Taking A Chance

[Anonymous]

It was leaning towards midnight and the marginal heat of the sun had given way to the cool wind that came in its absence. Her cloak was pulled around her, the thin hood thrown up to keep her ears from going numb, sensitive as they were to the temperatures. Beneath the cloak her arms were crossed, and one hand was covered by a leather glove cut with intricate patterns on the palm. Hyoite was quiet, at least in the roads, which wasn't real surprising between the climate and the time of day. Houses also had dark windows. These weren't the buildings she was looking for, anyway.

Ambling around a turn, she caught sight of a great risk. She came up to the front steps of the large establishment. The open window carried curses (of the non-magical variety) and the smell of mingled smoke, laughter and a lot of shouts, and the bright light of a contained fire against the back wall. She had to take a dangerous chance of course -- there wasn't anywhere else that she'd heard of in Hyoite where she would be able to obtain what she was looking for. Entering the door, Sogen stood for a moment off to the side, eyes roving over the occupants now that she could get a good look at them all. All sorts were sitting and standing around, although fewer women than men as far as she could tell, which was as much as she expected.

Satisfied that she could keep the cloak without being hassled the green-clad woman walked up to a man behind a dark wood counter and spoke in low voices with him, leaning over the counter while doing so. Five minutes later she straightened, grabbed the hot item he had filled for her, and strode to a table by the front windows. She sat facing the entrance, and on the appropriate side of the building so she could see anyone who entered the moment the door was nudged out of place. Grasping the hot mug with her gloved hand she took a drink. Sogen tapped her boot once in approval. Some bars had some lousy liquor, but this time the risk had been worth it.

[Anonymous]

The cold was not something she particularly liked. If she could help it, she stayed away from chilly climates.

So, the question was... why in the world was she here?

Am I a masochist? The question drifted through her mind like a leaf in the wind, in one ear before drifting out the other just as easily as it had come. Whether she was or not didn't matter - what did was the fact that she was there, freezing, and in need of somewhere warm and safe.

Pulling the cloak closer around herself, she snuggled into the black material before hiking it up slightly, as the slight weight dragging along the ground was quickly growing tiresome. Those green eyes of hers glinted dully in the pale moonlight as they shifted back and forth, searching for any traces of real light through the blanket of darkness that had fallen over the small town. Her cloak had begun to drag on the ground yet again, forcing a rather annoyed sigh out of her lips - why did she bother with walking? Bending her knees very slightly, she quickly sprung back up and floated through the streets, only floating high enough so that the bottom of her garment just brushed the streets below. This was better.

Now, to only find a place to go. Razari considered the choices - an inn? Lips tightening, she considered it quickly - perhaps later. Right now, she wanted something interesting which certainly was not sleeping. The only other public establishment that could possibly be open at this time of the day - and in this town - would be a pub or some kind of place. Or so she assumed, anyway. But, she would take whatever she could get - light, warmth and escape were the only things she needed, and she intended to get them in any way possible.

Without further debate on the topic, Razari drifted through the streets, unaware of how unnaturally her gliding looked. However, with her hood covering most of her head, the young woman was nothing more but another shadow in the night, an unknown and unseen ghost. At this thought, her lips cracked into a small, barely open smile - her, a ghost? Seemed quite ridiculous the more she thought about it, somehow. Biting her bottom lip she wondered, just what was the difference between a spirit and a ghost, anyhow...?

This rather meaningless line of pondering soon came to an end when the faint sound of voices reached her ears. Razari stopped and hovered for a moment, weeding out each sound in the cloud of noise: laughter, shouting, swearing... the sound of men. Naturally she pieced these things together and reached a conclusion - noisy men at this hour could only mean a pub. (Or tavern. Bar? She didn't know the difference between any of those, either.) Well, even if it wasn't, it was a possible place that she could go. Needing no further thought, she sprang up as she did before and floated higher, her hood slipping off her head as the air pushed against it.

It was not long before she located the source of this noise - a fairly large establishment a short distance away. Smirking, she floated off towards it, keeping her cloak tight against her body and letting her pale pink hair fly loosely behind her like the wings of a gliding bird. Before she knew it, she had landed on the footsteps. Smiling brightly, she opened the door without any hesitation or thought and walked inside, eyes scanning the crowd as she went on forward towards the counter at the back. Well, there was people, shelter, warmth and light - here she had all she needed, so here she would stay.

[OoC: Hope you don't mind me joining~]

[Anonymous]

Not so long ago Dalisme had promised herself she was never coming back to Hyoite. It was cold, windy and everyone who saw her had looked at like she was a freak just because she had red eyes. Anyone would think they'd never seen a non-human before, not that she was one. She was human through and through which was a shame, being non-human might be cool. However she wasn't completely normal, she was a mage. It came in handy but some people just didn't like them.

     This time she had come prepared however, she was wearing a purple cloak pulled up over her heard decreasing the chance of anyone seeing her eyes. Sure purple was noticeable but it was better than being stared at for having unusual coloured eyes.

     Since it was rather an unearthly hour there weren't many people wandering the streets of Hyoite and the only noise was coming from the nearby tavern. Most people were in bed but for Dalisme falling asleep here could be a bad idea and it wasn't as if she had anywhere to stay.

     So she decided to enter the tavern. It was surprisingly noisy and full of drunken, cursing, rowdy men as expected. There were a few females but their number was greatly outweighed by the men. Dalisme must have looked strange there, she wasn't the tallest of girls and she was just that, a girl, only seventeen. She couldn't even buy alcohol which was a shame since she was cold.

     A little irritably she sat at the bar.

     "What'll it be?"

     She glanced up and saw the bartender looking at her. He was staring at her as though she didn't belong there, and he'd be right.

     "Anything that's not alcohol."

     Maybe she could have tried to order alcohol for a joke but the bartender did not look like the joking type.

    Whilst she was waiting she glanced around the tavern. The people were rather boring, mostly humans. She had been to many places which were like melting pots with mages, non-mages, humans and every kind of race imaginable with every colouration imaginable. Hyoite was boring in comparison. The only reason she was here was because she heard that one of Jiva's regular customer's worked here. She hoped that after he gave her slip he hadn't gone back to killing mages, especially in his condition but it was possible. He was an idiot after all. And she couldn't exactly search for him without leads, he could be anywhere by now.

     A mug was set down next to her and she handed some coins to the bartender for her drink. The liquid was reddish purple, steaming and smelt vaguely of blackcurrant. A rather childish drink that she remembered having when she still lived in La'Marri. She smirked slightly at it; the bartender had a sense of humour after all.

[Anonymous]

ooc|  I don't mind at all! I'm sorry about the lateness in replying, I made a brief note in absences but I've been gone helping a friend.

ic|  She didn't have long to wait before more patrons arrived, and whether by astral design of random chance, both of them were: young, female, and heading for the counter bar. They looked young and female, at least; she may not have been in the area before but she knew well enough that appearances could be dramatically deceiving.

The first didn't draw much interest from her right away, but the second lass certainly did, and Sogen's eyes followed her, watching the exchange with the keeper while she took a swallow from the hot mug. The half-elf didn't believe in stereotypes such as women are weaker or anything like that, especially being a capable woman herself, but there was a certain speck of truth that stereotypes came out of, and she was much more willing to approach the two girls than any of the passed out or rough-housing working men that otherwise filled the majority of the establishment.

Curious, she pushed back her chair and rose, bringing the mug with her in one hand while the other kept her cloak from  getting in anyone's way. She strode confidently up and took a seat next to Dalisme, also giving Razari a quick nod of silent greeting as she did so. Testing the waters, so to speak, to find out who might be more easily befriended. That is to say, less easily be-enemied.

"So, what brings you out of your house at this hour, in this weather much less?" she asked in a calm, level voice, leaving out a greeting or introduction. They seemed silly in an environment where people tended to come to escape from something in their lives, even if it was just a little cold spell, and so the half-elf never began a conversation by way of asking or giving names or any other identifying information. She gestured with a slight wave of her gloved hand for the inquiring bartender to offer something to Razari instead, content with her single glass.

[Anonymous]

Razari took her time strolling towards the back. Partially because of the maze of chairs in her way, but mostly because she liked examining the crowd in places like these. Some interesting - though not necessarily 'good' - people could be found amongst the large, old men who frequented taverns. In fact, one of them entered just after her, walking past to the counter at the back. The girl's eyebrows arched in interest - while she did not see their face, she was quite sure that it was also a female. Either that or a small, thin man who liked to show that he enjoyed the colour purple.

Somewhat intrigued by the presence of this girl, she followed her to the back counter - though, could it really be considered 'following' if she intended to go there anyway? - and sat down nearby. She put a finger to her lips and turned her gaze skywards, apparently thinking about what to get. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another person (also female) take a seat next to the first, purple-clad girl. Then, Razari glanced over completely for a moment when she noticed a slight nod from the second woman. Turning back towards the bar, a slight smile spread over her features - maybe some fun could be had tonight, or at least some interesting company.

Again, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the second woman in green wave the bartender over her way. Smile broadening, she gave a wink to the bartender as he approached, noticing his gaze move towards her hair both before and after he asked, "What's it for you?"

Stretching her arms out, she absent-mindedly levitated a centimetre above her seat, spinning about once while she thought. Luckily for her it was a bit hard to tell, as her cloak hung enough to hide the space between her rear and the chair. "Surprise me, my good man," Razari said, now seated again. "And give me lots of it." The man stood, a slight look of puzzlement in his eyes before he went off to get her a drink and, er, lots of it. Content with her order, the girl hopped off her seat and moved over so that she was on the other side of girl number one. The young woman rested an elbow on the counter and then cradled her chin in her hand, lips still parted in a friendly little grin. She angled her body towards them and crossed one leg over her knee, making herself quite comfortable. Never having many regards for politeness when it came to striking up a conversation, she butt right into things.

"Evenin', ladies. I think we should start a women's cloak club," she said brightly, tugging her hood over her head, to draw attention to her own cloak and, hopefully, theirs. "So, let's get right down to the meeting, yes?" Soon after the words left her mouth, the bartender set a tall mug in front of her. Razari pulled a handful coins out of her pocket and laid them on the table, giving a happy thanks as she peered in to see the contents. Giving a small laugh, she took a sip of the clear, light pink brew - the bubbles inside it tickled her tongue and throat as it seemed to dance all the way down, leaving a slight tinge the unmistakable taste of alcohol in her mouth.

Looking up at the two, she began to trace the rim of her cup with one finger. "You know, no one told me that so many pretty ladies came to places like these."  

[OoC: It's totally cool. I hope your friend is doing better. Urk, anyway sorry for the awkward post. ;;]

[Anonymous]

Dalisme was surprised when a woman came and sat next to her. She had been hoping not to attract too much attention. But as the stranger approaching proved, that was difficult.

     "I'm not from Hyoite," Dalisme replied to the woman's question, "And it's the weather is what brings me to this bar at this time of night."

     She then noticed another woman nearby, she was rather unusual looking also and there was a definite air of magic about her. She ordered her drink and then came to sit closer to the other two women.

     Hopefully the pair were weirdos who liked to stalk young woman because they were lesbian rapists...Okay where had that though come from?

     The magic woman seemed friendly enough, if a little forward but that was how they deceived you. Maybe they were mage slave traders and they'd wait till she was alone and ship her off to Ketra.

     Dalisme didn't respond to the woman's comment and simply took a sip of her drink. She wasn't going to tell them anything unless they might be able to help her.

[Anonymous]

Razari moved over just in time to barely catch the end of Purple's sentence. From what she heard, though, it was nothing of too much importance so there was nothing to worry about... not that she would anyway if there was.

When she received her drink, she brought it to her lips and took a sip, blinking rapidly as the bubbly taste tingled and tickled inside her mouth again. The pink-haired girl crossed one leg over the opposite knee, waiting for a reply with a smile over her face. However, this grin gradually faded into a frown when she realized that this girl had clammed up, and there was no response from the other lady. "Well, that's no fun," she pouted, taking a moody swig of her drink. Shrugging, Razari let out a rather loud sigh. "But! I guess it can't be helped, I'll just take the first step here then."

Pulling her hood off, she leaned in towards the girl and gave her a small pat on the head. "My name's Ra~zar~i! Nice to meet you two, yeah?" She grinned, chuckling heartily. "So Hyoite kind of stinks don't it?" the woman continued a bit too loudly, her voice only increasing with volume with each word. "I mean, it's freezing cold, there is nothing to do, and all the men are fat, lazy--"

Her sentence suddenly ended in a sharp shriek as a hot jolt of pain exploded at the back of her head. The glass of a bottle shattered in an oddly dull burst, raining shards down onto her shoulders and the ground. The back of her cloak was wet with some sort of alcohol, which also dripped down her pink river of hair from the point of impact. There did not seem to be blood... yet, anyway. "Aw, hell," she groaned, touching a hand to the back of her head, her brow furrowed and her olive-coloured eyes narrowed into a blazing glare. Slowly, she turned around and saw a mountain of a man standing on shaky legs nearby, a crooked, drunk smirk of triumph sprawled over his face.

"Oh, you," she said with a sickening sweetness dripping from her words. "A golden example of what I meant."

Jumping off the stool, she walked towards him. "Yeah, well thasswuh you git," he said, hocking up a wonderful gob of spit and hurling it towards Razari who, in response, threw out an open-palmed hand towards it, stopping the oddly yellowish orb in midair.

"You're a naughty boy," she said, her tone of voice now sharp and bitter though, her lips were spread in a very large smile. "But naughty is fun, so let's make a deal: if I can kick your fat ass then you have to do whatver I say. An' if you win, same goes. Sound good?" Razari held her hand up, but rotated her wrist slightly so that the oh-so-lovely ball of saliva swirled and spun in the air before her.

"You think you'll win just 'cuzza some smoke 'n mirrors? Jus' you see..." The drunk man growled angrily, clearly displeased, and then suddenly threw a sausage-like finger in Dalisme's direction. "I'll take you'n yer friends there too even!" he roared.

The pink-haired woman blinked, her face suddenly becoming blank as she looked over. "... Well, sure then," she said simply, her expression quickly transforming back into her previous one. "The more the merrier, aye?"

[OoC: Gahhh, it's kind of awkward and rushed, sorry...]