A chance meeting... (CLOSED)

[Xeraph]

The lone stranger sat alone, his face almost masked by the travelling cloak he wore, hood up over his long, straggly blond hair. His features were cast in shadow as he sat there, watching all who came and went from the ‘Atrium’ tavern in Scara Brae. His weatherworn hands reached for the pint of ale that sat in the tankard on the table in front of him, and he sipped at it, roving eyes wandering over the crowd gathered in the bar area.

His long legs stretched under the table, resting firmly on the chair opposite. He frowned, finding no one of any real interest in the crowd, and he returned his attentions to the ale. At this point, he was more engrossed in deciding if this was indeed one of the lesser pints he had consumed in his time, or one of the better.

Best to take another swig, and then decide

Such was his pattern of thought. Xeraph Tollan was not an overtly deep man, at least, not on first meetings. He took another long draft from the tankard, and wiped his lips.

Definitely one of the better.

He started slightly as his cat jumped onto his lap, her fur wet from the rain outside. She shook herself all over him, and he grimaced as droplets were flung onto his face, “Tabitha, sometimes you do choose the worst moments.”

Meow?

“Yes, exactly that.”

He sighed gently… this was the first time he’d been able to rest somewhere half decent and warm in at least a week. Living on the road had its perks, defiantly, but he liked his comfort where he could get it. One hand left the table and delved into his pocket, withdrawing a fine pipe with a long stem. He took a small amount of apple tobacco, dropped it into the end, and then struck a match with his other hand. He brought the light to the end of the pipe, and then inhaled deeply, breathing the smoke out through his nostrils.

Good stuff

He stroked the fine fur of Tabitha’s tortoiseshell coat, and then blew into the pipe. The embers at the end glowed softly, their orange light briefly illuminating his face, the eyes mostly, revealing them to anyone who was paying attention. However, if he had his way, they probably weren’t.

[Seraphima]

"Well, Maurz, this is our last chance."

She was standing just outside of the tavern, still in the rain for the moment, addressing her dog. Seraphima was a young blind woman, and she had decided some months ago to try and survive on her own. Since then, she'd been living in Scara Brae city, trying to find a job with minimal luck.

Occasionally she could find the odd job, but those didn't pay very well, and she was running low on money. If she couldn't find a job here, she would have to move on and hope she could survive while seeking employment in a new town. Here was a long shot...but it was the last chance.

She entered the tavern slowly, somewhat repulsed by the overwhelming stench of alcohol and smoke. She choked briefly -- tobacco smoke upset her lungs dreadfully -- but she started to make her way to the counter. As soon as the walking staff tapped the ground, she heard the bar tender's voice lashed out at her.

"We don't serve their kind here," he growled.

"Umm...excuse me?" Her voice was soft and light, but it carried through to its target -- and now she knew where the counter was, exactly.

"Your dog. You'll have to leave him at the door."

"All right," Sara acquiesced. "Sit, Maurz. Stay." Letting go of the harness, the woman patted the dog on the head and then started resolutely out toward the bar. Her cane made staccato taps on the hardwood floor in front of her as she traveled, dodging chairs and customers. Everyone here was so loud...Sara didn't want to work in an environment like this, but if she could find a job...it was a last resort.

She made it to the bar with little incident, and she could almost feel the bartender's eyes looking her over, in her simple cotton dress and blindfold. She was soaked, and her curls, normally big and bouncy, were weighed down by water.

Finally, the bartender acknowledged her presence with a gruff, "what do you want?"

"Well," she began softly, "I'm looking for a job. I can't see anything, but my hands know their way. I could wash dishes or peel vegetables."

He looked her over again, and she could feel his eyes traveling up and down her body as though he could undress her that way. It made her want to step back and out the door and never come back again.

"We only have places for serving wenches. You wouldn't last five minutes. I'll have to send your on your way."

Had it been a decent establishment, Sara would have pressed for something. As it was, the smoke was thick enough to constrict her breathing, the scent of the alcohol made her want to gag, and the murmurings of the patrons made her uneasy. Not to mention she didn't have Maurz right at her side anymore.

"Very well," she responded, turning around and beginning to make her way back toward the sound of the rain. She was almost there when the tip of her cane bumped against someone's shoe.

"Excuse me," she murmured, seeking a way around, but the chuckle that came from in front of her was the shoe's owner.

"Well, there you've gone and scuffed me good boot," he said. "How're you going to pay for that?"

"I have no money," she replied. "Since you're facing me, it also seems that you were purposely in my path. So if you will excuse me, I will go."

She could hear Maurizio growling at the door, but he would wait until she needed him to come.

[Xeraph]

Xeraph had spotted the girl as soon as she had entered. Blind people weren't an oddity, but to see one so young in such a place as this... it was slightly upsetting, to say the least. Tabitha had less to say, but he felt the cat stiffen on his lap as the dog appeared. He stroked one hand over her fur,"Easy girl... easy."

Her discomfort was obvious, the upturned nose trying to block the stench of tobacco and excessive alcohol. Even a man who frequented such places knew to watch oneself when in an enviroment as they now found themselves. He sighed slightly to himself, and then sipped at his tankard once more, watching her progress over the wooden floor over the rim.

She had to leave the dog behind... poor thing.

She was good looking, of that there was no doubt. Had he been a younger and more foolish man, Xeraph might have been tempted by her. But no longer. He had long since learned his lesson, many times, and now he strived to be better than the average male. He saw the barman learing at her, as were most of the men in the bar.

Better that she be blind, than to have to suffer such looks he thought, draining the last of his ale and putting out the light at the end of the pipe. He stood up, Tabitha jumping to the floor with a slight sound of discontent,"Hush, Tabby, we're leaving."

He saw the girl turn around, her face downcast from the barman's rejection, whatever it was she'd been asking about. As she turned, a man had stood, obviously between her and the door, and Xeraph saw a slight smirk cross the man's face as the girl's cane tapped the end of his boot. He crossed the room with swift strides, as if making for the door himself, but heard the passing end of the conversation;

"...have no money. Since you're facing me, it also seems that you were purposely in my path. So if you will excuse me, I will go."

He stopped, and his cat lept onto the nearby table, perching there, keeping a close eye on the now growling dog. Xeraph took a quick moment to assess the situation, before he nodded to himself, and tapped the man on the shoulder,"The young lady asked you to step out of her way. Be a gentleman, and do so."

[Seraphima]

Sara heard the approach of another man, but she was focused more on the one in front of her, listening for the creak of shifting weight on slick floorboards.

It came after the approaching man spoke.

"So, you're lookin' for trouble, are you?" asked the drunk. He reached out to shove Sara out of the way to lay into the stranger, and Maurizio bounded forward even as Sara's cane hit the ground to steady her. She'd only been propelled back a few steps, and she landed a retaliatory strike to the man's shoulder before Maurz was between them and growling.

"You BITCH!" spat the man, forgetting about Xeraph for the moment, drawing back his fist to attack the blind girl again.

[Xeraph]

Before the man could strike, Xeraph grabbed him by the back of his shirt, spinning him round. The man was so drunk, there was almost no resistance. As the man staggered blearily, his fist crashed into his nose, sending blood splattering onto the table as the bone made a horrific crunching noise that caused all around them to look at the scene.

As the man reeled, hands cupping his nose and trying to stem the flow of blood, Xeraph followed up, his other hand slamming into the stomach of the target. doubling him up with the force of the blow. As quick as he could move, Xeraph drew his knife and pushed the man backwards, so that he hit the table. He grabbed the man's shirt with his free hand, pinning him to the table with the point of the knife, and then kicked the man's legs out from under him. The end result was not a pretty sight - the man, bleeding profusely, squirmed as he choked on his own clothes.

Xeraph frowned, and then leaned down,"You, my friend, would do well to remember that everyone has to lose sometime. Looks like yours was today."

He straightened his back, and then looked around at the other patrons, all of whom had fallen into shocked silence,"Go back to your drinks."

With a slight murmer of discontent, and more than one filthy look, they all went back to their ales and whatever other foul concoctions they might have been drinking, whilst Xeraph turned to the blind girl who had just been saved,"Are you alright?"

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been sitting for a full year. 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 Scara Brae.