Lock Your Doors (Open)

[Schai]

Smoke hung in thick clouds in the pub, the smell of ale mingling with it to create a strangely homey aroma. Plates of meat were passed around by wenches adorned in tightly strung bodices and long skirts. Though there were very few empty seats, there was one table where a girl sat alone, her simple staff leaning against the empty chair beside her. Before her a bowl of stew steamed in front of her, but she merely frowned at it, stirring the contents with a slender wooden spoon.

Golden locks hung in waves down her back and over that of her chair, a few strands brushing the tanned flesh of her arms. Even her odd, pale eyes of lavender only accented the loveliness of her youthful face. Several patrons glanced at her often, some going so far as to stare openly at her beauty, but she paid them no mind. In fact, she was completely unaware of the staring, for she could not see.

After leaving her home, she had wandered for nearly a year. This day was her one year mark, the day of her birthing. Lonliness consumed the priestess, and she fiddled unconsciously with her necklace, the silver circle her parting gift from her beloved mother. Schai had never been away from home for so long, and longed to find distraction from the pain in her heart. Turning her attention downward, she spooned a little stew into her mouth, but it tasted of ash, and she pushed it away with a grimace.

[Yari Rafanas]

Resting comfortable in the corner booth of the Silver Pub was the recently-returned legend, Yari Rafanas—a young man with quite the history and reputation in the forests of Corone. His trips to the famed tavern had been frequent as of late, troubling some of the regular patrons, but the owners and barmaids did not seem to mind. With the young man’s presence came a slew of other brigands and rogues, most of them paying customers, all of them enjoyable company. On this day, however, Rafanas sat alone, enjoying a warm meal after a calm, relaxing day.

At a glance, he was barely recognizable as the King of Thieves. His dark leather armor and cloak had been discarded for the remainder of the day, and he only wore his simple—if a bit worn—vlince shirt and faded shorts. His wild hair was tamed only slightly by the silver headband, his crown. His arrogant smirk, as always, remained carved in his handsome, but scruffy features.

He lifted his glass of water to his chin, stopping abruptly before the glass touched his lips. His sharp eyes had caught something in the dim light; a silver necklace belonging to a lonesome girl, which of course warranted a second glance from Taydrius. He noticed right away that she was seemingly unaware of the dozens of eyes dancing over her frame. A myriad of devious thoughts bounced around in the bandit’s head. Decisions, desires, and deeds best left unspoken.

Couldn’t hurt.

Rafanas casually exited his booth and made is way through the tavern, weaving gracefully yet slowly through chairs and others trying to enjoy their meals until he was only just a few steps away from Schai’s table.

“Sitting there, looking like that… a man could get the wrong ideas about you, miss,” he said with a lighthearted chuckle, his eyes waiting to catch hers. “You alright?”

[Schai]

As her stew grew colder, Schai nibbled on the slice of bread that had come with her meal, the metallic taste hardly satisfying, but more appetising than the stew had been. Must be an off day for the cook. A barmaid passed by, and she tried to get her attention, but apparently there were louder customers with more money, and the cleric was ignored. Smiling a little to herself, she asked the gods to forgive her, and to provide for her on such a busy night. Her feet will be so sore in the morning... She deserves it.

“Sitting there, looking like that… a man could get the wrong ideas about you, miss. You alright?”

Deep in thought, Schai hadn't heard him coming and jumped a little, turning her eyes instinctively toward his voice. He sounded friendly enough, and she even heard a light chuckle in his introduction. Well, I wished for company or distraction, and here I have it! Thank you, great Thayne, for your gift to me this night. Though she could not see, her strange, pale eyes sparkled at the man, her pleasure obvious.

"I'm sorry, you startled me!" she chuckled. His words chose that moment to sink in, and she paused, her smile becoming a confused expression. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean, though. Looking like what? And yes, I am alright, just a bit lonely. Its my birthday today, and I've not been home for a year today as well." A touch of her sadness crept into her voice and face, but she pushed it aside to smile again at the stranger. "My name is Schai, Priestess of the Thayne. Pleasure to meet you! And do take a seat if you wish. I could use the company."

[Yari Rafanas]

The handsome rogue was already in the process of sliding up an empty chair to the table when Schai offered him a seat. He listened to her speak, his sly grin fading slightly at the mention of her sad journey alone. The fact that it was also the young lady’s birthday was disheartening, and it even caused Rafanas to feel a slight sting of guilt. From the moment he had seen her, he had been planning to take advantage of her, in one way or another. Be it the removal of her necklace or perhaps the decorative staff she had propped up nearby, something was bound to go missing by the end of the night. However, with her sad voice still fresh in his mind, robbing the girl would seem just too cruel.

“Schai, I am Taydrius Rafanas, though since my days as a boy, my friends have always called me Yari,” he said politely, lazily extending his hand to shake. He looked at her, admiring her lavender eyes momentarily before commenting again. “I have not seen anyone with eyes as unique as yours for a while. You from here?”

[Schai]

Hearing Yari slide into his chair, Schai smiled a little, happy to have some company. Following him with her eyes, she hoped it had not become glaringly apparent that she was handicapped, since in the past it had been difficult to overcome. How many years had she endured the teasing before finally earning their respect? The cleric could not recall, and for that she was mildly grateful.

“Schai, I am Taydrius Rafanas, though since my days as a boy, my friends have always called me Yari.” -a pause- “I have not seen anyone with eyes as unique as yours for a while. You from here?”

His voice had changed slightly, some of the jovial tone being replaced with something less pleased. I must've bothered him with my talk of home... I'll have to keep that in mind. The sound of his body shifting slightly wasn't lost on her, but she couldn't tell what he was doing. Frustrated, she simply smiled and concentrated on his words. "Nice to meet you Yari, and thank you for the company. Is it okay that I call you Yari?"

His comment about her eyes left her stunned for a moment, since she had no idea what he could mean. Scrambling, she chose to accept the compliment carefully. "Th-thank you, no one has said that about my eyes before. I am from a small countryside town west of here. Most haven't even heard of it, it's that small." Laughing a little, she enjoyed sharing the pathetic joke she had heard from traders in town.

[Yari Rafanas]

“Just call me what you want.”

Odd.

Rafanas chuckled politely at Schai’s joke about her hometown, putting his hand down and thinking nothing more of it. It seemed to him that everybody either didn’t know where they came from or originated from some forgotten, isolated village—Everybody interesting, at least. Given the ever-changing and violent nature of the world around them, Yari wouldn’t have been surprised if Schai’s village had been the victim of some hungry warlord’s wrath or torn to shreds by a disgusting creature from the Hellish plains of Haidia. He decided it was best to avoid further talk about the subject, just in case he was right.

With her table now occupied by the scruffy youth, the rest of the tavern’s curious patrons turned their attention away from Schai. The atmosphere remained a calm and comfortable one, with very few rowdy visitors.

“I don’t know how to put this, Schai,” Yari spoke a bit more arrogantly, “But I’m kind of a big deal around here, at least I used to be. A name both feared and loved by Corone’s people,” he smirked. “And you? What have you done with yourself?”

[Schai]

“Just call me what you want.”

"All right, then, Yari it is." Smiling again, she sipped at her drink, the room seeming to go dry all of a sudden. Its been a while since I've spoken to anyone, especially for this long. I need to spend more time with people, I suppose. Schai's healing powers had been needed a few times during her journey, but nothing that had required more then a 'where does it hurt' or a 'no thanks necessary'. It hadn't mattered to her until now, when she realized how lonely she had been this last year. Perhaps I will find some other adventurers to travel with later. Might be good company and I'm sure I'll keep busy.

“I don’t know how to put this, Schai,” Yari spoke a bit more arrogantly, “But I’m kind of a big deal around here, at least I used to be. A name both feared and loved by Corone’s people,” he smirked. “And you? What have you done with yourself?”

Suddenly, the name of her companion hit her like a brick. Stories of his infamous deeds had milled around her town a few times. How could she forget them? But here she was, sitting across from a legend. Heat grew in her cheeks, and she wondered if he could tell she was blushing. Trying not to make a fuss about it, she decided to attempt to answer his question. "Well, I, um, mainly have been helping villages with illness, and healing the wounded. Not much I suppose, compared to your deeds, but it is gratifying, nonetheless." She hoped she hadn't stammered as much as she felt she'd done, and sipped her drink again to mask it.

[Yari Rafanas]

“I find the darker deeds in life a bit more satisfying,” chuckled the bandit.

His arrogance grew quickly when he saw her blush, and he was amused that his gloating still had such an affect on people. Perhaps not every soul on Althanas had forgotten him; they just simply needed to be reminded. It was then that Rafanas decided for certain that he would not be taking anything from poor Schai, but instead, he would leave a lasting impression so that she could speak of him in her journeys. How he planned on having her remember him he was not certain of, but he had time to think. Or would.

“Though don’t worry,” he continued, sitting up straight in his chair. “I’m not here to rob you blind or anything of that sort. I just thought that maybe you’d like to go on a walk and get away from the prying eyes of lonely soldiers and drunken guards?”

He stood up, scratching the back of his neck with one hand and offering his other to Schai to help her up.

[Letho]

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