Sundry and Especially Nefarious {open}

[.Anke.]

Nathaniel Nym was ruminating in a corner, slightly distracted by the young headless maiden moping around the doorway beyond his self-inflicted cloud. Smoke rings accompanied another slow draw, clambering in dim half- and whole-crescents to rest among kin at the tavern's low ceiling. Behind their lenses, the bespectacled raptor's eyes lit like twin lanterns 'twixt narrowed lids, watching...waiting...

Then, as if sensing his apprehension, the girl turned and began walking pointedly in his direction. Nathaniel blanched, inhaling more smoke than he ought have; began coughing loudly. The girl didn't mind. No, she continued on a dead course, pardon the pun, arms outstretched, blackened blood trickling down the collar of her blouse...god, he could see the spinal column, looking sticky and wet. Sickeningly. He was going to be sick. "Please...no, d-don't come any nearer," he stammered, rising from his stool with a clamour.

(Several faces turned curiously to watch the feathered Deinonychus as he made quite a fool of himself, backing into a wall, dropping his pipe, picking it up again, face upturned, muttering some nonsense about how ravenous children, regardless of the possession of certain vital body parts, or lack thereof, should leave well enough alone.)

Yet, when he managed to sneak a peek, the decapitated maiden was no more. In her place there was scattered laughter, and the barkeep's brow had climbed to a dangerous height. Brushing himself off in as dignified a manner as he possibly could, Nathaniel retrieved his pipe and scooted the stool closer to the corner table. He then sat, tail tucked to the side and false leg adjusted for a facsimile of comfort, and promptly buried himself in the title-less novel he had been studying mere moments before the arrival of the specter, disregarding ridicule.

[Jazwind]

Jazwind sat on a stool close to the bar. She was too young to drink so she was drinking apple cider but sneaking drinks from flask from her pockit. Two large white fox ears sat atop her head. They flickered as she heard the laughter. She dident even turn. Out of the corner of her eye she seen a raptor move by him self. She figured the humans had played a trick on him. Her haterid for humans grew even more. She had half a nerve to turn around and freeze their eyeballs but it wasent her place. A long tail was wrapped around the stool. It began with white fur but ended with bright green scales. The tip was split into two makeing her half reptilan of some sort. Around her neck she bore a coller with a rather large fang dangleing from it. She felt slightly sorry for the guy but the bartender was already eyeballing her and she dident want to start any more trouble. She turned slightly just to keep an eye out on the raptor. She wanted to kill some humans, she just needed an excuse. Even though she was half fox her reptilian half had to look after her race blood.

[Pel]

Quiet conversations mingled together in the thick smoke ceiling, drifting throughout the atmosphere of the tavern. People walked to and fro, chairs whined against the wooden floor and the patron’s weight. A certain aura of comfort and poised mayhem characterized the place, and Pel felt very content. Bars were one of his favorite places – one could generally think in relative peace while enjoying a cold ale, or one could very easily spark a number of different situations. It was a habitat of extremes, and of intoxicated fools that were easily manipulated.

There were numerous ideas competing in Pel’s head, but a lot of his attention was placed upon a reptilian individual sitting in the corner and reading a book. Later tonight he would probably just break into a house, or perhaps start a barfight; however, right now he was thoroughly curious about this creature. It was wearing glasses and reading, it was an amputee, and it was a very large reptile. The human was almost grinning at the uniqueness of his situation. This was not an opportunity he could pass up.

Pel was uncertain of how to approach the beast, or creature, or monster. He had been tempted to get up, walk over, sit down, and observe. The simple act of closely watching someone was one of the first tricks Pel had discovered – provoking someone required little more than keeping his eyes open and noticeably fixated. If the situation soured, though, the reptile didn’t seem to be too much of a threat. It would be a quick way to determine the nature of the creature, too – it appeared almost scholarly, but the bestial appearance did not combine well with that perception.

As he continued to watch from several tables away, Pel noticed a shift of attention in the creature. Although he (Pel assumed) had been focusing upon his book moments before, he now had now lost that concentration. That change became utterly obvious in mere moments, and a horrified countenance emerged as he abruptly stood from a stool. Pel threw a glance across the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary, save for several patrons turning their attention to the tavern’s corner. Then his gaze narrowed upon the beast and he watched intently.

The human saw his cue. After the laughing had subsided and the incident largely dismissed, Pel quietly removed himself from his table and approached the creature. He would not stare at it; he wanted to delve deeper into this thing, rather than simply provoke it. Placing his mug upon the table, the human seated himself upon the stool and placed a friendly smile on his face.

“Packed your pipe a bit too tight, hm?” quipped Pel, looking directly at the creature’s eyes. “I’ll be blunt: never have I seen anyone with the likes of you. I’m called Pel.”

[Jazwind]

Jazwind watched as what appered to her to be a human approach the subject of her attention at that moment. Hatered welled up inside her for the human bit but her curiosity bubbled through that. As everyone knew foxes were very curious creatures and she tried not to let tha be the death of her. She silently and quickly moved two seats down to try to catch their conversation. Her ears twitched franticly, trying not to be discovered. She played senarieos in her mind. What if she was discovered and the human...or reptile got mad. She was in no shape to fight. Her tail wrapped around the stool and she glared into her cider deep in thought.

[.Anke.]

Damnit.

He couldn't return that easily to his book, he found, as the same sentence kept on scrawling past uncaring eyes. It had been years since he last encountered Rose, as he had come to know her, and the headless girl's sudden appearance in this crowded tavern so very far from the orchard she had originated from had
shaken him. Given his chosen profession, one would think Nathaniel wouldn't be phased by such happenings -- but this was different. She was different. And for her to show up here, now, did not bode well with him. Given all past experiences with the entity, her manifestation was ultimately a bad thing. Not to mention the unquenchable fear which seemed to crack through marrow and soul whenever he glimpsed her, a fear that shouldn't have been. Unnatural. Uncontrollable.

Granted, she was somehow associated with that regrettable incident at the university, so such "fear" could be expected, right? A delayed psychosomatic reaction? Ha. As if. Still, there was little use in continuing to feign interest in the scripture which he had then completely lost all affection for. So she showed up. That's of no consequence. Hell, it was probably a hallucination brought upon me by fatigue. Sevinet knows I haven't had a decent night's sleep in a fortnight. He lowered the book to see a tall, scruffy-looking male human smiling across from him where there had been no tall, scruffy-looking male human smiling before. For the second time this evening - Damnit. How out of it was he, not to notice someone come and sit down like that?

“Packed your pipe a bit too tight, hm?”

It took Nym a second to realize he still had his pipe in his mouth, the splinters of which from his worried chewing beginning to make themselves known.

“I’ll be blunt: never have I seen anyone with the likes of you. I’m called Pel.”

Calmly marking his place with a spare bit of twine and closing the volume, then removing the ruined pipe which he held interlocked between two spindly digits, Nym stared hard at the intruding human. "Not many have," he responded dryly in a surprisingly cultured tone, his accent hinting at a childhood spent in the company of high society, had he not been what he was. Then again...

"Nathaniel Nym. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." His words sounded clipped, wary even, as he no doubt suspected queries pertaining to his little "episode", which he was not in the appropriate mood for dispelling. More out of curiosity then habit, jacinthe-tinted orbs quickly roamed the space behind this so-called Pel, hesitating slightly at the fox-like creature whom he was positive had been sitting farther away a minute ago. Had he discernable brows, the right would have surely quirked.

[Pel]

The two strangers sat staring, eyes probing in each their own way. Pel could have continued for a long, long time, but he had resolved not to do so. His smile had crawled away when the creature began to speak; this was no naïve or jolly individual. The human’s face was now blank, but his eyes were filled with a sober curiosity. Noting Nathaniel’s brief distraction, Pel leaned back a bit more comfortably.

There was a brief pause, which was broken by the human’s terse comment, “Indeed.” As his blank countenance observed that of the creature, Pel wondered how to continue and took a sip of his ale. He had approached the table with little more than the notion that he wished to learn about this thing. It had been quickly apparent that Mr. Nym would not appreciate blunt, probing questions, but Pel had no experience in maintaining a conversation with a seemingly aristocratic, amputated, overgrown lizard, who was obviously plagued by some internal problem. He appeared tired and distraught, and his words, and pipe, reflected such.

After more silent moments, Pel decided the tone he would take. He would not be overtly friendly – he didn’t think this creature was in the mood for some cheery jabbering. No, instead he would probe a different way. Posing as a member of the elite was not new to him, but usually he had time to prepare his persona. No matter; it is not as if this situation was of any real importance. Idle curiosity, it meant nothing.

“Please, well, excuse my appearance, Mr. Nym – if I may – I have been traveling quite some time away from my land. My eye was caught… you seem to have a singular tome in your possession? As I’m always looking to expand the library on my estate… could you, perchance, tell me what book that is so that I may take note of it?” Pel never liked the taste in his mouth after speaking like a noble.

[Jazwind]

Jazwind, after many swigs from her hidden flask, was now glossy eyed. She had forgotten why she had been trying to protect the creature from more human trickery and was focusing on a rather large wolf spider sitting on the bar. Hes probably old enough to be my father. Her father... She began to remember the night of his death. Mothers disapearence, it a his falt. He diserved to die. Let the hell hounds sear his hide. A slight rage welled up inside her. Also another felling. The lonly, lost felling only a child know. She began to speak with the spider. Her voice was entertwined with a slight foren accent. She spoke some human tounge, but not often. "Rammu meddma pmuga. Ouin y pek vammy. Would you like to join me in a drink?" She up turmed the now empty glass of cider and trapped the spider inside. I wonder if spiders have fellings. They eat their mates. I wonder if they ever miss their mates.

[.Anke.]

"Oh, so that's it, is it?" Nym chortled sarcastically, his attempt at a passable smile coming out more like a grimace. He had never quite mastered mammalian expressions in a way most their kind could easily identify. While this had frustrated him in the past, he had come to accept his inability as apart of himself, a quirk if you will, sparing it not a passing glimmer of gnashing introspection nowadays. "You mean to tell me that the sole reason you came over here, plopped your mug on the table, and engaged me in conversation is because you're interested in my book? Library or not, I find that particularly hard to believe, sir. Though stranger things have happened!" He settled further into his seat, mimicking Pel's earlier motions. "And please, call me Nate. Or Nathan. Or even plain Nym or any other abbreviation you can conjur, but do abstain from using 'Mr'."

The rapid string of words signified behaviour truer to Nym's nature than the bitter, reserved individual of before. He was in fact feeling more at ease with the human, possibly even to the point of being able to hold an open colloquy (however, whether this change was for the better had yet to be seen). But the scaly guy retained an irrefutable air of confidence, of poise, his posture and unspoken attitude hopefully suggesting to the being occupying the seat before him that he was by no means a fool, for this, he had decided, was to be nothing more than another exchange in a bar. Let whatever come of his chatting with Pel may. Nonetheless, Rose's cameo was still fresh in his mind, wandering unbidden like the soft-spoken orchid wraith of Belle Wood from memory to memory; a distraction evident past his rendition of cool. It showed clearly in his sharp albeit preoccupied gaze.

Words drifted across connecting with internal ears in a language he had never heard before. These were followed by more familiar utterances, the subject of which causing him to tilt his head back slightly in thought. After a moment, Nathaniel turned fully about and addressed the fox-like creature sitting nearest them, attention touching on the entrapped arachnid before settling on her vulpine features in genuine concern. "Madam, are you quite alright?"

[Jazwind]

Jazwind turned her head and was startled that someone had spoken to her. She almost fell off her stool. Although not being the more talkitive type she was slightly excited to hold a conversation with someone. Even it was with only few words. But then, what should she say. Oh god....He'll think im a primative idiot. Dont speak just nod. So she did. She replied to his question with a slight nod. Her right ear twitched. It was scaning the room for unfimilar noises. Her bright honey colored eyes flickered back to the spider who was now despritly trying to escape. She lifted the glass with shakeing hands. The spider was free, but the glass fell to the floor. She could fell eyes cutting through her. Her face turned a bright pink in enbaressment.

[Pel]

Pel unconsciously cocked his head at Nathaniel’s expressions, and for a moment thought that the beast was angry. The human could feel his hand twitch, he could sense the pressure of his dagger’s sheath upon his thigh, he could imagine flipping the table and engaging in a fight. It would be an interesting scenario, admittedly, but Pel was not for such violence. He did not feel like evading authorities, either, even though doing so would probably be relatively easy. There were those Rangers, though, stalking the woods around the town… momentarily distracted, Pel cast a glance around the tavern. He would have to be wary of the rangers, their skills at tracking far outperforming his skills at evasion.

The schemer turned back to the conversation at hand; he smirked at the Nathaniel’s observation. A thinker, this one is. Pel liked that. Too often he encountered people so ignorant and so gullible that he might as well have attached strings to their arms and legs. The reptile’s gaze certainly revealed an internal preoccupation, but Pel was sure his did as well, at least to anyone capable of reading countenance. Beyond that, however, just through body language, Nate proved guarded – aware, perhaps, is better – to Pel’s unspoken notions. The human allowed his smirk to broaden into a smile – he was happy with his decision to come over here. This could prove quite worthwhile.

His smile faded and focus shifted when Nate turned to someone at the bar. Pel looked at the lizard’s source of concern – another creature – and watched intently, the other matter put aside. Many curious patrons tonight, it seemed. Whereas the one with Pel seemed observant and conversational, the one at the bar appeared timid, overtly introspective. Wouldn’t it just be ideal for both to be at the table? To see their interactions? Humans generally had interesting relationships, be it between friends and strangers and foes. What were the chances of two sentient creatures running into each other in this small town tavern? Pel felt almost giddy inside, but externally, he kept his air of reserved curiosity.

Pointedly looking back Nate, the human replied, this time more straightforward, “Yes, it is hard to believe, hm? Of course, you understand that I would not have approached if it was just any tavern-goer with a book. Your case was exceptional, obviously.”

Leaving it at that, the human turned to the creature at the bar. He disliked seeing such pitiable displays, more out of annoyance than concern. “Join us, please, ma’am—“ he thought twice about using the word “—take your mind off of things.”

[Jazwind]

Jazwind noded at the request to join them. She was becomeing aware of others and dident like to be watched. She relised, before comming here, that there would be ones who thought she of odd. She thought she could handle it. Now she was becoming paranoid and jittery. She stood from the stool. She was short. The runt of her litter of corse. She pulled a strip of cloth from one of her many pockits and tied her hair back as she walked. She was barefoot and her pointed toenails clicked agnst the wodden floor. Her cross breeded tail wraped nervously around her left leg. She put most pressure on her left leg and there was a slight limp in her right. It was barely noticable. Her ears lay flat to her head. She could picture herself in others eyes. Some cross betweent two creatures that were so different. She could fell their minds judging her. She reached the stool closest to them and jumped up. She tried to seem friendly so she smiled, showing off small fox fangs. She decided to introduce herself. She dident like giveing out her name. Like a finger print your name was your identity. You had to be carefull. But tonight, she was in a wonderful mood. "Hello kind sirs." She bowed slightly. Her ears returned to their pirky state atop her head. "My name is Jazwind...but you can call me Jaz"

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been siting for over a month and a half. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another admin and they will be able to move it for you back to the Peaceful Promenade.