A long way from home (Devon!)

[Anonymous]

It had been precisely three days, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes since he'd blown up his lab, and arrived in the middle of some godsforsaken forest in the middle of who knew where.  Lillith had been highly amused with his predicament, but then again, why wouldn't she be?  Home for her was but seconds away, that dark realm she returned to whenever he wasn't summoning her.  Home for him was worlds, and, according to Lillith, centuries away.  So the answer wasn't as simple as constructing a space vessel and finding his way home.  Not that rocket science was one of his specialties, anyways.

And not that it even would have been possible on this world, either.  The technology level was dismally low.  At least most people kept their distance from him, so he at least got to think in peace as he sat on a bench outside one of the many taverns in Cerenis, puffing away on his very last cigarette.  The lack of nicotine was going to drive him insane once it was gone, too.  An entire pack in three days...back on Gaia, Tabias wouldn't have thought anything of it, but his patience seemed to have evaporated overnight, probably because of Lillith's amusement with his predicament.

Speaking of the elemental, she was currently lounging on the bench next to him, being not the least bit helpful.  She'd chosen a human form for now, a dark skinned woman dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a plain white shirt, looking just as out of place as he did.  And with the way she was sitting, on the other side of the bench, her bare feet resting against his thigh, and pointedly ignoring him, he figured they probably looked like a couple who'd just finished bickering.  Just great.

[Anonymous]

It was probably just as well.  People didn't like to get involved in arguments that didn't concern them.  Most people didn't, anyway.  Why stick your neck out and get into trouble, when it was better to keep your head down and get on with your life?  Why let yourself get wrapped up in someone else's worries?  Why meddle in someone else's affairs?  It just led to unfortunate things happening.  You know... like standing too close to a fall-out zone.

Something flew out into air, white and shining, casting sparkles as it went.  Zipped right out of an open window on the second floor.  The thing arched through the sky, falling earthward.  It impacted on the ground below, shattering and scattering into tiny porcelain shards.  Not half a second later, it was followed by the sparkles - drops of soapy water that pattered down in a false storm.  A shout and some swearing rode the tide, thundering out until it came to a strangled halt.  More debris was added in the form of a screaming half-dressed man suddenly ejected from the same window, who flailed his arms in a vain attempt to learn flight in the few seconds before he hit the rapidly approaching grass.  He was probably lucky he didn't hit the bench.  Probably.

The man landed at an angle, rolling over a few times, before coming to rest on his back.  Limbs splayed and eyes closed, his chest rose and fell in an erractic rhythm.  He seemed to be alive still.  Aside from the bruises and bleeding from striking the earth, the poor bloke didn't sport any other signs he had been in a fight.  No stab wounds or fist-sized marks.  It just might be a terrible accident.  Well, if one discounted the washing bowl that preceeded him and the yelling.

Juniper green fingers curled over the window sill as a robed form leaned slightly out of the second-story window.  The breeze teased the light tan fabric, making it flutter around the cowled face, though never letting the sun ease the shadows within.  The whites of the eyes painted brighter spots in a span of greenish-grey.  Only the chin and the area around the thin mouth escaped the dimness to show the same coloring as the fingers.  The gaze remained steady and seemed to study the scene below.

[Anonymous]

Finally paying attention to her surroundings, Lillith watched as the bowl shattered on the ground, then glanced up to see the man fly out of the window, landing on the ground in a predictable manner.  She snickered in amusement.  The man flew as well as a rock, and judging by the bowl that had flown out just before him, he'd pissed off someone.

Tabias was not so amused, however.  Flicking the soggy remains of his cigarette onto the ground next to the shattered remnants of the bowl, he pulled his glasses off and began cleaning them, muttering angrily under his breath as he did so.  Glasses cleaned and back on his face, he stood and brushed his wet bangs out of his face and glared up at the figure leaning out of the window.  

Red eyes narrowed as he yelled up at the figure.  "You!  Watch where the hell you're throwing things!"  His last cigarette was gone, his bangs were soaked, and if he hadn't been aggravated before, now he surely was.  Still perched on the bench, Lillith merely watched Tabias, waiting for more entertainment.

[Anonymous]

The shadowed gaze continued to study the group below, two conscious and one unconscious.  Two males, it would seem, and one female.  All duly noted.  After another few seconds of silence, a foot came up to join the hand.  With practiced ease, the figure emerged from the opening, pushing itself out into the air.  A few well-placed fingers kept the cowl in place as the tan fabric fluttered wildly in the descent.  Bare feet touched the ground first, guiding the legs into a deep crouch.  The person rose again in spare movements and the face turned toward Tabias.

The dark eyes flicked over his form, scrutinizing, before a response came.  "You do not appear to be injured."  Nothing in the even, somewhat feminine tone hinted at an apology.  It was a simple observation that, apparently, didn't warrant much more attention.  She half turned, stepping away toward the unconscious man and nudging him with a foot.  Not dead.  She could gather that from the groan her action elicited and the breathing.  She crouched down to examine him a little further.

A swell of noise, meanwhile, grew inside the tavern.  A few shouts, some arguing, and in a moment the door banged open.  Four or five people crowded in the doorway, while others tried to crane their necks to see around them.  One of the man in the front wore a tender's apron and his pale cheeks shivered as he stared.  "What the hell?"

[Anonymous]

That flat tone seemed to infuriate the elf.  His red eyes narrowed as she turned away from him, inspecting the man's limp form.  "You ruined my last cigarette, idiot."  He snapped out, ignoring the people crowding in the inn's doorway.  

Lillith stretched out on the bench, smirking as Tabias had his little fit.  The way his fists clenched, the tense look on his face.  Yeah.  The elf was having a nicotine fit, and it'd be a while before he calmed down.  The elemental hummed a little tune to herself as she folded her arms behind her head and relaxed, looking utterly content.

((OOC: Sorry about the short post and the wait.))

[Anonymous]

The robed woman flicked a look at the crowd, then directed her gaze to the man standing nearby.  She rose again, in those same spare movements, and tilted her head slightly forward.  And sniffed briefly.  Just a small, quick inhale that told her enough.  Her response carried the same observational tone.  "I am certain you can replace your tobacco in the market.   Or else find some other dried weed suitable for consumption."

Anything else was cut short as the tender pushed away from the others, his eyes darting from her, to the prone man, then to the skull bedecked male.  His voice almost squeaked, seemingly unable to pry his attention from Tabias to look at the person he was addressing.  Unless he was really confused about the roles being played here.  "I didn't say throw him out the window!"

The woman turned her head, gaze now on the tender.  Again, the tone remained the same.  "You did not specify the manner in which he was to be exited from the room.  He has vacated it as per your instructions."  She reached into one of the vast sleeves, withdrawing a small dagger smeared with a thin sheen of red-violet liquid. "Perhaps, if you had not failed to mention he was armed..."  She dropped the weapon at his feet.

"Yes, well..."  The tender glanced down at it.  Finally, he looked to her.  He puffed up, then snarled, "You should've guessed that, anyway.  And I'm not paying extra for your partners."  An accusing finger pointed towards Tabias and Lillith.  "The price is the same."  He dug into a pocket and threw a small pouch at the robed woman, then turned to stride back to the inn.

The woman's hand came up to snatch the purse from the air.  She had no interest in debating the issue or stopping him.

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((OOC:  It happens.  I'm feeling a bit rusty.  If there's any point that Tabias or Lillith would interupt, please feel free to cut it there, or let me know where to edit.))

[Anonymous]

He so did want to throw the pack in her face and shout about the improbability of finding light menthol cigarettes on this gods-forsaken, backwater little planet.  But he did have a level of dignity to maintain, even if none of his clan was around to witness his tantrum.

Fortunately his attention was diverted by the man, and he simply glared back, red eyes narrowing behind his thin glasses.  At least some people here knew to back off, though the staring was totally unnecessary.  He quirked an eyebrow in mild confusion as the man pointed at him and Lillith, though the elemental's reaction was far from quiet.  She turned around on the bench, glaring at the man.  "Partners?"  She growled under her breath, glancing over at the robed woman.

"Lillith.  Shut up."  Tabias was clearly getting more aggravated by the second, but at least the elemental had the decency to fade out of existence, returning to her own shadowy realm.  As the man retreated to the inn, the elf turned back the primary source of aggravation.  The woman who'd ruined his last damned source of nicotine.  "What the HELL was that about?"

((OOC:  I suck.  Forgive the lateness.))

[Anonymous]

The pouch disappeared up one of those full sleeves, her gaze shifting from the tavern door to the quite obviously aggravated man.  Her head turned more fully and she regarded him with those calm black eyes.  Several seconds passed, observing his clothing and most likely noting the... motif.  She did answer, though, "I was hired to clear a room of its occupant.  As you have just witnessed."

Again, the tone was even, either because she really thought little of it, or she was masking her thoughts on the query.  Either way, she took a couple of steps, a foot inching out to slip under the dagger she had dropped.  A quick flick sent it airborne.  She caught it and turned, her attention going back to the prone man.  A long pause ensued as she weighed the options.  The weapon itself balanced in her fingers as she did so.  There were always risks and probabilities to calculate.

Finally, though, she tossed it into a group of bushes nearby.  The blade scraped along the ground and lost itself somewhere in the shadows.  She glanced back to the man.  "You may wish to leave the area.  If the tender mistook you for assisting me, others may as well."  A hand gestured to the unconscious man, the sleeve of the robe swaying with the action.  "He has a partner still inside and I doubt he will be pleased with this turn of events."  As she finished speaking, she began to move away from the tavern.  Though, in spite of her words, she didn't appear to be in any great hurry.

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((OOC:  I hope this works for you, I'm still trying to get a feel for Tabias and what might be too much/too little.))