When the Thief Speaks (Open)

[Arryn Veseere]

4th day of fall, 511AV

In the cool autumn chill Arryn drew her mottled black-and-grey cloak closer to her slender, lithe frame, her peculiar eyes pinned to what was in front of her. Sunberth's streets were ever dangerous, and at this hour of day, with the sun making its descend behind the horizon, the criminals only grew bolder. As if they needed the cover of night to hide most of their activities - muggings, brawls and even murders were executed nearly as often during the day as at night. Sunberth is a cesspool; a sludge of humanity that was so utterly depraved of any semblence of order, left to run amuck on loose morals and whatever sick and disturbed fancy took the mind. With no real government of any kind, no way to enforce it if there was, and no real desire for one... well, Sunberth was what it was. Tainted and corrupted, more or less ruled by syndicate bosses that sliced out a little of the city for themselves, and the pick-pockets, gang members and worse that plagued the city, it was hardly the first tourist destination spot. It was possibly the most decrepit monument to all the sins and faults of humanity, a city best left to fall off the face of the world with all its inhabitants in it. Gods, how she loved it. Arryn stopped at one of her favourite dives, the Pig's Foot Tavern. Not much of a name, but it suited the tavern that wasn't... well, that much of a tavern. It had the gamblers, the drinkers, the fighters and the wenches. Not very much in the way of entertainment, and when there was a singer or dancer they were poor at best, but she loved the place. Stepping through the worn door of the place Arryn was immediately assaulted with the pungent smells of stale ale, the bodily odor of the hygienically inept, and pipe smoke, layered with the slightly repugnant smell of the mystery soup; served with a mystery meat that shouldn't be too closely inspected if one wished to retain some claim to sanity. Through the thick haze of smoke the candle lights flickered heroically, as if to offer some sort of light in such a sordid squabble of humanity, and it brough the corner of her lips up in a sardonic smirk. There was no purity in Sunberth, no hope for redemption. There were villains and victims, and nothing more. Inclining her head a few inches to the Pig's bodyguards flanking the door, Arryn stepped into the tavern. Over the hum of voices dice could be heard rattling on the table, spinning to an end that could win or lose small fortunes - if the circumstances were right. Arryn's right hand twitched at her side, eager to play a hand at the tables, but subsiding for the moment. There was a place and a time for such games - usually after a drink or three - and now she would rather sit and just... listen. Sitting at a nearly vacant table (nearly, because an already thoroughly intoxicated man laid in a pool of his own drool, completely oblivious to the world in his drunken slumber) Arryn casually studied the people around her, gauging her successes at whom she could rob, and when. It was something of a skill that became second nature, assessing if one person would feel the quick, light hands of a thief or not. Certainly it wasn't a perfected art, but it helped her chances more. A wench came by, red hair, freckled-face and a pug-nose, took her order and left. Arryn resumed her speculative gaze.

[Mok]

The young myrian was completely smashed. Mok and his older cousin Cade had been drinking all night. Mok was sitting in the corner rolling dice for petty change when another round of ale came through. Grabbing his mug Mok stood up to make a toast. Dizzy and feeling nauseous, Mok abandoned his toast and went bottoms up. As the drunken bastard gulped down the alcoholic beverage he realized one drink too late that he was wasted. Tossing the mug over his shoulder, Mok returned to shooting the dice.

“4 – blast!”

“6 – blast!”

“7 – hell yes!!” Mok was on lady luck’s side this match: a winning roll after only three shots. The entire group of drunkards around him raised their hands in protesting moans. The myrian had finally broken even and stood up showing off all of his earnings.

Standing up he yawned and walked towards the front door of the tavern. Stumbling outside, Mok slowly made his way to the latrine trench the side of the tavern. It was a disgusting, sobering site. Pissing into the deep trench, Mok noticed a faint sound coming from inside of the hole. The sound continued to grow and get louder. The half-blooded scoundrel decided to investigate further. Kneeling down, the warrior peered into the disgusting filth. Suddenly, Mok noticed what the sound was. There was a small child swimming around in human waste.

Shocked, the myrian stood up and just looked at the doomed kid. In a few minutes the little child would drown and there was seemingly nothing Mok could do about it. “Fuck you Lhex.”

Without a sound Mok returned into the tavern with a scowl on his face. He didn’t care who you were, but no kid should have to die like that. Shuddering once more, the warrior pushed the event far into the back of his memory.

“Cade. Where you at?” Mok said as he looked around, “Cade--ahh.” The drunken idiot had passed out on the table drooling everywhere. Walking over to his cousin, Mok lifted up his head and let it drop on the table. No response. Smiling, Mok knew exactly what to do. Scanning around, he spotted a woman sitting directly across from Cade.

“Oi cousin! There is a woman sitting right here that is extremely beautiful. I think she wants to talk to you-"

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common

[Arryn Veseere]

Freckle-face came back with the Pig's specialty ale - a brew that tasted more like moose piss than beer - and quickly left. Arryn had a tab, and if nothing else she was loyal to her alcoholism and payed it off regularly. As her tankard sat condensation rolled off, leaving water smears on the table. Absently Arryn used a slender finger to drag the water droplets around in little designs, her blue eye, grey eye switching from watching the room and the table top where her 'masterpiece' unfolded. She had a target this night, and truthfully she did not plan on staying overlong in the tavern - Pig's made her feel like drinking, and even she stumbled about when she drank too much. But a beer or two did calm the nerves, and though Arryn was now somewhat seasoned in the larceny area (although in no way a truly skilled one) and no longer experienced the pre-gitters, her drinking was something of a routine now. Her eyes moved over to one of the card tables, and again the gambler inside of her twitched. Thieving is what Arryn did to live in Sunberth, and she was damned good at it. She wasn't exposed to many skills besides whoring, so stealing was the natural choice, and when you stole to survive you tend to become good at it. Especially when you're rather fond of your hands. So she was good at thieving, but what really called to her was the gambling tables. True, many lost more than they won, but most - when they cheated - were caught and got a good beating. Arryn was quick, and when she was caught she was charming and dismissive - and on more than one occassion her shirt opened a little more at the top, and suddenly it must have been the man sitting beside her that was the one cheating. Of course, this ploy didn't always work, but Arryn was careful on how often she did test her luck. No, she told herself firmly. There was a time and a place, and she still needed to buy some equipment - don't I still need to replace my locksmith tools? Turning her gaze away from the table and resuming her artistry she caught a glimpse of the man she shared the table with from the corner of her eyes. Even lying in a pool of his own drool (and really now, there was nothing quite flattering about that) she could tell he was a daunting man. He just... filled out the space - certainly more than she would. Under her scrutiny a ripping snore emerged from the man, causing the thief to jump slightly. And here she was beginning to wonder if he was dead! And so that's how the other very large, brusque man found her - or rather, the unconscious man who's table she shared. “Cade--ahh.” He stumbled over, clearly less than a drink off from the same state his friend was in, and lifted the drool-man's head, not at all gently. Than, true to his actions, he let his friend's head drop, equally uncaring. Arryn surpressed a snicker - really, she was quick and sly and cunning, but this lumbering drunk could be dangerous, and she didn't quite feel like fighting before her departure. The man seemed to take notice of her now, as his gaze lifted and his eyes focused - with effort, 'Gods how drunk is he?'- on her. “Oi cousin! There is a woman sitting right here that is extremely beautiful. I think she wants to talk to you-" Arryn's eyes widen. She had certainly no desire to talk to this Cade man! In fact, she was pretty confident that he wouldn't even remember his own name when he was roused, let alone how to actually talk. She shook out her hair, studying the swaying man in front of her. Was he new to Sunberth? There were three types of 'beautiful' women in Sunberth; whores, slaves, and the ones you don't want to be friends with. Arryn fell into the latter category. "Actually, I thought sitting at this table would just dissuade some unwanted attention... There's no reason for me to talk to your," she paused, shooting a glance at the drool-man again. "Friend." Suddenly her eyes sharpened, a thought occuring to her. "Are you guys new to Sunberth?" She asked, a sweet smile on her face that never touched her eyes.

[Jerico]

“Oi cousin! There is a woman sitting right here that is extremely beautiful. I think she wants to talk to you-" Hearing the shout from the closest table, Jerico looked up. He had been sitting in his chair with his mandolin across his lap with a mug of beer in hand. He usually would be playing, but today there wasn’t a big enough crowd and most of the people where too drunk to really appreciate his music, or at least tip for it. So he had turned to drinking to pass the time, he wasn’t drunk yet though if he kept drinking anymore he soon would be. From his spot he could see the man who shouted, along with the woman he was referring to. The other man, who clearly hadn’t been able to hold his beer, was out cold in a puddle of drool. A faint smile spread on Jerico’s face at the sight. The woman’s eyes widened as the standing man spoke, she obviously hadn’t been talking to him. “Typical drunks, they either pass out and talk to everyone who looks at them. Or they pick a fight with anything with fists.” He paused in his quite rant, stopping to actually look over the three. The drooling man was obviously out cold, though he looked like he could put a few dozen men out cold if he chose to. The other looked a bit like him, Jerico decided they must be related. The woman on the other hand seemed smaller than she already was between the two men, making her stand out. Deciding the night had worn thin Jerico stood and slid the strap on his mandolin on. He started for the door, but paused to look back to see the two men and woman all at the same table. He listened, trying to hear what she was saying. "Actually, I thought sitting at this table would just dissuade some unwanted attention... There's no reason for me to talk to your…friend." Later Jerico wouldn’t be able to say if whether it was the boredom, the beer, or if what was just how pretty the woman was that made him walk back to the table and pull up a seat between her and the drooling man. “Unwanted attention aye? I’m afraid that with a face like yours that’s going to be impossible tonight.”

[Mok]

Mok grinned at his cousin’s motionless body. No response to his mocking words. The myrian chuckled slightly; Cade hadn’t gotten this drunk in a good bit. The myrian’s gaze was then turned towards Arryn. The expression that came from the woman’s face was priceless. Those words were the last thing she was expecting to hear. Next, her eyes trailing towards Cade and her body language showed a definite negative.

The next part made Mok bust up: she asked them if they were new to Sunberth. A deep, hearty laugh exploded from the warrior. Her statement made Mok laugh so hard he almost started to cry. In his uproar, the warrior heard not a word from anyone else. A minute later, he stopped laughed and stared back at Arryn with joyful eyes.

Suddenly, a grip of anger came through Mok and his face went from happy to stern and mean in a blink of an eye. Scowling the myrian quietly spoke, “Are you trying to mouth me off? What do you mean ‘new to sunberth’ huh? What does that mean? Hey. I am fucking serious. What I want to know is, do you think you can come in here and mouth me off in front of my pals?”

The whole bar was still buzzing with noise and excitement. No one heard him but Arryn and the people in the immediate area. Mok stared right into her eyes and waited for a response. ‘Yes,’ Mok thought, ‘look at me bitch. Look straight back into my eyes. Can you handle the pressure? It would be interesting if you kill me. But it doesn’t matter. I will pay the price and I will not count the cost.’

When she was finished, Mok shifted his weight and spoke again, “I’m thinking…I think I should take you outside and owe you up.”

“Let it go Mok,” said a Pig’s Foot regular who happened to be sitting nearby.

Mok suddenly barked, “Let it go? Let what fucking go? Do you want to get involved as well? Do yeah? Do yeah?”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m just saying she only a random girl, Mok.”

“Let’s keep it real here. She’s tough enough to be living it large and going around the pubs at night and fucking bashing people’s reputations, she is tough enough to talk for herself!” Mok said with a louder voice, getting the attention of many patrons.

Without waiting for a response Mok continued, “I’ll tell you something girl…I think I shoulder take you outside and teach you a lesson for mouthing me off and making me look like a vagik in front of my pals.”

Silence. The whole tavern waited for Arryn’s reply.

Looking around Mok noticed the whole bar was already busting up and holding their breaths in their laughter. Mok knew that it had gone far enough, “BWAHAHAHA! I’m just messing around girl! Bwahahahah, you should have seen your fucking face!”

The whole tavern blew up in uproar.

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common

[Arryn Veseere]

As the drunk man teetered uncertainly on his feet, another man approached and Arryn felt a little uncomfortable. It was in her nature to avoid attention of any kind, unwarranted or not. The man - a musician, she decided, her different coloured eyes taking in the site of the mandolin - and quirked a cool eyebrow as he casual joined her at her table. Well, to be honest she did do the same to the drool-man, but that was irrelevant now. He was handsome enough, she suppose, but it was the twinkle in his eyes and the easy way he smiled that told her enough. “Unwanted attention aye? I’m afraid that with a face like yours that’s going to be impossible tonight.” Arryn snorted very unlady-like at the comment, more amused than flattered. "I'd bet a hundred gold-rimmed mizas that that smooth tongue of your's has found more women to share your bed than a whoremongerer has in his life." She scoffed, clearly not as easily swayed as some other women. "Well, can you play any better than you can flirt? If not, than you're in the wrong profession, love." A little delayed in his response (and hasn't she been there before? Alcohol was a finckle mistress, indeed) the man abruptly let forth a deep heartily laugh. Arryn jumped at the unexpected commotion, watching the man. “Are you trying to mouth me off? What do you mean ‘new to Sunberth’ huh? What does that mean? Hey. I am fucking serious. What I want to know is, do you think you can come in here and mouth me off in front of my pals?” Fear leapt up and clutched her throat but -with some effort she was no willing to admit- Arryn met his eyes levelly. This sudden change in attitude was not only frightening but it spoke of a deeper issue; more likely a mental one. She saw the challenge there, the nearly-feral, psychotic, no-regards-for-his-own-damn-life-let-alone-her's confrontational gleam. Taking this into consideration, and the situation, she thought of a response quickly. She could fight if she had to, but it was unlikely she would last a chance, and truth be told she liked living. "T'was a simple question, friend, nothing more than idle curiousity." She said, and was proud that despite the turmoil that roiled inside her voice remained steady, and if the casual tone sounded a little force, well, who would notice, right? "I think that your 'friend' isn't anywhere close to comprehending what's going on around us." Now her own eyes lit up, if not quite with the same feral intensity of the man's, one thay matched it nevertheless. A more stubborn, defiant light. She had been here before, a thousand times a thousand, knowing full well that if she just kept her mouth shut there would be no reprecussions. Unfortunately, she was incapable of that. “I’m thinking…I think I should take you outside and owe you up.” Weary fear gave way to anger and outrage, and she went to stand up, a hot retort already on her lips, when another voice interrupted her. “Let it go Mok,” “Let it go? Let what fucking go? Do you want to get involved as well? Do yeah? Do yeah?” “Don’t be stupid, I’m just saying she only a random girl, Mok.” “Let’s keep it real here. She’s tough enough to be living it large and going around the pubs at night and fucking bashing people’s reputations, she is tough enough to talk for herself!” Arryn's eyes widened in disbelief. 'This guy is fucking insane. Like, eating unborn babes out of the womb insane.'He continued on without waiting for her. “I’ll tell you something girl…I think I should take you outside and teach you a lesson for mouthing me off and making me look like a vagik in front of my pals.” Arryn growled, "Does it make you feel like a big man to beat on women, asshole?" And then, shockingly, the man - Mok - laughed uproarously," “BWAHAHAHA! I’m just messing around girl! Bwahahahah, you should have seen your fucking face!” The whole tavern erupted with him. Arryn felt her cheeks grow hot as it became apparent that she was the butt end of some crazy-ass joke, and she did not like it. Taking a cooling breath, she made herself smile, still not entirely sure about this man. "Ha ha, yes, very funny. I think maybe you should have been an actor with how convinicing that was." She wasn't being sarcastic; in fact she was pretty confident that standing right now would result in her falling over, her legs were shaking that badly. She drained the rest of her ale, hoping that the small tremors would disappear soon. Direct confrontation was not ideal for someone as petite as she, especially when she was more suited for stealth attacks when and if necessary. "I think maybe we should bond over a nice pitcher of ale, don't you?" She suggested to Mok, sharing a quick look with the musician and indicating the chair that was still avaliable. "The name's Kismet," she said in way of introductions, using her undergrounnd alias. "Who the hell are you lovely gentlemen?"

[Cade]

Cade woke from his death like slumber, complete with slobber pasted to the side of his face and cotton mouth that forces his lips to smack and his tongue to seek out moisture that was not there. His glazed blood shot eyes lazily scanned the company he was amongst while a shit ass grin formed on his face as he recognized his cousin. "You......you pig fucker" He chuckled drunkenly in the myrian tongue giving his kinsmen a sloppy slap on the face then turning his attention to the pretty gal sitting amongst him and more on her bust then anything else.

" You have pretty boobs" He slurred and bellowed a deep laughter while the room spun rapidly. Then his laughter quickly stopped to a panicked expression on his battle worn face. He turned to Jerico and with out much warning he vomited the contents of his stomach upon the man that was sitting between him and the pretty girl.

After the violent regurgitation was complete, the barbaric half blood myrian rocketed up to his feet, hand raised into the air as if he was a victor in battle. " I AM GOOD" He wiped the vomit and drool from his face with his other hand "TIME FOR MORE" and with that the savage stumbled off to the bar in search of his honey wine.

[Jerico]

“I’ll have you know that my smooth tongue has gotten me into quite a lot of places. Though I’m no piper, I don’t go about leading random women to bed.” He grinned, enjoying the witty reply. It had been a while since anyone had called him out for using his musical and verbal skills for more than just money. Though at the mention of his skills not being so great his grin turned to a frown. Reaching for the strap he paused as Mok suddenly let loose his hearty laugh. The next turn of events made him move his hand away from the instrument, if Mok went off he didn’t want to be anywhere near the drunk, they had a tendency to use wooden objects as blunt smashing tools and he was quite aware of the mandolin at hanging at his side. “Is there really any need for such talk? Like he said, she’s only just some random girl.” As Mok’s talk escalated Jerico’s voice was silenced, he like the other patrons waited to see what happened. He could only grin and join in on the laughter as Mok’s joke played out. In truth he had believed that the myrian would go off on her, as it had almost been the same thing he had been ranting about when he was at his own table. Now that the warrior had settled down the woman introduced herself as Kismet, Jerico had already learned from the other patrons that the man was Mok. The other who seemed to still be out cold he could not name. “Kismet, that’s a fitting name for someone with such a sharp tongue, though I must say it’s a bit strange for someone with such a lovely body. My name is Jerico, and I can only assume that you are Mok?” He directed the last part at Mok, hoping the man wouldn’t choose Jerico as his next victim. Now that Mok was no longer enraged Jerico reached for his mandolin once more, though the instrument was still not safe. Prior to his arrival he had talked to himself about the behaviors of drunks, but he had left another fact out. That when a drunk wants more beer, he usually disposes of the first round in a rather disgusting fashion. So as the giant myrian’s face turned to panic Jerico realized only one thing could follow that. He turned away, trying to shield his beloved instrument from the vomit that shot from Cade’s mouth. “Ugh…I think I’m going to have to bath more than just once to wash this out…” The majority of it had landed on his back and left side of his body, most likely staining the cotton shirt underneath his vest. Thankfully it had not touched his mandolin, which in his opinion was a victory. He groaned already dreading the coming jokes and laughter that would surely follow him.

[Bob Barton]

After that unnecessary distraction on his way here from Killroy's, Bob was here at the door of his favorite joint in all of Sunberth. The Pig's Foot. In one piece too no thanks to a certain boy. Because of that little fight in the streets, Bob felt very unsafe getting here. Looking over his shoulder all the while in case he was being followed. He knew what he needed to look out for at least and that was a creepy looking small man. At one point he saw the figure of a child behind him and in a panic he ran faster down the path thinking that he was being chased.

The sounds of laughter he heard from outside was welcome compared to the dangerous atmosphere he felt around him and he quickly stormed into the tavern with crashing doors. Everyone seems to have their attention on a gathering in the middle. Something Bob really needed now to feel safe. He wouldn't really care the pair friends, more like the muscles to match his brains. After working together a few times Bob at least knew he can rely on them as long as they were on the same side.

"Mok! Cade! I'm glad as hell to see you two here." he cried out to get their attention as he ran to the pair. Just as he was about to reach them Cade vomited over someone near him. Bob gave a chuckle seeing what happened "I apologize for Cade. Never seen him taking such a liking for another person before." An apology which would obviously bring more of the laughs and jokes which Jerico was trying to avoid.

Upon closer inspection he saw that the person Cade vomited on was Jerico. Bob's grin widened while he tried his best to suppress his laughter. It won't be good to make fun of someone from one of the other groups he knew. Then again it was Bob. "I'm sorry, I did not know it was you Jerico. But I am glad to see that you are practicing your entertaining on your own time." Bob was not going to hide that of all the circus people, from day one Jerico and Essik were the ones he did not really like.

Bob still afraid despite where he was now took one more peek behind him. "The more the" safer "merrier" he told everyone. Bob needed to try and get himself into the group. Besides the woman he probably already knew everyone here so that should make things easier. "Mok, Cade, Jerico..." nodding as he called each one to show the woman just how much more he belonged compared to her "...and this lovely lady here..." reaching out a hand to her preparing to kiss it in greeting. After all these drunk barbarians and vomited vagrant here, he hoped that the woman would warm up more to his advances.

[Mok]

“Well said, Kismet,” the myrian said as he motioned the bar keep to send a pitcher. Taking his seat on the opposite side of the woman, Mok sat as far as he could from Cade. His cousin’s twitching body was a clear sign to Mok that he was about to wake up and definitely vomit everywhere. Mok kept his grinning to himself and watched intently his fellow brother.

Another man with a mandolin took his place at the table as well and introduced himself as Jerico. “Yes, I am Mok,” the myrian nodded, “and I think I speak for us all, let us hear one of your tunes--” Before Mok could finish talking, Cade woke up and yelled some slobber in myrian to Mok, made a remark to Kismet, and puked all over the Jerico. All of this happened in a few moments and the bard had no way to dodge the vomit. Laughing, Mok patted Jerico on the back and went to grab the pitcher.

Pouring a mug for everyone, Mok kept laughing at the situation. “Well said my cousin, here is another glass. Kismet. Jerico….bwhahaha!” The myrian busted up as he handed out the ale. Then Bob came into the bar. Walking in with a worried look on his face, the gambler took his position at the table and greeted the myrians with a sigh of relief.

“Bob!” Mok said nodding at the guy, “What’s good my friend, what are you drinking tonight?” Then the myrian then ordered Bob’s favorite drink. Just like the others, Bob made his advances on Kismet. Grinning, the warrior simply watched the situation unfold. Who would lay in Kismet’s bed tonight? Cade the barbarian, Jerico the bard, or Bob the gambler?

Mok had noticed some dismay in Bob’s facial expression and body language. Handing Bob his drink, Mok asked him in a whisper, “Hey bob. What is wrong? Does Cade and I need to go ‘deal’ with some people for you?” Mok nodded in agreement to Bob’s reply then asked the musician to go play a tune,

“Jerico. Get cleaned up and come back and play us a tune will you?”

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common