Cheers Darlin' [M][DragonSong]

[Lowen Thorn]

@DragonSong



"Cheers, Darlin," the barmaid said as she passed him the ale.

Noah Oakley picked it up quickly and carefully from the table, giving a quiet thanks just shortly before his lips found the brim. The woman's eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, smiling briefly, before turning back to wait on other of the bar's patrons.

She probably thought what everybody thought: shy, weak, nervous man. Well he couldn't help that! Look at where he was, for gods' sake! He ordered the ale to calm his nerves, not because his nerves were already calm!

He let out a nervous breath, and then took another sip. He was laser-focused on his beverage, hoping that it would prevent anybody but the help from trying to talk to him.

He hired a thief. Or, was hiring a thief. He had never hired a thief before, or really associated with one without knowing about them prior. He had been robbed several times, though, if that counted for anything. It probably didn't.

He had managed to muster up the courage to ask around town for "the best thief in the business," which in turn garnered a few laughs, but a few helpful directions as well. After much investigation, "Jynx" was the name he heard mentioned the most.

He really knew nothing about this man, or how he gained such a big reputation as a thief in the land of thieves, but he hoped, he prayed, he could help him. He was going to get his money back and leave this forsaken place once and for all.

[DragonSong]

It was almost painfully easy to pick her potential employer from the crowd in the tavern. Quite apart from his obvious discomfort and unfamiliarity with the place, he was one of the few people who didn’t glance up when she entered the room and, upon seeing the distinctive scar across her face, immediately look away again.

She smirked. Good. She had a reputation, after all.

Which this man clearly didn’t know. Hm. This might be fun.

Tossing her mass of curls back over one shoulder, the thief strode confidently across the room and propped her hip up against his table, one hand on her waist and the other splayed out over the wood.

“Hey there, stranger,” she chirped, tilting her head and smiling at him crookedly. “You sure you aren’t lost, sweetling? You don’t look fit for this part of town, if you don’t mind my saying. What brings you here?”

[Lowen Thorn]

He nearly choked on his drink when the woman appeared, but managed to compose himself after only a few seconds of coughing. He held a hand up as to signal her to wait a second, slurred something along the lines of 'wrong pipe' and cleared his throat.

When he finally put eyes on her, he immediately shot his head back down. Then he looked again.

Beautiful girl. Beautiful, gorgeous red hair. Cute freckles. Curves. This was a trap. It had to be. No way in hell this woman would pick him out of this crowd to speak with without some sort of catch. She probably intended on seducing him, and then shaking him down!

No ma'am. Not today.

"I'm uh.. I'm waiting on somebody," he said quietly, looking away from her to showcase disinterest.

He left it at that.

[DragonSong]

Oh gods, men were almost too easy.

With a little smirk and another flip of her hair, she leaned in and tilted her head so she could peek at him through her lashes--a position which had the added benefit of highlighting her cleavage. She'd seen where he was looking, and she wasn't so proud that she wouldn't use it to her advantage.

Could maybe squeeze a few more coins out of him for this job if he was a little sweet on her.

"Waiting for...who?" she asked, allowing her voice to go sweet and soft as she watched him.

[Lowen Thorn]

Good gods she had amazing breasts. They were right there.

And her voice was so sweet. Surely she could just be...?

No. Get it together, Noah.

He was too easy. He allowed himself to be looped into the charms of a beautiful woman way too easy. He needed to remember why he was there, and how he got himself in this situation the first place.

He took another sip of his ale, trying not to stare at them. That proved difficult, so he finally returned her gaze. "Just.. someone," was his uncertain reply. "Someone I've hired. A man named Jynx. Have you heard of him?"

[DragonSong]

She almost choked.

Okay, that was funny.

"Heard of Jynx?" She widened her eyes and leaned back again. "Well of course I have. Most everyone in the lower city has, where you been? Best at the job, word is. What d'ya need a thief like that for?"

Two tables over, she saw a sellsword she'd worked with in the past snort into his drink. She narrowed her eyes at him and, when he looked up and caught her gaze, he went white. She smirked.

[Lowen Thorn]

Oh, so she had heard of him. Well, that made him feel a little better. He was starting to wonder if the rumors were true, and if he had hired the right guy. Her reaction seemed to tell him everything he needed to know.

Still, what was her angle? Why was she so curious? He had all but convinced himself that was still all apart of the act to take advantage of him.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, trying to be as polite as he could be. "That's really between me and Mr. Jynx."

[DragonSong]

She groaned and let her head lull back, chuckling quietly.

"Alright," she sighed, raising her hands as though in defeat. "I was gonna keep it on a bit longer, but then you called me ma'am. That's just...blimey, toff, how've you survived this long in Zantaric?" She kicked the second chair out away from the table and spun in around before dropping into it. Arms folded over the back, she cocked her head and smirked, eyes glinting.

"Name's Jynx." One eyebrow quirked up. "So I take it you're Noah Oakley."

[Lowen Thorn]

He choked on his drink again.

Was she fucking with him now? Was he that vulnerable-looking that she thought she just could outright fuck with him? Did a giant sign labeled 'Rob Me' hang from his neck? No, that couldn't be it. She wouldn't know his name if she wasn't who she said she was.

After he composed himself, he looked at her a little warily. "..You're.. Jynx," he said, though it was more of a question. "I thought.. I'm sorry. I was under the impression that you were a man."

Now he felt sexist. Great.

[DragonSong]

"That's 'cause you're a man, sweetling." She smiled and propped her chin in her hand. "And a toff too, by the looks of you. Down on your luck sort of toff. Which, I assume, is why you're stooping to hire a professional thief?"

Eyes dancing, she quirked her lips up a little higher on one side and said blithely, "Well, lucky for you, you have picked the best. So. Shall we talk business?"

[Lowen Thorn]

A toff? What exactly is a toff?

He shook the thought from his mind. It didn't really matter. Probably an insult, or some local term for outsiders like himself. "Right," he breathed. "Please. Sit down."

He nearly rolled his eyes at himself immediately, considering the woman was already seated. He took another nervous sip of his ale and leaned in a little closer, as if he were going to deliver her the most top-secret objective that ever existed in this hellhole of a rock.

"Someone stole all of my money," he began to explain. "I want to hire you to get it back for me."

And so he explained the entire situation to her, embarrassing as it may have been. He started with inheriting his family's vast fortune, and then he told her about meeting Luna back in La'marri, falling in love with her - lingering on his love for her a little longer than he probably should have, moving to Zantaric to live with her and her family, and being robbed and left stranded in a foreign land.

He also informed her that he had no idea where they might be, but he did know that they were somewhere here. The best he could do was offer her a description, a very-detailed description, of Luna. From her dark hair to her fair skin, every curve, her smile, her eyes, quirks and mannerisms.

"I don't have much money right now," he admitted. "But if you get me back what is mine, I'll happily split it with you. I have a lot of money. Had, I s'pose."

When he was finished, he took another sip of the ale, leaving an empty glass on the table.

[DragonSong]

Yup. Down-on-your-luck toff.

And a fair stupid one, apparently.

Jynx had to resist rolling her eyes no less then seven times through the course of his story; honestly she felt like she deserved some sort of medal or something for the fact that she'd managed it.

She listened to the story, then his proposal, then she was silent. For almost a full minute, she was silent, just staring at him.

When she did speak, it was just to comment, "You should probably leave of the drink there, love. No offense, but you don't seem like the type who can really hold his liquor." Her fingers drummed against the table briefly as she glanced around the room.

If she said yes here, she could count half a dozen other thieves and cutpurses who'd be more than willing to make the job a hassle.

Fixing a winning smile on her face, she reached over to brush her fingers lightly against the back of his wrist. "Well that quite a tale, m'lad. Don't suppose you'd want to give me more of the particulars while I think over my answer somewhere a...little more private?"

Hoping, probably in vain, that he'd be able to pick up on the cue, she flicked her eyes toward a few of the surrounding tables and their less than savory occupants meaningfully.

[Lowen Thorn]

The hairs on his neck stood up at her touch, and he almost felt his heart flutter loosely in his chest.

Is she... coming onto me?

No. She's probably still playing at an angle.

Of course, this wasn't the best spot to conduct business, given the information he had just told her. They probably should have picked a private spot to begin with, but he felt a little more comfortable meeting someone new, like her, in a public setting for the first time. Even if it was a dive bar in Zantaric.

He nodded in agreement. "Yes," he said breathlessly. "Yes, let's do that."

[DragonSong]

Once more Jynx had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Not his fault. He's just some lost dandy in way over his head, keep that in mind, she counseled herself.

"Right then." She beamed another smile at him and got to her feet. "I know a few places. Follow me?"

She said it like a question, but something in her eyes brooked no argument.

[Lowen Thorn]

He nodded again and was on his feet.

He would be more than happy to follow her to a more private setting. He didn't much like crowded areas in Zantaric anyway. There was usually a scuffle, or some sort of inconvenience thrown his way. Plus, he was ready to get started, and he was silently admiring her.

There was something so dangerous, something so sexy, about working with some beautiful thief with curves that could knock down a building. Maybe, if everything went well, he-

Oh, get out of your own head you stupid pervert.

"Please lead the way."

[DragonSong]

Jynx smiled again and, without further ado, linked her arm through his to lead him out of the tavern and back onto the street.

It was raining--drizzling, really--and she chuckled dryly to herself. "Lovely night," she commented as she led Noah along down the street, around a corner, ducked through an alley, then abruptly changed direction and made her way down a completely different street.

It never hurt to be too careful. She had no idea if anyone in that tavern would have the stones to actually try and follow her, but better to be safe than sorry.

"So, this Luna." She glanced at him sidelong as they walked. "You happen to get a good look at any of her "family"?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Where exactly were they going? It seemed as if this strange woman, this Jynx, was walking him around in circles. Maybe she was trying to tire him out for some reason? Many she didn't intend to help him at all? Well, he didn't get tired that easily.

And that was most certainly not what she was doing. He sighed internally, and kicked himself internally too. Get. Out. Of. Your. Head.

"Oh, y-yes," he replied. "I suppose that would be helpful."

He thought carefully, letting the sound of their footsteps occupy the momentary silence. "Her father was sort of a boarish-looking man. Tall, fat, missing a few teeth, with a dark mop of hair. His brothers look much the same, one bigger, one smaller, they all seem to be missing teeth. One of the brothers has a scar across his face, much like yours, but by no means as attractive. And, uh.. I don't even know if she has a mother." He shrugged. "I really don't even know if these people were her real family. Mostly gruff older men and a couple my age, equally as gruff as the older ones but without the extra weight."

[DragonSong]

When he mentioned the scar she stiffened, just a bit, just for a moment. Then the moment passed and she continued on as though it hadn't happened. She listened to him, nodding along with a contemplative look on her face.

"Probably weren't related," she said when he'd finished. "It's a pretty old scam: find the prettiest girl you can off the streets, train her to be everything a man wants, set her up with a gullible dandy, wait until his guard's down, then strike." She shrugged. "High risk, high reward. Ah, here we are."

Here was apparently a burned out shell of a building that might once have generously been called a "shack". Jynx released his arm to duck in through a dilapidated doorway, then paused to glance at him over her shoulder. "Coming?"

[Lowen Thorn]

He looked at her, and the.. whatever it was, with speculation. Was this her house?

If this is where she lives, then she must really need that money.

"Um, yes ma'am," he responded quietly before climbing through the aged and deteriorating doorway. Once inside, he immediately looked for a place to sit, but saw no such option at first glance. Just standing around made him anxious. Hell, he had been a nervous wreck the entire night. Dealing with thieves was shady business, but it was now necessary. Unfortunately.

"So, what now?" he asked. "What else do you uh.. need to know?"

[DragonSong]

Jynx lit a small oil lamp and hung it from the ceiling above them, casting a strangely warm glow over the abandoned interior of the shack. Mostly broken crates and bits of rotting furniture.

She didn't seem to mind. Turning to face him properly, she hooked a stool with her ankle and drew it close so she could sink onto it. "Where'd they rob you might be useful information," she replied evenly. "I mean specifically. Streets and houses nearby, if you can remember."