A Real Ladies' Man

[miss_sanguine]

The walk to the village wasn't long, a mere fifteen minutes at the most. Monnayage had escorted his new lady friend the entire way, all too aware of the feel of her arm entwined in his. His initial desire from earlier had died when Maneki had attacked him, but hey! He was a guy. There were some things that didn't just disappear with cat-induced pain.

Villagers were larger in number than they had been when Monnayage had passed through earlier that morning, everyone out of their homes to visit with one another or to browse at the now open vendors' booths. Vanity peaked in his mind when he felt the stares of some of the villagers looking and he tried to shake back his dismay. Surely they were looking at the hideous scratches now marring his once dazzling figure!

Settled comfortably on his shoulder, tail wrapped around his neck like a furry necklace, Maneki batted a velvety paw against his cheek. <Even if they did notice them, which I doubt they can, it would serve you right.>

<My entire left side is covered in claw marks! Of course they can see them,> he responded.

<You're always covered in claw marks.>

<Yes. Because you're an evil little fuzzball.>

<And you're a disobedient, lecherous human. We're even.>

Up ahead, Monnayage could make out the village pub, The Iron Gryphon. It wasn't his first choice, but there really wasn't any other place he could think of that might have some first aid—at least not in this village. At least he knew the pub owner—a decent man in his late fifties—and wouldn't feel completely out of place. "We might manage to get some salve at the pub," he said to Dorothea, nodding in its direction while leading her toward it. "The owner's an acquaintance of mine. Do you mind?"

[Clair]

Dorothea was highly amused by Maneki. Her control over Monnayage, for one thing, was hilarious. How could this man, this gorgeous and strong man, be so influenced by such a small and bratty creature? But, she had to give the cat credit. Many people assumed that Dorothea wasn't capable of much because of her looks and size. Dorothea wondered what it might take to get rid of the cat... perhaps she could smoother her?

She batted her eye lashes up at him. "Oh, I don't mind at all."

[miss_sanguine]

Once he'd bowed Dorothea in through the door and stepped in after her, Monnayage tried to ignore the assault of smells that came on him like an attack of rabid dogs. Alcohol, stale vomit, and sweat were the more dominant, each less appealing than the next.

<I dislike bars,> Maneki said, mirroring his thoughts.

A few people looked up when he came in, their interest more in Dorothea than in himself, but he ignored them and went straight to the counter where a man he didn't know was cleaning a dirty mug. The guy was somewhat cleaner than the other patrons, his long white hair pulled back with a string and his iron-colored clothes less shabby. He appeared no older than thirty.

"What would you like?" the man asked, not looking up from the mug he was wiping down.

"Actually, I was wondering if Darrak was around," Monnayage said. He leaned forward on the counter, giving the bartender a friendly smile despite the man not looking at him.

"Mr. Darrak is in the back room. Make sure to knock before going in."

"Splendid! Ah, but," Monnayage continued, "would you mind serving my lady friend here while I'm away? It's on me." He turned to Dorothea and winked. "I'll be back soon," he said before striding away toward Darrak's "office."

---

The bartender, Darian, looked up and watched as the man with his cat walked away. He wasn't fond of cats, not after one had nearly mauled him as a child, and almost shuddered at the thought of one riding on one's shoulder like that.

Then he turned his attention to the young lady. "Well?" he asked. "Do you have a preference?"

[Clair]

Dorothea watched Monnayage walk away without a word, before turning back to the bar tender. "Hm, not really," she said. Her nose wrinkled. "This place isn't really up to my standards. Smells of rot, actually. Do you ever clean in here? There is no way I could take a drink offered to me here; I can't trust that there wouldn't be anything else in my drink."

[miss_sanguine]

Darian's eyebrows arched high on his forehead at the girl's words.

"This is a pub," he said, trying not to speak to the girl as though she were an idiot. "Not a palace. Excuse me if our building is not up to your prissy little standards. I can assure you, however," he continued, "that the smell of the bar-dwellers does not in any way reflect our wares." Even now he was cleaning a dirty mug, and he noted with pride his dedication to making sure that any and all drinks were up to par.

"But," he said, shrugging a little, "If you don't want anything, that's fine by me. I have more important things to attend to than listening to your prudish invectives." He turned away from her, placing the now clean mug on the shelf with the others.

[Clair]

Dorothea was startled when he spoke- she'd expected someone stupid who knew very few words. She smiled, pleased by the surprise and took a seat at the bar. "An ale, please," she said, grinning at him.

[miss_sanguine]

With an inaudible sigh, Darian rolled his eyes, making sure his back was turned to the girl as he did so. Another one of these people. Thought she could get away with being snarky until someone stood up to it. It was a common thing—too common if you asked him. Yes, he did know how to stand up for himself, thanks. He worked in a bar. It was practically part of the job requirement.

Reaching up into the shelf again, he pulled down one of the newly-cleaned mugs and brought it over to the ale spout that branched out from one of the many alcoholic kegs. He knew each keg by heart, of course, and the action was more instinctual than conscious. When the mug was filled, some of the froth nearly spilling over the sides, he walked back to the girl and laid it on the counter in front of her.

"One ale," he said with disinterest. Then, without another word, he picked up his rag and ventured toward one of the recently-vacated tables.

[Clair]

Dorothea did not say anything more and did not even nod a thank you to Darian as he passed her her drink. She picked up the glass, inspecting it carefully before taking a sip. It would have to do... the ale wasn't too terrible.

[miss_sanguine]

Monnayage emerged from the back room beaming. It was always nice to meet with old friends, especially when they were generous with what they had. Instead of providing him with salve as he'd first intended, Darrak had used his own minor healing magic to make the scratches disappear. Monnayage was once again beautiful.

Darrak had warned him that the side-effects might include excessive cheerfulness, but he didn't see that as a bad thing. And besides, it would only last a few minutes. Not that he wasn't already a very happy person to begin with.

When he saw Dorothea at the bar, he went and joined her, sitting on an empty stool beside hers. "Hello, pretty lady," he said. "Did you miss me?"

Maneki was still on his shoulder, purring loudly. In his uncontrolled euphoria, she was clearly receiving the effects of his healing as well. He could feel her glaring at Dorothea, but this time it was more guarded than hostile.

[Clair]

"Oh, of course," she said, leaning against the counter, turning to face him more fully. "And did you miss me, Monnayage?"

[miss_sanguine]

To be honest, he hadn't thought of much during the healing session, but he wasn't going to say that. Instead he said, "Why, of course! Every moment in that room without you was pure torment."

His eyes moved to Dorothea's drink. "An ale, huh? Decided not to get something expensive? I am paying, you know." He winked, then looked around. The bartender was off wiping down tables, looking bored but determined.

While not one for alcohol, he decided it best to order something so that his lady didn't feel out of place. His usual was water, although he supposed a little juice wouldn't hurt. If they had any.

"Hey, bartender! When you're done, how about some juice?" He got a few stares for that one, juice not being a common request at a bar, and he looked around with a wide smile at any that were looking at him.

<Two,> Maneki corrected him, still purring.

"Er, two juices! Please."

[Clair]

Dorothea chuckled. "Why not get yourself some ale?" she teased, resting her hand on his shoulder. "I'd feel awful for being the only one drinking alcohol."

[miss_sanguine]

The touch on his shoulder sent a burst of delight through his body. Ah, this girl. So physical—and daring, considering Maneki was right there on the opposite shoulder. Lucky the cat was feeling as content as he was, else he might have to go in for another healing.

Which wouldn't be too bad, now that he thought about it. The experience had been enjoyable, especially the after-effects.

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a fan of alcohol," he admitted. No need to mention that it was practically poison to him—to anyone, really, but to him especially. "So please don't take offense with my ordering a more juicy beverage."

<If we're lucky, the drink will kill her,> Maneki said. Her tail beat gently against his bare back, the tickling of the fur sending goosebumps down his spine. The idea seemed to cheer her immensely, and her purring increased.

[Clair]

Dorothea's lips seemed to thin and she looked away from him, taking a sip of her own drink. How could she get him to drink it? How could she trick him into drink it without him becoming angry with her? That was another issue.

An idea popped into her head. She grabbed her abdomen and moaned, forcing tears to her eyes. Dorothe doubled over the stool.

[miss_sanguine]

Failing to notice her disgruntlement when caught up in the spell of elation, Monnayage turned his attention to the bartender, who was still cleaning tables.

What a good man, keeping the place clean, he thought. Appreciation bubbled over.

Man. He should have known about Darrak's healing abilities long before now.

A noise of pain made him turn, and all feelings of ecstasy fled from him when he saw that it was Dorothea.

"Ah—what? What's the matter?!" he asked, noticing the sudden tears. A plethora of feelings, none of them happy, rushed through him. What the heck was going on?

<Huh. Had I known I could have killed her simply by stating it, I would have done it a long time ago,> Maneki said.

[Clair]

She gasped and struggled to her feet, pushing away from him. "N-no," she said. "Nothing--" she gasped, "--is wrong at all." Dorothea stumbled a few feet, grabbing a table for support.  "J-just ignore me." She glanced at him with shimmering eyes. "I don't want to ruin your good mood."

[miss_sanguine]

He blinked, caught off guard. His good mood? How did she expect him to react any differently than he was now, what with that fact that she was groaning like a person on the verge of death? It wasn't something that someone could ignore, even if he tried. And he would never try.

By now other people were looking, too.

"You can't be serious," he said in exasperation. "Of course something is wrong. People don't go stumbling around and grumbling in pain for no reason. Are you sick? Do you need a doctor?"

[Clair]

Dorothea shuddered, nearly collapsing, but was able to catch herself. She shook her head. "N-no," she whimpered, barely audible. "I'll just go now..."

[miss_sanguine]

Now he was really confused. Had he done something wrong?

<Let her go,> Maneki purred. She leapt from his shoulder and landed on the counter, staring after Dorothea in triumph. The bartender looked up at this, brows furrowing in consternation, but otherwise did not say or do anything.

"Maybe I should help you get to wherever you need to go," Monnayage said. "You shouldn't be walking alone when you're like . . ." He gestured helplessly at her. "This. Better yet, Darrak's a healer. He can help."

He hurried to her side and grabbed her arm to help support her.

[Clair]

She grabbed hold of him, as if her life depended on him to hold her up. "I'm sorry," Dorothea gasped. She began to slowly sink to her knees, still holding onto him.