The First Day [Open]

[Nanapariri]

Lura nodded to the Gentleman as he left and then glanced around the table.

 

She noted the strained and silent atmosphere and sighed. Being a rather uncomplicated sort of young woman she didn't try to guess what was going through the minds of each person. As far as she was concerned their thoughts were her own and none of her business.

 

Doc seemed sort of content to ramble to himself his thoughts clearly elsewhere. Myra, and Yelcy who had just returned, seemed to have a silent understanding of each other.

 

She was very much feeling like a fish out of water. She really had no idea now why Myra pulled her over there.

 

"I'm sorry I have nothing witty or entertaining to say for you all. I'm afraid I'm a simple girl from an isolated Duskwight Clan. Maybe you would prefer someone else's company." She finished the wine as she said this and prepared to exit.

[DAISHI]

The man entered, covered in a robe, its threaded materials like the strands of sackcloth. Beneath its brown exterior, layers of rough cloth engulfed him, his face hidden by the hood that draped low over his face. As it swayed about his visage, small nicks and cuts could be seen, placed alongside and across traces of red ink that dyed what little could be seen of his face.

 

He had only just passed a man who had departed as he had arrived at this tavern, and felt as if something had just concluded. There was a slight buzz about the room, and his eyes, searching out the area from beneath the edge of his hood, caught the light of the lamps. His face angled slightly upward for only the briefest of moments, soaking in the faces of those who sat about, his ears listening to the dull hum of conversation that emanated from several tables. As quickly as he'd allowed himself to expose his face for that second, he quickly turned away, face to the floor as he searched for a suitable table. It betrayed itself to him, a humble, round thing that sat tucked into the corner of the tavern.

 

His boots, made of soft cloth and secured about his trousers with the security of ropes that crisscrossed up to his calf, made nary a sound, though there was a gentle swish in the air as his clothing moved about him. It billowed around him, swallowing his figure for a moment as he strode forward, the breeze catching the materials as he made his way to the table. His roughly gloved hand took hold of the nearest chair, his eyes favoring the corner, and his body followed. The sound of the chair creaked as he pulled it towards him, dragging it so that he could place his back to the wall, enabling him to look out upon the patrons of the building. Slowly, he lowered himself into the chair, leaning back and breathing deeply, the scent of liquor on the air. His tongue broke from his mouth, like the head of a turtle from its shell, and slid along lips that were cracked and dry.

 

"I'm thirsty," he whispered softly, too soft to hear by all but the keenest of ears, but he did not move. For now, he watched.

[Renaise]

"I'm sorry I have nothing witty or entertaining to say for you all. I'm afraid I'm a simple girl from an isolated Duskwight Clan. Maybe you would prefer someone else's company."

Doc heard this and cocked his head slightly obviously taken away from the thought that he had previously held in his head.

 

"But that is not true at all, not at all, even the "simpliest" of lives is fascinating, you just have to know where to look... no not where, but... how. Yes how to look." Doc rubbed his chin, "And as for witty and entertaining. " he grinned warmly. "Trust me I'd take simple and to the point any day over long drawn out responses that say the same thing. Granted I can do my fair share of talking, yes I talk a lot, some may even say I tend to ramble, and noone likes a rambler as noone I knew used to say..." Doc noticed what he was doing and raised his voice briefly. "Regardless! No, people are interesting, all people. Even ones I don't like... fascinating. Take you for instance Alchemy, alchemy is very interesting, how long have you been practicing it? I dabble myself from time to time, among other things."

[DAISHI]

The man's fingers slid over each other, the rough material dragging upon itself as his fingers folded along one another, his arms resting forward on the table. He heard a talker for sure, a man who seemed to know what he wanted to say, but not how to say it. From beneath the shadow of his cowl, a grin broke out as he considered the words. Words of encouragement, wrapped in the utmost verbosity. This man reminded him of an old friend.

 

"I believe a drink is in order," he finally said, softly and to himself, as he looked up towards the bar. His grin began to slide away as he hesitated. "Been some time since I was in a place like this."

[Kylin]

âThatâs right,â Myra replied casually to the elezen woman. âHistory mostly. Though I can certainly go into other topics when necessary. But I think history often goes unappreciated by many, despite the fact that we can learn how to avoid the same mistakes by looking to the past.â

 

The hyur was partially relieved with the departure of a couple of the men. That relief was short lived as another man walked into the tavern, though she decided to pay him no heed and replied to Yecelyâs faint grin with one of her own before turning her attention to Luralel. There were now four ladies at the table and she figured that would be more than enough to deflect any other men from approaching them.

 

âYou donât need to say anything entertaining, Luralel. Your company is fine as is. Although I probably should be leaving shortly. The delivery service should be delivering the rest of my belongings soon I would think.â

[DAISHI]

The cowl betrayed little as he caught sight of the group of women, assembled in a mirror of tribal behavior as they found protection in each other's company. The man couldn't say he blamed them, as an assessment of the surroundings revealed an hive of scum of villainy mingled with the light of would-be heroics. There were men, their shirts open to reveal barrel chests, heads wrapped in kerchiefs and sometimes missing an eye. Some sat about, their cheeks covered in several days' stubble, elongated blades at their hips and with grime swelling beneath the edges of their nails. Some were missing several teeth, others had scars that crossed their jaws.

 

What a an odd paradox, such a crowd assembled alongside young adventurers, their blades free from any nicks or scratches, their clothes and armor freshly assembled, having all the signs of youth, including the inexperience. Their eyes gleamed with a fresh glow, glances of anticipation and excitement flashing from their faces. The man allowed a smile. Their clothes were a shade whiter than white, a deeper red than red, all newly purchased, all so new. He couldn't remember a day when he was exactly the same, but could sympathize with the excitement.

 

From the corner of his hood he gazed one last time upon the women, allowing an even wider smile. It felt good to see people again.

 

His eyes moved forward, to the line of drinks that sat towards the wall beyond the bar, seeking out someone who could assist him. "Barkeeper?"

[Seraphine Felstar]

Cassondra wiped away the last of the rum spill from across the smooth surface of the table and looked down at her reflection. A piece of blonde hair had fallen from her ponytail and with a small sigh she tucked it behind her ear. She had only been working at The Drowning Wench for five months and she already felt tired. No use thinking about what can't be changed and really I'm just lucky to be here, she reminded herself as she picked up the empty glass and put it on the tray next to her.

 

As Cassondra picked up the tray and began to head back towards the kitchen, she spotted a newly vacant table. Bottles of various alcohol and half empty glasses almost hid the small pile of gil left in the center of spread. After glancing around the room to see if anyone was paying attention, she casually strolled over to the table. Leaning down as if to begin picking up the mess, she picked up the money and slipped it onto her pocket. She shifted her eyes once more around the room and noticed one of the other girls moving towards the table. Quickly Cassondra began picking up the glasses and adding them to her own tray.

 

A few moments later Cassondra heard a voice from behind her, "Hey Sondra, thanks for helping me clean up."

 

"Yeah, no problem!" She turned and smiled at her friend Beth as she gestured to the table. "It was the least I could do considering how awful they were. Didn't even leave a tip."

 

"Great." Her friend frowned as she started stacking bottles on her tray as well.

 

"Well, I'm off in half an hour. I need to get home before Crystal notices I didn't go to school today."

 

"Alright, I guess we'll see you tomorrow." As Beth turned to smile at Sondra, her elbow knocked one of the glasses and poured rum down the table and across the floor. Groaning she bent down to wipe up the spill, "This is turning out to be a perfect day for me."

 

Sondra shrugged and patted the girl on the shoulder, "Look at it this way. In one hundred years, who's gonna care?"

 

Cassondra walked across the room back to the bar area and she suddenly noticed a man in a cowl whose eyes were fixed upon something. Following his gaze she saw a table of women chatting together. She wondered why the man was watching them so intently as a smile crossed his lips. He didn't look like the womanizing type, but she reminded herself you could never tell with strangers. She passed him casually as she made her way into the kitchen.

 

She placed her tray on the piles of dirty dishes left for the scullery boy to clean and made her way back out to the bar area. The man she had passed was now examining the rows of drinks in front of her and he called out, "Barkeeper?"

 

She motioned for the somewhat angry looking barkeeper to go back to his business and smiled at the man, "He's a bit busy at the moment. I'm Cassondra and is there anything I can get for you instead?"

[DAISHI]

The man, suddenly taken by surprise at the voice of a woman, hesitated a moment, looking sidelong at her from under his cowl. His dried face searched from underneath the hood, his eyes peering out into the open light, staring into her face. They were a deep brown, humble, nothing sparkling or magical. They simply were. For a long moment he paused, glancing from the row of drinks and into her face, his eyes searching the softness of her skin and the glimmer of her eyes. Again his tongue crossed over his lips, the meager moisture lightening them, his face finally turning to stare at her fully in the eyes. As he did, the sight of a man whose face that was not irreparably cracked by the sun and heat stared full at her, his humble brown eyes passing beyond the shadows of the cowl and into her face.

 

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice low and unassuming, betraying nothing of who or what he was beyond seeming a simple and poor man. "But I was wondering... I am so thirsty." His hand reached to his side, pulling up a bag and pouring more than two lap-fulls of coin onto the bar. "Would any of this buy me a drink?"

[Nanapariri]

Luralel was transfixed by the rambling reply of "Doc", as he wanted to be called, wondering just just how long it would go on. It was nice of him to try and be encouraging on some level though it was in quite a strange way.

 

Myra did a little better job of being encouraging, well at least in less words, though by the end of them she wasn't ready to dart out.

 

"Thank you both then and forgive me if I'm a little unsure as to what to say. As for Alchemy sir, I've practically studied it since birth. It is a tradition in my family to know of Alchemy and Arcane, though I prefer the Alchemy, and be students of the natural world. We are merely a small part of it after all."

[Seraphine Felstar]

Cassondra's eyes widened as she surveyed the pile of money poured onto the counter top. She wasn't sure if she was more surprised by his polite demeanor or the fact he'd just produced enough coin to buy the tavern. Gingerly she took one of the coins and gauged it's weight speculatively. It's real alright, she thought as she turned it over in her hand again.

 

Nervously, she glanced down to the end of the bar where people had come to listen to two captains who had finished their business early and had come in for beer. The barkeeper was huddled next to the men, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, wiping a practically filthy cloth through a mug before pouring rum into it. The group of women at the nearest table still seemed to be engaged in a conversation about alchemy or such. Across from them a pirate filled a chair with his enormous girth; his every movement causing it to protest loudly. His pudgy hands were tattooed across his knuckles and he had pouting lips that dripped rum as he drank from his flagon. He roared with laughter as his companion, a small man with a pockmarked face, relaid an old tale of glory. The rest of the tavern was filled with the scum of the city and all were armed.

 

Sondra smiled sweetly as she placed the coin in a jar behind the counter, "Enough to buy quite a few drinks and more then one or two pretty girls to keep you company on top of that. I'd put the rest of that away though if you plan on walking out with it."

 

She took a dark amber colored bottle from off one of the higher shelves behind her and then proceeded to pour the drink into a clean glass. Sliding it across the counter to him she explained, "This goes down a bit easier then your usual swill. It tastes a lot like butterscotch, if you've ever had it. That should quench your thirst for drink, but if you don't mind me asking, which one of those ladies over there were you looking at?"

[DAISHI]

The man noticed her eyes moving about the tavern and, his hand sliding along his hip to withdraw his bag once again, he pushed back the cloth of his robes just slightly further, the massive head of a Great Axe hanging downward at his back becoming visible for just a moment. He continued to stare forward for the half second that he did this, betraying nothing of his intention, and pulled the bag onto the table, his robes consuming him once again. His heavily wrapped hands cupped the small pile and slid it along the bar to its edge, the pieces falling into the dark interior of the brown cloth bag.

 

"I don't think I'm particularly into the purchase of individuals, not even the services of beautiful women," he said, shifting his head slightly to her so that he exposed his brown eyes out of the shadow of the cowl. He secured the bag as he did this, hanging at his side, before taking the glass in his hand. "As for the ladies at that table, it's been a long time, you see, since I saw any." His hand gripped the glass, enveloping it in his large hand. "A sight for sore eyes, I suppose you could say. It's been a long time since I had anything like this, either," he joked, a small smile cracking his dried lips as he brought the rim of the glass to his mouth, the liquid contents seeping into his throat. His smile grew as he finished off the drink, lowering it once more to the bar with a contented sigh. "Excellent, I must say."

[Seraphine Felstar]

Sondra watched the satisfied expression cross the mans face as he drank and placed the glass back completely empty on the bar in front of him. Opening the bottle once more, she poured another drink nearly to the rim and smiled, "Well, as my most interesting customer of the day take one on the house. Now if you'll excuse me I need to make sure those ladies drinks stay full. Don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything though Mister...?"

 

She raised her eyebrow expectantly wondering what kind of name a person such as he would give.

[DAISHI]

He looked fully at her now, for the first time showing his entire face, the shadows folding back to reveal a deep and tanned skin, dried by much time in the heat and sun and marked occasionally by nicks and cuts. Small tattoos sat beneath either eye, but despite these signs of age, the glint in his eye showed all the vigor of a young man.

 

He took the cup in hand and tilted it back, clearing it's contents in a gulp before taking hold of his robe, turning aside as he looked back at his table. "Sin," he said, offering a smile as he stepped away.

[Seraphine Felstar]

Sondra offered a small smile in exchange as she watched the man step away from the bar. For a moment she pondered where someone like that could have come from. He definitely didn't look like anyone from the navy or a pirate. Perhaps Ul'dah but she had heard people from there were uneducated brutes who enjoyed nothing more then spilling blood in the arena. His mannerisms and eyes were too kind to be a ruthless killer in her opinion... but where did all the cuts on his face came from?

 

Replacing the cap on the bottle, she turned and put it back on the dusty shelf from whence it came. With a soft sigh she closed her eyes momentarily and paused where she stood. Sin, huh? - Well, aren't we all..?

 

Opening her eyes once more, she returned to the counter to retrieve a fresh pitcher of rum. I'll just offer those ladies one last drink and get home before anyone finds out I was missing.

[DAISHI]

He could feel the burn of the alcohol in his chest and the pit of his stomach, and it warmed his heart. It had, indeed, been a while. Finding his way over to his table, he pushed his chair as tightly as it would go, resting his head against the smooth, cold wall at his back. His hood fell low, once again obscuring most of his face, his arms crossed before him as his eyes growing heavy. It had been a long trip, and now he contented himself with simply enjoying some time among 'civilized' people.

[Varov]

Having had his fill of the bar, he nodded to everyone and walked out, surprisingly, quietly.

[Eva]

Fidgeting somewhat, Ora decided that it was getting late. She had plans soon and it was unlike Starkin to wait too long for her if she didn't show up right on time. The topic had moved away from History anyway, and she suppressed a yawn as the other women at the table spoke about alchemy. It had been a productive day though - the job tonight was set to go as planned, and she would be meeting up with Whiskeyjack tomorrow to discuss further business opportunities. The sherri had started to go to her head as well, and she knew she needed to be focused for what was to come.

 

She rose from her seat, only moments after reclaiming it. "I'm sorry to interrupt this fascinating discussion, but I hadn't realized the time." There was no sarcasm in her tone, but there was no jubilation either. Bowing her head modestly, she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her breeches. "It was nice to meet the both of you. Perhaps we'll meet again someday." She waited a moment to acknowledge their response before walking back to the bar, chin held perhaps just a bit too high for her cherade, and paid what was left of her tab before exiting the Drowning Wench.

[Seraphine Felstar]

Sondra watched as one by one the group began to disperse as she crossed the tavern room floor. She approached the remaining few still seated, held up the pitcher of rum and smiled politely, "Would anyone care for a glass of the house favorite or perhaps one last refill?"

[Kylin]

"No more for me," Myra stated with a slight wave of her hand. "But thank you anyway."

 

The tavern had quieted a bit and Myra saw her chance to get out before any other strange men showed up. Turning to Yecely and Luralel, the hyur flashed a warm smile. "I really should get going. It was a pleasure to meet both of you and I hope our paths cross again soon. Until then, gods be with you."

 

Reaching into her purse, the woman withdrew some gil and placed into onto the table. Afterward, she rose to her feet and then pushed her chair back in before giving one more smile to the ladies and walking away.

 

Her first day in her new home city was already less boring that she had anticipated. She had half-expected to see nothing but perverted pirates and the like and was pleasantly surprised at the diversity she witnessed. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad living here after all. With that, Myra Wes disappeared from the Drowning Wench and headed to her new home.

[Renaise]

"... Students of the natural world hmmm? That is a nice way of putting it, I guess you would say Im something of a student of the same, well, along with the un-natural world and mostly everything in between. And that is merely based on the assumption that there isn't more worlds than only this one. Would those other worlds be considered 'natural'? Hmm something to ponder." Doc took a big gulp of water. "Anyway lovely as this conversation is I must really dash... Ive got to see a mage about a thing... well the thing isnt important, the mage might be." He ran his hand through his hair. "Well a pleasure to meet you and all that, got to dash... only a short time left."

 

With that and before anyone around him could utter a single word in response Doc hurried out of the tavern, mumbling to himself as he went.

[Smiling River]

Yecely who had been sitting quietly, writing bits and pieces of what she saw in her journal, yawned. The hour of evening was approaching and she had a date later that night. A handsome fellow, although a bit mysterious- which made him even more intriguing. She packed up her things, said her goodbyes and left. She hoped to catch up to Myra but the relentless crowds concealed her view.

[DAISHI]

He watched as the crowd thinned, though he himself looked to all the world as if he was asleep. This he did not mind and, getting up, he stretched and yawned, playing the role out, appearing as if the two drinks had been enough to put him to rest. With a shuffling of his feet he meandered to the door, walking back into streets of Limsa Lominsa, and vanishing into the city.

[Nanapariri]

Lura shook her head at the barmaid in reply. "No thank you Miss..."

 

She at Myra as she exited and at Doc's flurry of words. She said goodbye to each person as they left and, after finishing her wine, left a modest sum on the table. She wondered if she might see any of these people again or if in the hustle and bustle of Lima Losa she might just become another face in the crowd.