Everyone always stared at the hair. 

Really, it was always the hair! Blood on her hands? Nah. The bloody arrow she stashed back into her quiver? Not at all. It was always the hair. Hell, she only came here to sell her catch - The slightly larger than average Vulture bird she had in tow. She had it tied around it's claws, and it was sort of on the edge of death, rather than already dead. It would attempt to nibble at the pink Tiefling's feet as she walked towards the market. Once getting to the table that was covered in other animals in varying degrees of death. 

Persephone grabbed her vulture bird by the neck, and snaps it, throwing it on the table. "How much?" She asks in a sickly sweet voice. She smiles gently, her head tilting in a sort of sickly fashion. "Come on. Tellme. How much?"

The man just sort of stared at her in abject fear for a minute. "Uh- uh... I-it'll be 5. I can buy it for 5?" Persephone couldn't help but giggle. "Wanna try again?" She asks, in the same sickly sweet voice.

"D--Uh... Ten?"

Persephone nods slowly. "That's a good boy..." She gently growled as held out her hand. He handed her the Solars and she winked at him, before stepping off towards the Tavern. 

Persephone walks in wiping some blood off herself on to her shirt. "Hey~ What does a girl gotta do around here to get a bath?" She muses, her voice booming as she looks around.

The woman walked in like she owned the place. A bold move especially in a city like Darkveil where people were not only up to no good, but also fairly prideful. If you wanted to muscle your way into society you had best have reputation, power, or an entourage to back you up. If you didn't, you could easily find yourself making enemies fast and being invited to a back alley stabbing even faster. 

Her entrance certainly caught attention, and her cherry blossom pink hair even more so. It stood out brightly against the grimy din of the ash filled skies and darkened corners of the city. She drew a lot of looks, including some that clearly communicated ill intent. 

A gruff looking human man eyed her with interest, and not the flattering kind. As he rises from his table and attempts to approach her, the sheathed end of a sword trips him up and he promptly faceplants into the floorboards. Other patrons at the tavern snicker but then hush themselves as he sits up and looks around accusingly for the perpetrator. 

His eyes fall on a pair of cloaked individuals sitting at the adjacent table, a swordsman and an archer. The swordsman's hand rested casually on the hilt of their sword while they shot the man a warning look as they drank from their mug of ale. 

"What was that for, knife-ears?" The gruff man asks in a threatening tone as he rises to his feet. 

The half-elf swordsman says nothing, but a growl from their catfolk companion catches the man's attention. A bead of sweat rolls down his face as the feline's piercing blue eyes stare him down like a predator ready to rip his throat out should he try anything. Their claws leave scratches in the mug clasped between their hands. 

Choosing not to start something, the man turns and leaves, keeping his head down as he passes by the pink-haired woman without a word. The rest of the bar patrons take the hint and go back to their own conversations, not wanting to draw the ire of the two cloaked individuals for one reason or another. 

A barmaid sheepishly approaches the pink-haired woman. 

"We can prepare a bath if you are planning on staying the night." She offers. 

---

[1] Warlord Minion - Eirynor (half-elf blade)
[2] Warlord Minion - Snow (catfolk marksmen)

Oh how interesting! The pink haired femme side smiled over at the cloaked individuals, turning to face them as the big lump of a man swayed defeatedly past her. Taking half of the solars she had managed to get from her kill to the barmaid, running her jagged fingernail across the woman’s arm. Persephone looked away from the cloaked individuals for a moment to look at the barmaid. “You sweet thing, you…” she mewls. “Could you draw a warm bath for me, lovely?”

The barmaid stumbled a little as Persephone ran a finger underneath her chin and walked off towards the cloaked individuals. “Now about this little group….” She smiled, and a feral smile. “You’ve definitely caught my attention. In a good way. Are you new here? Welcome to the ash lands~” Persephone gestured around the area. “This is the tavern. Whats your name, loves?”

The pair exchange a look before the catfolk gives an awkward grin. 

"No, not new. We both work in the city."

Snow was definitely not a local, and often worked outside the Ash Lands. It was hard to use their skills in urban environments and they much preferred colder regions since their snow leopard pelt was not well suited for the local climate. That said, they still had the Rookery to help with on occasion especially when Eirynor was off helping on missions or was doing other work in the city. 

Compared to Snow, Eirynor basically grew up in Darkveil. He is the right hand and best friend of his current employer's sister and has a longstanding relationship with the criminal family. He has gone through a lot ever since joining the syndicate and despite the cruelties of the city, he has grown comfortable with its various quirks.

"My name is Snow, and this is Eirynor."

The half-elf gives a nod of acknowledgement, but still does not say anything. 

"I apologize if we interfered unnecessarily." The catfolk gestures an invitation for her to join them at the table if she wants to. "That man had been making all sorts of concerning comments and was already quite inebriated before you arrived. My companion has a low tolerance for such rude behavior."

The half-elf takes another sip of their drink. 

Persephone holds up her hands in a digressing manner as she sits down at the table. “I can tell you’re not local.” She looks to Snow, her chin resting in her hand as she examines the two. “He might be. He knows when to stay quiet. Charmingly typical for the people around here.”



Two more seconds in, she giggled. “Oh I absolutely forgot to tell you who I am. You can call me Persephone. Some people know me as the Forest girl.” Persephone smiles and bows her head. “I don’t usually come up into the city but my mother always stressed the importance of taking care of myself sometimes and humans are just oh… so…. Amusing.” She smirked again, looking around. The tavern had gone back to its usual day to day. Only a few people were looking over at the fairly unusual group. The poor barmaid had gone upstairs to go do as she had asked. What a good girl. Persephone’s gaze went back over to the catfolk and the elf. “Any particularly interesting business you guys have here today?” She asked, “And would you maybe have room for another? I may not help a lot, depending on what it is but…. I am very good company.” She adds with a smirk and a wink.

"Oh, uh, Eirynor is actually mute. He can't talk." Snow explains. "It's nice to meet you."

The half-elf watches Persephone closely as she joins them at the table. 'Forest girl', that did ring a bit of a bell, though it was normal for rumors to come and go in Darkveil. Not all information was good information. Still, this woman was quite distinct looking and carried herself with a fair amount of confidence. She must know her way around the various crowds in Darkveil fairly well to have survived this long. 

Snow isn't too sure about how much information they should share with her and the catfolk isn't as stone faced as the mute half-elf. 

"We're just waiting for someone. I am afraid I am no able to extend any sort of invitation either."

At that moment, the front door to the tavern swings open and another figure enters the space. Stepping through the door is a charcoal skinned tiefling with strange runes carved into their horns and bright gold eyes. He carries no weapons with him and is dressed in dark colored clothing with gold trim. Scanning the room, his eyes land on the table the woman, the half-elf, and the catfolk were all seated at. He tilts his head curiously before walking over with a friendly smile. 

"My apologies for keeping you both waiting." He says to the pair then gives a nod of acknowledgement to Persephone. "Pardon the interruption, Miss."

“Waiting for someone. Boring.” She notes. Persephone is definitely noticing the stare from the elf, and in sort of a response, she stares back with amusement. It stayed like that for a minute until someone approached them. She winks at the half-elf, giggling slightly as she looks up to whomever had approached them. “Oh! Is he your boss?” She muses. Persephone turned to face him fully, putting her hands together and bowing slightly. “Oh! Don’t be sorry, Love. I’m the one interrupting after all.”

Persephone looked over him, checking him out from bottom to top for a moment, and then rested her head on her hand. “Well aren’t you a cute lil’ thing?” She muses, grinning with the same almost feral grin. “My name is Persephone Styx. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Your little friends here had… Scared off a toy. But it was appreciated nonetheless. Apparently he had bad intentions, which… Is normal for this place. Nonetheless, they are very sweet.”

Eirynor isn't intimidated by her stare and only narrows his eyes more. Snow, on the other hand, sits there awkwardly in the tense silence until Zarius approaches and greets the table. 

"Uh, yes." The catfolk replies to Persephone before the woman's attention turns to their employer. 

Zarius keeps the friendly smile despite noticing Snow's discomfort. Snow never was one for flirting and Eirynor was...well, the half-elf had shown some interest in someone before, but has since refocused back on doing his work.

It was pretty funny how comfortable the woman was while the two others were the spitting image of the social anxiety personified. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Persephone." He looks to the other two and makes a few gestures with his hand. 

The two watch closely then nod and get up from the table.

Snow looks at Persephone and gives a slight bow. "It was nice meeting you. Please excuse us." The catfolk and the half-elf quietly depart from the tavern. 

Zarius instead takes one of their seats and rests his elbows on the table. "A shame you have to deal with rude people. I am glad to hear my associates could be of assistance."

“Mmm.” She mumbles, grinning at him. This man just had confidence, and she was slowly becoming a fan. “Well, aren't you interesting?” She says. “I grew up here, Love. I am very used to the attention these goblins give me. Still, the Half-elf… Intrigues me. Silent, but deadly, I am assuming?”

The tavern surrounding them had only taken more notice of the two. She was the type to grab attention, but he was just… unusual. “What’s with you and yours? I’ve been in the Tavern a million times, and I’ve never noticed you before. Have we just passed ships this entire time, or….?” She tilts her head. “What’s your business in Darkveil? And you got room for some company?”

Persephone was just bored. She did have a tendency to act out when she was bored, this just happened to be that. Though, her entire demeanor is only slightly affected by the fact that she still had blood in her hair and on her hands. She would either seem like trouble, or like an adventure. Depends on the person, really.

"Eirynor is fairly skilled with a blade, yes."

He takes note of the attention they had drawn. Not ideal, but it could not really be helped. Making a big deal would only draw more attention and likely spark an unwanted commotion. 

"I will admit this is not one of the usual places I frequent within the city."

Usually, he would be at his own business in town, at the Dancer's Den, or at his family estate. This tavern was less popular and off the beaten path. It was more like a hole-in-the-wall establishment only known to locals. Really, he was only here because it was the closest discrete meeting point to another building he was interested in. Though discrete may no longer be an accurate description given the current situation. 

"I grew up in Darkveil, though admittedly I have been traveling a lot recently so that may be why we have not crossed paths until today."

He eyes the woman. It was hard to tell what she was trying to gain or if she had any ulterior motivations. She just appeared bored, but was that really the case? Boredom was not common in Darkveil with its constant celebrations and under the table dealings. Still, if she was more familiar with this part of town and also had keen ears, it was possible she has heard an interesting rumor or two that could be useful. 

"Perhaps, though that would depend on what assistance you can offer."

Persephone leans forward, keeping eye contact with Zarius. “What kind of help are you looking for? Information? A way to get information?” She tilts her head as she stares at him. “You probably don't trust me and honestly, that’s fair. You don’t know me at all. I don’t know you. I’m sort of loud and… you and your friends… are not.” She sits back in her chair, chuckling a little bit.

“All I’m saying is, I’m bored… I come into town for entertainment. We could have fun~. Here, let me tell you about myself so it’s not as weird…”

Persephone paused to think for a moment. “How about this? I live in the Deadwoods. My mother is a minor deity in this area…” That’s good enough right? She was gonna add to it when her attention was brought to the front door, when the man from before stalked in with a small group of friends, and made their way towards the two of them.

“Hey Pipsqueak and Strawberry Shortcake!” he pronounced in a loud and fakely jovial tune. “Where are the two from before? Do you get around a lot, pretty girl?”

Persephone smirked, quietly thanking whatever was around. She does hate talking about herself. “More than you do. Why? Mad that you struck out again?”

"Information is always good. The more ears and eyes around Darkveil the better." He glances about the tavern.

There certainly were a lot of eyes and ears on them, unfortunately. But there was little that could be done about that. It wasn't like he was currently concerned about keeping this conversation confidential. 

"We are a fairly quiet bunch, but we can be loud when the situation calls for it," he says with a small chuckle. 

His head tilts to the side curiously at the mention of her mother being a minor deity. He hadn't heard of such a thing, yet the Deadwood was not terribly far from Darkveil City. Either the claim was completely false, or it was not information that circulated particularly well amongst the circles he ran in. Her explanation gets cut off with the entrance of a band of thugs, one being a particularly irked man who doesn't hesitate to approach their table. 

The tiefling blinks slowly. Pipsqueak? Who was he referring to? 'Two from before' suggested he was talking about Eirynor and Snow. Strawberry Shortcake obviously was in reference to the the woman in present company. That only left himself to be assigned the pipsqueak title. He scoffs. He was hardly that short. 

"Sir, I hope you are not planning on starting trouble in this tavern. That is a good way to get yourself banned from the establishment for life. I know that may be quite a short amount of time for you, but still, you should refrain from disrupting everyone else's day."

“Women like you should be quiet,” the burly man says to Persephone. He then looked over to Zarius, and scoffed. “I don’t think you have any place to be saying stuff like that. But we don’t have to do this here! How about you meet me outside and I’ll show you where you can shove your warning?”


Persephone just stared at the man. Calculating for a few good moments and seriously considering her next move, and then grabbing a knife on the table and shoving it through the man’s soft skin in his hand, nailing it to the table. “Men like you should just shut the hell up.” She grabbed the knife again as the man screamed, and pulled it out. She looks over to Zarius and winks. “Sorry about that, darling.” She wiped the blood off of the blade and onto her shirt - not like it made a difference in the amount of blood she was currently wearing anyways. She did watch the man yell and scream at her a bit more as she just sort of sat and stared with amusement. Eventually, the man did attempt to grab her hair, but she just pointed the knife at him again, and gave him a glare. “Keep your hands to yourself, my friend. Honestly, I suggest you just walk away now. I’m sure this man has had enough - He prefers the quiet, after all, and you’re just making a fool of yourself!”

Zarius is just about to stand up to humor the man's request. The man might have been a hulking brute, but he hardly seemed like someone the tiefling couldn't take down with a quick few punches. The man would sorely regret picking a fight with a member of the Fighter's Guild and an aspiring Ashen Father. 

The tiefling doesn't get the chance to teach the man a lesson though, as Persephone quickly stabs the man's hand through with a knife. He tilts his head at the woman. "That hardly seemed necessary."

In response to her stabbing their leader, the rest of the goons draw their weapons and surround the table. Zarius glances about, taking note of their rusty and chipped blades. Lowlife thugs then. They were a far cry from professional mercenaries. Still, there were enough of them to make a mess of the place, and several of the other patrons were moving clear of the impending brawl. 

He looks back over at Persephone as he stands up from his chair. He tucks his hands into his pockets and uses his foot to shove his chair back under the table. "I do not think things will be quiet for the next few seconds."

Persephone looked around, the full picture finally being noticed. She seemed slightly annoyed, but she stood up nonetheless, and pushed in her chair. “It was entirely necessary. Sort of what happens when you tell a girl to shut up.” She is thankful to still have the table knife on her. “I suppose I’ll follow your lead. I’m not much of an up close and personal fighter.” She gestures for him to go ahead, and that seems to set everyone else off.

She does take a step back, pulling out her bow and arrow, though, nocking it and aiming it. “You know, we could still step outside for this!” She says, breaking the quiet. Though it might be clear to Zarius that she was panicking a little, she sounded confident enough. “I’d hate to bloody this inn, I like it here quite a lot.”