Warm Strangers - A Tavern Thread (OPEN)

[Amari]

Thom sneezed, again, again, and again.

"Ugh..." Thom wiped the underside of his nose with his index finger. Sniffling. "Must be allergic to that fuckin' faun and the fox." He muttered less than amused.

"I thought you were allergic to dogs?" Asked Jack.

Thom shrugged, "Maybe they have the same sort o' fur. Fucked if I know. Just glad she didn't join our table. Seems the sort to just shove 'er head where it don't belong."

"Like me?" Amari asked, tilting her head to the side to get a better look of the trio. Thom was right. It appeared that she had haughtily sat down at the table assuming they were friends. But... the way she was dressed... and the two men were soldiers. "Or maybe..." Amari pursed her lips as she pushed down the less than pleasant memories that surfaced. "She's just working I mean, why else would she wear nothing this close to Salvar?" Her eyes shifted back to the men who were both her captors and in a strange way, her friends. "If that the case, why judge her for making coin?"

"Heh. Yeh Thom, don't be such a dick." Jack said with a elbow jabbing into Thom's side.

"I'm not!" Thom hissed. "I just don't get it. I mean, all that fur?"

"Not everyone has an allergy. Maybe she has a specific clientele that are into that sort of thing?" Jack asked as he placed an elbow on the table. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand and with his free arm waved Thom off. "Be a darl' and fetch us drinks. Amari, did you want anything let us treat you a bit before returning to that hellhole."

"What?" Despite the two always being amicable to her, and always looking out for her, she still somehow did not expect them to offer a drink. The smell of ale made her feel ill. The halls of the hideout were practically soaked in it and she on more than one occassion had also been doused in the stuff. Amari closed her eyes and took a long deep breath. Recalling the days back in her home, back in the estate. She'd often find comfort in a small glass of - "Raiarian Wine. Red." She said.

"You still have those expensive noble tastes." Thom muttered as he noisily pushed himself out of his seat and headed to the bar, muttering under his breath.

Now alone with Amari Jack cleared his throat. Snapping the redheads attention to him. "We need to talk."

"We are talking."

"That's not what I- No. Amari. Hold your damn tongue and listen for a moment." She offered him a challenging glare but for the most part, remained silent. "Look. Thom and I... we were fine with being cut-throats. We aren't good people. We kill, we steal, we extort, but that's about the short of it. We don't exactly agree with killin' mothers or kids. You know we don't find our fancy with the escorts."

"I don't need your life story, Jack."

The man sighed and rose a hand to rub his temples. This was her being civil woman had quite the tongue on her. It was a damn near miracle that it hadn't been completely beaten out of her yet. "That's not the point. Look. Gabe tried to get into the Slaver business with the whole house o' Sin thing." Jack ignored Amari's immediate knee-jerk reaction to the words. "The loss of his men won't stop him. He'd want to get into it again. We don't like that, but we can't exactly leave. In a sense, the members of the group are just as much prisoners of the place as you."

Amari scoffed. "Yeh, except you get to fuckin' eat and drink and have warm clothes and -"

"Amari. Please." Jack hissed in a lowered tone. "We want out, but we want to make sure you are safe first." He lifted his head to gesture at the soldiers on the other table. "I noticed Thom staring those soldiers down. I bet he had half a mind to send you off with them. But he has his reservations. The arrival of the whore probably gave him ample reason not to."

Amari scrunched up her face. "Why? Who cares if they pay for sex."

"You're real naieve you know that?" Amari gave him a blank stare. Jack sighed again, wishing Thom would come back. What was taking him so damn long anyway? "You're a redhead, a virgin, and you wave your hands and magic shit happens. You're practically a glowing beacon for disaster."

"Oh..."


Meanwhile at the bar....

Thom had ordered his drinks, and was assured the barmaid would bring them over. He paused when his sights landed on a golden haired lass. It wasn't so much her look that attracted him, but her skills.

Magic...

The young blonde had magic. Mighty dangerous to use it around these parts. Still. He ran a hand through his hair and approached. "Aye, Miss...." he paused catching the tail end of the conversation. Perri, was it. Come. Join us." Already the gears were turning in Thoms head. Amari was difficult to deal with, but if she had someone to talk to, someone she could relax around and heavens above, actually befriend. It'd do the woman a world of good.

The blonde opened her mouth to speak but Thom spoke over her, resting a hand on her back as he guided her back to his table. "I'll buy you her next drink. Just sit. Join us." He approached the table and sat her in his old seat next to Amari before grabbing the last free chair at their table next to Jack. He gave Jack a hearty slap on the back, his hand lingering for a few moments. "Aye, Jack. Amari. This is Perri."

Both Amari and Jack looked at Thom in alarm but Thom simply shrugged his shoulders and leaned casually back in his chair. "Hey. Amari." He gestured toward the small centrepiece on the table. Wilted flowers in an old, dirty glass. "Be a doll and do your thing."

"You're not the fuckin' boss of-"

"Perri wants to see." Thom said simply, his eyes studying the blonde for her reaction.

With a sigh followed by a nervous glance around the bar. No one was watching...good Amari lifted her hand and with an awkward gesture some of the flowers sprung back to life, blooming in a myriad of white and gold. The others, they were torn apart and flung across the room. Amari quickly hid her hand underneath the table. She had never gotten the chance to do much of anything with her strange ability. "Look I-"

Thom slapped the table with a mighty laugh, clearly trying to ease the tension or divert attention from her. "JACK! Whatta Joke!"

Jake hadn't said a damn word.