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Midday Drinking at the Pub (OPEN)(POSSIBLE M)

Started by Minfever, August 02, 2017, 02:26:23 PM

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Minfever

(anyone can respond to this, just trying to get Dresden some RP action)

The air of the pub greeted him headily in contrast to the fresh, crisp air outside as he opened the doors to The Amberlilly.  He had been holed up in his apartment for what seemed like decades, now, and needed food and water, but instead, sought after a pint of ale.  The young man stood out among the rest of the patrons of the establishment as he walked in to approach the bar.  He was taller, lithe, had an extraordinary build beneath his black shirt.  Atop his head was a mop of black tussled hair.  Pale blue eyes took in his surroundings with apathy.  What made him stand out more than his features was that he was clean.  He was impeccably dressed, for a commoner, with his black shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark grey trousers.  A button at his chest remained unfastened to reveal his collar bones and a view of his chest.  All of this to say, he really had no idea how much he stood out among other people.

He was an artificer, a magical engineer, and there was nothing in his life that occupied his mind more, sometimes to the detriment of his interactions with others.  He had been known to be found in the pub, debating with the owner of the Amberlilly whether the ability to turn oneself invisible was an illusion of light or a physical biological change.  There were two answers to that; yes and yes, but the owner of the Pub, Tremond, was convinced that it was only that light reflected differently around the spell.  It wasn't that Dresden was out to prove his intellectual superiority.  Rather, he simply wanted facts to remain facts in the face of hard evidence.  He had a scientific mind, and the proven theories of science were absolute until proven otherwise.

Today, though, his mind was swimming with arcane calculations and theory, and though it rarely happened, he needed a break from his work.  There was always the possibility of having too much of a good thing.

Dresden nodded to Tremond and flicked a coin onto the counter.  Tremond looked him over with amusement as Dresden's eyes were distracted by the commotion of the pub.  It took a long moment for Dresden to realize Tremond hadn't retrieved the ale for him yet.

"Oh." Dresden glanced over, "The usual, if you would Tremond."

Tremond laughed a bit while wiping his hands on his apron, "Have you eaten?"

Dresden blandly replied, "Yes."

Tremond shook his head and asked again, "Have you eaten... today?  Not yesterday, not the day before, not last week.  Today."

Dresden reached into his pocket to produce more coin for the inevitable food Tremond was going to shove his way, but Tremond waved it away.

"On the house today.  Haven't seen you in these parts in a fortnight.  I figure, you've been working on something big."

What Tremond meant was, the bigger the project, the less likely Dresden was to have eaten regularly throughout the fortnight he was away.  Tremond liked the boy, a part of him feeling as if he were responsible for him.  It was an unusual pairing of individuals; Tremond, the loud and gruff owner of the bar but a huge teddy bear at heart, and Dresden, absorbed in work Tremond couldn't even hope to fathom.  Yet, the two had bonded some time ago, instantly upon meeting one another, and it was history ever since.

Dresden took his seat at the bar, awaiting his meal and ale and ran his fingers through his tumultuous hair.  Things seemed to be different today.  The winds of change were on the rise, and he felt something new was going to come his way.  He wasn't the superstitious type, but he had a keen intuition that rarely failed him.

HighLordMhoram

(fancy meeting you here)

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit corner of the pub, a man groaned and shifted in his sleep, his head pillowed by his arms. By reflex, he reached out and grasped around for a mug of ale. His clumsy fingers grasped for the handle of his empty wooden mug, only to knock it over the edge of the table and send it clattering to the ground. The noise jolted him into wakefulness, and he looked around the room with bleary eyes.

Garrett the 'Gallant' was charming, good-natured, and a veteran of Serendipity's army. Because of this, people tended to forgive him for also being a braggart and a shameless drunk. He spent his mornings keeping his skills with spear and shield honed, and his afternoons and evenings drinking so much alcohol that he passed out. It seemed he would need at least one more round to finish the job tonight. Getting unsteadily to his feet, he couched and picked up his fallen mug, peering into it with one eye as if he were searching for hidden stores of ale at the bottom. Then he stood and stumbled his way up to the counter, taking a seat beside some pretentiously dressed fellow with dark hair and a distracted look in his eyes.

Garrett seemed almost to be Dresden's opposite. He was somewhat shorter than the younger man, and broader as well. He was also much uglier, with blunt features, a ruddy complexion, a squashed lump of a nose, and a wicked scar that stretched from his ear to his jaw. Despite his grizzled appearance, his eyes glittered with humor, intelligence, and a strange, hidden sadness.

"Tremond! Another round," he said a bit too loudly, banging his mug on the counter. He had no coin, of course, but he always paid his way in the Amberlily by chopping and hauling wood for the fire, or delivering some package to another town for the bar owner. "And be quick about it. If I'm still conscious by three, the blame will be on you." Having spoken his piece to the bartender, he muttered to the young man beside him, "Y'alright, lad? You seem a bit out of sorts."

Minfever

Dresden reached for the ale that Tremond produced, took a draft and then took a hearty bite of the stew that was placed in front of him.  The moment he tasted the food his body took over and he hungrily devoured it leaving no time for manners.  He was famished, far more than he had realized.  A peculiar drunken man sat beside him, clearly the social type, and was able to slur a few words toward Tremond about getting him another round.

Then, the man turned to Dresden, trying to make conversation.  Conversation wasn't Dresden's favorite thing in the world, but he managed to seem human enough during social interactions.  It wasn't that he couldn't make conversation, it was just that he usually didn't.  Most people didn't like discussing the sorts of things that interested him anyway.

"Out of sorts?" he repeated, then shrugged and with a gloved hand, dipped the hunk of bread he was given into the stew and again, ate like he hadn't seen food this good in years.

His mouth full, he managed, "No.  I don't think so, anyway.  What about you?  You seem pretty out-of-sorts yourself."

He took a long draft of his ale and set it down, having finished and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.  He looked at the man again and then back at Tremond.

"Add his to my tab, Tremond."

Tremond nodded and presented the ale the other gentleman had asked for promptly.

Tremond smirked, "Be careful, Garrett," he addressed the army veteran, "This boy can make you fall asleep with his talk of magical this and science that."

Dresden didn't seem to mind the comment, and instead, began to finish off the bread in front of him.

"Garrett, then." Dresden held out his other gloved hand to his new compatriot, "Dresden."

HighLordMhoram

"Me? Out of sorts?" Garrett grinned. "That's under the assumption that I was ever in sorts to begin with. Which, I can assure you, is not the case."

His grin widened as Desden offered to pay his tab for him. "My lad, you have just become my new favorite person," he said boisterously, slapping him on the back. He took the ale from Tremond and raised the mug in salute.

"Aw, hell, Trem," he said in response to the bartender's warning. "If he's paying for my ale, this man can talk about the growth cycle of wheat grass for all I care. Here's to you, lad." He tipped his head back and guzzled down the entire ale in one long drink, slamming the empty mug on the counter with a satisfied sigh.

"Desden, eh? Pleased to meet you." Garrett took the man's hand in his and shook enthusiastically, his soldier's grip squeezing the younger man's fingers like a vise. "So, what's this science-y magical gobbledy-gook Tremond was going on about?"

Sandybro9001

A young woman in traveling clothes stood in the corner playing a cheerful tune on a violin. Aria started playing just a little quieter and moved slowly closer to the two gentlemen at the bar. Her case was open in front of her and a few coins has been tossed inside.

HighLordMhoram

Garrett caught sight of the girl and winked at her. "Hey, before you get to your science talking, why don't you spare a few silvers for the lovely girl?" He said, indicating Aria's open case. "I'd give her some myself, if it weren't for the fact that I'm broke."

Minfever

Dresden had heard the pleasant music earlier, but hadn't paid it much mind until now.  Garrett was a pleasant man, and the more he spoke the jollier Dresden felt.  He laughed as Garrett gave him a slap on the back and called his scientific interests "gobbledy-gook".  He pushed the remainder of his bread aside and sighed, deeply satisfied.

It was before he could respond to Garrett, that Garrett mentioned the young woman who was approaching them on her violin.  Dresden glanced up and nodded, tossing the last of his coin into her violin case.

"It's beautiful, I'll admit." Dresden commented, leaning back against the bar, watching the young lady as she continued her song.

Sandybro9001

Aria, noticing the attention of her audience, started speeding up and playing louder, swaying with the music and bringing it to a crescendo, and then slowing down, bring it to a quiet close.
Aria takes a slight bow and sets her violin down and sits down at the bar next to Dresden.
"You boys looked like you were enjoying the show. Hardly anyone even noticed I was here."

Minfever

Dresden smiled and pointed nonchalantly at Garrett, "My friend here was responsible for bringing you to my attention.  I'm glad he did."

Tremond walked over with another batch of ale for the gentlemen and leaned over the counter, looking at the young lady who had joined them.

"And what'll you have, miss?" he asked, wiping his hands on his apron.

HighLordMhoram

"Hardly seemed polite to let such a good show go on without someone rewarding the player for their efforts," Garrett said with a shrug in response to Dresden's comment. "Particularly one as pretty as you." He grinned at the girl, although he knew his chances of making it with her tonight were slim. Even if she were interested in that sort of thing that night, strapping young Dresden was more likely to be the center of her attention than a grizzled veteran. He would make the effort, but if she rebuffed him he would simply enjoy her and Dresden's company.

"Careful what you ask for," he whispered to Aria conspiratorially as Tremond asked what she wanted. "His ale can strip the paint of a barn."

Sandybro9001

"It's just as well" Aria leaned in, whispering back to Garrett, "I prefer liquor anyway." Aria sat back up and spoke to Tremond, "Got any whiskey, preferably something kinda smokey tasting? I'll take two shots."
Aria waited patiently and took a sip of her whiskey when it arrived. "So, I think I overheard something about science magic stuff, what's that?" Aria gazed over the two men.

Minfever

Tremond rolled his eyes and laughed, "Oh, by the gods, do we have to encourage him to talk about his work?"

He slapped Dresden on the shoulder and leaned on the counter between the two men, allowing himself to be part of the social circle that had developed.

Dresden glanced back at her with languid eyes, his back leaning against the bar and his arms resting on the bar as well, "I'm an artificer, you might say, a magical engineer.  I create items imbued with special powers that then give the user the ability to use these powers as their own, to  a limited extent."

He reached into his trouser pocket and produced a black marble-like stone, and rolled it around in his hand, "This stone was once the means by which a hit man was able to become invisible for a short period of time.  He accomplished his task, you might imagine, with ease."

HighLordMhoram

"A hit man, you say?" Garrett replied. "Reminds me of the time I saved the High Lord of Northwatch from that Connlaothan assassin. Ah, but that's a tale for another time." The ex-soldier hammered back another round and suppressed a belch. "So you made that fancy stone, eh lad? Mind if I try it out?" He extended a beefy hand palm up. "I won't break it. Swear on me mum."

Minfever

Dresden laughed and tossed the stone to Garrett.

"You can't break it.  It won't do much for you, anyway.  It's just an ordinary stone, now.  The powers I bestowed are used up now."

He glanced back at the girl beside him, feeling the drink start to cause his head to swim a bit.  She was pretty, he thought, in a unique sort of way.  The coloring of her hair wasn't of the usual kind, and he wondered why.  His mind, ever trying to deduce the why of things, wondered at what race she was.  It was a moment before he realized he was staring too long and he looked back at Garrett.

"Much more interesting than that, my new friend, would be the time that you saved the High Lord of Northwatch.  You know, if I weren't as good a judge of character as I am, I might have not believed you."

Sandybro9001

"Everybody's always worried about protecting they're precious nobles from hitmen and such, yet nobody seems to be dealing with all the highwaymen that have been hon the roads lately. Not that that is surprising at all, considering most of them are nobles." Aria pauses and stares at her drink for a second before finishing the shot in one gulp.
"Sorry about that, things have been rough lately, I'm just lucky I can defend myself."

HighLordMhoram

"Dresden, my lad, you wound me," Garrett said with mock sadness. "I am the very soul of honesty. So, in any case, the High Lord had come on foot to personally deliver me an invitation to the Blooded Prince's birthday celebration..." He trailed off as Aria began to spaek.

"Highwaymen, you say?" He leaned forward with interest. "And where, exactly, are these brigands hiding? Did you run across any near the town?"

Sandybro9001

"No not around here, Northwatch is fine, but a couple of the Dukes in Jadenshire have been spending a lot and have gotten desperate and the whole province is lousy with highwaymen and the like."
Aria takes another sip and her stomach growls, "um, anyway I could get some food?"


Minfever

Dresden raised an eyebrow as she brazenly asked for food, supposedly expecting him to pay for it.  He smirked a bit and leaned forward toward her, narrowing his eyes as he read her face.

"You must be hungry." he smiled, and leaned back, asking Tremond to bring another bowl of stew and a husk of bread.

"No need to thank me." Dresden sarcastically teased, "My treat."

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