When it goes bad, it gets worse(CIA girls!)

[Looshi]

   The night was young, and yet they found themselves in a wee bit of trouble.

   "Get out!" The man shouted, his jowls quivering under the magnificence of a long curled moustache. He was a rotund man, with cherry red cheeks and eyebrows that looked to be the place where the rest of his hair was escaping to. And he happened to be the barkeep of a quaint little shack called the 'Hunter's Duck'. Eirdis thought the name could be better, but the swill they called ale was all right.

   Everything was going fine, she and the girls had a table in the far corner and drinks to mull over as they tried to break the awkward ice between them,  until one of the other patrons decided they wanted to show up a Dwarf. In an arm wrestling contest. The fellow that sauntered over to them with strong alcohol on his breath was a giant of a human. His hair was shaggy and pulled back into a low ponytail on the nape of his neck. There was a fire in his eyes when he glanced at Eirdis. And it came to be known that the drunkard thought her to be a man; a Dwarven man with two ladies on his arms - ladies that he thought should be his.

   Eirdis couldn't let that stand. And there was no way she could pass up embarrassing a giant.

   In the middle of the room, the centre of the action, their hands were locked together and elbows placed firm on the table. Another one of the patrons played the role of the referee and began a count down. Eirdis had this in the bag, for she had something that the other didn't.

   A goddamn magical beard.

   Eirdis played a little game. For a minute she let the man think they were matched close to even. She watched as the muscles in his arms strained and sweat bead on his forehead. And then, with a thump of her opponents arm falling against the table, it was over. And he didn't take it well. She was challenged to a best two-out of three. She didn't bother with letting him win one. And perhaps that was a bad move on her part. What started as a game, ended in almost bar-fight. That is, until they were kicked out despite not having started it.

   That was where they were now.

   The sky above them was glowing with fistfuls of stars, seen through the smoke raising from the chimneys of homes and establishments throughout the city of Ketra. Eirdis looked to her companions with a sleepy expression on her face.

   "Got any ideas?"

[zozee9]

Tanya looked at Eirdis with a hand on her hip and scowled, "Let's just find another bar." While the arm wrestling contest may have been fun to watch while it lasted, she wasn't happy to lose her unlimited alcohol privileges of being in a bar.

Luckily, she prepared for situations like this. Reaching her arm into her bag that was slung across her chest, Tanya pulled out a nice bottle of beer and uncapped it. After taking a hefty sip, she looked down the street.

"At least there should be another one close by." She wasn't planning on getting as drunk as she had been when she had first met these two ladies—even Tanya knew that was too much—but that didn't mean she couldn't have a little bit of fun. That reminded her of the man that had challenged Eirdis to an arm wrestling duel.

With a sigh, Tanya said, "And he was a fine looking man, too... I wanted to spend some alone time with him..." She looked around drearily. So far the night was not fun.

I should have just gone out by myself, Tanya thought. Then I could have done whatever I wanted to. It's that **** red head's fault.

Turning to Khanna and leaning forward close to her face, Tanya narrowed her eyes and said, "This night better improve. I only came because you asked me to." Khanna had her favor for not only being an attractive young woman that Tanya wouldn't mind bedding, but also for being her teammate and stopping her from drinking even more wine when they had joined.

With another sigh, Tanya got out of Khanna's face and took another swig of her beer.

[Caerina]

To Khanna this was one of the most hilarious nights in all of her 18 years of life. Her new coworkers and possible teammates were the incredible and somehow all the time drunk, Tanya and the young female dwarf Eirdis with a hand of steel. Everything begun with a simple invitation from Eirdis to Khanna, but knowing it would probably be more fun to watch, Khanna managed to convince Tanya to join them. She didn't make a mistake.

"The night is still young. There are still much more alcohol and men we could drink and meet." she said with a cocky grin. Khanna wasn't particularly interested in either the alcohol or the men, but she had hoped it would cheer up her unhappy two companions. Eirdis seemed like in deep thought of what to do, and Tanya was doing the only thing she does besides sleeping and vomiting. She was drinking.

The situation they were in didn't really worry Khanna in the least. She was glad Eirdis did what she did to that stinky idiot. He deserved every humiliation he got. Khanna grinned to herself.

"Don't say things like that Tanya. He was a stinky and ugly giant." after everything her friend has drunk, it seemed that even the ugliest faces didn't bother her. Nor did the smell for that matter.

"Come on, let's go down the street and search for a new place," she smiled "With lots of alcohol and better looking men." Khanna looked victoriously towards Tanya, hoping that her words would cheer her up.

[Looshi]

   Eirdis wore an easy grin when Tanya spoke up, the smell of alcohol on her breath was furthered by a swig from a bottle she had kept for apparent times like these. This woman thought of everything. The Dwarf was impressed, her mood bright and cheery despite having been kicked out of the bar. She was still flying high on her wins when it came to confidence, and she wasn't about to have a hitch in the gate spoil her fun. This was her idea after all.

   And how did she get such an idea? Well, from what she learned being with Styr's Shield it was good to know who had your back and who wanted to stick a knife into it. In the midst of battle, you couldn't have your comrades ditching you. It could mean your death. Eirdis' idea was to see who her new friends were, and if she could trust them. One night wouldn't do it, she knew, but it was a start.

   "I have a better beard that he did." She said, "don't waste your thoughts on him." Eirdis shared Khanna's sentiment. She hoped their words would help smooth over the edges in Tanya's demeanour. What they didn't need was fighting between them. She ran a hand through her hair, her stubby fingers getting tangled in the locks pulled back to form her braid. Eirdis grunted.

   "I'm all for finding a new watering hole." She said, the ale that she had not quite getting to her head enough like she wanted it to. Her nose and cheeks were pasty pale, and not a cherry red of inebriation. Plus, she imagined what other fools would challenge her to a bar bet and that kept her desiring more.

   Eirdis decided to lead the way, taking a few paces forward with her heavy boots. But, she stopped and looked up, her ears tingling with new sound.

   "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Something screamed.

   It became louder and louder, and a speck that at first looked like a star in the sky grew closer, plummeting down. Eirdis' thick eyebrows raised. It was coming straight for them. Blue flames licked at its body, sending a stream of smoke through the night air. Legs ran rampant, trying to grasp the sky with its hooves. For a moment, she could make out the form of a horse. No wait...

   It was a Unicorn. 


OOC: I had the idea, and couldn't stop myself. Don't wait for me to take the idea and run with it, you guys can too! We can bounce things back and forth and see what craziness we can get up to!

[zozee9]

Tanya snickered as Khanna tried to cheer her up. She seemed genuine enough. Typically when people tried to keep Tanya happy, it was to keep her in their bar so she'd spend more of her seemingly endless supply of money. But Khanna was earnest, and Tanya found that strangely funny.

In fact, Khanna surprisingly made Tanya happy enough that she didn't even get mad at her comment about the man not being attractive. Instead, she playfully responded, "But he wanted to be with me, so it doesn't matter!"

Then, turning to Eirdis who had also helped cheer her up, Tanya flirted, "Are you trying to attract me with your beard?" Then she winked. While Eirdis wasn't exactly her type (in other words, not pretty nor interested in her), that never stopped Tanya from flirting.

Seeing Eirdis stop and then the unicorn, Tanya smiled widely and shouted, "Pila!" Then, after a moment of confusion, she mumbled, "I don't normally see unicorns until I'm really drunk..." Even with the bottle of beer in her hand and the drink she had at the bar, she knew she hadn't gotten that drunk yet.

But she had read some stuff (meaning boatloads of books) about unicorns, and knew they were generally very friendly. The only exceptions were against demons or people harboring evil thoughts. And, as far as Tanya was concerned, none of them were harboring bad thoughts. So she held out her hand towards the unicorn and shouted, "STOP!" And the unicorn stopped, just as Tanya expected it to. While her tactic may have seemed like a drunken last resort, she knew that unicorns typically listened to those with pure hearts. And while Tanya might not be the most innocent person out there, she had never wished any serious harm on anybody.

So Tanya looked up at the brilliant white unicorn that was stamping its hooves about ten feet away and five feet above Eirdis. It didn't look like her hallucinatory unicorn, Pila, did, so Tanya figured she should name it something else. "Hephro," she stated, deciding that would be the unicorn's name from then on. Giggling, she took another swig of her beer, waved at the unicorn, and said, "Hi, Hephro!"

[Caerina]

Khanna probably wasn't the most friendly and flirty woman, nor did she ever liked to drink much. She did both of those things only when in need. But it seems her new friends didn't mind any of that. She just sighed and went on with it. There is no point in discussing with Tanya about her bad drinking habits, or her wanting to sleep with anything on two legs. Khanna didn't care, it's not like she was her friend. Right?

About her other female comapanion. Khanna respected Eirdis, she seemed like a nice, bearded female dwarf. She had a strong personality and was a no-nonsense woman. Plus, it surely took a lot of confidence to look like that and yet act so prideful. A sting of jealosy got Khanna by surprise, she was always unable to get over her looks, not that she looked bad, but she always got stuck only thinking about her bad sides. Eirdis also got a few extra points by defeating the giant, and was now on Khannas positive list of people.

As mentioned earlier, Khanna didn't drink much. Hell, she didn't finish off her tankard of beer when they were thrown out, bugt she just couldn't believe her eyes at the sights in front of her. A unicorn. A damn, one-horned pony, full of magic and rainbows. A unicorn. In seconds, Tanya jumped around it. Nope, Khanna wasn't drunk, or at least she wasn't the only one who saw the unicorn.

"Hephro?" she asked, frowning at the horned pony "What kind of name is that?" it was more of a murmured question to herself, than the others.

Slowly a grin appeared on her face. Unicorns were rare and magical, and everything that is rare and magical also is - Expensive. The word swirled in her head. At least a few thousands of golden coins and much more silver and copper ones. Yes, it would be wonderful to sell it off to someone and get a lot of money. Khanna glanced left, then right. But, this all just looked too good to be true. Somehow it looked like a trap. Khanna knew that something was wrong but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Something stinks here." she put her hands on her hips "Unicorns don;t just come to big cities, especially at night."

Khanna had some knowlege about mystical creatures and monsters from the books. But she was never really interested in that and rarely payed attention. Her mind was now occupied by many questions.

[Looshi]

"Tanya don't-" she had begun to say, with an arm reaching to the woman, but it was too late. Her friend stepped  in front of them with her arms outstretched yelling an easy 'STOP'. Like that would work, they weren't in some fairytale book, and by gods if they were they wouldn't be the main characters. Maybe some cooky side-characters. She could picture it now. They were the help for the real hero's adventure; the token pretty lady that flirted with everything that moved, the mysterious one, and the self-proclaimed bruiser.

Oh wait. That's pretty much what they were now. Oops. Her bad.

Eirdis' jaw dropped when the hoofed blazing ball of fire stopped in its tracks right before it would have collided with them. She had tensed her muscles, and began to dig up the magic she had stowed away, in the end, she rubbed at her beard, snuffing out whatever small glow there would have been to it. And relieved at that, too. She doubted she would have been able to live that down.

The flames around the unicorn flitted away, ascending into the air like they were an unwanted fashion accessory. The creature tossed its head, and neighed, its mane flailing in majestic motions. It knew how to work it.

"My dear fair maiden!" A low voice, smooth like silk resounded in their minds. Eirdis itched at her ear, jamming a stubby finger in there. Was she hearing things? It wouldn't be the first time. The unicorn barred its gums and teeth in what she assumed was an attempt at a human-like grin. All it ended up being was a tad bit on the creepy side.

"How did you know my name?" He continued, flicking his tail with noble curve at a fly that tried to bite at his backside. While that wasn't one of Eirdis' question, it was a curious development. Tanya was a lot of things, but psychic? Nah. It was a good guess. She'd bet on her beard.

"I am Lord Hephro, the Fire of the Skies and Dashingly Suave Rogue of many ladies hearts!" The unicorn reared up on its hind legs, and if by some magical cue, across the sky flashed a bolt of lightening.

Eirdis stared at him, and rubbed at her nose. "That's good and all." She started, "But why were you screaming at us?"

"By what do you mean, fellow bearded one? Isn't screaming at people how you greet?" The unicorn almost had a confused look on his face, the Dwarf had to believe it was genuine. And at the same time, she noticed why he had called her 'fellow bearded one', there was a tuft of fur on his chin that looked like it could be a beard, and no doubt that's what he called it.

"No."  She said, not pulling any punches. She looked up to her companions, wondering what they thought of all this. She'd seen many ridiculous things in her time on the surface, but a unicorn was new. She wondered if he would be willing to have a mug of ale with her.

[zozee9]

Tanya giggled as the fire went away. Hephro looked so much prettier without it. And its mane was simply gorgeous. If only her hair could be that perfect... oh wait, it was.

She smiled back at the unicorn, not finding the fact that it had smiled strange at all. It was just an especially nice unicorn in her mind. Plus, it had called her a fair maiden. While maiden might not be completely true (though she was unmarried... as far as she knew), she most definitely believed herself fair.

Tanya scoffed at Eirdis's party pooper spirit. Looking at Hephro, she shouted, "Shouting is a perfect way to greet! Just ignore my companion here. She doesn't quite understand how to be polite." She threw a smile over at Eirdis for good measure before returning her gaze to the unicorn.

"And of course I know your name! I'm your owner, after all. Don't you remember me?" Tanya put on some puppy dog eyes.

While she spoke that with total confidence, she was questioning it inwardly. Even she found it strange that she had said the right name. Perhaps she had met the unicorn in her forgotten childhood? Or maybe she had just read about him before. Either was possible, though the latter seemed more reasonable. Whatever the case may be, Tanya just decided to laugh more.

[Caerina]

Khanna didn't know where to start. This was crazy, her new friends were crazy and what the hell was going on with that unicorn? It can talk? No, I'm so sorry, it was a HE as it seemed. She didn't drink much. It seemed impossible that they were all drunk enough to see the same unicorn. Khanna slapped her forehead and closed her eyes hoping that the unicorn will be gone when she opens them. He was still there.

On the other side, Tanya was pretty comfortable. She talked with the damn thing like they knew each other for decades. Maybe they did? Or maybe it was just another one of Tanya's drunk illusions. Khanna could bet on the second thought. Tanya seemed to always be living in her drunk world, full of magical unicorns and people to sleep with. Khanna frowned at her own thoughts.

"Anyone care to explain what's happening?" she asked, her hands in the air. It wouldn't be the first time for Khanna to hear things or imagine something. But this was really too much, even for her head. As the horned horse (Khanna refused to call it a unicorn) talked, she didn't know whether she should laugh or scream. In her head she calmed herself. As Eirdis and Tanya seemed not too dazzled, and since they weren't the brightest bunch in the world, Khanna was sure that there was a logical explanation.

"Can we just walk away? It's obvious he needs something." she suspiciously eyed the unicorn, finally managing to clear her mind. It was obvious that the horse needed something, he probably had a favour to ask for, and she wasn't feeling too generous at the moment. Except if he offered gold, then she would be just in the right mood.

[Looshi]

Owner? What was Tanya playing at? Eirdis gave her a look, and then her eyebrows raised when a object that didn't exist metaphorically turned on over her head.  Her grin grew wide. Damn, this woman was smart! Who knows what they could do with a unicorn on their side? Win more bar bets? Yes! Fly through the air on a majestic steed! Glorious yes! Though, she didn't quite like horses. She was imagining Jaxel's face as they road in the pale beast into the Keep. It would be one thing they didn't mess up. Wonderful.

Eirdis gave a tug on Khanna's cloak, trying to grab her attention. "Psst, just go along with it." She said. And she hoped that the girl would be smart enough to see the grand plan.

Hephro reared up, shaking his mane with the hair flying wild around its neck. Flames burst out from the bottoms of his hooves, and he rocketed into the sky.

"H-hey! Wait!" Eirdis called out, and she had a grave sinking feeling that Tanya may have caused an offense. However, that escape from them was magical. The flames had come down on them, in all their blue glory, and not even a burn or a scratch laid on their skin and clothing. Imagine the accidents they would save from happening if the torches in the Keep were lit by that? Eirdis' lips twisted into a frown as she looked up to the sky, desperate to see the pale form of the unicorn against the darkness.

Then, the air in front of them wavered like it would on a hot summer's day and trick the eyes. Like pulling back a curtain, a horn appeared, then a horse's head, then a body. Eirdis' eyes widened when she saw the gold encrusted saddle on top of Hephro's back.

"Master!" He wailed, and trotted around them with a spring in his step. "I have been looking for you! Hephro Fire of the Skies, bows down to you, who has the guts to cull a magnificent beast." He smiled flashing his large teeth and gums.

Eirdis looked to Tanya with a sleepy expression in her eyes, and shrugged.

[zozee9]

Tanya ignored Khanna, instead directing her attention fully on Hephro. The unicorn brilliantly flew into the sky. While at first she believed it was going away, something in the back of her head told her it would return. And it was right. She reached out and touched the fire, giggling. It was so pretty and magical. She had always liked magic. If she assumed correctly, the fire would only hurt those with impure thoughts. So, of course, they all remained unscathed.

She smiled as the unicorn appeared through what appeared to be some sort of portal. In fact, Tanya was willing to believe that it was a portal. Though many facts on unicorns were still unknown, she remembered reading a myth somewhere that they had their own realm—somewhere that only they and a select other few could enter. Whether or not that myth was true, however, was unknown.

With an air of lightheartedness, Tanya replied, "And I have been looking for you. But there is no need to bow down to me—we are of equal standing. I would prefer to think of us as friends rather than master and disciple. But yes, a magnificent beast needs a magnificent culler, therefore I found it my duty to befriend you." This, if nothing else, was proof of Tanya's ability to lie.

Continuing on, she added, "Hephro, this is my teammate Khanna." She gestured to Khanna. "And this is Eirdis, my female dwarf partner. Please treat them both kindly, almost as if they were me." As an afterthought, she said, "Oh, and I like the improvement on that saddle. It looks like it's much more comfortable now."