A New chapter in life (Open)

Evian wasn't sure what the thing that woke him up from his sleep was, but despite that he moved swiftly to get onto his feet, scooping his spear up with one hand as he scanned the area around the tree he had set up camp next to. The early morning sun was shining down through the tree branches, but the light failed to reveal anything out of the ordinary to his gaze. Evian kept his breathing as slow and steady as he could as he looked around, straining his ears for something unusual or odd. The only sounds that reached him though were the noises of the forest - birds chirping, wind rustling through the leaves above.

After several tense minutes, he finally relaxed, straightening up from the coiled crouch he had been in as he waited for an attack. The blue-eyed man let out the breath he had unconsciously started holding, and ran his empty hand through his hair. "Right. I think it's about time I head into town." It would be nice to not worry about an animal or bandit attacking while he slept. And it would be very nice to sleep in an actual bed. With a tired sigh Evian packed his limited belongings into his backpack and put it on, and hefted the burlap sack of furs and fangs onto his shoulder.

After making sure the sack of hunting bits was settled, Evian lifted his bow up and slung it across his back. Belongings safely in tow, he began the trudge into Stonevale, leaving the small clearing behind.

-----

".....thank you again. We aren't hard up for furs, but the extra supplies are very welcome." The tanner said as Evian was dropping the coins he had been paid with into the small pouch on his belt. Evian flashed the other man a friendly smile as he picked back up his backpack.

"Not a problem at all. And thank you for being willing to buy these off of me, it certainly helps." The tanner let out a laugh and shook his head. "Now, I've got a date with a couple drinks down at the tavern, and I can hear them calling my name."

"Ah, wish I could heed that call myself, but I've work to get back to. Off with you then and make sure you bring me any other hides you get your hands on laddie." Evian have the man a nod and pushed out through the door, onto the street outside. He'd done alright from selling off his harvests from his kills, and he hadn't been joking about wanting to get a drink. And thankfully, he remembered the way to one of the local taverns.

It was nice, honestly, to be able to realize that. This was the longest he'd been in one place in a while. The town of Stonevale was quiet enough, and no one really questioned a traveling hunter. Aside from asking him why he used a spear instead of something more manageable. Evian chuckled at that thought as his feet carried him towards somewhere he could get food and drink.

In once such establishment nearby that carried both food and drink, a tall, hooded man calmly sipped away at a well aged amber liquid. The musk of weary adventurers mixed with savory aromas from the kitchen. Warmth and light flickered from a low burning central hearth where many chose to sit near. It's dim rays struggled to illuminate the pale skin beneath the shadows of his cowl yet two glints of deep, emerald green peered over the sparse collection of patrons. Lye set his glass of single malt down on the worn, wooden table and leaned back in the crudely crafted booth. The establishment lacked comfort, but more than adequately provided the necessities. As he shifted his arms over the headrest to both sides, numerous scabbards pressed into his back. To most an uncomfortable feeling, his weapons always calmed and soothed him.

For this weary, tattered soul, a moment of calm an peace was much needed. His long venture of running an organization finally came to an end. The memories of good and bad lingered behind a dam supported through drink and refuge. Some may say he was an exile of his own making from the frigid North but he admitted the warmer climate provided a refreshing change.

"Might I get you another," sheepishly asked a female bartender. She looked no more than eighteen, a prime example of youth and charm.

His gloved hand lifted and waved once. The glass between them had more than ample contents to satiate his needs. The maiden nodded with a forced smile. With a serving tray tightly clutched to her chest, he turned and hastily made her way back behind the bar beside what Lye only assumed was her father. The grizzled, meaty oaf may as well of thrown daggers with his eyes. Someone with a lifetime of experience dealing with the people knew exactly who Lye was. Perhaps not the details, but the look alone confirmed "his kind" wasn't readily welcomed.

Not of much mind to Lye, however. To say that a man felt intimidated by ants at his feet adequately summed the degree of concern at the back of his mind.

Evian pushed open the door into the main lobby of the tavern, pausing a moment as a rush of thick air swirled around him. Right - he had forgotten that being in a town meant a lot of people. Because of the chemicals used in tanning not many people had been around when he was selling things earlier, but here in a tavern it was hard to get away from other people. Many of whom were - well, he couldn't point fingers, his last bath had been in a river. He forced a smile for a moment before he adjusted to the atmosphere, then headed inside, eyes scanning the room for a place to sit.

The fire was out, near the hearth. While there were a few spots there was no way Evian would be comfortable near that many people. He'd stomach it if he had to - he hadn't been joking when he'd said he wanted a drink, and he knew anywhere he went there'd be just as many people. A second glance around the room made Evian realize there was an oddly empty spot. No one was going out of their way to call attention to it, and there were still people there, but to one side of the room there were decidedly fewer patrons sitting at tables.

It seemed to be centered around a large, well built figure who was drinking from a mug slowly. As he lifted his arm something metal caught the light from the fireplace and reflected it, glinting for a moment before movement obscured it once more. The only feature that could be made out of his face were intense, deep green eye that seemed disconnected from what they were looking at. It was easy to see why most of the other tavern goers were giving this man a healthy berth of space. A gap that Evian happily plopped himself down into, sitting a short distance from the other man. He rested his unstrung bow against the wall and planted his spear beside it, glad he'd actually remembered to bring the leather wrap to cover up the blade on the end.

Evian flagged over a young woman - the serving girl, who kept sneaking glances toward the green-eyed man nearby as she came over to Evian. "What can I get for you, ser?" Her voice was light and vibrant as she smiled at the brown-haired man.

"Just an ale or mead, whichever you'd recommend, miss." Evian smiled back lightly, his eyes partially closing as he did. If nothing else, it was nice to see a pretty face smiling. He'd spent entirely too much time in forests recently, or just visiting taciturn old men working as tanners or butchers. The youth scurried back towards the bar, to an older, burly man who seemed to be trying to split his glare between Evian and the other man he was seated near, though that glare did seem to favor the man Evian didn't recognize. He wasn't surprised though, with the way the girl serving as the barmaid was still sneaking glances over her shoulder toward the other figure.

A newcomer.

Two eyes blacked out into the inky shadow of the hood. A new light came to Lye's senses, the sense of what does not belong. The other patrons muddled into apparitions. A world of silhouettes slipped into Lye's mind and the ghosts of complacency haunted the nonchalant and mediocre. His senses reached and painted the interior of the tavern. It spilled outward and reached the grass, trees, and muddy roads in the village beyond the four walls. Footsteps still fresh from a new occupant of the tavern lit up like candles in the night. A rich history followed. Uniqueness. Power.

The pale lips beneath the hood pulled to a grin and the veteran's arms prickled. His sense of contrast honed and focused on the bright aura of the newcomer. It hovered eerily about from all angles. It took inventory of height, build, and weapons.

'A spear and bow...' Lye reflected in his thoughts. 'The tools of a hunter.'

He knew how to take a life. He know how to conquer prey and draw the line between the strong and the weak. A question arose: did the hunter respect the honor of a kill? Did he enjoy the thrill of the hunt, the warmth of life, and the cold of inevitable fate brought early?

Lye rose his hand toward the bartender to catch the attention he already had. With a scowl from the man and a glimmer of concern from the maiden, Lye opened his eyes and tapped two fingers on the table. Then, he quietly slid the near empty glass to the edge.

"I'll take another after all." His coarse tone carried over the idle chatter despite its reasonable volume. Years of experience hung on the words like a heavy grit on sandpaper. "And I'll cover this one's tab."

Lye pointed a finger toward the newcomer and lifted his hung head. Light poured over pale skin and angular features. An aged scar ran across a clouded eye as it focused toward the tip of his finger and the man on the end of it.

"Well now, that is kind of you sir." Evian inclined his head towards the older man. When he'd decided to take refuge from the press of humanity around them near the hooded figure, all he'd expected was a bit of quiet and a place to relax with a drink. Having even one drink paid for would help the young hunter's wallet. He turned sharp blue eyes towards the man, following back along the outstretched arm.

This man was definitely different from most of those who traveled through Stonevale. Only the oldest miners had the weight of experience that clung to them like this man had - and there was a distinct air of contained danger about him. What caught Evian's gaze though was the scar over one eye, standing out against pale skin. That pale skin was uncomfortably familiar to Evian - the skin of someone who stayed indoors more often than not. It reminded him of places he would rather forget. And the scar didn't help any - it made the one at his hairline twinge with remembered pains.

Still - Evian wasn't going to jump to conclusions or turn down someone else's goodwill. As far as he knew, this was a scarred veteran who was just showing an unexpected kindness to someone who had had more courage than the rest of the people who were trudging through the tavern.

The young man blinked, broken from his staring at the pale figure, when the waitress came up to them. She hastily set one tankard down in front of Evian, offering him an extremely quick, perfunctory smile, before focusing on the older man. She set a glad down in front of him before bowing and scurrying away, casting furtive glances over her shoulder as she almost fled.

"What could you have possibly done to get that reaction? Simply existing isn't a crime." Evian snorted and shook his head once.

Kindness...

Lye let the word entertain him like a well spoken joke. He lowered his his hand, much to the acknowledgement of the barkeep and his lovely assistant. From his side, he produced a bag of coin and counted out a stack of ten pristine, gold coins. The gold alone accounted for several drinks or even a night's stay in the limited rooms above. He returned the coin to his side and reached for the fresh glass of single malt. From the glass he took a hearty draw of the amber spirit and let its contents burn fire deep to his core.

He set down his glass.

"Some people have good instinct," the experienced patron replied. "And for someone like me, there are those who would disagree with you."

The figure pulled back his hood to reveal a head of ashen hair. Light accentuated angular features with high cheek bones and sunken eyes. A haze of grey framed his chin from a neglect of shaving. Both eyes looked to the newcomer but only one could see his similar scarred features and fair skin. The other's blind view of the world through clouded jade only saw the aura of potential around him. Yet, in a world of ants, a giant felt no threat.

"What is your name, stranger?" he inquired.

Some of the patrons stood and left, their food and drink unfinished upon their tables. The bartender whispered to the female server, and she vanished upstairs. The oaf of a man moved to a section of the counter where his hands reached for something beneath-- something hidden from view, but not from Lye. The tensions rose in the tavern, yet he remained unnervingly calm.

Evian saw the flurry of motion that sprang up around them when his drinking companion took down his hood, and inwardly frowned. Living primarily in the woods for the last few years meant he missed things but he didn't miss the fact that nearly everyone around them was trying to avoid the one-eyed warrior. He suppressed a sigh and the urge to rub the bridge of his nose. That urge nearly tripled when the bartender, keeping a keen eye on them, leaned down and seemed to rummage for something under the countertop.

Evian got the distinct impression that unless they managed either a miracle or were insanely unlucky, most of the people here drew about as much of this man's attention as a gnat would. Sure, he saw them, but beyond idly smacking them away he would pay them no mind - specks flitting about and getting in his way, at worst. If he was right about the man, he'd either snap and crush most of the people in here for attacking him, if they did, or ignore them because there's nothing they could do to him.

The young man took a slow drink of his mead, purposefully ignoring the tension hanging in the air. He set the tankard back down and gave the other man a smile that twisted up one side of his mouth. "I go by Evian, pleasure to meetcha. And they're free to disagree if they want. Maybe some things done are crimes, but simply drawing breath, continuing to live on, is not." He leaned back in his seat and shrugged. "Then again, I do tend to find myself… Uninterested in most people's opinions. They come up with some ludicrous self-justifications for whatever heinous thing they want to do. Like now - you've simply sat here, drank quietly, and if anything, been generous and overpaid." He took another drink of his mead.

"So again, I say thanks for the kindness, and ask my benefactor's name."

Lye's eyes grew narrow as he carefully watched Evian notice the movements of the bartender. Despite the tension in body language and the air of the patrons, this stranger kept calm. Unlike the unnerved calm seen in those struggling to choke down fear or anxiety, Lye sensed a calm born of action. This man understood how to live in the moment. If, for some reason, that bartender decided to test his luck with the crossbow under the counter, this man would be ready to move.

"An interesting outlook," Lye commented with a whimsical chuckle. His hand stayed curled around the glass of whiskey but he did not dare move it under current circumstances.

The stranger's words seemed to carry to unwelcome ears. The taught air relaxed. Some disengaged from their behaviors and returned to their food or company. The tender, on the other hand, stayed firmly planted where he believed was best for himself and his patrons.

"It is true that, as of the moment, I am only here for a drink and to enjoy some time free from the cold. While that may not be a crime in itself, I am not welcome most places." Lye lifted his glass to his lips. Thanks to Evian's earlier comment, no bolts sailed toward his chest while he took another swig. Lye let out a slow breath and set down the last sip of whiskey.

"Sadly, I won't have much more time to enjoy myself before the local authorities arrive." The gravity of the statement left his lips with casual disinterest. Almost as though the statement eluded to a boring fact than the actual threat it posed.

"My name is Lye," he replied. A few more patrons stood and left. "I'm just a man who finds spoken and written laws to be invisible shackles for the weak. And for that, many disagree. Perhaps that is my heinous self-justification for what I've done."

Lye lifted his glass for the last time and finished off its contents. He set the empty container upside down atop the stack of gold left behind for the establishment. Then, he sat back and waited.

Evian let tension ease from the back of his neck as the other patrons relaxed. It seemed that, right now, at least, no one would be launching unprovoked attacks on others. At least not anyone in here, though that bartender was still keeping a wary eye on the other man. As he spoke Evian suppressed a snort at the thought of the local authorities proving a threat - he had a feeling that, much like the rest of the people in this bar, the local guard would be little more than an inconvenience to the grizzled veteran drinking whiskey.

As Lye - Evian had a name for a face, now - spoke, Evian felt the scars on his back burn. He couldn't find it in himself to really disagree with the point of laws being shackles. Those strong, or cruel, enough, would happily ignore the law whenever it suited them. People who abided by them would always find themselves hampered, hindered, while monsters ran free, mocking the law. Spoken, written words? Fancy ink on paper at best, that had done nothing to stop the scalpel as it sliced into him.

That pain, that hell, had only ended when he'd been pushed over the breaking point, past the point where fear had held him. Now he avoided most people because he was certain that, if one group found out about him, they would try to continue what that monster had started, and they'd ignore any pesky 'laws' that might get in their way. Evian slowly drained his mug of mead and stared at the empty bottom, eyes narrowed in thought. It would be better, then, wouldn't it, to ignore them himself if he needed to.

It wasn't in Evian to just wantonly attack others - he had no desire, no interest to. But.. What had this life given him, really? He snorted once and shook his head. "That's hardly a self-justification. It's been proven true a few too many times, hasn't it?" He finally said, looking back at Lye. "Again I find myself thanking you, though. You've put words to a thought I didn't realize I had." Evian had no desire to let anyone hold power over him like his father had, not ever again. It would seem he would have to start seeking ways to strengthen himself. It would only be a matter of time before someone came seeking to 'shackle' him.

And right now, he knew he didn't have the strength or power that Lye did. The man exuded that quiet strength, the confidence, not arrogance, that nothing here could hold him unless he let it.

Lye’s face twisted into a smile, an expression not often found on his face. His sight was on the mark; Evian carried himself in a way not many others understood.

“I like you,” Lye admitted, smile still chiseled across his porcelain features. I was not a distinction commonly uttered.

“So, for that alone, I will take my leave.” The veteran tilted himself forward and moved to get himself out from behind the table. The scabbards and hilts of his weapons ran along the wood like a series of small knocks until he stood tall at over six feet. The bartender, who did not approve of the movement hoisted something from under the counter still from sight. Dew from sweat glistened on his forehead.

“I do hope we meet again sometime, Evian.” The words betrayed their meaning. Their paths would cross again and by no manner of fate, Lye would be sure of it.

He bowed his head slightly to the newcomer and turned for the exit. The tavern looked nearly empty with only two tables still occupied by drunkards far too oblivious or bothered to care. Lye took only a few steps toward the exit before the body of the aforementioned crossbow came to view and shakily leveled toward him.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Shouted the bartender. “You’ll wait right there!”

Lye tilted his head at an angle and his two, cold eyes bore holes through his aggressor. He did not relent, instead the man leveled his shoulders as though to appear serious, or larger. It looked as though an animal attempting to intimidate a predator. Lye lifted his hands.

Twang! THWAK!

While the bolt from the crossbow still settled into its spot several inches deep in the wall behind him, Lye lifted his hood over his head. Whether by nerves, inexperience, or some other unknown reason, the shot missed. As a result, the bartender deflated and a glimmer of worry sweetened his angered expression.

Without further word or ceremony, the assassin left the establishment. As though he knew they were near, a group of guards filled the entryway moments later. Had the killer stayed...

Evian rubbed his hand against his face. He didn't know if the bartender was full of bravery in that moment, or sheer and utter stupidity. Lye had been leaving, and without any further issue. Now here he was, listening to that same bartender swear up and down that, as far as Evian could tell, evil itself personified had been in here, fiendishly devouring everything he could touch, and terrifying away all of the bar's regular clientele. Never mind that there were still tables of drunks, completely besotted and dead to the world as they drank away their 'woes'.

That had been an..experience. He didn't know what it meant that Lye apparently liked him - though it seemed it meant Lye wasn't interested in starting a killing nearby out of courtesy for him. As for the other thing the grizzled man had said- Evian chuckled, the sound just shy of bitter and hateful. "One can only hope, I suppose. Can't see the future, after all." Not where he was concerned. His words were directed to no one as he stared at the table, eyss vacantly following the pattern of the grain of wood.

But his words did remind the bartender of his presence. The gruff man thrust a finger in Evian's direction. "And him! Him! He just sat there and talked with the monster! Like old friends! He must be just as bad!" The accusation made the guard turn their attention to Evian, just as it made Evian blink and look over towards them. One of the men swaggered over to where Evian was sitting, one hand casually resting on the pommel of his club.

"Is that true, boy? Getting chummy with a killer? Gotta be something wrong in that head of yers if that's the case." He leaned over, and Evian's nose wrinkled as the man's breath, reeking of tobacco and something else, washed over him. "Maybe ye should come down to the guard house, answer some questions about yer friend." His fingers drummed on the haft of his club, a clear bluster. Or, threat. Evian's eyes narrowed, and he slowly pushed back from the table, rising to his feet.

Evian wasn't exactly a tall man, but as he studied the guard now standing nose to nose with him, he almost felt like the man was smaller, despite the height difference. After receiving the brunt of Lye's attention and focus there, the paltry intimidation of the guard just, didn't phase Evian at all.

Without saying a word, Evian picked up his bow and slung it across his shoulders, then hefted his spear in his other hand. He turned his gaze to the man who was actually leading the squad of guards. "Last I knew, talking with someone was not a crime. The man left payment aplenty on the table, enough even to make up any lost revenue. And talking with me seems to have kept him from ending lives here. Have a good evening, gentlemen." He turned sharply on his heel and started walking towards the door.

The blustering guard immediately tried to chase after him, only to trip over the chair that was oddly in his way suddenly. As the man crashed down in a jangle of metal, flesh hitting wood, and grunts of pain, Evian had to suppress a smirk as he walked out through the doors.

Still, though. Lye clearly intended they'd meet again in the future. Evian would have to be ready for that day - he had no idea if the other man would be in as good a mood next time, and Evian wanted to take no chances. He started ambling through the town, trying to figure out options.

Name of thread: A New chapter in life
Participants: Retytac and Lye

Rewards:

Reytac receives:
1240 Experience
110 Gold

Lye receives:
1980 Experience
60 Gold

Retytac's rewards inclusive of Stonevale bonus.

All rewards have been added.