All Wound Up (Coren)

[Sodrel Frostfawn]

21st of Fall, 512 The Red Diamond Tavern The crowd at the Red Diamond Tavern was bigger than usual. Most of the tables were filled with patrons, others milled around the floor. It looked like the few tables that were empty would soon fill. Sodrel’s blue gaze lingered on a couple that came in holding hands. They were oblivious to anyone but themselves. It made her own hands ache. She flexed her sore fingers and shook her hands to loosen the cramping. Another long day at the stables was over. Tomorrow she could sleep in; she looked forward to unwinding. She sat at a table behind the row of chairs in front of the fireplace, a third wine on the table in front of her, enjoying the dull roar that surrounded her. The aroma from the kitchen wafted over to her table. Whatever they were cooking back there had to be good. She probably should have ordered the night’s special before drinking all that wine. The crowded tavern was getting warmer. The most interesting chatter in the Red Diamond was coming from two dark-haired women sitting in front of her. They reminded her of two school kids telling secrets. She hadn’t noticed them at first, but as the night went on and their number of drinks went up, they got louder. Or maybe, as the number of drinks in Sodrel went up, she got closer since she hated sitting alone and there was no one else to talk to. She found herself drawn in by their whispers. As soon as a seat opened up next to them, she picked up her drink and went over to sit with them in front of the fire. By that point, it didn’t seem matter if she’d been invited. The girl sitting next to her smiled and turned around, eager to include Sodrel in their conversation. “Have you heard about the mage yet?” It took Sodrel’s mind a minute to piece together her words. She definitely should have put her drink down, but she took another sip instead to wet her now dry lips. “What mage are you talking about? Where?” “Here! In Avanthal. I can’t believe you haven’t heard anything about it. Everybody’s talking about him.” “You’re kidding me. A mage here?” Sodrel looked around the tavern trying to find him. “How do you know?” “I heard it from one of the girls in my Hold. She saw him herself!” The girl’s ruby eyes darted around the room the same way Sodrel’s had. “He could be anywhere.” Mages were unnatural. The idea of someone practicing magic in her backyard made her cringe. “I hope they find him and toss him out before he does any damage.” The girl nodded in agreement. “They better do more than toss him out. First dead guards, now mages running loose around the city. It’s not safe for us to go out alone anymore.” Sodrel gulped down the last few swallows of wine in her glass and stared at the girl’s narrowing eyes. Even the warmth of the fire didn’t prevent the shiver that ran through Sodrel’s body. She came to the tavern to relax, but the girl managed to undo all the good the wine had done. Unnerved, she stood on wobbly feet and paused to gain her footing. Another drink was a bad idea. She glanced down at the empty glass in her hand while the conversation went on around her. No. I don't want to go home yet. It's was too early for that. One more. She swore it would be the last one as she stumbled back toward the bar.

[Coren]

While Coren usually kept way from crowds and taverns. Since he was kicked out of his hold not a lot of people enjoyed his company anymore anyway. And the feeling was quite mutual. But this time was different, the rumors about a mage inside of avanthal had interested him, especially since it wasn't him they where talking about. And not liking crowds or not, if he could manage to find something of a kindred spirit of some kind he would work his way through a bit of disgust for the common crowd to keep an eye on the rumors. For a few chimes he had been sipping the same mug of beer as he sat somewhere out of the way of the crowd keeping his ears out for anything that sounded interesting. Until now he hadn't heard anything very useful, just some tripe about a new baby boy being born in the skyglow hold, curse their families, the stories of what had happened to the icewatch in recent history. Though those where usually blown way out of proportion and more of the usual old tripe the men and women of avanthal. He took another sip of his beer and wondered if this trip had been a waste of his precious time. Thought thoughts where banished out of his head when he heard the gossip of a trio of woman at the side. He was quite sure the words mage had been used in that conversation. It was quite a shame he wasn't able to listen in on their conversation. He gritted his teeth, he didn't want to leave a potential lead to another mage alone. So he just had to swallow his disgust and actually try to pump them for information. Coren let out an annoyed sigh as he threw back his hood and slipped of his mask, one of the mayor advantages of nearly always wearing a mask was that your normal uncovered face was just as good a disguise as any other. He repressed the shivers over his spine as he stuffed his mask in his pocket. A bit of unease was worth that information. He stood up and walked towards to the table just as one of the girls had been going for another drink. “Good evening, I heard you two repeat a quite intresting rumor, you mind if I sit down?” Coren gave the both of the girls the most charming smile he could manage.

[Sodrel Frostfawn]

By the time Sodrel stumbled back to her chair with her…um…wine number something…in her hand, she’d decided the number of drinks was less important than her newly found happy buzz. She'd barely found her way back to the girls and was surprised to see someone else sitting in her chair. It didn’t take them long to replace her, did it? Which kind of annoyed her. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more it anoyed her. She was about to go over and tell them just how annoying she found it to be, but as she closed in on them, she realized there was a man sitting in her place. And not just any man. One that looked pretty good from behind. Oh! A man in my seat? When she couldn't even wrangle one at the bar? She couldn't believe her luck. Sodrel plastered the best smile she could muster up on her face as she rounded the group of chairs, but the smile felt lopsided. She stood up a little straighter, trying to even out the smile she was wearing, but it didn't matter how she twisted, she still felt off. Trying to even herself out cost her her balance completely. She tripped over her heavy feet and went sprawling across the stranger's lap without a shred of grace. She would have been embarrassed if his coat hadn’t been so soft. She just wanted to touch it… Her fingers smoothed over the worn material. Perhaps letting him stay in her chair wasn’t all that bad of an idea after all. She looked up at his face, wearing her stupid lopsided grin again, as her eyes tried to focus on his features. Her smile deepened. Good Morwen, didn't he look even better with a face! “Uh…petch. Sorry. Let me get up,” she said, though she didn’t try very hard to move.

[Coren]

“Oh no, not at all.” the woman to his right said as her eyes slowly changed to a light green, a playful smile on her face. Something that put coren straight on edge as soon as he saw that. His interaction with females in general was something that was minimal at best, and positive interaction with females was even rarer. So it wasn't that strange that Coren didn't really feel very comfortable in their presence, especially when his telltale mask was missing from his face. “So, what where you two talkinga bout a while back, I heard something about a mage in the city? Is he the one responsible for those weird icestone creatures I heard things about or something?” Coren tried to keep his charming smile up as he pulled his hand back as the woman tried to pat on it. Something that seemed to amuse the other woman judging from her giggles. “I don't know about that to be honest.”The giggling woman interrupted, which earned her a glare from the other woman. That or she could be glaring because she was laughing at her for some reason he honestly couldn't see. What in morwens name was funny? “One of the girls in my hold just saw a somebody do something that was clearly magical. They shouldn't allow people like that to walk around in our beautiful city.” Coren's fake smile faltered, though luckily both of the woman where to tipsy to really notice it. “I do....” Coren's reply to the woman's statement was cut off when somebody heavy suddenly stumbled and fell on his lap. Much to coren's surprise. That surprise quickly shifted over to embarrassment and a hint of apprehension as the girl that laid on his lap began to rub her hands all over him. Coren blushed a bright red as the girl, absolutely contrary to her words, didn't make a move to get of his lap. “Yes, that would be nice?” Coren stuttered out as he tried to help the woman of his lap, his efforts both hindered by the simple fact she seemed to find his coat pretty irresistible and kept trying to rub her hands all over it and the fact she was completely drunk of her ass. Honestly, he didn't really know what to do with this situation. At the same time coren saw the woman to the right of him glare at the drunk woman still sprawled over his lap, whatever was brewing here, he had a sinking feeling he was going to get caught up in something that wasn't going to end well for him.