It Takes Two(FlowyWolf!)

JackieCat · June 21, 2016, 09:26:25 AM

Lorin laughed. "I know, right?" she said, taking another bite of her stew. After swallowing she spoke again. "And then there's La'marri," she had seen the look on Raven's face when she told him about Zantaric, why not counter that criminal-ridden place with a nicer one? "La'marri is the exact opposite of Zantaric. It's similar in that really anyone is welcome, and there's no government, but that's where the similarities end. La'marri is a haven for artist and mages and anyone who wants free-expression and acceptance. Of course, there are a few un-written laws, but, in general, people there are civil and not criminals, they want to keep it as the nice place it is."

She took a few more bites of her stew, and then some of the potatoes. "Try the spiced potatoes," she said. "In my opinion, this is the best meal here, but the other options are really good too."

FlowyWolf · June 21, 2016, 10:12:14 AM

Raven didn't know if it was for how good the food was or for the wonderful place Lorin was telling him about, but his heart was jumping happily into his chest. At that moment, it was all so perfect, and her tale about that horrible place had already disappeared from his minds, wiped out by that new dream his mind had already started to build up.

Following Lorin's advice, Raven took some potatoes and, as he tasted them, he looked her with an adoring gaze for letting him taste that wonderful flavor.
As he swallowed the potatoes, he decided to try to drink another sip of ale, and when he did it, his assumption proved correct; even the ale, mixed with those wonderful tastes, seemed quite good.

"I don't know anything about the other meals, but trust me, I can't even imagine something tastier than these." All his inhibitions had almost dropped, defeated by that perfect moment he was living.
Therefore, fighting back another burp and focusing again about what his new friend told him, Raven finally asked:
"So, this La'marri... where's exactly, is it far from here?".

JackieCat · June 21, 2016, 11:05:28 AM

"It's not too far from here," Lorin said. "Maybe three or four weeks walking, faster with horses." After eating more of her food, she spoke again. "Have you ever been out of Ketra or Adela?" she asked. "Or is this mainly where you stay?"

She wasn't sure if Raven's master ever let him out of the city, or even off his radar, for too long. Lorin just hoped that this mission wouldn't be interrupted by his master. Actually, thinking about it, if Raven's master was really all that bad, Lorin didn't want the boy to go back at all. Despite his profession as a thief, he was still just a kid, and he shouldn't have to go through what he seemed to have to deal with where he lived, wherever that was.

FlowyWolf · June 21, 2016, 11:44:55 AM

Raven was puzzled by her words, did she really think three or four weeks walking wasn't far?
However, thinking about it, he never left the city, and he had no idea about how far could be the other nations. Maybe, four weeks walking was the nearest safe place he could reach from there, for what he knew.

"Nope, never left the city." He said, swallowing another huge bite of that delicious stew with the help of his ale. In another moment, he wouldn't have said it so easily, but he was so happy about how things were going, he would have told her a lot more than he usually did.

"But I'm going to leave as soon as possible from here..." when those words finished to go out from his mouth, however, Raven suddenly froze, understanding how much he was letting his guard down. "I mean, when I'll have the chance to start a life on my own, and..." Raven bit his lips, he was making things even worse, he had to do something about it.

"And you, would you like to put down roots in some place?". He finally asked, eager to move the subject to any other topic.

JackieCat · June 30, 2016, 11:19:47 AM

Lorin noticed Raven's uncertainty as he spoke, and how quickly he turned the question around to her. However, she let it pass, and didn't press any questions.

"I don't think so," she answered. "I like doing what I'm doing, it's fun, though I may change my mind as I get older. I'm just winging it as it is, I suppose I'll do that forever, just do what feels right, you know?"

It was only now that Lorin went back to what Raven had said earlier, and had seemed afraid to say, and when she spoke her voice was serious, unlike it had been this whole time. "You want to leave here? Get away from the life you lead?"

FlowyWolf · July 05, 2016, 12:29:13 AM

Raven couldn't agree more, it would have been really wonderful, to be free to do what he really wanted to do, just because he liked it.

But then, seeing the sudden seriousness in Lorin's face, Raven instantly froze, stopping even from chewing the meat in his mouth.
"You want to leave here? Get away from the life you lead?". As she spoke, Raven quickly looked around scared, trying to think how to avoid that question.
Pretending to choke, he started coughing just to take some time, supporting his play with a long sip of ale.

The tavern was almost empty, there were just five people in there, and no one seemed to hear what the two of them were saying, too busy in drinking and laughing as they were.
Raven's put his mug on the table, breathing out loudly. He started to feel something strange in his head, he had that strange sensation he never experienced before.
He wanted to talk with that nice elf and send away all those thorny worries.

Therefore, looking around one last time, just to be sure no one else was hearing their conversation, he finally answered:
"Well, you know, my life isn't exactly what a man could dream about, so... yeah, probably, if I get the chance, I would definitely move from here." The fear he felt as he was speaking, finally fled away as he finished doing it, and a new, wonderful sensation of relief rose from his chest.

Eager to strengthen that sensation of freeness he was discovering, he took another sip of his ale, wondering why he was drinking so much of that bitter drink, and then said:
"I don't know where I could go, I don't know anything but some stories about what lies out from this city, but... there must be a place where I could live freely, isn't it?" as he finished speaking, his chest was almost exploding from the happiness.
He never talked that way to anyone, but he was loving it and he didn't want to stop.

JackieCat · July 09, 2016, 07:18:30 PM

At first he seemed hesitant, then he took another drink of his ale, and began to speak more freely, until he seemed absolutely delighted.

It was a great thing to get a burden off your chest, Lorin knew that, but this seemed more, this seemed. . . Ah, the ale.

That was probably it, Lorin thought, the kid had never had alcohol before, who knew how it was affecting him?

Lorin nodded as he finished. "Hm," she said, continuing to nod. "There are plenty of places where you could be free, and I'm sure you'll find one."

She was considering mentioning the effects of the drink, but decided against it, for now, at least. The kid seemed pretty sensitive, and she didn't want to ruin his mood, even if it was slightly drink-induced.

FlowyWolf · July 27, 2016, 12:22:22 AM

"Yeah, you bet!" Raven said, happier than ever. It was all so perfect, the tavern, the stew, even that bitter ale, all was becoming perfect to him, thanks to that sensation of freedom he felt in his chest.

The only sad thing it was happening to that table, was that he had already eaten almost all of his delicious stew, all but a little piece of it which he was staring sadly, waiting the more he could before to make it disappear into his dry mouth.

Then, when he couldn't resist anymore, he took it with his spoon, trying to collect all the gravy around it, and he chew it with plenty of attention, before to swallow it with the help of his ale.

"Wow, it was delicious!" he finally said putting down heavily his mug. Then, driven by the growing happiness he was feeling, he added:
"By the way, you know what? After our job is done, I'm going to leave that rathole for good!".

JackieCat · July 28, 2016, 02:53:00 PM

Lorin smiled, but held up a hand. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself," she said. "But, if you want, I could help you out a bit once we're done with the job and we leave the city. I might know a few places where you may want to stay."

She finished the last of her meal and leaned back in her seat, taking a drink from her mug. "I'm glad that you've decided to do something rather than continue to do what your 'master' says, but you've gotta be careful, he may come after you, depending on what sort of guy he is."

FlowyWolf · July 30, 2016, 02:30:06 AM

As her first sentence raised his mood to the top, her last one made it fall heavily on the ground, filling his chest with despair.
She was right, the master wasn't someone to mess with, and a sad look to his scar remembered him painfully what happened when someone disappointed him.
"I don't fear that dumbass!" he said, trying to seem still sure of his intention, but doubts and fears spread bitterly in his head.

Trying to find some comfort and regain that optimism he had just lost, he drank another big sip of his ale, uselessly. His mug was quickly getting lighter, and his stomach was more bloated than ever before, but his mood wasn't going to get better easily.
Lorin was right, it would have been dangerous to escape from him, he had too many friend in the city and who knows how many people he knew outside Ketra.

Brushing softly his scar onto his left arm, as he always did when he was pensive, he forgot once again where he was and who was with him, his head focused on the sadness inside him.

JackieCat · July 30, 2016, 10:45:35 AM

"Hey," Lorin said, reaching over the table and placing a comforting hand on Raven's arm. "Don't worry about it," she smiled. "Gosh, If I worried about every person who was trying to kill me, I'd have no time to enjoy life! Just because there are things that scare you, don't let them ruin your day, or your life for that matter. Just don't worry about it, I'll help you."

She had learned that Raven was prone to rapid mood swings, and he was quite sensitive, but he had to know the risks, even if he shouldn't let them get him down.

FlowyWolf · July 30, 2016, 12:34:50 PM

As her hand touched his left arm, right near his scar, Raven suddenly jumped, frightened. But when Lorin started speaking with her soft, comforting voice, the fear finally flew away.
He didn't know what it was, maybe her smile, or maybe her voice, or maybe just her kindness. But when she began to tranquilize him, all the giant fears that crowded his head got smaller, until they became just some worthless ant in a wide field.

Accidentally, one of her finger touched lightly his scar, making him pull it back instinctively, but her words' effect didn't wear off.

Sipping one of the last sip of his ale, Raven stared at her green eyes with an inebriated smile onto his face, happy to have found again that certainty he had before.
"Thanks, I appreciate your help..." then, fearing he had seemed too childish and fragile, he quickly added:
"By the way, don't need to be sorry, so..." he grabbed his mug and raised toward her "...to us!"

JackieCat · July 30, 2016, 01:15:14 PM

"Oops, sorry," Lorin said instinctively as she touched him scar, but then she smiled when he raised his glass, and she raised her own.

"To us!" she finished the last of her ale in a few large gulps, and then set it back down onto the table as the barmaid came to clear their plates.

"We should be getting to bed," Lorin said. "We'll need the rest."

FlowyWolf · July 31, 2016, 06:31:08 AM

When Raven put back his mug onto the table, his head started twisting quickly and his stomach sent a huge bubble of gas into his throat, leaving in his mouth a sour aftertaste that almost induce him vomiting.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He wasn't so likely to end so quickly that night, he was experiencing so many new things and having one of the best time of his life, he would have gladly taken another mug of that bitter ale.
But his head was getting drowsy, and so his eyes, and even his tongue struggled to speak clearly.
Definitely, he needed some rest.

Therefore, leaning his hands on the table, Raven distanced him from it and jumped down his chairs.
As he landed, however, the whole tavern twisted rapidly around him, so that he feared he could fell down on his back.
Luckily, he managed to stand up with the help of the table, but he had to stay there for a moment to get back his balance.
Therefore, trying to hide his difficulties, he turned his head toward Lorin and said:
"After you, madam".

JackieCat · August 26, 2016, 02:10:28 PM

The kid was obviously drunk, but Lorin made no comment, not wanting to embarrass him, and she headed for the stairs, discreetly keeping an eye on Raven in case he really did fall this time.

FlowyWolf · September 13, 2016, 02:22:21 AM

Raven wasn't feeling good at all, all the room was turning around him and a weird halo surrounded all the things, even his own feet. It was hard for him to climb those endless stairs, he had to lean against the wall not to fall, but at the end, he finally went beyond that last step.

"Well... I think I'll go to bed, if you don't mind." Without waiting for her answer, Raven almost crushed the door and fall onto his bed without even closing it back. His stomach was hurting and he felt as if something was stuck in his throat, but luckily for him, his exhaustion was stronger than the pain, and he felt asleep in an instant.

JackieCat · September 20, 2016, 09:28:04 AM

Lorin followed Raven into his room. She knew how he was feeling, and she would leave him to rest in a moment, but first she needed to give him some 'words of wisdom'.

She stood next to his bed, looking down at him. "That's what happens when you drink too much," she said. "Just keep that in mind." She started fro the door, but looked over her shoulder before leaving. "And drink some water, it can help."

She closed the door behind her, careful not to slam it, and went into her own room. Some would have told the kid not to drink at all outright, but not Lorin. If she would have tried to tell him no, and that it could make him sick, he most likely have gotten mad or embarrassed and gotten some anyway. Besides, Lorin hadn't even been sure he would react like this, some people did, some people didn't.