world was kind of care free in a way and as the men began to split up with nods towards her, she occasionally caught a wink that had been sent towards Jadlin and she chuckled softly and finished off her first and probably last beer. "I may've - He paused as he hiccuped, - have over-r-done it..a tad. I hope my friends wer-ren't in wors-s-tas-s-tes than the beerr." She blinked before shaking her head and she slipped an arm around the male's shoulders, tugging him towards the door. "Come on you, before you find yourself in the gutter, the wave guards should have by now, moved on." She said with a chuckle as she led him out of the bar.

It was another warm night, however, although their clothes had dried some what since their arrival at the bar, they were soon soaked through to the skin again as the rain washed over them once more as they stepped out. While she enjoyed the rain, she couldn't help a shiver that ran through her form as the cold soon began to set in underneath her skin. Maybe dry clothes had been a good idea and perhaps, if she had dry clothes, she would have gotten changed into them instead. She was rather cold now and she would probably find herself slipping into a warm bed with a blanket on in order to warm her pale form up, as soon as she got back. As soon as they began to approach 'The Grotto,' she noticed that the guards had gone and she smiled. "Coast is clear, looks like we are home free." She said with a chuckle, her brown hues then turning to the man she had slipped an arm around.
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