PM to join [Artur] An Odd Introduction

[Zephari]

16th of Spring 515 AV
The Blue Bull, dusk.
If you wanted somewhere action packed to spend a night, there was no better place than The Blue Bull. This is exactly why Zephari loved it so much. She constant dancing and music, which was occasionally interrupted by a brawl or arm wrestling match kept the place lively through to the early hours of the morning every night all year long. Zephari only came here on her off days from work, because it was about as much work as it was fun.

Tonight was one such night. She didn't have to work due to an issue with the mine's water flow system, so she decided to make a night there. The noise could be heard many steps before the tavern even came into view. The sound of war drum music resounded down the street, with an undertone of laughing and the occasion thud of fist hitting face.

"There must be a boxing show going tonight, awesome." Zephari said, excited to see the fight. One of her favorite pass times was watching Akalak combat, even when it is as simple as boxing. The Akalaks were masters of brutality and combat, so watching them fight was almost like watching a magic duel.

Stepping into the white building Zephari's ears were assaulted by the fast paced sound of the drums, which were in tune with the movements of two Akalaks fighting in the sunken part of the bar. There must have been at least twenty people cheering for each of them.

Seeing that the fight was far from over, neither of the blue men having even broken a sweat, Zephari went over the the bar being worked by Ann. Ann was one of the main people Zephari liked to talk to. She was a literal walking encyclopedia for what was going on in the city. That and she made the best Burning Land mix drinks outside of Eyktol.

"Hey Zeph how you doing?" the woman asked, smiling as the benshira approached. She grabbed the ingredients to start making a Burning Marry out of habit. "I thought you would be working today Zeph, something change that?" asked Ann, as she started chopping up some chili pepper leaves.

"Nah they are having some problems with the creek flow, so I got the day off." she said, turning around at the sound of an elbow colliding hard with a shoulder. The two Akalaks were really starting to dance around each other now, throwing and blocking multiple punches per second. "Hear anything interesting lately Ann? And what about the two boxers, know anything?" Zephari inquired, her eyes well set on Ann's hands as they worked their mixing magic on Zephari's drink.

"Not too much lately, its always slow early on in the season though. Only one thing about some guy claiming that he found a door that lead to a chamber full of eyes with spider legs. And these two are know adversaries. I think this is their fourth fight in the last ten days." she answered, handing Zephari the drink.

The benshira took the drink and sipped from it, a wide smile running across her face at the familiar taste. A Burning Marry was a carefully done mixture of vodka, juniper berry extract, and garnished with diced chili pepper leaves. It was what Zephari grew up drinking, and Ann was the only person in Riverfall who knew how to make it.

"Well that just sounds crazy. Thanks for the drink Ann, I'll see you in a couple days" Zephari said, slapping down seven gold mizas for the drink. Ann slapped Zephari on the shoulder, and went back to serving the others at the bar.

Sipping from her drink, Zephari watched the boxing match, studying each and every hit. In the end it was the smaller of the two who won the match, as while he wasn't able to hit as hard or as often, he made his left fist very well acquainted with his opponent's jaw.

Once the fight ended, the benshira stepped outside into the early night for a breath of fresh air. There was a group of about four Akalaks also outside the bar, all of them completely drunk, and singing badly. Zephari simply sat and watched the idiots for a minute, chuckling at how stupid the blue giants got when completely smashed.

OOC NoteSorry for the slightly crazy length, I just really like to set good atmosphere for this type of thread. Feel free to have this go however you see fit, I really don't mind.

[Artur]

So far this place had served as nothing more but a large fresh plate of hot scraps for Artur to indulge, for the past couple of days he's done nothing but sight see and allow his mind to sponge in all the details. The setting as well as the culture here was all a fresh new meal to him, waiting to be devoured in its own oddly twisted form. Yet he found himself largely at a loss with the place, mostly because he had yet to discover what "freedom" really entailed. Any idea he had on it before seemed like a long lost dream, a form of naivety he lost soon after he found himself caged within Ravok's grasp. The facility, the people, all of Ravok just seemed like a distant blur of a bad dream now. And yet while that dream still haunted his memories, it still had its few shining moments within its tainted black.

There not a thing I wouldn't care to go back for, yet why is it I want to return there so badly? Confusion still aroused deep inside as he felt deeply conflicted with his own emotions, unable to fully understand much less cope with them as he had before. Part of him felt more... different now. He wondered more and thought more, felt more than he used to and that made him think. Maybe humans felt the same way, maybe this was what dealt with everyday. When he would think about how Ravok seemed like just a bad nightmare now, he wanted to believe such a thing were the case. Yet the physical scar hidden away underneath the layer of clothing he had, that somehow remained to prove what did happen there was real. I thought I was happy back there, thought master would continue to keep me happy. Master. The word somehow stirred a mixed reaction, and somehow Gyatt's own words reinforced it, made it worsen as he wanted to escape from the unusual reality he found himself set in.

Night time was present and his stroll took him a little ways around, one particular place started to come into play by its loud bellows, as the people inside seemed to find themselves all in a merry mood throughout the premises. I wonder what.... The thought broke off just as soon as it began, a momentary pause in his step brought a change of pace, as his entire attention shifted to a secondary sudden impulse. Is there anything I can eat nearby?! I need food all of a sudden. He scratched his belly as he headed closer towards the sound, the building finally in view as he made a right turn further along the street. I wonder if they have food. A wry smile coiled his lips as he picked up his pace just a little bit, the use of his nose decided to play its part next as he trailed along towards the establishment.

So far he smelled the sea and the rock, it had been something he'd started smelling since he arrived come to think of it. While grit and salt were the common aroma he did find a lot of other scents in Riverfall, many of them unique in their own strange way come to think of it. Food was the thought now though and that mattered most, his belly started to grumble at him now, for failure with doing without before his walk he reasoned. Why did he even need to walk? Who cares there could be... horribly... singing... blue guys. The sound of drunken laughter and flat tones stopped him in his tracks, big brown eyes wandered to the giants that sang to their own chorus. They sounded like they were having fun, but to Artur it sounded as though they intended to murder crowds with voices. And they were perfectly on the path to doing so, save for one that somehow found a melodic tune compared to the rest. They... do this often I assume. The sight of mugs made his mouth water as he suddenly felt parched, and then he in turn remembered his previous thought on the hand. Except now food and drink were the current favors that remained in his mind. "Food." He murmured incoherently to himself as he relied on his nose once more, a whiff of the air in front of the establishment alerted him of his would be target.

The tavern had food somewhere, and quite frankly he wanted some of it now.

[Zephari]

Her eyesight beginning to fuzz over from the drink, her feet just starting to wobble a little, the benshira began to hum along to the terrible singing of the Akalaks. Her sense of taste was starting to dull, allowing to her change from small sips of the Burning Marry, to full gulps, the burning hotness no longer so strong.

As the effects of the alcohol god stronger and stronger, the singing sounded less and less terrible, eventually starting to sound like an actual chorus. Her humming was honestly just as bad, each hum inconsistant with the last, making her sound rather idiotic.

Her "focus" was changed by a man approaching and heading into the tavern. He seamed like he was on a mission, and had a strong sense of determination about him, as he strode into the place. Taking interest in the strange man, Zephari followed him, leaving the Akalaks to murder everyone's ears on their own.

She became overjoyed as her ears where greeted by the lively drumming from the musicians, who where still going at it strong. The yelling and arguing of the dozens of other in the place sounded sort of like they were in the background, Zephari's ears more focused on the music and the sound of the blood rushing around in her head. The boxers were taking a break, readying themselves for the next fight, neither of them truly beaten yet. Both seamed angry and ready to take another shot at each other.

Zephari searched for the man, but it took several ticks to find him, as her peripheral vision was really starting to suffer. She eventually found him walking towards the bar, his head leaned forward almost is if he was being pulled by his face.

[color=firebrick]What an odd way to walk? To each their own I guess...[color] Aiming herself towards the man, her own ability to walk normally was severely hindered, her stride leaning hard to the left with each step of her right foot.

She was eventually able to stumble over to his, and placed her hand heavily on his left shoulder, pulling herself upwrite. "You looking for sshomething buddy?" she asked, laughing slightly as she saw his face. The oddness of the shape of his face was just funny for some reason, though she couldn't pin down what that reason was. She glanced over the bar to Ann, who was busily serving people at breakneck pace.

"You ssure looks like you need something!" Zephari said, grinning weirdly at the man.

OOC NoteZephari is rather funny when she is drunk, so I figured this'll make this more fun. The image of Seth Rogan walking around in the Blue Bull following his nose is amazing.

[Artur]

oocTotally missed this reply when I was on the other day. o.o But after reading it I got a good laugh in, so I hope you do too when you read this!

This place looked interesting as a set up on the outside but when he got to the big blue door and gave it a short swing, the inside area already filled with the sound of music and laughter on the inside. From what he could tell everybody had been mostly drinking and socializing more than anything, some had a few meals here and there at their tables while... is that testosterone in the air? Body odor for sure. Apparently they had fights here or something else, something behind the scenes that Artur could care less for. Either way they had what he did want here, and the aroma of sizzling fish and meat loomed just beyond the counter of the bar where he seemed to be restricted. Foooooooooood. His nose never felt such delight when he could smell it, he could only imagine just what in Riverfall they were cooking back there. Beef stew with a few veggies, or perhaps filleted salmon with a side of potatoes. Or... or....

A hand rested on his left shoulder to interrupt his thoughts, making him almost jump out of his skin, before he turned to face the person that surprised him. He had honestly expected slavers or doctors from Ravok, already here to snatch him up and return him back to where they wanted him. He didn't want to go back there, not back to where they would do more tests on him. Yet when he looked to see that it had in fact just been a woman, the pause in his heart eased as he allowed himself the chance to breathe once again. She didn't look harmful to him at least, more or less odd because how relaxed her posture appeared. She sort of leaned to the left in a way, almost as though she were having issues standing. Nevertheless she appeared darker than the other ladies around here, also more developed in the upper body and arms compared to most as well. To Artur women were usually small or fragile, so a 'fit' sort of woman wasn't something he'd expected to see very often.

Yet when she spoke to him she had a slur in her voice, and boy when the smell of her breath hit, his nostrils felt a fire that could singe the hairs. Alcohol. Strong dosage of alcohol that never sat well with the stomach, how this lady or anybody could drink such muck was beyond him. She thinks I'm looking for something? Well... He glanced over his shoulder towards what he could only imagine to be the kitchen, a wry smile on his face as he sheepishly shrugged before finally giving an answer. "I'm looking for food?" He more or less reasoned as he didn't know how much of a stretch that would be, to him food had high priority and value so that tended to come above all. The woman had a weird look about her face and it left Artur in a difficult position, unsure whether or not he should smile back in return or just shimmy away silently.

Awkwardness aside he watched the barmaid a couple of times as he wondered what he would have to do, seeing as how she was so busy that other people demanded her attention first. Then there was the fact the lady here stood in his presence, fire breath like and curious about what he was doing here. "Is there uh, any way I can get food?" He finally asked the woman as he cupped both hands over his belly, brown eyes met with an unusual combination of light green and blue. That sort of fascinated him really, he'd never met a person whose eyes were that of two different color. One a richly colored green and the other like the sky during midday, how they looked that way had to be magic to Artur.

[Zephari]

His reaction to her speaking was hilarious. The wrinkling of his fat face for some reason when she spoke to the man made him look so scrunched. It took an immense amount of effort to keep herself from laughing loudly right in is face, but she still let out a small giggle. She was able to steady herself enough to let her hand slide off of the man's shoulder, almost slapping him on the back in the process. Her gaze slid over towards the sunken part of the pub, seeing that the two fighters were about ready to start another round.

It took about ten ticks for the man's answer to register. He was looking for food. If that's the case there are other places... But they probably serve food as good as their drinks. She stumbled around the man, motioning for him to follow her with her pointer finger. She waded her way through the crowd of people, making her way to the far end of the bar, where the entrance to the kitchen was.

She waved down one of the waitresses, who came over to her after dropping off some drinks at a table full of Akalaks. Zephari didn't say anything to her, she just placed her hand on the waitress's shoulder to steady herself so she had a moment to think. This didn't even phase the server as it happened all the time. The drink was really effecting her ability to think clearly, thoughts of wanting to dance or watch the fight kept getting in the way of trying to be nice and help the man.

Once she collected her thoughts, which felt like an eternity, but was really just about five ticks, she said "food", and then pointed over at the man who she had been leaning on just a chime earlier. Her feet began to give out so she stumbled over to the bar, taking a seat on one of the tall bar stools. Downing the last bit of her drink she placed her mug behind the bar, and started to chew on the remaining chili pepper leaves.

She cracked her neck, it hurting from her head leaning to the left for as long as it been. Her attention now entirely shifted away from the man and the waitress, instead becoming heavily focused on the two Akalak boxers who had just stepped back into the ring. Slowly, ever so slowly, she eazed herself off the seat, and tried to make her way over to the edge of the ring. She stumbled into at least two other people, but they did not care as they were just as drunk as she was.

This time the two fighters didn't bother with circling each other a few times to try to judge the other's fighting style. They were both really angry from the last round, and instead simply charged right into each other, both landing hard punches to each other's faces simultaneously. teh both stumbled back, stunned by the other's hit. The whole room broke out laughing at the ridiculous start to the fight.

Zephari let out a cheer as the two stood back up and started boxing hard, ignoring blocking instead just trying to pummel each other into submission. Zephari god absorbed into the crowd of onlookers, cutting her off from the man.

This is Just SillyZephari's focus will drift back and forth from you, as its kinda hard to focus when you've just drank the equivalent of about 7 shots of vodka. Have fun bear man!

[Artur]

When the lady finally pointed the serving girl to Artur with the mention of food, a smile had been given to the Kelvic as the waitress made her way to him finally. "Need a bite to eat? We've the house special tonight if it pleases you." The bear gulped nervously when she approached and while he watched her, he thought his throat might go dry for a moment. Realizing that it had he coughed a couple of times and cleared his throat, a loose smile present on his face as he finally found the ability to respond to her.

"Yeah, I'd like to have the house special. Maybe something to drink too? Whatever's good is fine, just something... sweet?" He tried to sound as polite as he could as he was far from accustomed with making requests, a few cracks in his voice brought a small giggle from the girl as she gave him a weird look.

"Sure! I'll go get your special, you want one or two mugs?"

"Two."

"Alright, I'll be right back." She assured him as she tailed off behind the bar, no doubt deeper within the tavern where they kept the food. Oh how Artur wanted to go there, to gorge himself on whatever the petch they had in store. He turned to look over his shoulder some, enough to align his vision to see the woman from earlier. Her breath had a richer spice than he'd ever expected to smell, and it looked like she took to cheering the sudden fight the two blue men started. It had to be a common thing to occur in this place, seeing as how everyone else either seemed entertained or hardly phased by it. A sudden plop of a plate with a couple mugs yanked his attention as the girl returned unnoticed, a savory aroma of smoked salmon fresh off the grill with roasted diced potatoes and rice on the side. "Here you go! That's gonna be a GM's worth right there." She held out a hand as he fished into the pocket of his trousers, one of the four GM he brought with him pulled out and handed over for her service.

"Thanks!" He cheered before his mouth began to water, the lady giggled once more and tended to others that flagged her down. Before he could begin he needed a drink though, which is where the first mug came in to play. He sniffed the contents first for safety, surprised to find a rather unusual smell of fruit within the liquid. With a shrug he went into a backward lean and then gulped down the drink, eyebrows furrowed as it fizzed all over his tongue with a tangy sweet flavor. This is... this is good! He realized as he smacked his lips a couple of times, a smile on his face as he finally started to relax just a little. Now time to eat! He placed the mug down and held the fork on the plate, eager to fill his stomach with sustenance now that food was present.

[Zephari]

Fighting was always a good way to pass the time, especially when it was other people fighting. The boxers where both seasoned fighters, and just close enough in skill to be a real pain to each other, for each hit blocked another made it through. From the view of the benshira it seemed like an even fight, but it was in fact not. While smaller than the other, the darker Akalak was faster, and was able to slip out of the way of just a few more swings than his opponent.

Zephari was watching the fight from the very edge of the ring, and was wedged between two other women who were cheering for the larger Akalak. Her mind was now basically a pile of goop from her drink, so she cheered no matter who hit who, both unwilling and unable to pick a side. The fight continued as nothing but trading blows for over a full chime, but it eventually began to lean towards the darker smaller man. He was able to get in a brutal kidney shot, followed by a uppercut to his opponent's left side of his jaw, that made an audible crunch. The sound of breaking teeth made everyone around the fight cringe slightly, but also roused to crowd of cheering drunks even further.

As the cheering became louder and louder, it became the only noise you could make out in the entire pub. And it broke into full on screams when the smaller boxer finished off his opponent with a simple left hook, that connected with the temple of his opponent's head, knocking him out. It eventually got so loud that the bouncers came round to the parts of the group, and make everyone calm down, as it was deep into the night, and many people were probably having a hard time sleeping due to the roar emanating from The Blue Bull.

Zephari was shooed away from the ring while the loosing Akalak was dragged out of the circle, and she stumbled back towards the bar. Her friend from earlier was still there, finishing his meal. Having not had her fill of fun for the night, Zephari wobbled over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder with a sudden lurch, intending to startle him.

"The food sassistfacory?" she babbled, barely able to muster good common speech. She leaned hard on his shoulder and flopped into the seat next to him and ordered a loaf of bread and dried meat. Her head lolled around as she struggled to retain control of her neck, making her seem kinda like a snake with a spinal problem. At least that's what she thought she probably looked like.

After regaining use of her neck muscles, she turned to the fat faced man and asked quietly; "Are you new? I haven't sheen you around here before...

This is the color of speech.
This is the color of thought.