So, A Sym Walks into a Bar. . . (Mok)

[Shai]

Timestamp: 12th of Fall 511 AV, After dark.

Shai was livid. She was ready to spit venom into the eyes of whichever man got in her way next. So far it’d been, unfortunately, unnecessary. She was sporting a large semi-healed bruise on the right side of her face to remind her why she was angry any time it started to dissipate. Somehow she had made it all the way to Pig’s Foot without getting stopped by anyone, just her luck when she wanted to hurt someone no one had the stones to try and mug her. Her ire stemmed from an encounter with a slaver, every so often whispers would get around about a free full Symenestra in Sunberth. And when those rumors got around it was inevitable that someone would try to steal away her freedom. To combat this Shai had taken to killing the would-be captors in the most brutal fashion possible. Usually then a counter rumor would circulate and people would back off her trail to preserve their health. She’d been cooped up the last few days and so when she’d finally got wind that the rumor of the savage murder was in full force she was able to leave her home. Still mad and itching for activity from her self-imposed captivity Shai had just reached Pig’s Foot to drink herself silly so she wouldn’t anything anymore stupid in her agitation. She kept her cloak securely around her and pushed open the door with a black gloved hand.

She hardly looked around the establishment, she checked to see which tables were occupied and promptly picked on with her back to the wall although it wasn’t in clear view of the door. Mad as she was, she still wouldn’t make herself completely vulnerable. She went up and purchased a pitcher of common wine and sat down at her table. People could say whatever they want about her choice of drink, she could stomach wine since it was at some point from a fruit but ale made her gag most of the time.

I need to find a way to stop these ridiculous attempts to kidnap me. Drink. There must be a more permanent way to deter them. Drink. While Viratas promotes those who shed blood for defense, if I can stop it from happening then that makes it needless bloodshed. Drink. it’s time to find a remedy.Drink

Traps? Nah too expensive.

Bodyguards? Too expensive and not to be trusted. Drink.

A guard animal? No, Dogs were dirty and any creature she kept would eventually become a meal or a sacrifice. Drink.

Too bad this is petching Sunberth, someone she could trust to watch her back would be a blessing. Drink. But she’d given that up years ago and didn’t expect to find anything in this disgusting mountain of trash that knew what loyalty even smelled like. No, that’s not true, they know what loyalty feels like, they whole lot of them are loyal to Mizas and whoever has the most. Drink.

Shai sighed. Placing her focus on the wine, she went about trying to fill her tiny frame with more alcohol than blood.

[Mok]

It was a long day and Mok was ready to have a pint or two at the Pig’s Foot. Walking inside the beloved tavern, the myrian scanned the room as usual. No hooligans or gangsters. Letting out a relieving sigh, Mok walked lightly towards the counter. Even in his full armor, he was still as quiet as a mouse when he moved. With his shadowsilk cloak the half-blood looked both dangerous and mysterious. Nodding at Merv, he was handed the usual pint of ale. Mok and Cade had been patrons of the Pig’s Foot for many months. To the benefit of Mr. Merv, the two myrians always “took care” of any trouble brewing in the tavern.

Taking two huge gulps from his mug, the myrian turned on his stool and started to examine the patrons this evening. Everyone that night seemed usual enough; the gamblers and card sharks, the drunkards, the whores, there was nothing new. At this rate, Mok was going to have his two pints and return home. Not bothered much at the thought of a boring evening, the myrian continued to drain his mug. Suddenly, something caught his eye. There was a figure sitting in the corner of the room drinking a pitcher of….wine? Not only was the figure drinking wine, but she was downing it like a champ… like a champ. Mok’s mouth dropped for a moment and his eyes widened. He sat there wearily for another second as he saw her finish another glass.

The way he figured it, the tiny body must have been completely full of cheap wine. The myrian’s mind pictured the figure exploding at any moment. Shaking his head, Mok snapped out of it and took another gulp from his mug. ‘Lhex’s balls! What the hell,’ was the only thought that could come to the myrian’s mind. Shrugging, Mok decided to investigate further. This meant that the half blood was going to approach the figure straight up and talk to her. A myrian does not hide, he is no coward. He would approach the dark figure.

Standing up, Mok shuffled quickly through the tavern with mug in hand. In a few strides, the half-blood was sitting at the table. As the hooded face looked up, Mok scanned her; a delicate, pale face with interesting eyes. Her skin was soft and smooth. Her eyes were purple colored. She seemed to be a gentle woman, but a deeper look revealed the darkness that existed in everyone in Sunberth. Yes, it was there. She was no simpleton. She had done her fair share of crime and murder. Mok was sure of it; nothing innocent about her. Feeling oddly philosophical tonight, the myrian decided to speak his mind.

“There is nothing different between us,” Mok bravely announced, “I can see it in your eyes. Everything has already been preordained in your life... You are prisoners in chains… a victim of a venomous fate. Now you choose a path that’s clear. You choose the path of freewill?”

oocSorry for lagging.

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common

[Shai]

Shai noticed as the large stranger sat at her table but delayed her reaction momentarily. She took a beat to finish off her current glass of wine before she dragged her eyes upwards to assess the table’s new occupant. She supposed he wasn’t all that much bigger than a normal human but had to admit he was decently muscled. Additionally, she noted his skin color which seemed to hint at the human bloodlines from one of the southern regions. Had she been less sauced she might have cared about these details she’d noticed, she might have thought about how to use them to her advantage in this situation, but right now all that seemed to matter was one over shadowing concept. She couldn’t help but smile at her absolutely rotten luck, she went out of her way to try and make herself unable to do something stupid and an enabler found her. Well if fate was ordained as her new drinking company asserted then it seemed like her day was only getting started.

“I would say there are differences, about a hundred pounds and a lot less alcohol.” Her speech was halting but she’d clearly been taught how to annunciate carefully regardless of the situation. Such an education caused her to have to force some syllables to come out properly when she was so considerably inebriated. She eyed him while slowly, drunkenly, processing the rest of his statement. “Venomous?” She let out a harsh laugh but said nothing further about what had caused the laughter. “I don’t know if my will is free, but it is my own and I have the abilities to make my will reality. So I suppose that is as free as anything ever is in Sunberth.” She returned her gaze to her empty glass and poured the last of the pitchers contents into it.

“I suppose it is best I take this one slow hm? Gods forbid I should spill my dinner all over my front, oh what a commotion that would make.” She said her statement like it was a bitter inside joke. Shai took a deep breath; clearly aware of how horrible her manners were at this moment but who was going to rebuke her for them? “You say we are similar and that my fate is preordained, so then yours must be too. I suppose we were meant to meet then? Very well, my name is Shai. Probably best I tell you that before I forget it, which is my aim tonight.” She took a gulp of her wine, already seeming to forget her own warning about drinking too much. “What name shall I attach to my new p. . penss. .. pensith. . .petch it all, thinking drinking partner?” It was obvious the alcohol was beginning to hit her much harder than before. The wine had loosened her tongue and while the alcohol should have only fed fuel to her earlier anger it was instead supporting a very different emotion a much drearier one. Damn this choosy booze, I wanted to claw someone’s eyes from their sockets not think about what I’ve left behind!

Later, after this alcohol and the headache that’d threaten to split her face open passed, Shai would be completely appalled at how talkative and open she’d been this night. Usually, Shai was quiet and kept her information to herself or only told it in secure areas, a populated bar was by no means secure. Her name was one of her most guarded secrets. She preferred it if her web never heard of her existence again and rumors about a Symenestra named Shai would not support that cause.

[Mok]

"I still say your will is free," Mok said in response to her first remark, "It is your life. All your decisions are our own. See even not deciding is a choice."

The myrian took a long draught from the putrid ale as the woman poured more wine into the glass. He almost choked when he heard her comment on vomitting. It was just humourous to think of all the times men have hurled sitting on the very bar stool she now presided. Keeping quiet though, Mok listened to the woman introduce herself... Shai? He had never heard that one before. It wasn't surprising though; Mok had never met a woman quiet like her. No matter.

"I am Mok," the warrior raised his mug and toasted, "To freewill."

Draining his mug, Mok let his guard down for a single second. This was not good at all. Before he could react, the pit of his chest sank in as a dagger plunged into his chest. His eyes flashed black as luke warm liquid leaked from his body. His life was at forfiet. The noise of the bar died out. It was all over now, but at least he would die with no regrets.

However, Mok's mind was only playing tricks on him. A second later, everything was fine. The buzz and chatter of the inn returned, followed by his vision. Putting down his mug, the myrian clenched his chest; his face still lingering with pain. He had no time to think though, he needed to act normal.

"Shai I will order another round. Come, let us drink some more. Tell me something interesting about yourself and I will return the favor." Mok motioned for a pitcher of beer and a pitcher of wine. All he could hope for now was that she did not notice what just happened.

Mok was now throughly embarassed now. What the hell just happened? Why did he feel such a sensation? Having such a terrible vibe in such a innocent setting was strange.It had to be Shai. There was something not right about her. No, maybe it was him. Mok rarely let his guard down. That was probally the reason. Yeah. Mok finally decided not to think to much into it for now.

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common

[Shai]

Shai flattened a palm against the underside of the table and forced the microscopic hooks to protrude from her skin; using the table to keep steady. While drinking alcohol quickly was an excellent way to take one’s mind off something it made the effects hit you at once. “Freewill!” Shai finished her drink as Mok did, if she hadn’t been so concerned about her own level of intoxication she would have noticed the small episode where the barbarian froze. Oh this won’t end well…she thought as the mug slammed down on the table a little harder than she had intended.

“Something interesting?” she mused mostly to herself. Did she still him the truth or make up something? A thief shouldn’t tell her tricks, then people would know who to blame when something went missing in an extraordinary manner. On the other hand there were a few things she’d stolen that were outside her normal patterns, those stories would do. “Very well. One day, last Summer, I sat beneath a small pier as a young man fished from it.” She laughed preemptively since she knew where the story led, “The man had been fishing all day and the fish had been biting. But none of them ever reeled in, know why?” Her laughing continued, “Because as he pulled them in I would cut the line right before they would come out of the water. I snatched four good sized fish that day.” Not that it mattered, Shai hated fish; she had ended up selling them just a few blocks away in the sea side market. She’d made a couple mizas but it had been a wasted day considering what she could have made with her talents in other locations.

Her chuckles subsided as she refilled her mug, which even she admitted she ought not to do though it didn’t stop her. It would be rude to refuse his offer! was the best justification she could manage but her inebriated conscious accepted it for logic. “So what do you do Mok? What makes you interesting and keeps you kicking in this shyke heap of a city?”

[Mok]

The myrian took another swig of ale, letting the taste sink in his mouth. Listening to his new friend tell her story, Mok already began to think about any good stories that he had saved up. He could tell her about that one time when he escaped the grasps of a knight in outskirts of Sylira. Or maybe his encounters in the jungle wilds. Shai's story was nothing of the sort. She talked of a time she stole some fish from a kid. It certainly seemed like a terrible story to tell in Mok's opinion. Anyone could steal a sack a fish. This was okay though; he would start off small and get her to one-up him. The half-blood decided to go with this tactic.

"Ah I see you are not afraid to take that which is not rightfully yours. You DO seem like the mischievous type." Mok chuckled in response.

The myrian placed his hand on his chin and thought hard. He still couldn't think of a good story to tell her. "Well, yours is a tough story to follow," he said with a wink, "But I suppose I can tell you about the time I tried to steal a horse from a syliran knight." He had decided to go with the knight story. It was over used, but oh well.

"One day while I was still staying in Sylira, I decided I had enough and set off towards the east. On the road I come across this knight who seemed to be picnicking or something. Beats me why he would sit alone along the highway," Mok laughed at this part, "This is when I petched up girl. This is when I had the bright idea to take his bloody horse. What was I thinking? I didn't know two mizahs about a warhorse. I figured it would fetch a good price, but I didn't know how stupid I was at the time. Long story short, I sneak on top of the horse only to get thrown off immediately. It was only moments before the knight was upon me. I had to fight back a little and I eventually made my escape. Probably one of the stupidest things I have ever done. I won't be going through Sylira for a minute."

He left out a few important plot notes, such as he fell off the horse because of inexperience with the beast, but that was best left unsaid in Mok's opinion. Also there was no way Shai had a better story. No way.

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common

[Shai]

Shai aided the Myrian dubiously but finally shrugged, it was entirely possible for someone to get away with such a feat just inordinately stupid. Unfortunately she nothing to top it, when she performed feats it was usually less spectacular but generally more successful. But there was always the present, “You have me there, Mok. But there is one thing I can say for certain!” She stood up with only a little wobble, “There is no time like tonight… to make a better shtory.” The spider’s original purpose for drinking had been shoved firmly in the back of her mind with a new challenge and a new face to assist the alcohol in its pursuits. “You may have me beat in the past, but there here and now?” She accented her challenge with a feral grin, if he rose to the challenge she knew the victor already. The barbarian had no chance against the greater species; the Symenestra. “I bet in this one night I can best any feat you can conjure!” Shai gave no thought to what she would actually bet, maybe mizas but that was what everyone used for betting. When the win was so certain she ought to come with a more valuable prize. She chuckled to herself again; this was what the humans called a hustle. Hopefully Mok wouldn’t realize the thief could pull of more extordinary stunts just by the condition of her birth.

occSorry for the short post but I finally figured out what to do with this thread, yay.

[Mok]

"Ahh! A woman of action! Are you sure you’re not myrian mother?" Mok started, "All right! You’re on!"

Mok went right to work. He was drunk, but not wasted yet. He needed to be petching out of his right mind to one up this blasted woman. Normally, he would never feel the urge to compete. This was somehow different though. Why? He did not know, but he ran with it anyways. How was he to beat Shai though? The answer was the make her play the game on Mok's own terms.

Slapping a couple gold mizah on the counter Mok preceded, "Yo, listen barkeep, one beer, one whiskey, and one rum. The rest is for the damages." The barkeep grinned. Mok always showed respect to the barkeep.

First he slammed the rum. Without wasting a breath he slammed the whiskey. The ale was slow to come out, so he washed down the bitter after taste with the beer. Strike out! Letting out a sigh of relief Mok went to work, "Watch this Shai."

The half-blood drunk picked up the bar stool he was sitting on and slammed it against the floor as hard as he possibly could, his intent was to break the chair up into small pieces and get the attention of the bar. Everyone turned and looked. The whole crowd quiet for a moment of surprise. Picking up a piece of wood he tossed it to Shai.

"Not one of your scallywags can make me leave this bar sober!" Mok laughed at the crowd. His yell was a simple rebuke to start a friendly brawl in the tavern. Anyone sitting the bar would catch that in the tone of his voice.

A drunken sailor approached fists high, "Alright, boys, I'll have at it!"

Once the guy was in range the brawl began. Mok slammed at the short, bald svefran sailor as hard as he possibly could with the leg of the bar stool. The half-blood instinctively used all of the kinetic energy from his legs, hips, and back into the strike. He was going for a one hit knockout. Unfortunately it never works like that. After breaking the leg on his head, the bar went into an uproar and Mok received a massive blow to the chin, knocking his neck back.

Raising his arms, Mok blocked two more blows before getting back his vision. The sailor in front of him was trickling with blood, but his face was savage and intense. This guy would be a tough adversary. So much for impressing Shai...

Red = Myrian
Bold = Common

[Archelon]

Thread Award "..." And the Results!!!!: Shai : SkillName 1-5 How/why? Rhetoric 3 Larceny 1 Lores: Drinking oneself silly. Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? : Interesting, any questions comments, concerns, please feel free to pm me a nice pm .