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The Tavern of Rolling Dice

Started by Anonymous, September 05, 2005, 05:03:56 PM

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Anonymous

In peaceful Serendipity a storm was brewing.  Cold wind whipped down the streets of the village and dark clouds obcured the sky.  Everywhere the townsfolk were scattering to prepare; venders were packing their wares, people were closing their doors children were running home.  Then there were the visiters, travelers were booking rooms and vagabonds were heading to Taverns.  Kaiba was the latter, not the former.

As Kaiba stepped into the "Rolling Dice" he knew he was in for some excitment.  At fourteen, he was tiny compared to the rest of the bar patrons.  He looked around with eyes magnified by his large glasses, and headed to a table.

Once he sat down a barmaid headed over to him, "aren't you a little young to be here?"
He looked up at her "I-I'll have so-some j-juice" he replied avoiding her question.  He paused for a second and continued "d-do you have a d-dart b-b-board here?"  
The barmaid looked a little surprised with the question but she responded, "um, yes, over there" she pointed "but some of our normal customers take their games seriously, so I wouldn't bother them right now."
"oh, thank y-you, I'll k-keep that in m-mind."  As soon as she walked away he headed strait toward the dart board.

-----------------------------

Feel free to join, I have NO clue where I'm going with this, but it should be interesting!

Anonymous

As the storm blew more furous outside, Artemis looked for a close place to rest. She had been walking for some time, and her feet greatly appreciated the rest. SHe opended the door to the tavern and stepped inside. The warmth of the tavern quickly hit Artemis fair skin and she looked for a place to sit. The crowd was large and since there were no empty tables she spotted one with a small boy sitting. She was surprised to see such a young man in a place as this and decided to learn more. As she approached hs table her staff clicked on the floor, the oaken staff made a considerable sound against the wooden tavern floor, but it went seemingly unheard in the crowded bar. SHe tucked a few loose strands of her garnet hair behind her ears and looked into the boys magnified eyes.

"Excuse me, but may I join you?" She asked, raising her voice to be heard over the background noise.

Anonymous

OOC:
oops, double posted.

Anonymous

Kaiba looked up at the Carpathian, "n-not at all m-my l-lady" he replied.  "D-do you p-p-play d-darts?"  But before the Carpathian could answer a very large, and very drunk man stumbed into Kaiba.
"Watch where your going idiot!" yelled the man, ale quite prevolent on his breath.  "Are you trying to get me angry?!"

"N-not at all s-s-sir" responded Kaiba, "I-i'll b-b-be m-more c-careful next t-t-time"

"who is your lovely friend here?" slurred the man suddenly turning toward Artimis.

"S-someone who d-doesn't c-c-concern you." he hissed standing up.

"I changed my mind bookworm, I AM going to teach you a lesson.  Do you know anything about fighting?"   "I know a l-little"  "Like what"

"well" he held up one hand with his index finger up "h-hit em where it h-hurts, t-two anything can be a weapon.  And three" he suddenly grabbed the candlestick from a nearby table, hit the man in a very painful place with it and grinned as he dropped to the ground. "n-no f-fight needs m-m-more than one g-good shot"

However as he looked around his smile disappeared.  Five or six of the bar's patrons had arisen to help their friend.  "I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry m-my l-lady, m-my t-t-temper s-s-seems t-to have caused s-some trouble."

------------

Anonymous

Artemis smiled at the boy and began to pool the chair out so she could sit, when the drunkard bumped into the boy. She raised her staff, about to knock the rude man unconscience. However the boy exchanged some quick words, and soon the man was on the ground. She checked his pulse and his head and to her relief the drunk man was just knocked out and not bleeding, although the blow delivered by the young man could of been fatal.

She stood up quickly and watched as a crowd of angry and drunk men circled around them. Seeing this boys uncanny ability she was scared for the angry mens lives. Not wanting anymore violence tonight, she thrust her staff firmly on the ground and closed her eyes. The minds of the drunk were way to easy to infiltrate. She easily manipulated the men to think their friend had simply drank to much and passed out.

The crowd soon went back to their buisness and Artemis and the young man were unnoticed once more. Artemis smiled "My name is Artemis, and you have a formidable talent young man." Her voice sweet and kind she sat down at the table and leaned her staff upon her chair at very close reach.

Anonymous

"Th-thank y-you Artimies." he replied with a grin.  "B-but I must s-say, y-your responce was m-much b-b-better.  M-my n-n-name is K-kaiba."

With that he sat down and gestured to the chair opposite him.

He sighed and sipped his juice. "s-so what is a rich C-c-carpathian like you d-doing in a t-t-tavern like this?"

Anonymous

Artemis smiled, the tavern was getting fuller by the moment, one of the unconscience mans friends had dragged him away from the table and Artemis and Kaiba were left relativly alone. "Well I don't like violence, it is always a last result for me." She had ordered a light drink, and it had just arrived. She took a sip of it and felt refreshed.

"I was just passing through the town, the storm ouside got bad so i decided to rest here until it lets up a little. However at least I am old enough to drink if I chose to, you on the otherhand why are you in such a place?"

Anonymous

Kaiba smiled and shugged, "I l-like d-darts.  P-Plus, p-p-places like this often have j-job b-b-boards."  He gestured to a section of the wall that was covered with papers.

"In f-fact that w-w-was the main r-reason I c-came here."  He looked up at Artimis, "q-quite f-f-frankly I'm b-board"

With a burst of energy he jumped up and dropped a few copper coins on the table.  He zipped off toward the wall of papers, closed his eyes, and ripped a random sheet off the wall.

"H-how's th-this!" he shouted above the din "a b-band of a-assorted g-g-goblins have b-b-been raiding n-near here!"  He grinned "they're led b-by a m-malcap named..." he squinted "V-varshk or s-something!"  Kaiba ran back to the table, "w-what d-do you think?  Y-your a p-pacifist I kn-know, b-but these b-bandit's are p-probably killing p-people.  I c-can't handle m-magic, at least n-not yet.  A m-malcap would b-be a b-bit m-much for m-me."

"B-besides," he looked at her with his gleaming eyes, "we could g-get a lot of g-g-gold."

Anonymous

She blew in the door with the grace of a house cat and the agility of the wind, she carried with her all the danger of the storm outside and seemed to hold it, ironically, in the palm of her left hand.

"Hiya, anyone up for a game of checkers?" Sedah's voice bubbled over with enthusiasm, however, her hard violet eyes seemed in total opposition to her childlike persona. Her eyes were dark, like thunder and space, and they were light like the fires of Hell. They swept over the room, taking in the dusty corners, the hunched figures, the polished glasses and expensive bottles of drinks.

She threw back her head and shook her shoulder length pink hair, until the rain which had fallen on it was flung onto a nearby table. Grinning, she stretched, as a large man with eyes dulled by drink frowned. He was trying to find the words to express his disapproval at Sedah flinging rain all over him.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek, "No hard feelings, eh?"

The man's hand reached out for hers. Sedah's hands were clad in a pair of fingerless, white gloves, which matched the strip of cloth she wore as a shirt. Her pants were bright violet, as was the long jacket the storm had forced her to steal...borrow...from a poor lady who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sedah jumped away from the man, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Silly, lets not go doing things we shall regret!"

She then turned around one final time, and that was when she saw the strangest pair, an elegant lady and a boy.

The boy had just torn a flyer from a bulletin board and had begun reading it aloud. Sedah moved forwards, weaving between tables and running her long fingers across men's faces.  She sidled up next to the boy, and snatched another bulletin from the board.

"Hey, that goblin thing is nice, but don't you think mine is just SO much better?"

She held out a gloved hand and passed him the flyer.

It Read:

WANTED: HOUSE CLEANER. CONTACT LUZZ.

Anonymous

"I a-am overcome w-w-with enthusiasum my d-dear" replied Kaiba dryly.  "And y-yet this j-j-job still ap-p-peals more.  Odd isn't it?"  He gestured "I-i am K-kaiba, and th-this is A-a-artimis."


He sipped from his juice cup again.  "hmmm, s-so sh-shall w-we r-remove s-some g-g-goblins?"

Anonymous

Artemis watched as Kaiba tore a flyer from the board as if it were a game, she finished her drink listened as Kaiba explained the details of the job. She was eager to stop the needless harassment of the goblins, but all the same she hoped they would not have to kill them, incapacitate them sure, but killing them was too much in her mind. A terrible memory arose, one she had thought she had banished form her mind. The encounter she had with a beast of a man, the details of it flashed by her mind to fast to recall, but the outcome lingered in her mind, the first and only time she had killed. Her expression went form happy to sad in moments, luckily a woman had stepped into the tavern and had everyones attention. She forced a smile and once again banished her memories to a deep corner of her mind.

When Kaiba introduced her, Artemis smiled and said "Pleased to meet you." Then she turned to Kaiba "I would be happy to help you stop the goblins." She smiled at him and the new coming woman.

She stood up from her chair and took gathered her staff. Leaving some coins to pay for her drink. She removed the black ribbon that was tied to her staff and used it to tie her garnet hair into a pony tail.

Anonymous

"Well, I believe that a house cleaning job coud be exciting, fighting heroic battles against dust and mold, but if you're going after some goblins I guess I shall have to tackle it myself!"

She beamed and creased the paper, fitting it into a pocket of her jacket, but a sudden, almost imperceptible twitch of her hand made the paper fall to the floor instead. As Sedah bent quickly to pick it up, a voice in her mind hissed...

Who are you talking to Sedah?
Who is it that you are looking at?
Let me see Sedah, please?


"No!" Sedah's face was pale and she seemed to be struggling with something. She looked around and saw that faces had turned towards her in bemusement. She hadn't meant to speak aloud.

I will only look for a second, I just want to meet them.

Sedah stood up and grabbed a couple darts that happened to be lying nearby. She threw them at the bulletin board and laughed. The board fell down.

"No! Haha, what I meant was, no, I think I shall go with you all! The adventure sounds like fun and I have always loved traveling in storms!"

The voice in Sedah's mind fell quiet. She had managed to distract it enough, for now.

Sedah leaned over and plucked the flyer from Kaiba's hand before jumping towards the door. She grabbed the handle and spun on one foot as the door flew open. Bowing, she grinned up at Kaiba and Artemis and said, "My name's Sedah, I can't wait to get to know you two!"

Anonymous

Artemis watched as Sedah had screamed out. The womans expression had become worried and almost scared. Artemis was held herself back from looking into Sedah's mind, she would not breach her privacy unless it was absolutly needed. There are other ways, she would try first. As Sedah rushed out of the tavern Artemis quickly followed. The rain was still steady although the wind had died down considerably. Artemis put a hand on Sedah's shoulder.

" It would be lovely for you to join us, and maybe after we can help you clean that house." She smiled and let her hazel eyes meet the vibrant purple hue that filled Sedah's eyes. Removing her hand she clenched her staff as she always did before starting a journey and awaited Kaiba to join them outsde the tavern.

Anonymous

Kaiba watched the two women leaave and smiled.  "Excuse me sir"  He looked up to see a serving girl..  "Y-yes?"
"Here is your bill."

"Th-thank y-y-you."  He dropped a few copper coins into her hand.  "g-g-good d-day."

Kaiba stood up and grabbed his bag 'b-b-battles against m-mold" he muttered "w-what nonsense"  

He flicked his scarf around his face and walked out into the rain to join his new companions.

Anonymous

Lan was sitting alone on the ground getting rained on when people suddenly burst from the tavern. Looking up with mild interest, Lan pushed a strand of wet hair behind an ear- causing the one bat earring to swing- and leaned back on bare hands. Lan was wearing a soaked dress of indeterminate color with mostly ripped tights and that was all.

Anonymous

Sedah grinned at Artemis before laughing, "Of course you want me to join you, who wouldn't? Don't you just love storms?"

Throwing out her gloved hands, she tilted her head to the dark, cloudy sky and spun around till she fell in the mud. It was from this position, with her pink hair falling in dank locks over her eyes, and mud seeping into the seams of the borrowed jacket, that she noticed the person sitting alone in the muddy street.

"Hey! Do you like playing in the mud as well? It's a little cold to be going around without a jacket, want me to find you one?"

She grinned mischeiviously, glancing sideways at Artemis and Kaiba.

The flyer was still clutched in her hand, but by now it was soggy and the corners dripped mud. She held it up for the stranger to see, "You look lonely! I'd stay and play in the mud with you, but I already said I was going with these two, why don't you come along?"

Yes... the more people who come on this trip...the better...

Anonymous

Lan shrugged graciously. "Sure, sure; I wasn't doing anything much. Where are you headed?"

Glancing over at the others, Lan stretched out two almost bare legs and wiggled the feet.

 "Maybe we could frolic in mud on the way there. People have to eat and such. Or maybe they don't."

Anonymous

Kaiba looked at the three with exasperation.  "I'm g-glad you a-a-are all having s-so m-much f-f-f-fun b-but it IS r-raining."  he glanced up "it l-looks like i-its g-g-going t-to r-rain for quite a w-while."

Then the rain petered out.

"BAH!  l-let's g-g-go then."

Anonymous

Artemis laughed to herself, such an odd gathering. As Kaiba strolled out of the inn, the rain pured down. Luckily the winds had stopped being so fierce. Artemis tightened the black ribbon in her hair and gripped her oaken staff, as she always did before setting off on a new journey. She followed after Kaiba taking care to avoid the giant mud puddles that the other two were so happy tp frolic in. She had nothing against playing in the mud, but she was just thinking to much to be able to enjoy it.

Anonymous

"Uh oh, we'd better stay with them, come on!" Sedah said, standing up and shoving the ruined flyer into her pocket.  

The muddy streets stretched away before the travelers, bordered on either side by dank buildings within which dark secrets and bright wares sat upon dusty shelves, waiting for someone to find them.  A great, black bird flew over them, like a shadow.  It was reflected a thousand times in the puddles on the ground.  If the raven was an omen, then it seemed its message had just been magnified.

Sedah took her new friend's hand and ran to catch up with Artemis and Kaiba.  

"So...How far away are these goblin things anyways?"

As the travelers continued on their way, a pair of dark eyes watched them, from the doorway of the Tavern of the Rolling Dice. The creature’s form was obscured by  by layers of cloaks, hoods, and ragged blankets, but, as it closed the large, wooden door, a thin, scaled hand escaped the folds of its disguise.

The door clicked shut.

Sedah, Artemis, Lan, and Kaiba turned the corner, unaware of the fact that their journey had just gotten a little more dangerous.


OOC:bleh, bad post, sorry ><