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Post by Willow on Jan 3, 2009 18:44:57 GMT -5
ooc- First post to Nicolaus Faust.
bic- The tavern was pretty empty that afternoon. Aliara had managed a few breaks, talking quietly under her breath with the dark-dressed boy who accompanioned her. Everytime another customer walked in the door, he shifted, eyes blackening then lightening again, and as the silent raven, Nephir followed her or crouched on her shoulder.
Now, Aliara and the bird were talking while she filled another glass with ale.
"Do you think we can get away tonight?" she mumbled under her breath. The raven cawed racously, making several customers jump then laugh, and fluttered to the ground, shifting before he'd even touched the wood-paneled floor.
"Will Jakel let you off?" Nephir asked, leaning on the counter and setting a glass on her tray. Aliara looked blindly past him, her blue eyes unfocused. It was a shame.
"Someone's coming," she whispered. Nephir turned to look at the newcomer.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 3, 2009 19:03:49 GMT -5
Faust walked into the nearly deserted tavern, his eyes passing over it's few occupants. A drunkard here, some mentally depressed kid and his sister there...
Walking up to the tavern owner, he laid down a few copper pieces.
"I'll take the house's special, whatever that is." he said.
"Here you go, sir." the owner said, passing him a mug full of some sort of red liquid. Wine, perhaps? No matter.
Faust sat down at a table adjacent to the mental one and began sipping his drink. Disgusting, but it had to do. Hale would make a good resting spot before his departure for Mortega tomorrow morning.
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Post by Willow on Jan 5, 2009 18:54:53 GMT -5
The stranger focused on them for a moment before continuing on. "A man," Nephir whispered to Aliara. She caught the sound of the man's foosteps and turned her head to the source of the voice. The chair scuffed across the inn floor and Aliara started towards him, Nephir hanging back a bit.
She'd been in Hale so long she didn't need to see to know where things were. Being blind had enhanced her hearing as well, so she could pick the slightest sound.
He's probably a mercanary or something, Nephir thought. The pair had talked about moving on from Hale, but Nephir didn't feel comfortable traveling alone with Aliara.
She wasn't very good with anything but healing magic, couldn't fight at all, and Nephir, being a shifter, was devoid of magic ability. And what protection was a bird?
"Hello. I'm Aliara," she said softly, staring blindly over the man's head. "If you need anything else, let me know."
Nephir picked up a glass of watered down ale and sipped, watching the customers. Some of them were regulars here, one party at the back table a group who were renting rooms while on a mission further south, to the Chorrol Empire.
Aliara was still standing by the table. Customer friendliness, much? He thought, trying not to look amused.
"So what brings you to this hole in the ground?" Aliara asked, looking close enough to the man's general direction to pass for seeing.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 8, 2009 16:41:54 GMT -5
Faust scoffed.
"Just resting up before making off to Mortega to meet a...friend. Why are you so curious?"
She was blind, that much was apparent. She had been staring over his head when she introduced herself but tried to make up for it by attempting to look in his direction now. Perhaps he would be kinder than normal.
Mortega...that would take a while. It was in a whole different Empire, after all. Perhaps the Raoro Border Watch would be lenient this time...
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Post by Willow on Jan 8, 2009 19:02:26 GMT -5
Aliara smiled, trying to make her response not sound sarcastic. Curiousity would have been her reflex response, but that sounded smart-mouthed. She couldn't feel Nephir's prescence beside her, so she assumed he was still by the counter.
What was he thinking? Sometimes Aliara wished she could read minds. There were a hundred questions she had about him.
"Just thought I'd ask. Not a lot of people stay very long in Hale," she replied calmly, trying not to sound annoyed.
Nephir moved his weight from one foot to the other, his left hand dropped to the knife in his belt, the other on the glass of ale. The man made him slightly uneasy. What was he hiding?
He had obviously never been to Hale before, or at least never eaten at this inn. Nobody ordered what he had. Everyone knew it was barely edible.
"Mortega, huh?" Aliara turned her head, listening. "The border watch might not be so keen on that," she added.
"Unless you had someone who knew them well," Nephir said, staring in the opposite direction. Aliara nearly jumped.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 9, 2009 23:45:24 GMT -5
The depressed one had spoken. Well well, wonders never cease.
"They are normally lenient, but I am anxious that my appearance will cause them to have second thoughts."
Faust had already begun to take a liking to the girl's kind, slightly intrusive yet sly attitude. Most girls he met were shallow and boring. Then again, he didn't meet many girls that weren't mercenaries trying to kill him in the wilderness. Or looking for "fun".
New train of thought.
The journey to Mortega from Hale would take a week at the least, what with having to cross so much land just to get to the Raoro border. Bandits of some sort or Highwaymen were almost a given, and that bothered him. Cutting down a few mercenaries was below him, but commonly a necessary course of action.
He opened his mouth to speak, nearly calling the girl, "Girl" again.
"What is your name?" He asked his new aquaintance.
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Post by Willow on Jan 10, 2009 17:27:14 GMT -5
Nephir decided he'd better stay out of it. Aliara would make more progress on her own. She smiled faintly, still staring into space.
"Appearances were never my strong suit either," she joked lightly, wishing Nephir was in his raven form to whisper in her ear. Why was he hanging back? At least he had spoken to the man, that was a slight comfort to her. She sighed inwardly at him, concealing her irritation; it would have to wait till later.
She felt no hostility or other motive from this man. He was more relaxed now, although he hadn't drank much. She'd offer something else in a minute, maybe.
The innkeeper and taverntender, with it being slow on business, was probably dozing somewhere in the back.
"Aliara Kamir," she replied. "And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"
Nephir restrained a gutteral noise, unsure whether to step in now or walk out of the tavern. He comprimised by taking a large gulp of ale and choking on it.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 14, 2009 17:32:07 GMT -5
"My name is Faust. And as for appearances, blindness seems to be your only fault. Now at least I can call you something besides 'girl'. Pleased to meet you," he said, taking care not to offer a handshake to avoid insulting her lack of sight, or provoking her manic-depressive friend.
"Your friend okay? He seems to be doing the same thing I did when I first took a sip of this ale. If you could even call it that..."
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Post by Willow on Jan 15, 2009 19:43:01 GMT -5
Aliara was flattered. She felt her face turn red, and trying to remain calm, she smiled and nodded. Nephir could take some tact lessons from this man. Faust, he'd called himself. A strange name. But not unordinary. There were many stranger names in the area.
"The same," she assured him. Aliara looked behind her. Well, turned her head. She couldn't really see Nephir, but she knew he was there.
"He's fine. He's always like that." Aliara had never seen Nephir's face. She knew he was dark, in general, but by the time the druidok had reached her so many years ago, her vision was already very blurry. A chime-like laugh rose from Aliara's throat.
"I'll get you something else. Hold on a second."
The instant Aliara moved away from the table, Nephir took her place. He squinted at Faust, as if he could see whatever the man was hiding by doing that. The pair stared at each other for a moment, waiting.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 17, 2009 23:06:28 GMT -5
Faust casually nodded his head, preparing himself for either a dull or hostile conversation.
"That your girlfriend or something?" He asked, one hand on the table and the other on his mug.
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Post by Willow on Jan 21, 2009 19:05:50 GMT -5
Nephir stood with one arm straight down on the edge of the table, indifferent but intense as ever. He tilted his head to one side, eyes flickering.
"I am her guard. We have no social or family connection," Nephir replied in an almost mechanical voice, eerie. Eyes, almost black, bore a single pinhead of white for a pupil, and it turned bright red for a moment, widened, then reverted to the original size and color.
It killed him to ask a favor of anyone. He hated to. Especially when it concerned protection for Aliara. He considered himself able to handle anything. Except this. "Would you mind the pair of us tagging along for awhile? Just part of the way." Nephir wasn't going to tell him why.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 22, 2009 19:28:17 GMT -5
Faust considered himself a lonely man, and had no desire for company. This one was a little odd, but the girl was kind. Probably a White, too, from that attitude. A healer was always beneficial on any journey. She seemed to be able to manage fine with her blindness, moving as if she could see clearly.
"I suppose. But no questions about my motives or who I meet. The journey to Mortega will be a long one. Try not to bother me too much. Agreed?"
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Post by Willow on Jan 29, 2009 10:41:05 GMT -5
ooc- No, I'm not dead. Just tired.
bic- Nephir nodded in silent agreement, his dark eyes unmoving. "Thank you."
At that moment Aliara Kamir made the return, carrying a much more drinkable-looking beverage on a tray. She paused, sensing Nephir's prescence, and moved around him to set down the glass. "That probably tastes better than what you had," she said, smiling faintly, but her unease was obvious. Nephir murmured under his breath to her.
"Mortega."
"That's fine," Aliara replied, her voice little more than a breath. The Druidok moved away, casting one glance back at them. Aliara waited until he'd gone. "Sorry about that. He's a little....on edge," she finished, brushing her bangs out of her face.
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Post by Aeric Ecrai on Jan 29, 2009 11:24:18 GMT -5
"It's fine. I've dealt with odder people in the past. Much odder people..." he trailed off as he took the glass. Much better, but where did she get it...? Oh well. It was good.
"We leave tomorrow. If you don't have rooms at an inn already I could get you one. If you're traveling with me you might as well be well rested. You never know what may happen on a trek that long.
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Post by Willow on Feb 4, 2009 18:09:34 GMT -5
ooc- HAZ. NO QUOTATION AT THE END. REDHANDED. Also, after this post do you just wanna like skip the long journey and be like 'CONTINUED AT A MORGETEK' or whatever?
AND GUESS WHAT. I HAS UBER MUSE DEATH. FEAR ME.
bic-
"I can imagine," Aliara replied quietly, smiling half-heartedly. She looked a little dazed for a moment, which was an odd expression for someone with no eyesight. The girl turned away. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?" she asked after a beat.
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