The Perks of Being Retired (Kiyu)

[Anonymous]

Darius was very bored and had decided to take a little detour through Cerenis. That was one of the good things about being a retired knight; he could go anywhere he pleased. Besides, the ports were always interesting. There was no telling what the ships might be bringing in or what kind of people he might meet. He could hardly wait to find out. He was always one who sought companionship if he was feeling especially lonely.

He liked the scenery, too, though. There was just enough breeze for a ship to come in, the sky was blue, and the sun was bright. He rode his horse along the shoreline, and though it found no grass, he fed it an apple as it carried him around.

[Anonymous]

Once the dock was in view, Loreley threw the lasoo-like rope she held onto the metal post on the dock, before she turned to look at her ship;
"Lads, I'm gonna go grab a drink or two, yer free to do what ya like, jus don't leave the ship deserted!" she called to her crew
She heard a shout from them, she knew they'd heard.
Witht hat she disembarked and lookd on at the town.

Serendipity had some unique charm to it that a pirate like herself couldn't quite resist. She stepped off the last step, and walked with that bounce she had while on shore, across the dock.
She straightened her hat, glancing at the sky, wrinkling her nose at the distant clouds. It looked like she'd need to stay in this town for a while.

She was too busy looking at the sky, that she didn't notice the man she walked into, she only just caught herself before she hit the floor, turning to look at him;

"Sorry, there, didn't see ya'" she looked up at him, taller than she. An old man, who looked like he'd seen a fair bit, she cocked her head slightly, she was sure she'd seen him somewhere before "Names Loreley, ave' I seen you round' before?" he did look somewhat familiar. She chuckled "Or maybe it's just me' old age catchin' up on me again"

[Anonymous]

He thought for a minute. She didn't look familiar to him, but that didn't mean she hadn't seen him before. It was the best beach in the area.

"Sir Darius Scollard at your service, ma'am. You probably have seen me before. I just did not have the pleasure of knowing your name," he said, bowing. "Might I buy you a drink? I came here for a little relaxation myself. What's your name?" he asked.

[Anonymous]

A smile breached her lips as he bowed to her, Loreley always loved being addressed formally.

"Darius Scollard, eh?" she said, testing the name from her lips, she nodded at his request, attempting some of his educated speech from her own mouth, "I would be honored to join you, sir" she laughed lightly. She grinned, "I am Loreley, I am glad to meet you" she shook her head, that speech... Did not work for her.

She laughed, and gestured for him to follow.

[Anonymous]

"Loreley." He liked the sound of her name on his tongue. It was soft and fluid and mysterious. He nodded and followed her, though he did not know to where. "So... where's the best tavern around here?" he asked. "You might know better than I would. You seem like you're familiar with Cerenis. What do you do that brings you here so often?" he wanted to know. "I'm a retired knight, by the way, though don't let that be spread around. If someone hears the words "retired" and "knight" in the same sentence, they often assume I don't practice my swordplay anymore and am vulnerable. But it isn't true. Besides... I still rescue my fair share of damsels in distress regardless."

[Anonymous]

"Yeah, the best one's this way" She said, grinning back at him, "I come here often tis' a good place for ship repairs" she nodded to the men at the docks, "Easy for someone with my gifts ter get help from them" she laughed, thinking of her influential touch.

Loreley raised her eyebrows as he mentioned he was a retired knight, "Ooh, a knight? I've never met a retired one before" she looked him up and down, he still had some muscle left, she laughed at his next comment.

"Well, I'm a retired pirate, nowdays i spend me' time transportin' people" she laughed, she led him to the door of her favorite tavern, pushing the door open, she led him inside.

"This here's the best tavern I ever did go to" she turned too him again, "Tell me Sir Darius, what was it like? Bein' a knight?"

[Anonymous]

"What was it like? To be honest, I haven't given that question much thought. I became a knight because my father expected me to. But it's definitely not a boring job. I'll give it that," he admitted. "What about you? Why did you become a pirate? I don't see how anyone could give up a job like that," he said. "It sounds...adventurous, to say the least." Darius then remembered he'd offered to buy Loreley a drink. "I'll have a beer. What would you like?"

[Anonymous]

Loreley smiled, "I always wondered what it was like ter be a knight" she grinned again. "A pirate? It's very tiring, you spend the majority of your time lookin' for crew members ter replace the one's ya killed" she sighed and shook her head, "Ya can't keep a job like that fer too long, I got a lot out of it, thats fer sure. Saw some things no man has ever seen, but you can't keep it, ya loose too many good men"

She sat down on one of the stools att he front of the tavern, "I'll have the same" she said to Darius.
"So, these damsels ya saved" she laughed lightly "They'd be grateful fer your help, I'm sure"

[Anonymous]

He smiled. "Of course they were. Why, I remember this one girl. Beautiful little thing. A nymph, I believe she was. Some men were trying to rob a store she was in and they saw her and tried to kidnap her. But I drove the sword straight through one man's throat, and his comrade took off running like a child who has just been caught doing something bad." Darius chuckled at the memory. "Quite a life, being a night. And it is also rewarding, most of the time."

[Anonymous]

Loreley's eyes widened, "A nymph? whoa" she listened to the rest of his story, a smile creeping its way onto her lips, she laughed when Darius said he had driven his sword through one of the men, "Sounds a bit like bein' a pirate, only with a little more class" she laughed again, "Most of the time? I would think that any knight would have loved their job, I'd imagine it ter be rewarding all the time" she pondered out loud.

Leaning forward slightly, she cast a glance at the man beside her, one hand cupped her chin, while the other was propped on the bar.

[Anonymous]

He smiled when he saw her glancing at him, though he could not tell what she was thinking. Loreley was attractive, more attractive than he'd seen in awhile, and he wasn't sure what to do about the fact that he felt that way. The waiter set their drinks on the table and left. He picked up his, gave her one, and took a sip of his beer. "What are you thinking, Loreley?" he wanted to know, his voice low and gentle. "Yes, it is rewarding, but when it's not rewarding, it's lonely," he admitted. "Do you find you have the same problem with being a pirate?" he asked.

[Anonymous]

Loreley accepted her drink from the waiter, and downed half of it in a matter of seconds.
Mmmh, that's good... she thought.

She moved her gaze back to Darius, "Very lonely, can't ever stay in the same place fer too long, and your crew could turn against you at any time, it's a bit annoyin' really" she sighed and swirled her beer around her glass.

She met his gaze squarely at his next comment, and a grin crept its way onto her face, "Ter be honest, I was thinkin' that ye look terribly attractive fer your age" she laughed lightly, and took another sip of her beer.

[Anonymous]

"Thanks, I do try to keep fit. I usually get my hair and beard trimmed at least every two months too. I was thinking almost the same thing about you," he admitted. She looked attractive for any age, actually, but he doubted she would want to do what he wanted. They had just met. Then again, she had been the one to compliment him first.  He took his time with his beer at first, unsure of what to do, but then he noticed that she had downed over half of hers and did the same.

[Anonymous]

"Thanks, I thought I was loosin' my touch, what with all me old age" she let out a hearty laugh, her age was something she had lost track of, she was old, she knew that much. But for some reason, it never showed.

She watched him as he drank from his glass, downing half the liquid inside. She drank slowly, wanting to take her time, talk a little more with Darius. He spiked her curiosity.

[Anonymous]

"Old age? You couldn't be more than twenty-five!" he said with a chuckle. "You're less than that, I should think." Unless he was wrong and she was one of those nymphs like the other one he had met. Not that he would mind that either. If she were, it would be nice not being the oldest person in a room for once. "I'm sure that if you say I've still got some life left, then you do, too," he said softly, just in case she was sensitive about her age. Not that things that lived a long time seemed to be, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. He fought an urge to stroke her hair, to find out if it was as pretty and silky as it looked, and he wondered if she was as intrigued by him as he was by her.

[Anonymous]

Loreley laughed, "Twenty-five? I'm over five centuries old!"
She curled a lock of hair behind one of her pointed elven ears, to show him what she meant.
"Like I said, I've seen more than most people" she grinned a second time. "All the same, thank you"
She regarded him wish a slight smile, she had encountered retired knights before, all still had some muscle build remaining, she had to wonder if he did too.

[Anonymous]

"I beg your pardon, but it is nice not to be the oldest person in this room," he said. "You don't know, I'm almost sure, how people dislike you once you get old, because you will probably be eternally young-looking. Right?" he had to ask. He stared, smiling, at her cute elven ears. Oh, he did wish he wasn't always alone! Nearly every person he met of the opposite sex seemed to intrigue him, and he had to wonder if it was really fair to either of them that it should be so.

[Anonymous]

She smiled back at him, "I'm always the oldest one in the room" she laughed, then nodded, "I'll be stuck lookin' like this fer the rest of me life, s'what happens to elves, either we get killed, or we live forever" she shook her head slightly, she found this prospect depressing at times, and always tried to dance around the subject, but the alcohol was causing her to be slightly more truthful, and she didn't really mind.

Then she frowned, "I can't understand why andyone'd dislike you, yer quite a nice lad" she offered him another smile. It was true, she was beginning to like Darius.

[Anonymous]

"Oh I didn't mean they dislike you as a friend. They dislike you as... someone to date. They think that when you get old, you're too old to want to fall in love. And speaking from personal experience... it's not true. You may have noticed I try to keep fit. But it is perhaps because of that fitness that I still have needs."

Darius admitted the fact that he had 'needs' to very few people. There was that one girl, the one he'd told Loreley about, but other than her, no one.

[Anonymous]

Loreley nodded, a smile creeping upon her lips once again, "We all have needs" she suppressed a laugh, "It's never too late ter fall in love" she sighed, "I have... Many times... Corse, someone with the likes of me? It's hard to find someone, someone who'll stay with ya... We see love differently" she paused, and trailed a hand along her tattoo's, "We feel it differently, It's like... a thread of life... It binds us to that person... and when they die... well... we do too" she shook her head, and drank from her glass, "Humans see it differently, am i righ'?" she returned her smile again.