Open Scorched Skills

[Bethsyliss]

Day 82 of Winter, 512 AV. Bethsyliss nervously fingered a curl of her luscious, black hair. She had virtually no work experience, and today was her first day as a barmaid at The Scorched Skull, the unsavoury inn found in a backward alley of the Pillars of Dust. Jaben, the tanned, black-haired Benshira bartender, eyeballed her every move with a flinty gaze, as if waiting for her to stumble one way or another. Bethsyliss was worried about possible outcomes she envisioned, but fortunately Ssahnya, the Dhani barmaid in a sleeveless, cobalt dress, was alongside her. Vipers, she knew, always looked out for each other, and Syliss found her assertive demeanor and confident presence all the more reassuring. "Sssahnya," she said shyly. "Do you mind going over it with me again?" She wanted to make sure all the information for the job was securely stored in her brain so that it could come to her when situations arose. "Alright," Ssahnya replied, rolling her heavily outlined eyes. "There'sss really not that much to remember, Sylisss. Pay attention. It's the lassst time I'll repeat this to you. Serve beer in pint-sssized mugs if they want mugs. Clear mugs for men, pink mugsss for women. Ssserve in the two-quart pitchers if they want pitchers. Clear pitchers for men, pink pitchersss for women. Use blue cupsss for water. Water is free. A mug is five copper mizas, a pitcher is two sssilver mizas. If you get confused, asssk Jaben. He'll work with you with the drinksss today. I'll be taking care of the tables for the mealsss." Bethsyliss nodded. "Oh," Ssahnya added. "Sssomething I haven't told you yet. Sometimesss, customers don't like to pay. They'll tell you they've forgotten their money at home. If that happensss, call for me. They won't even wait till I get there before they sssuddenly remember they're actually carrying the money with them." She paused. "Got that?" Bethsyliss widened her eyes a little bit. She was not expecting there to be such sort of problems. She realized she had been in the wrong mindset, totally unprepared for events of that kind should they arise. She felt a little worried and fervently hoped all clients would be cooperative. She prayed for someone she was already acquainted with to come it. That would inevitably make matters easier. But Singh, whom she met in the Scholar's Sanctum two days earlier, was too high-class a woman for this establishment, and so was her sister Esha; Rasken, who had recommended her to Ssahnya the day before, was probably at work at The Serpent's Elixir; and Ronin... well, Ronin was Ronin. One could never be sure, though, and she hoped nonetheless. "Sssyliss? You lissstening?" Ssahnya said, with a catch in her voice. "What? No, yes, fine -- yesss, I'm good, thank you, Sssahnya." Her stammering proved otherwise. She caught a glimpse of Jaden's face, and, unsure whether it was her imagination or not, she saw the steely man actually smirking at her unease. She shuddered inwardly. She knew the Benshira wouldn't go easy on her -- that was clear from the way he threw shards of ice at her with his frosty eyes --, and Ssahnya was obviously making an effort only because she was a viper as well. This job would not be easy. Suddenly the door swung open with a loud creak. It was her first customer.

[Treksha]

The first day back, and already he'd been spit on. Now, Treksha knew that, as a Chupra, he had always been disliked in Ahnatep. But never before had he been spit on. Some arrogant, childish Eypharian had bumped into him, sneered down at him, and spit on Treksha's hand that was extended in apology. Blood boiling with anger at the disrespect, Treksha simply stood as the Eypharian strode away. A fight would only get the Benshira killed by a Jackal, or even more embarrassingly, by the foppish Eypharian. But still, nothing before had ever been so shaming. I should have slit the rakva's throat. I should have rent him limb from limb for his insult. He deserved worse. He deserved... The thoughts continued, becoming more and more profane as the man stalked through the streets of the beautiful city. Well, most was beautiful. Coming up to one of the ruins of the city, Treksha looked up from his feet and his thoughts long enough to stop and stare. He had reached the Pillars of Dust, and he knew that this was one place he should not be, one place he should avoid. Yet the boy stepped into the ruin nonetheless. "I need a drink," Treksha murmured quietly to himself. Step after step brought him deeper into the ruin, Larks singing and tugging lightly at his deep red cloak. A simple quickening of pace discouraged them, but the looks of the Scorpions were a bit harder to shake. Another step, and another, each one quicker than the last, brought him to the door of a building. Not taking the time to inspect where he'd found himself, the Benshira boy hurriedly reached down, turning the purple doorknob and stepping inside. In this swift motion, he shut the door behind him and sighed quite audibly. Once he noticed his surroundings, that sigh was cut off quite abruptly.

[Bethsyliss]

The man who entered The Scorched Skull was a six-foot-tall human with skin the colour of molten gold. He was neither excessively ripped nor particularly lean, although he was more on the muscular side, and had brown-black shoulder-length hair. Most striking of all were his eyes. They were bright green on the inside with a golden ring outlining them. Bethsyliss thought they looked like emeralds reflecting the sunlight. She found him very attractive. That was probably what caused her to remain immobile for a few seconds, lost in his piercing eyes, ignoring Ssahnya's expecting frown. Nature doesss come up with a wonder from time to time, she thought, still gazing at the alluring man who was her first customer. Ssahnya's impatience got the better of her. "Sssnap out of it," she hissed under her breath. Syliss jumped with a start, then shook her head in manner of apology. They had gone through this countless times, and it had been established that Syliss was to cater to the needs of the next person who entered without the head barmaid or head bartender's assistance, unless she got confused and absolutely required help. In dealing with this man, Syliss didn't want anyone's help. Although not without a certain degree of anxiousness, she was actually grateful to be the one responsible for this man's well-being, even though, she realized, she was just a barmaid to him, and there was only so much she could do in such a position. Nervously, she approached him, but said nothing. She stared into his deep, green and golden eyes before realizing that she was here to do her job, and certainly not fantasize over clients. She tried to speak, but no sound came out of her lips. She raised her hand, ungraciously cleared her throat, and made another attempt to speak. This time was successful -- at least moderately. "What can I do you for -- do for you, sssir?" she stammered awkwardly, trying to relieve the tenseness by putting on her best smile. As she attempted to suppress her lustful urges, the golden streak on her left eyebrow sparkled like a smug star.

[Treksha]

What the petch did I get myself into? Treksha's eyes widened perceptibly as he surveyed the inn he had found himself in. Skulls on the ceiling, dark, ominous... This place was exactly what he was hoping to avoid when he'd ducked into a building. He had gone without his head covering today, leaving himself in his long tunic and deep red cloak, but he still looked as much like a Benshira as he ever had - that is, except for the skin and eyes. But, despite that, he still felt out of place in the Scorched Skull. He was broken from his reverie when his eyes locked with those of a dark-skinned beauty standing before him. She was nothing more than a shadow in his line of sight, but her golden eyes are captivating enough to capture his attention for a long, drawn out moment. She had a sort of dark beauty, both literally and figuratively, yet she seemed to have an edge of innocence in the way she moved - that is, her innocence was so overwhelming that even the naive Benshira could spot it. Another tick of a bell, and the woman was scolded by another, likely a barmaid of some sort from the look of her clothing and the way she seemed to have power over the woman keeping Treksha's gaze. The gold-skinned man swallowed at her approach, unable to take his eyes from her. After an internal chuckle at her initial hesitation, the woman spoke to him.The quality of her voice was hard to pinpoint, but it only served to further entrance the boy. In addition, the way her head turned made the light catch the golden glimmer in her eyebrow - was it makeup? Whatever it is, this creature is marvelous... Even his internal monologue sounded strained, but now was the time to respond, not laugh at himself and seem like a fool. "Ah... Erm, can you tell me what is this place?" There was a slight stammer to his voice also, almost as if her smile had trapped his voice in his throat and was keeping it hostage long enough to make him feel foolish. Her teeth were simply perfect. "I do not know if this should be admitted, but I may have gotten myself lost..." Affably, he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, the hammered copper hoop hanging from his right ear catching the light with the motion.

[Bethsyliss]

Bethsyliss had expected the handsome man to simply ask for a drink. And so, when he formulated a different question than that which she had anticipated, she panicked. Instead of answering him, she closed the small gap between them and kissed him full on the lips. She had not intended for that to happen, but she had not resisted the man's eyes, so innocent yet so deep, and his shy demeanor. She retracted her head immediately, her eyes widening in disbelief for what she had so uncontrollably done. It was as though an immaterial force had nudged her into doing that. Before she had realized it, it was done. She slowly brought her hand to her mouth agape and covered her lips as though she had done some terrible thing. In a sense, she had. This was her first day of work, and she had assaulted her very first customer. Part of her did not regret that, while part of her did. Either way, she had to smooth things out somehow. This is going to get sssticky, she surmised, fervently hoping that neither Ssahnya nor Jaben had seen her in the act. "Oh, dear," she apologized, stricken with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to do that, sssir, I'm ssso terribly sssorry. There's -- um... Well, anyway, that's that, isn't it -- I mean, everyone has their bad daysss, right? I -- uh -- anyway..." She tried to compose herself and straightened her posture. "I'm sssorry. It won't happen again. Please don't mention it to my bosss. She'll have my throat." But then Syliss was lost again in the beautiful man's eyes. They were so ingenuous, so candid, and yet it seemed like they withheld such wisdom within their equivocal beauty... No, she said to herself, chasing away her lusty thoughts. If I keep on picturing him thisss way, something bad is bound to happen again and I do intend to keep my job -- at leassst for a day. Oh, Sssiku, please come to my aid. She shook her head, trying to regain her wits to prevent herself from indulging in such inappropriate behaviour. "Sssorry," she whispered, bowing her head down a little bit in a demonstration of shame. "I -- well, to anssswer your quessstion. This is The -- uh -- Ssscorched Skull. It's a tavern. You -- please, take a ssseat. Wherever. I'll be with you in a tick to -- um -- take your order." Syliss cursed herself for being so awkward and unprofessional. How was this ever going to work out?

[Treksha]

Despite the short time in which their lips touched, Treksha reveled in the feel of those full, soft lips. Perhaps he only imagined it all, but that moment felt natural, like the culmination of the energies that had played between them only moments before. In that split second, he felt as if something coursed through him, coming from that point where their lips met. Ridiculous! I've only just met the woman... Yet still, there was that seed of doubt, that one part of him that felt simply... Instinctive. That one part that wanted more, whether it be sexual, romantic, or even just more of her touch. But no, that was only a moment, and those feeling are frivolous and confusing. Any old fool knows that one cannot feel such passion and hunger from simply a kiss and a moment of eye contact. Her horrified face after the kiss nearly crushed the gold-skinned boy. It was almost as if he were a child once again, aching for her approval and attention. As she pulled back, his face followed almost imperceptibly, as if he were expecting more, almost in a trance. But no, this was not the place and this woman was not the person! Her apologies struck his ears, and his eyes widened slightly, giving him a young, almost puppy-dog look, yet still showing his age and his passion. "No, please, do not apologise. It is all okay." His cheeks burned slightly. At her insistence, Treksha took a seat at one of the tables in the inn, looking a tad dumbstruck. "A - alright, yes. Good. Thank you."

[Bethsyliss]

Alright, Sylisss, it's all going to work out fine, he's only a man, he's your client, and he isssn't offended by what just happened. Pull yourssself together and sssalvage what little of your dignity can ssstill be salvaged so that your first day of work doesn't turn into a fiasssco. Bethsyliss was hanging by the counter, trying to calm herself down while looking away from the handsome man who had already sat down. Neither Ssahnya nor Jaben had witnessed what had happened between him and her -- that much was obvious, since she still had her job. The head bartender, who stood behind the counter, stared at her with a puzzled expression of disinterest on his face. Oh no, now he's going to suspect sssomething, she assumed with great distress. She desperately wanted to trade assigned customers, although, deep down, she was very happy with serving that man. Anyway, if she asked to be assigned somebody else, either her Dhani boss or her Benshira superior would notice she was up to something. Alright, Sylisss, it's all going to be fine, jussst take his order and follow Ssahnya's instructionsss, she repeated to herself. After a few moments when she had managed to get past her anxious panic, she turned around, believing that she was ready to take on the man -- in a professional way, that is. As soon as he was back in sight, her eyes locked on to his and she suddenly went red in the face. She was painfully aware of this because she could actually feel her ears flaming, and a warm, liquid sensation welled up in her lower abdomen. Nevertheless, she braced herself, and walked up to the man's table, hoping that pretending to be confident would actually improve her confidence. It did not. "You -- uh -- what would you like to order?" she said, peering intently into the man's golden-rimmed bright green eyes and immersing herself in a dreamlike state made out of gold and jade. She realized then that she had forgotten every single part of Ssahnya's instructions. But she could not go back now, lost that she was in the beautiful man's eyes as in a wonderful mist of precious dust. She did not want to. Again, the golden streak on her left eyebrow caught the light at the right angle and gave off a glint that made it seem it reflected a sort of radiance from the man's eyes.

[Treksha]

In his seat, the Benshira boy let his gaze wander, taking in all of his surroundings. It was all so overwhelming - the skulls on the ceiling, the claustrophobic space, the intoxicating woman... But he needed a moment to rest. He knew if he walked back out into those ruins, he'd find himself in a much worse predicament. Yet, somehow, Treksha felt that here he could find himself in more trouble. Once more, his eyes found the woman and locked with her own. Her shy manner was endearing, and here she was, obviously blushing despite her ebony skin. Never before had such dark skin been so attractive to the man, he typically favoured those of pale or golden complexion. This one, however, was simply gorgeous. Her feigned confidence made him smile. Almost as an ocean wave, or the tug of the winds in the deepest desert, there was this push and pull of their interaction; first she would gain confidence and approach, then shy away again, followed by his own approach and retreat. "I would love something, uh, cold to drink." His smile was even more genuine now, his utterly deep voice quavering only slightly. "Like I said, I found myself lost. Being lost in the Pillars of Dust makes a man very thirsty, yes?" A nervous chuckle followed this comment, because Treksha knew that he should have been more careful with where he went, but he regretted nothing. "I am Treksha." Those green and gold eyes of his never left the woman's own golden ones, never wavering or shifting. He didn't want to lose sight of her, almost as if he feared she'd disappear at a moment's notice. Gods, what is this woman doing to me?

[Bethsyliss]

"Treksssha..." she repeated, emitting a subdued, snakelike purr as she did. She smiled. The name was soft to her ears. For some reason, knowing the handsome man's name reassured her. In an odd sort of sense, it justified what had just happened by marking the possibility of, at the very least, cordial behaviour, if nothing more. Syliss would certainly not be satisfied with mere cordiality, though. In a flash of insight into her deep desires -- which she would try to forget almost immediately, remembering the professional context their meeting had taken place in --, she knew that she yearned for a more intimate encounter. "Ssso -- something cold to drink, yesss. Right away." She conjured up all her force to be able to detach her gaze from his, and finally managed after a great deal of effort. She turned around, and was about to go fetch a drink for him at the counter, when she realized she had forgotten to introduce herself. Will it come acrosss as pushy if I suddenly come back without his drink and sssay my name? After all, I am only his waitresss, I shouldn't be expected to get personal with the clientsss. Then again, he introduced himself, and it would be terribly awkward and mean if I didn't do the sssame. This is awfully complicated... While she was weighing her options in her mind, the same force that had driven her to rashly kiss the man had already caused her to walk back up to him. Before she knew it, the words escaped her lips. "I'm Sylisss. It's a pleasssure to meet you, Treksssha." Then she regained control of herself, straightened up, and went to fetch Treksha's drink at the counter, moving with a strangely stiff allure. She found Jaben still observing her, that undecipherable expression of mild disinterest over his cold face. "What?" she said rather brutally, maybe a bit more brutally than she had intended. He was her superior, after all. But that didn't give him an excuse to stare. The head bartender simply shrugged. Treksha had asked for something cold to drink. He had clearly indicated that he was very thirsty. Syliss figured that beer was more effective in quenching thirst than water was, and he'd probably want the biggest size. Clear pitchersss for men, pink pitchers for women, she reminded herself, desperately trying to recall what she had gone over with Ssahnya only a few moments ago. She absently pulled out a pink pitcher from under the counter and was again met with Jaben's stare. What'sss wrong with him? she thought, ignoring the fact that she had pulled out the wrong colour glass. She went into the kitchen and collected beer from a tapped cask into the pink pitcher, and came back to serve it to Treksha. On her way, she inadvertently bumped into Ssahnya. The collision caused her to drop the glass full of beer on the floor. It shattered into a million pink pieces. "Sssylisss!" Ssahnya hissed menacingly. "Thisss, on your firssst day! You'll have to pay for the pitcher you broke as well as the beer you ssspilled. Two gold mizasss and ssseven sssilver. Let'sss round it up to three; that way, you'll be extra careful when handling equipment next time." "Ssahnya, I am ssso sssorry," Syliss apologized. She could hardly believe she wasn't fired. "I didn't mean for thisss to happen." Ssahnya did not look impressed. "I certainly hope you didn't. Now clean up this messs. I'll deduct three gold mizasss from your ssseasonal pay." She paused. Syliss remained silent, trying her best to seem like she accepted her punishment. "Move!" Ssahnya barked. Syliss hated to be treated like a slave. She absolutely despised it. She signaled to Treksha, telling him to bear with her for a moment, then went to fetch some cleaning equipment. This was not her day; and, at the same time, it was.

[Treksha]

Her voice sounded so sweet, speaking his name, but Treksha was a bit surprised at the distinct hiss he heard from the woman's sweet lips. A Dhani... Usually, the Benshira would be disgusted. The Dhani are often as bad as the Eypharians, like the one that spit on him earlier. But this one... She lacked the bloodthirsty, predatory quality he had so often seen in people of that race. And it was never like the man to judge someone based on anything other than their own merit. And petch, this Dhani was proving her merit... And she had turned and left, leaving Treksha sitting there without a name to grasp. She was obviously preoccupied, but it would have been nice to know who he was speaking to. I do get to watch her walk away... He shook himself from his reverie, breaking his stare from her backside, and slunk back into his chair just a bit more. That is, until she approached once again with that air of almost-confidence she seemed to wrestle from the grasp of some unknown being. With the sound of her name, Trek smiled. Syliss, sounds... Exotic. "Always a pleasure." The gold-skinned man also got the pleasure of watching her walk away once more, and he gazed on as she puttered about, looking to find the things she needed. He also witnessed the fall of the pitcher, its subsequent destruction, and the spill of the beer over the floor. The other woman, the one he thought was a barmaid also, walked over to Syliss and scolded her once more, and Trek listened in. Unfortunately, it was at the tail-end of the conversation, and all he heard was, "I'll deduct three gold mizasss from your ssseasonal pay." As Syliss walked away ashamedly, Treksha stood and strode over to the other barmaid, pulling out a small pouch of coins from under his cloak as he walked. "I can pay for that pitcher, and for the drink also. Syliss should not be punished for what was my fault. I fear I may have startled her in some way, and I can tell she is a very good worker." From this pouch came the needed three gold mizas, and an extra for good measure. "And this as compensation for the stress I have put on your workers." "The girl needss to learn not to be ssso foolish. But I suppose the ssource doess not matter, sssso long as we get the Mizass required. She will not do so again, but I will not dock her." Ssahnya sounded angry and her speech was clipped, but she took the mizas from the man and stalked away quickly. At least she won't punish the girl. I hope.