Relaxing finally(zozee9)

[Hadrian]

Hadrian needed to let go. He had been working his tail of trying to help Jean treat his wound. It was small but it still went pretty deep. After about a week of healing magic and folk remedies the three were on their way. The trio had traveled down to Cerenis and were to be there for about a month. After days of traveling they had finally made it to their destination. The two had fallen asleep and Hadrian needed to unwind. Hadrian went down to the inn/brothel for a drink. He took a seat and ordered some ale. He thought about all that happened this past month. He made it to Serendipity, his brother was shot with an arrow, and he found a job in Cerenis. He ordered some vodka and slouched in his chair. As he drank he noticed something going on. Two men were arguing about hunting.

"Longbows are better for hunting because it packs a punch!", The one man said.

"No way...", The other man replied.

Hadrian then pulled out his journal and started writing about the last week of traveling. His pen flowing across the pages writing the adventures in his life. He looked up to see a whore standing over him.

"Whatcha writin bout big boy?", She said.

He smiled as he heard her voice,"Tales of beautiful women like you", he said pulling her on to his lap. He slapped her ass and continued writing. She quickly then read his writing.

"It seems we 'ave an adventurer", The whore said.

"Maybe you do...", Hadrian answered with a sly smile.

[zozee9]

Lali walked through the streets of Cerenis, no destination in mind. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She was looking for a library or bookstore or anywhere that might have information on nymphs. After all, what better place to look for material on celestial nymphs than a bustling town by the water? That being said, she had been there for a few weeks with little success. Anything she found contained facts and legends she already knew, therefor rendering them useless. So for now, she was hoping to find a small, mysterious place that would contain readings that would perhaps be considered controversial elsewhere.

All she was carrying was her white pouch, as always. It contained everything she needed. Lali wasn't oblivious to the eyes that followed her as she walked. With her figure, attire, and just overall looks, she was used to it and learned it was most often best to just ignore the onlookers. As long as they didn't touch her with any gross desires, she didn't really mind. And given her magic, the touching itself wasn't even what bothered her. It was more that she didn't want to do anything with anyone without purpose—whether it be to prove her love (something she had not yet fallen into that she knew of) or to transfer her magic.

It was at this time that something caught her eye. While she was just looking from shop to shop, she noticed a familiar figure: Hadrian. He had helped her so much over a month beforehand and she hadn't adequately paid him back. But now that she had more money and more supplies, perhaps it was time to repay her debt.

She walked over to the place and opened the door, not bothering enough to actually see what she was entering. But when she got in, her eyes were in for a surprise. It was most definitely a brothel. And based on the woman that had now made her way into Hadrian's lap, she guessed he hadn't entered this place on accident.

Never one to let her objectives change, Lali decided to repay him anyway, as embarrassing as the situation was. Then again, she had made out with his unconscious friend... so surely this wasn't much worse?

With a deep breath, she took a few steps forward. And then she was stopped by two burly men. One was a little over six feet with short, black hair and tan skin. A scar ran over his right eye and he was obviously not the most attractive man—probably the reason he was at a brothel. The other, however, was completely opposite. He was still taller than her, but just barely. His hair was looser and a sandy blond, covering his eyes just a little. He was also a lot paler than the other guy. But the one thing that was the same between these two men were the looks in their eyes—the look of lust.

"Pwetty woman, why dontcha stay withs for a while?" asked the bigger of the two men.

The other one added, "Yeah, we cahn goh i shome of da rooms in da back."

Given the way they talked, Lali realized that they were both probably too drunk to realize that she wasn't like the other women here. Even though her looks were of pure natural beauty—not smothered in make up or covered in skanky dresses—it seemed like they didn't notice. This wasn't a situation Lali ran in to a lot, and she didn't quite know how to reply.

Giving a nervous laugh, she replied, "No, thank you. I'm here to see someone... else." Even if they were drunk as can be, Lali still kept her manners.

"Ooo, plaing har ta get!" the blondie said to the other man, who then stepped in close to her, wrapped his arm around her so that his hand was just touching her butt, and pulled her up against him.

Then that man replied, "I like that!"

Lali just stood there, debating her options. She could knock him out temporarily, considering how much he was already touching her. Or she could give him a nasty headache. Or she could make him super weak and run. Or she could kick him in the nuts. Or she could... the list just went on and on. Trying to look around the muscular man, Lali attempted to find Hadrian. Maybe he could help her in a way that wouldn't end in this perverted man's pain.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian had had a woman on his lap and he was quite pleased at the moment. Though once he looked up from his writing he saw a woman. A beautiful one, dressed in a gentle white dress. He recognized her faintly. He then realized who she was, Lali. He quickly realized that the two men were messing with her. Hopping up from his chair and pushing the whore off of him he quickly walked to Lali."Oh hey honey!Glad you could make it!",Hadrian said. He wrapped his arms around Lali and walked to the bar.

"What are you doing here?", Hadrian said equal amounts surprised and pleased.

[zozee9]

Lali smiled with hope when she heard Hadrian speak to her. Her smile only grew wider when he managed to get her out of the man's grasp and to the bar. Deciding it was best to play along, she replied, "Oh, just came to see my favorite man!"

Then, lowering her voice a little so only he could hear her, she added, "I came to finally fully repay you for how you helped me before. Luckily there have been no more attempts on my life that I know of—my guess it that they still think those other two are after me."

She glanced back at the two men, who seemed to have carelessly moved on to another woman. Luckily, based on how she looked, she was probably actually part of the brothel. Turning back to Hadrian, she added, "They haven't been after you at all, have they? How are Vernon and Jean?" Lali was still trying to get the fact that Hadrian was probably here to sleep with some women out of her head.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian smiled at Lali when she spoke to him. He hoped they would become friends. She was really nice when you got to know her. Her words came off her tongue violently and quickly. He took in all of her questions and tried to understand her fast talking.

"Ummm...Vernon and Jean are fine. You,ah,don't need to repay me and...um...sorry for being in...well, bad company.", Hadrian answered.

Hadrian was embarrassed to be seen in such a place. He smiled and dragged her into a open room leaving a few coins on the bar. He sat down on the bed and sighed.

"Okay, now we can talk without being annoyed.",Hadrian said,"So...did you figure anything out about your past?"

[Caerina]

Khanna was in Cerenis again. She always disliked that city, it smelled like fish because of it's proximity to the sea. Khanna hates fish, and always feels like vomiting when she has a job in this city. Fortunately, she had no buisiness anywhere near the fishy docks. Khanna had to recover something from an inn that looked more like a brothel with the whores and drunken men running around and trying to get more customers. She cocked her head trying to get a better look at the not-so-classy building in front of her.

Khanna wasn't beautiful in the traditional sense. She was pretty, yes, but she always left the impression of a cocky but sexy warrior, than a gentle and beautiful woman. Not much on Khanna looked gentle. She was too petite, too curvy and had a sinfully fiery red hair that perfectly matched up with her large emerald green eyes. Yes, she looked much more like a witch or a seductress than as a beautiful innocent maiden.

"Gin, Orey.. How are things?" she asked to the drunken men on the entrance.

"Wook, it's Khanna!" one of them said as she entered. Yes, she usually did leave an impression wherever she goes.

"Hewoo Khanna!" the other one said and she just smiled. No reason to be mean, although the last time they saw each other, Khanna almost killed them both. It was one of the ways to earn respect on places like these. Especially as a woman.

As she entered the brothel she could feel the looks of men but also women, inspecting her. She didn't bother to return any of the looks, and kept her face emotionless. No reason to let them think she was interested in anything else except leaving this place as soon as she could. Khanna sat in one of the far away corners and ordered a drink, waiting.

"Hey beautiful... Let's have a night you'll never forget." one of the nearby drunks offered.
"Not in a million years." she said, her voice completely flat, as she took a sip of her drink.
"I was only asking to be polite." he hiccuped "I will have you one way or another." his whole table of ten or so men started laughing.
"You can try, you stinky drunk." Khanna said with a grin.

The man started swearing and raised his bottle in order to hit her. That is when the chaos began.

[Hadrian]

As Hadrian asked his question a loud man started cursing. He quickly got up from the bed and walked out the door. When he looked out he saw a man ready to strike a woman sitting by the bar. Hadrians' instincts quickly made him grab the mans arm and almost break it."Now, now, that's NOT how you treat a lady.", Hadrian said pushing his arm hard enough to almost break it. He then pushed the man down back into his seat and gave him a sly smile. Hadrian turned to the woman sitting at the bar.

"I extend this apology on behalf of my friend here",Hadrian said pointing at the man.

He turned to address the whole bar like he was a king and said,"We will have no further problems. Agreed?"

[Caerina]

Khanna had no problem taking care of herself. She always did that, because she never had any friends and always travelled alone. She couldn't say that it bothered her that the man helped her, she just felt her pride taking a blow. Khanna wasn't a person who can easily accept help, especially from people she doesn't know and especially when she doesn't know what to expect next. Uninterested, she took a sip from her drink.

"No need for apologizing..." she said, raising her head from her drink "I could've taken care of it myself."

No, really Khanna prefered if she had the opportunity to kick his ass, more than an apology from an unknown man. Though, it seemed like people around them knew the man. And listened to him. She cocked her head in order to take a better look at him.

[zozee9]

Lali had embarrassingly followed Hadrian in to the room. She didn't want all the people here thinking she was a prostitute... Sure, she did make out with random people, but not for money. She did it to help them. Also, she never had actually had sex with anyone before—well, not in her memory, at least. While she was pretty sure that wasn't what Hadrian was entering the room for, the thought definitely went through her head. But she wanted to save that special experience for someone she loved.

So, needless to say, Lali was quite relieved when he stated his reason. She was even more relieved when he heard the loud swearing (but honestly, who didn't?) and went to go check it out. Then she was faced with a decision: should she wait in the room for him to return or should she go follow him, in case there is some kind of trouble? Deciding that she didn't want any unexpected guests to go in the room, she went to Hadrian, where guys were less likely to try to pounce on her.

After peeking out through the door briefly, Lali decided the situation didn't seem bad. She made it in time to see Hadrian stop the man from hurting the ungrateful lady. Even if the red headed girl looked like she could handle herself, help was never a bad thing. Of course, Lali wasn't planning on being unkind and saying anything. Instead, she just walked carefully (she had to make sure she didn't get into any stumbling drunk's path) to Hadrian, who she stood beside. She found no need to introduce herself or say anything—after all, talking to strangers was a bad thing.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian was surprised by the answer the mystery woman. It was obvious she was no damsel in distress. She seemed sort of hostile to Hadrian at the moment. The woman probably could've helped herself but he still didn't want someone to get hurt. Hadrian raised an eyebrow at her and said,"I'm sure you could have. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Hadrian, and this is my friend Lali.", Hadrian said with a sly smile.

His next sentence was cut off by a man shouting.

"Who tha fuck do ya tink ya are?!", The man screamed. The brothel then got louder and louder each second. Hadrian was annoyed by this man and his drunken rambling. He pulled his knife and pointed it at the man across the brothel.

"I'm the one who can fuck you up with a snap of my fingers!!!", he answered.

[Caerina]

She wasn't really interested in introductions, but she nodded. No need in being mean to people, she said to herself. After all, it wasn't their fault that her employer was nowhere in sight. Damn, she had a strange feeling that this was all a trap, and hoped that she was wrong.

"My name is Khanna." she said before the man who tried to attack her yelled. Khanna rolled her eyes and took of the cloak from her head, no point in hiding. She was amused by the confidence Hadrian had when he spoke his words.

"I believe we already had this conversation..." she gave a cocky smile to the big, drunk man "Say, about two months ago." Khanna did fight this man, defeated him and took all his money two months ago when she had a robbery planned out, and he tried to stop her. His eyes widened as he recognized her. She was very hard to forget.

[zozee9]

Lali just looked at Hadrian, then Khanna, then at the drunk man. She had a feeling she wasn't needed in this fight. While she might not know how strong Khanna was, she knew Hadrian could definitely hold up on his own against a drunk man. And she could always join in if necessary... but she knew it wouldn't be necessary.

So Lali backed up a step and decided to let the other two do what they wanted.

[Hadrian]

The mans eyes widened after she  lifted her hood. He looked scared and shocked. Her words looked like they pierced his soul. His fear surprised Hadrian. He knew Khanna must have done something to him. Hadrian kept his knife pointed at the man even though he probably didn't need to. "I um... I was just leaving.", The afraid man said stuttering. He then walked swiftly out the door. Hadrian sheathed his knif, looked over at Khanna, and shrugged.

"Well... That worked.", he said,"Thanks for um... Scaring that guy away. I suppose we owe you a drink.", pointing to him and Lali.

Hadrian sat down next to Khanna. He smiled at her Hoping to start a conversation.

"Barkeep! 3 please!"

[Caerina]

Khanna wasn't too surprised when she saw the man leaving. He quickly stuttered his words and left. She slightly smiled, yes, people usually had that reaction when they saw her the second time. Khanna couldn't put a finger on all the details of what happened the last time she had met him, but she was sure it wasn't pleasant when he returned to his boss after she stole his money.

"I never refuse a drink." she said with a slight smirk. Khanna wasn't a fan of alcohol, but tonight she felt like drinking something. A lot of something. Plus, no reason to refuse a free drink.

"So, strangers or locals?" she asked simply, her eyes glancing towards the woman and then back to the man.

[zozee9]

Lali watched as the man realized something about Khanna, and then ran. In fact, she couldn't help but giggle a little. Just seconds beforehand, he had been all up in their business and trying to scare him. And then he ran away with his tail between his legs.

Her mood now lightened up, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to talk just a little bit. So she sat down next to Hadrian and looked over at Khanna. "Strangers," she explained simply and slowly. "And I'm Lali."

Then, glancing at Hadrian, her words sped up as she said, "I'm not quite sure if I'm allowed to drink. I mean, I don't know how old I am. So it may not be legal. I don't know. Does that matter? I might be like thirty something and I wouldn't know. Especially not with my bloodline. I wouldn't be surprised if my aging process was slowed down." She took a deep breath. "But I haven't drank more than a few sips of anything since I can remember..." Lali smiled skittishly, realizing that she spoke way too many words in too little time. Hopefully he understood her.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian sat down between the two women and sipped his drink. All was calm and once again, he was relaxed. He turned to Khanna and now that he had a closer look, recognized her. But he decided not to mention that for it would sound queer. Instead Hadrian said," So... Khanna, was it? What are you doing in Cerenis? And, Lali", he said," Just drink it." Hadrian pushed a bottle closer to Lali.

[Caerina]

Khanna smirked at the girl bubbling about the drink. Just a moment ago she seemed scared, but now she was obviously more relaxed. They were strangers, just like her, and that surprised her. Cerenis probably wasn't the nicest town towards strangers, and it's people were very suspicious.

"Here on business." she said and took a sip of her drink. Though she couldn't think of any other reason she would be here... Certainly not vacation.

[zozee9]

Lali hesitantly grabbed the bottle. Glancing around, it didn't seem like anybody cared if she was drinking. Nobody was even looking their way anymore. So she took a slow sip of the beer before immediately setting it down and scrunching up her nose. "Yuck!" she exclaimed, though not loudly enough that anyone other than Hadrian and Khanna should be able to hear her.

It tasted worse than anything she had sampled before. She pushed it back towards Hadrian and said, "Here, you have it." She looked at Khanna briefly but didn't say anything. That woman was still a stranger, and she didn't want to say too much to her.

[Hadrian]

While Hadrian downed his alcohol easily, Lali looked like she was having trouble. Hadrian laughed,"What's wrong little bird? Liquor too strong for ya?" Hadrian let out a chuckle. With his attention back at Khanna, he sighed." Everyone's out on business these days. No time for fun.", Jadrian said. Hadrian then ordered another drink.

[Caerina]

"Who said my business wasn't fun." she gave an enigmatic smile. A thief, occasional assassin and an ex slave does have a lot of interesting moments in life. Her business was usually dull, but it did have it's shiny and exciting moments. Those were the ones se was most eager to get to.

"Why are you two here?" she glanced between them with a smirk, trying to avoid any further questions about her job. They looked like a pair.