The Sword and Staff [All Welcome]

[Briarheart]

All I wanted was to have a nice, relaxing evening with cards and some good frie--well, I was hesitant to call Red a friend. Acquaintance, business partner, somebody I don't necessarily hate to be sure; but lately, friend was a bit of a stretch. Especially with her complete shift in attitude. And Lichensith definitely was not a friend. Or any of the other terms that could be used to describe his second in command.

We had a fourth person pull up a chair, even. John Cromwell. I knew the guy from a brief tussle in the Citadel on an over-sized chessboard. Monster of a man, over seven feet tall with arms wrapped in polished metal. Couldn't miss him, or forget him for that matter. Heard he was a smith, as well. I nodded at him, and he returned the gesture.

I had the first hand dealt. Gold coins started dropping into the middle of the table. Bets were being called and raised. "Ten," I muttered absentmindedly as I fished through my pockets for my gold pouch. I was all-in on playing for fun; but, hey, if Red wanted to see everyone lose the unwashed, mud-flecked shirts off their backs, that was fine by me.

I'd take her bra too, while I was at it.

But that's when things went to hell.

I set down the deck, picking up my hand and flicking through it. Each card passed by another with a crisp snap as I took stock of my hand. Two Jacks, a seven, a nine, and a four. Three different suits. It's the opening hand, I'm not going to tap into the magic of the cards and change it into something that's guaranteed to win the pot. Let them think they have a chance. Build up their confidence a bit, then tear them new assholes in the later round.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a grubby little mitt reach up from under the table and snatch the deck. In a flash, a small child with messy blond hair bolted out from underneath--was that the little brat that Hype made friends with?--and immediately ducked into the crowd.

I was out of my chair in an instant, throwing my hand onto the table, nearly knocking over one of my drinks in the process. "Get back here, you little shit!"

The back of the chair barely hit the floor before I rushed into the jumble of patrons. Little n'urd stole my enchanted deck--and I was going to get it back. It was probably worth more than he was. Enchantments aren't cheap nowadays.

Bits of the crowd parted as I sprinted after him. I heard a bark of some sort--sparing a moment's glance to catch that Philomel's little fleabag fox joined the fray, keeping pace with the tiny fucker and snarling at anyone who dared stop them.

Veridian and I never really liked each other, but the last time he got in the way he swallowed a burst of acid for his troubles. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, to get my cards back. I could just buy the faun a new pet, anyway. What do foxes go for nowadays, five gold? Depending on the season? Plus medical expenses after the traps are taken off their legs?

The scrawny little bastard was starting to gain distance. We nearly completed a full lap around the tavern when I decided to say fuck it. Pulling my gloves off and tossing them to the ground, I extended a couple thick vines from my wrists. The green tendrils snaked through the air at incredible speed at the boy, aiming to wrap themselves around his ankles and trip him up.

[Nosdyn]

Whilst the other Adventurer folks were having their drinks and leading a carefree life...or lives....Nosdyn sat out on the porch of the tavern.

His eyes were narrowed peacefully as he enjoyed the sound of the rain.

Very few things in life had a calming effect on that Demon. But rain was one of those things...rain and the noise it provided. It soothed his troubled mind as he listened to the pitter patter on the building behind and around him. The sight of mud and the town drenched did not disturb him one wit. He merely took it all in as he leaned back against the chair he sat on. It was angled at a slight, forty-five degree angle as he sat there. His boots raised and angled against a simple balcony style structure. Adventurer folks arrived to weather the storm...quite literally.

Seems to happen a lot these days 'round these parts... Nosdyn thought to himself as he listened to the sound of the rain. He could see the downpour, his eyes focusing on the sheets of rain as they swelled ever downward. Nature was an awesome thing...it had the power to belittle entire civilizations. Nosdyn thought about that as he sat and smoked. He recognized some of the folks that ventured into the tavern, a few he directly knew. Some he knew as Iron League competitors.

Nosdyn took a deep pull of the cigarette he was smoking. That hot smoke swelled through his throat and down into his lungs. He exhaled through his nostrils. Funny...storms oft did mysterious things to one's mind...and attracted folks in gathering areas like those. Nosdyn merely sat there smoking, and listening to the tavern's music and it played on. Nosdyn normally did not care for Hume culture but that night he simply wanted to fit in at least for a brief moment.

The soldier was a soldier from the armies of The Tular Plains...but even those like he had off periods. Even those like he had hobbies...so as he waited he thought and planned what he would do next. When the rain got worse, he would brave The Tavern itself and see if he recognized anyone. At one point he could have sworn he saw his ally, Storm Veritas, enter the building. He would confirm the truth in that a little bit later on...

[FennWenn]

THIS WAS A BAD IDEA.

Skittering underfoot, ducking under and leaping over tables, frost and wayward snowflakes trailed behind the sticky-fingered fae. So did one snarling fox. So did one enraged Briarheart. Chaos broke out as tables were knocked over, chairs were shoved aside (some with patrons still sitting on them), and pints of whiskey smashed to the floor. Fenn winced as he stepped on a fallen spoon. Not daring to glance over his shoulder, the fae reflected on his mistakes. Now that he had taken the shiny all for his own, the excellent amount of forethought he had put into this kneejerk heist -- none -- left him with nowhere to go. Nowhere except scampering around and around the tavern. It was as if it were a very strange merry-go-round.

Fenn was aware that he was grinning like a fool. He was also aware of the dapples of frost creeping up his newly-nicked shiny, a physical manifestation of the sudden terror thumping in his chest. It was nothing compared to the racket that followed in his wake. At first, he had assumed that this (curiously enchanted) deck belonged to Amari. It would've served her right for him to take it! But, alas; instead, getting the satisfaction of messing with her, he had a scowling plant-fae at his heels. It was hers, he bet.

Hype had been cute. This Briarheart, much less so.

Fenn hoisted himself onto the bar and ran along the counter. He needed the height for a moment. His boggy eyes skimmed the room, desperately searching for a good place to duck and hide for the rest of the night. It meant he was going to miss showing Hype his shinies, buuut... It was possible for him to keep out of sight and wait until scary-chasing lady gave up, riiigh-?

Snarly tendrils had found their way to his feet and wound about his ankles in a tangled mess. Naturally, Fenn’s magic rejected this sudden, foreign touch with a burst of frost. It didn’t release their grip one bit. If anything, it made them hold fast where they were. The boy was yanked off the counter into a spectacularly stunning splat of a face plant. Floor, meet Fenn. Fenn, meet floor.

Whump!

His first breathless thought about this was that the varnishing tasted a lot like whiskey. Whiskey, and dirt.

The second thought that came was the realization that his nose was bleeding now, a steady profusion of oily black blood. His surprise dulled the pain.

His third was something along the lines of oh fuck.

[Storm Veritas]

No shit!?

Storm had expected any number of options coming back his way. Rebuffed nuance, feigned outrage, or even bashful embarrassment were all coming responses to his forward nature. After all, with his hair pulled taut and his clothes taut and prim, he could pull off quite the dapper tone. An outright offer to bring him upstairs was altogether different.

You need to get away from Lye-something-or-other, and probably don't give two shits about me. I'm creeping on forty, and just finished bedding a two-penny whore. Red flags are for f*cking cowards.

He had taken his hand and was escorting her without another word. They called it the "Radasanthian Goodbye" where he came from; if opportunity strikes, and she is willing, you owe no goodbye to anyone. The little Fennik fellow may not understand, but some other familiar faces - Jethro, Madison, and the demon lingering outside - they would get it. The magnificent buxom faun even seemed to be smiling as he reached the stairway. Offering a hand in front of his chest, Storm allowed Philomel to lead the way.

"After you, my sweet. Very, very closely after you, pretty lady." With a wink and a smile, he was following her. "First on the right. Pardon the mess."

[Ayaka]

Wow.

Ayaka voiced her distaste for the current company who had just plopped themselves right next to her. Almost immedietly. "Who. the FUCK... Brings a child to a seedy ass tavern filled with drunks in the middle of the night?" Ayaka reached for her own cup, barely raising her eyes from her book. "That's just shit parenting. Thaynes above I hope that wretched thing is taken from you, course... it probably would happen in this place. Serves you right."

Her words came out barbed and cold. Venomous shit that just fell from her lips. Ayaka didn't care, frankly, she probably wouldn't have said anything if the two didn't sit right next to her.

A series of crashes and loud shouting finally caused Ayaka to shut her book with a sigh, she slipped it away back into her pocket and rose her golden eyes, swiveling her chair to see a scene out of some comedic play. A Giant plantwoman chased a very inebriated fae. I squinted. Sure, he was an adult by human standards, but his soul was young, and he'd still be considered young in fae years.

"Fuckin' Kids." She mumbled, pushing herself off the bar stool as she saw the blonde make a beeline toward it. Ayaka quickly picked up her drink and stepped away. Good timing. The Fae ran across the length of the bar, knocking over glass cups that shattered the moment they hit the floor. Ayaka hoped one of them shot up and hit the other kid, served them right for being in an adult place.

Ayaka scanned the immediate area for a new place to sit, and spied the corner that was previously occupied by the older man and the faun who Ayaka now assumed to be a whore. (Why else would she be so under-dressed and escorting a far older man up the stairs?) and the child. Ayaka slid into the booth and took another sip of her Scotch. She was probably on her third glass. She couldn't exactly tell since the barkeep kept topping her up. There was a buzzing in her head, and whilst it was not unpleasant it made her tolerance for the amount of bullshit springing up quite low. And with Ayaka, the bar was not set very high in the first place.

[Philomel]

The growl was terrible , like the hatred of mother earth all rolled into a thunder.

As Philomel heard the crashes she looked over, staring at where Fenn could be seen, slamming down hard on the counter. She paused, her eyes flickering between that of Lye - a man she knew if she encountered would honestly drive her to god's knows what - and the form of Fenn, struggling under the weight of Madison's unmistakable vines.

Firstly, curse plant-head, secondly.

I have this, Veridian hissed, twisting around. She saw the mother form leap onto the bar in a flash of red, You just go. But leave me Mao.

Philomel looked down at the tiny rabbit before her and shrugged. Bending down she placed the creature on the floor. at her hooves and took a moment to look to Storm.

"Just one moment," she said, looking the a man -admittedly somewhat handsome - up and down before bending to give her rabbit a little nose rub. There was a pause, and a genuine moment of energy as ... Well something happened.

Mao's immediately stood right up into the air and she looked at Philomel with intense, passionate eyes. Behind them Veridian could be seen barking out loudly at Madison and then ferociously beginning to tear at the vines with his actually incredibly strong bite. If one was smart they'd also see the rise of smoke coming from his nostrils, merely hinting at just what he could do.

And there was Mao. She tilted her head and seemed to ... Smile. Odd for a rabbit, but there you were.

"You know what to do," Philomel nodded. "Get Fenn out of here. Head to ..." She switched to communicating via mind, the ship. She could feel the alcohol beginning to take effect now. Gods, she was under the influence and was able to give Storm a second round of joy. For free. Was sshe really that desperate to get out of the way of Lichensith?

Mao nodded and skirted around on one paw, suddenly pounding the ground and heading into the crowd. Meanwhile Veridian was growing with intensity, his bites now with flashes of fire and second-degree burns with every blow. And they would only get worse ...

"Right," Philomel reached for Storm's hand. "Let's just ... Yeah." She headed towards the stairs, and the room he had described, determination set. A longing to be gone and for hell's sake, this was Shinsou's best friend. Shinsou. Why couldn't she have both? Give Storm the night of his life and ... Well. Friendship. It was a good way to make such a relationship, as far as she knew.

And he was sweet.

She she pulled him into the room, a brief glance around the spare furniture there. As crashes reigned below she was determined to reign above.

"So. Just ... Count yourself lucky you're getting this free," she said, and then she shut the door.

And things happened.

[Lye]

"Oh I'll fuckin' try..." I muttered with emerald slits across from me. "Why'd you have to go and fuck around, huh? Should've just listened. Then we could've been--"

My face wrenched in pain and I rubbed at my chest with cards in hand. A smattering of black and deep red transferred from the matted robes to the fringes of Madison's deck. I exhaled deeply through puffed cheeks as the heat in my throat threatened to rise again. Instead of sharing the contents of my stomach with the top of the table, I tried to focus on my hand.

Ace? King? Or was that some other blur of black and red? Fuck if I knew. Scarlet called out a bid, Madison raised, and by the time I opened my mouth to speak, some midget ran off with the playing cards. I wrenched my head to follow the streak of green and blonde and pressed my nose into the rock hard triceps of the mountain beside me. I trailed up the valleys and hills to what was either a head, or boulder balancing very carefully atop a muscle plateau.

"You, uh..." I muttered. "You been workin' out, Jensen?"

I felt a pang of lightheartedness and planted my face against the rock's arms. I meant to mutter something about finally giving in or letting the madness take control but it collaborated with the stranger's attire to form:

"Mferrgur nf mdnfff, heheheh."

I lifted my head and reached out to boop him on the chin. Not sure why. Not sure why not either. Everything at the moment seemed both like the best idea, and the worst idea. As the conflagration of noise and chaos ensued, my swirling froth of vision settled on a blur of purple and streak of fire red. I pause with the look of confusion or constipation on my face as my brain swam through my limited cohesion for the beacon of familiarity. Not sure if I found it, but it made me upset.

"Hey!" I slurred. "You fuckin' did this!"

I stuck a finger against my chest and the fabric dipped deeper than it should have. Bad idea. That crossbow bolt wound still was a tad tender. The Ruilserk essence, nightshade, and bitter root was still coursing around inside, wreaking more havoc than Philomel's Headbutt. I knew it'd process itself out of me soon enough. Or did I? I fucking could barely remember how I got here. But the hole in my breast, yeah. That hurt. I pulled my finger off the fabric with a nice glob of ichor on the tip and stared at it with angst. As if it were at fault.

I completely forgot about the blur, the cards, mountain man, Scarlet, and Madison. Where was this again?

[Amari]

Well, that was a whole lot of chaotic shit that really could have been avoided if it werent for grabby fingers and an overzealous faun who wanted to play both hero and consort. Boy, Madison was pissed.

In any event, Scarlet's main priority, as bothersome as it was... was to ensure her Masters safety. Judging by his current state that was a task in and of itself, if he wasn't being such an emotional wreck lately, she'd assume he was testing her but the bile and froth of vomit that touched his lips said otherwise.

"Ulroke. You've put yourself into a downward spiral lately." Scarlet mused as she tossed the now useless cards across the table. "This is the apex of that. Excuse me for being impolite, but what the fuck?"

He went on a slurred flurry of words, muttering that if she didn't go and fuck around they could have been...? What? Equals? Scarlet scoffed. He'd never see her as his equal, she was always beneath him. Even now.

She felt another tug at her chest as concern began to lace her actions, fueled on by the throbbing piece of her soul hidden away somewhere on his form. "Ulroke....I am being serious." She sighed as she pushed herself up onto the table and swung her legs down to dangle awkwardly between himself and Redford. Scarlet glanced up at John who didn't seem too bothered by Lye using him as a pillow.

He didn't have to answer her first question, bloodied hole? Alcohol mixed with whatever poison that ailed him. That'd do it. She begrudgingly reached out to wipe the slick of slimy sweat from his forehead, pressing his silver hair away from clouded green eyes. "Do you want me to get you some water?" He tried to push her away.

"F-faarhhkoff monster."

Monster.

Why did that word sting? Why did her chest hurt? She thought she was rid of emotions, and this pain was a good reminder as to why she had forced herself into corruption and had the last of her humanity stripped from her. That piece, must have somehow grown in strength and with her so close to it, it was practically thrumming in time with her own congregated shit fest of a being.

Her hand hung there in the air, her face unreadable, but the hint of pain evident in the scelera eyes that rested on her master.

"As you wish." Her voice was stoic as she pulled her hand away, wiping it on the hem of her red dress.

[Nosdyn]

Nosdyn heard a bit of rowdiness inside...he almost considered going into the old tavern.

But the sound of the rain soothed him and he wanted to enjoy it for a time longer.

He smoked his cigarette a bit longer, taking a few pulls of it. He continued to exhale from his nostrils. His travelling pack rested on the floor next to his chair. He was one of the few braver souls that sat outside the tavern's structure itself. His eyes were narrowed as he looked out into the rain. The sound relaxed him and reminded him of how little it actually rained out in The Tular Plains. Nosdyn carefully considered the situation at hand...the roads were dangerous while the rain poured on Althanas herself. Nosdyn looked up at the dark sky for a moment. He wished he could see the stars in the night sky and the moon of Althanas herself.

Returning his gaze to a steady position, he finished smoking his cigarette. Grabbing his stuff, he decided to venture into the rowdy tavern itself. Nosdyn's boots were wet from the mud earlier, despite that, he was fairly warm. A side effect of The Fell Blood within him. He recognized some of the faces in the crowd from Iron Leagues. And The Citadel Leagues as well. Nosdyn lowered his hood and walked towards an empty table. He recognized Madison Freebird, Lichensith Ulroke, and a few others. Nosdyn sighed. He walked towards empty table and sat down in it, swinging his backpack on the floor next to his chair.

As he sat down he began to silently observe the crowd...

[Nekoprincess]

Rainee could feel her anger rising, as she saw a neko-jin, female spew that she shouldn't have brought her daughter to such a seedy tavern. A growl escaped her lips as she heard the cat-woman mutter that for bringing Mylie into such a run-down place, that her little angel should get kidnapped. Anger was in the cat-mother's eyes as she thought If you only knew what we'd been through, you'd get why I'd bring her into a place like this! God's above, she's better here under my care, then being left alone at Grace Manor. Hell! She has just a good chance of being swiped there, then here! So I might as well have her here with me!

Her tail swished rapidly, the heat of her emotions coursing through her body. She was just about to give the bitchy cat-girl a piece of her mind. When chaos erupted, an inebriated fae was running away from a plant-woman, vines spewing forth as the fae-child ran across the bar-top. A hiss escaped from Rainee's lips as both her glass of white wine and her daughter's milk was splashed off the bar-counter. Glass and liquid shattered splashing Rainee's purple trench coat and making her smell like a winery.

Mylie, meanwhile giggled childishly as her chocolate brown eyes were following the fae-child's path of escape, her eyes widened when the scary plant lady caught the blond haired boy and lifted him up by his feet shouting "Whose child is this?" Her little tail wagged playfully, as the light of mischief in her eyes as she exclaimed "Can I go play with the fae-child mommy?" the little girl wasn't even concerned over her split milk. Her mind now was on meeting a new friend, and the prospect of having fun, even in such a dark and seedy place.

Looking at all the other patrons of the bar, especially the plant woman, Rainee pulled her precious girl close whispering "I think the fairy child is a little tied up at the moment honey. If you want to order another milk go ahead...JUST STAY IN MY LINE OF SIGHT!

Mylie let out a little whine of annoyance, whimpering out "B...but, M..o" her words were hushed by her mother pressing a finger against her lips, as Rainee said softly "No whining sweetie, or no more milk ok?"

Mylie let out a meow of annoyance, before turning to the barkeep asking "Another milk please?"

The barkeep sighed, pulling out another glass and filling it with pure white milk he muttered "So much chaos...Here you go little one. Keep a tight hold on it!" The little kitten pulled her milk close begin to drink it, not bothering to answer.

the cat-mother then groaned as her eyes scanned for the other neko-jin in the room, she wanted to have a few choice words with the woman for criticizing the way she raised her daughter.