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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Jul 25, 2023 12:11:48 GMT -5
CRASH! THUD.
I nearly jumped out of my own skin when the sound of shattering glass startled me from sleep, and yelling ensued, though I couldn't quite figure out what it was about. With my kind jump started, heart racing and eyes now wide open to see sunlight squeezing it's way through the shutters, I figured I might as well get up despite not having gotten quite as much sleep as I would've liked. I opened the window at took a look at the time. It was reasonable number of hours after dawn, and the street market below was already buzzing in the peak of the morning rush hour and I stretched as I took it all in. There were people running to catch the shuttle wagon to the city, errand boys buying breakfast for people working the fields, travelers like me setting off, or restocking supplies, all filling the street below with a burble of chatter and footsteps. I pulled away from the window and got ready for the day.
Ten minutes later, I come down the stairs to the common area of the tavern I was staying at with preened feathers and appropriately dressed for the day, to find an absolute mess. The yelling had stopped some time when I was working on my tail feathers, but it seem like all was still not well. The shelf of display wines had collapsed and was now propped up at an angle by the counter, though most if another all its contents had made their way to the floor. There were three people eating and ordering breakfast like there was nothing wrong, but considering the situation, most people had probably gone to find a breakfast stand instead. The nervous waitress was kneeling on the floor, trying to soothe a sobbing centaur as her mother mopped up the glass and spilled liquor and her father made huffily breakfasts. I remember that centaur from last night. What was his name? Aiwen, maybe? Or something like it. He'd been kinda moody, and drank hard. He was too strong to kick out when he didn't want to leave, and heavy to bring upstairs once out cold, and he was nice, once he was cheered enough to talk, and wasn't starting fights or anything. He'd just sort of plopped down to one side of the corner once all the alcohol put him to sleep, so we'd just pushed him into the corner beside the display shelf so he wouldn't get run into by other inebriated patrons . Feeling partially responsible for having gotten the centaur started with the drinks (playing sales-person to tavern amenities (particularly alcohol) is half the job description of a tavern entertainer) I decided breakfast could wait a little while and approached the mess.
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Post by Horakhti on Jul 25, 2023 15:26:30 GMT -5
I march my way into the small village, glad to finally make it to my destination. Clothes and appearance dirtied from the trip, and the large transport pack strapped to my back was starting to rub sores in. I'm used to competing for space in road with carts and groups of people, but this morning I may have been a bit more gruff and prickly then I normally would have been. Making my way through the morning traffic, I look up to read the sign "Rismore Respite" hanging in front of the tavern inn.
Taking the pack off, I duck and pivot my bulk through the door, surprised at the sight in the main room. Hardly any patrons other than the stubborn ones, busted interior, mess of shattered bottles, and a heaped centaur mumbling and crying to some waitress. Just get the delivery done. This isn't my problem. I cross the room to counter, glancing up to see another patron leaving their room. "Malcolm and Annabelle Rismore? I have an order from Ethinly in Lilicors Village." Thunk as I set it down.
"HEY! Keep it down! Can't you see I'm suffering here?!" The centaur wailed at me and the disturbance. He pulled himself together enough to roll over just enough to face me, trying to dry his eyes with the back of his sleeve. The impudent look for me was what did it. Now I really could not care for this and just gave a bassy grunt before turning back to the owners. "Why you..." as the centaur started to try to sit up right, fighting the dizziness and headache that kept bringing him down.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Jul 27, 2023 0:46:41 GMT -5
Just as I was quietly offering my assistance to the lady with a mop, someone came by with a delivery. Aiwen(?) whined, "Hey! Can't you see I'm suffering here?" I was a little surprised at the snappish remark coming from the centaur who'd been pleasant to talk to the evening before. Seems like the hangover was really getting on his nerves. Or maybe he's just like that- amiable when drunk and moody when sober. The delivery man gave him an indifferent grunt, and I got a better look at him once the shelf was properly upright. He was a Lizardman standing a solid two feet taller than me- my eyes being only at his chest level, clothed in a loincloth with a sash that was more for armor than covering. He had a box se down by his feet and was looking rather annoyed at the whining centaur. The waitress stiffened and stood up when the one she had been trying to placate got more agitated looking between her parents, myself and the sky for help. The barkeep who was mopping the floor- Mrs. Rismore- looked between her mopping, her daughter, and the delivery.
"Why you…" the centaur growled, and began to shakily get up.
"I can take the centaur," I murmured to her.
"Thank you," she sighed and wrung her mop into a bucket. Speaking louder she called "I'll be just a second" to the doorway, before going to the cashier to get the delivery fee. Meanwhile, I head toward the centaur and the waitress, who was rambling platitudes and keeping his stumbling, stomping figure from knocking down anything else on or around his path to the delivery man.
"When someone has a hangover," the centaur began to lecture before pausing to curse his sore body, "you keep the Ziev-damned hollering to a minimum".
"Yes, yes we're very sorry dear sir, now if you'd just sit down-"
"That includes you and your infernal rambling" he snapped at the young lady.
This is when I stepped up, standing between the centaur and his target. "C'mon now don't kill the messenger. He'll be out of your hair in a second". He shoved me aside, and I grabbed the offending arm, both to keep him from advancing and to keep him from falling into a table.
The centaur snorted and glared at the lizardman and I "don't start with me little birdie, if he's a man, he'll face me himself, but if you really wanna have a go, then I'd be obliged".
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Post by Horakhti on Jul 27, 2023 17:34:21 GMT -5
"Don't start with me little birdie, if he's a man, he'll face me himself, but if you really wanna have a go, then I'd be obliged." he said glaring at myself and this other patron who was trying their best to help out this situation, still steadying himself against the bar counter.
I looked back at him for a moment, seeing him try to shove the avian patron to the side, but partially surprised that she stood her ground and her own. "Business first. Then we can talk, friend." I say in a quiet rumble. I turn my face back towards Mrs. Rismore, accepting the payment and lightly carried the pack to the back of the tavern. I can see that I have taken the ire of the centaur away from anyone else now, but it seems his head is keeping him from doing anything more this moment from the way he's holding onto it. Extra sure to be gentle with the final part of the delivery, the lady pulling my head close.
"I'm sorry to put you in this predicament, but can I ask one thing of you? Can you please help us get Aiwen, that centaur, up to his room? If you think you can't do without breaking anything more just head out then."
I nod and stand back up to my height, turning back to see Aiwen trying to size himself up. One of his hands still holding his head trying to press back the headache he much be fighting but one of his front hooves rasps against the wood floor as he continues to glare. Relaxing my shoulders and keeping my steps soft, I step next to the avian patron already confronting him, interposing myself in front of the Rismore daughter and her. I bow my head slightly as I nearly whisper to him an apology.
"I am sorry for the noise I made. Your issue is with me and no one else. I'm ready to talk things over with you, but I believe you would rather get that splitting head taken care of first." I point up the stair towards the rooms above. "How about I help you up to have a quiet rest of your morning?"
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Aug 4, 2023 17:39:25 GMT -5
“Oh yeah, I wanna have a- ” Thankfully, I was interrupted before I could finish my thoughtless sentence. “Business first, then we can talk, friend” the delivery man said firmly, before turning to Mrs. Rismore. I took the moment to calm myself, taking a deep breath and steering my thoughts away from wondering how brains would feel on my claws. When I opened my eyes again, the centaur had an eyebrow raised.
“You wanna have a what again?” he whispered conspiratorially. I took a second to double check what I was thinking of saying.
“...I wanna have a try and see if I can get you to go upstairs on your own.”
His nose twitched “You think I can’t go upstairs on my own?”
Just then, the delivery man stepped in for a second time. Aiwen seemed to accept his apology, but didn’t want to go upstairs
“Not unless the both of you foot the bill for the room and some hangover soup,” he said, motioning to the delivery man and myself. Internally, I winced. Whoops, looks like I got myself too involved…but that doesn’t mean I don’t regret having changed my sentence. Instead, I got an idea. It worked on small children, and some drunks, so hopefully, it’ll work on this guys too, because I was low on funds as is.
“How about we make a bet.” I proposed.
He snorted, “What, you think I’m an idiot, who would make climbing stairs a bet?”
I shrugged ”I mean, then it’s an easy win for you, right? Climb some stairs, get a stay and soup free, if you lose, which is VERY unlikely, the you just pay the bill like a normal person. It’s a no-lose situation”. He glowered at me. “What?” I leered “can’t do it?”
It worked. He stomp-stumbled his way to the stairs, having slowly gotten better over the half hour or so he’d probably been awake.
The barkeep’s daughter hurriedly rummaged through a drawer in the counter and pulled out a wooden card with grooves in the bottom and four lines painted onto it.
“I’ll show you to the room,” she said nervously, like she was facing a firework on a variable fuse, before proceeding to lead him up the stairs. I followed behind and slightly to the side, to make sure he didn’t slip and crack open his skull, even though he somewhat deserved it.
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Post by Horakhti on Aug 11, 2023 1:57:56 GMT -5
I let out a low, muffled chuckle as Aiwen managed his way up and started towards the stairs. I leaned over to speak quietly while the centaur’s attention was elsewhere. “A clever challenge.”
As the group of them made it over to the stairs, I remained back at the base of the stairs. “Easy steps,” I smiled at Aiwen as they turned in a huff after the daughter. The young lady who got caught up in this stayed just next to him as best as she could.
“Hope you got enough from that delivery fee.” Aiwen sneered as he marched up the stairs. “I’d like that nice and hot-augh…”
The centaur had rapidly charged up the stairs as some plan to insure his success, but it seemed had split his head right open again. He grabbed his head and groaned, legs suddenly shaking. Make sure this isn’t a bigger mess. I stand up to the last step, bracing for whatever could happen.
The other patron was even quicker on the draw than I and immediately was ready for when Aiwen’s back hooves slipped. With a great amount of noise, his lower half fell onto the stairs and began to slide down. His torso whipped and also made contact for the wall if it wasn’t for the protective grasp of the other patron.
“Maybe these steps aren’t so easy, huh?” She tutted, “You know the agreement now.”
She held his head away from the wall as I stepped up and stopped him, bearing most of the weight. The two of us shared a small smile before I hauled him upright and guided him up the rest of the stairs.
“Time for that rest, before you hurt yourself again.” I state as I lay him out of the plush bedding they had available in the room.
“Too loud…and fine.” Aiwen said meekly, partly through pain and partly through embarrassment. “Leave me alone.”
I stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly as I turned to the daughter. “Sorry for the trouble and thank you for the help,” bowing my head.
“O..oh, no trouble. Th..th..thank you for getting him in there.” She fidgeted nervously from the whole ordeal and from him possibly. “I need to get back to work.” Spinning on her heels, she wheeled herself back down to ground floor.
“Hmm, not the morning I had planned.” I turned to face the woman who had helped me with this. “Let me cover your meal for dragging you into something that unpleasant. I am Horahkti of the Marsh Flats.” extend his hand to her.
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Post by Natsunats-Shun on Aug 11, 2023 13:39:03 GMT -5
The Lizardman complimented me as he passed, and the centaur had precariously made his way to the stairs, so I didn’t have a chance to reply, but really, it wasn’t much. The only reason why it worked is because I could feel this guy had the pride and entitlement of a two-year old and his brain was addled with drink. Either way, the guy finally started making his way up the stairs and I was able to relax my facade as an impromptu bouncer. Then the centaur nearly fell. I had an arm at the ready, but that didn’t weigh much in the face of over a hundred pounds of centaur. My demonic strength jumped to the forefront and my talons dug into the ground for a second before he was steady again, and I dismissed my power as fast as I could, hoping no one caught the aura. Still, as it’s remnants held to my brain, I couldn’t help but blurt a very edgy sounding “Maybe these steps aren’t so easy, huh? You know the agreement now”. I instantly cringed, but I didn’t want to break the centaur’s impression of me by apologizing or taking it back, so I just wrinkled my nose under my mask. Of course he knows the agreement! All he has to do is pay for what he uses like a normal person? Why did I sound like I was planning to scam money from him?
We managed to get Aiwen settled without further fuss, and then the deliveryman turned to me.
“Let me cover your meal for dragging you into something that unpleasant. I am Horahkti of the Marsh Flats,” he introduced himself. As we headed back down, I returned the favor.
“You can call me Frostale, I’m an adventurer, artist, and…” professional trouble maker, I felt like tagging on, but I wouldn’t really call the spreading information, Red Rouge work, and anti-sun elf superiority campaigning I did as Frostale a legal profession, but there was method to it, and it did cause trouble for a lot of people. “... and storyteller who’s based in Frost Gale. It wasn’t your fault, but if it’s no trouble, then I’ll take you up on your offer.” after all, who could turn down free food?
By the time we got back to the common area, the mess had mostly been cleaned, and Ms. Rismore was just heading out to dispose of the glass shards.
“You want to eat at a breakfast stall?” I asked. While I wasn't particularly a foodie, coming from Frost Gale where everyone tried to stay indoors as much as possible, I wanted to explore the outside dining culture here.
Abbysal Infusion (because Nats is physically weak as a stick)
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