Closed [Shooting Star Inn] Meeting the Locals

[Liriah]

Donning a white blouse and black skirt, her color scheme for work, Liriah left the apartment in Luma's care, leaving him with a wave and a few reminders on house keeping. It was approaching dusk, Syna and Leth were present in the sky, their reunion coloring the sky in pastel romance, when Liriah set off for the Shooting Star Inn. With small strides and a steady pace, Liriah took in the sight of Lhavit as it began its nocturnal activities. The glow of the skyglass spires and buildings shone in unison with the stars, the paved paths and level ground glowing brighter as Syna descended from the skies, lighting Liriah's passage and paths. The Inn was surprisingly filled tonight, the din and cries of drunken and somber patrons alike leaking out of the sturdy walls. Deciding that it would be better to enter through the back door, Liriah passed by the stables, exchanging warm greetings with the boy who managed the stalls while he tended to a Leapordbred. Liriah had never seen this one in the stalls before, knowing instantaneously that a new figure was in town. Doubletaking, Liriah returned to the stable to check on Schwarts, her Sungold mare. Entering through the backdoor, Liriah entered the kitchen and began taking completed orders and trays of food immediately, concentrating on balancing the trays with one hand. The head server of the Inn had tried to teach her how to balance many times before, but, after more than half a season, Liriah had finally gotten the hang of it. Entering the main room of the Inn, Liriah slipped into her role of a smiling waitress, and headed off, giving the food and drinks on the trays to the patrons who ordered them. Finished with serving the other patrons, their mugs of alcohol refilled and bowls of stew cleared, Liriah headed towards an unusually orderly group. The group was centered around a man clad in armor, the sword by his side a flashing beacon that spelled out 'knight' and 'mercenary'. The two women who flanked him were also strangers to her, having never seen or heard of them before. There was another women in the group. Something must have transpired between the three women to create such a tense atmosphere, and it most likely had to do with the man in the middle. Approaching the group, Liriah wedged the two empty trays in her hands between her right armpit, procuring a note pad and an enchanted quill from her breast pocket. "May I take your orders, ladies and gents?"

[Gawain]

When presented with a row of pearly whites, it was Gawain's natural response to flash a smile of his own in return. So when the shy woman with shimmering eyes managed to muster up a large smile, Gawain couldn't help but to match her smile with one of his own disarming grins. And evidently, she did know him, even though he didn't know her. Her initial shyness, which he suspected was a reason that he hadn't met her until now appeared to be dissipating as well. But she hadn't revealed her name, which was unfortunate. And before he could ask for her moniker, well, other questions were at hand.

Turning to Xylona, who he'd neglected to pay much attention to in the short time he'd spoken with the Vantha, as she spoke, Gawain smiled appreciatively as she spoke to his other conversational partner. He'd gotten a gut feeling that she was distressed about something, but it didn't seem to be the woman to his right that was bothering Xylona. That was a good omen for the social climate, but whatever was causing Xylona's distress would have to be addressed at some point, and preferably some point near in the future.

Alert, Gawain sat up a little. Threats were not uncommon in his line of work, and generally, a mercenary's threats involved cold steel. A small voice at the back of his head told him that it was highly unlikely that there would be someone attempting to start a fight to the death in a tavern in a highly populated city, but complacency killed more people than it helped. Sliding his hands along the sword which lay in his lap, Gawain gripped the handle and let his eyes rove around the room.

And standing before him was what he suspected was the threat. And it was chuffing.

As the creature- probably a Kelvic, some small portion of his conscious decided- bared its fangs and rested a finger on his neck, Gawain's hand around the sword hilt tightened into a knuckle-whitening grip, and he prepared to draw his sword. And then the Kelvic kissed him on the cheek. Gawain blanched and released the sword handle, as a faint sheen of perspiration settled on his forehead. He'd almost lit into a woman in the middle of a crowded tavern over nothing more than a gut feeling.

Slightly shaken, Gawain turned his head to face Xylona again, who the Kelvic was now addressing. Though he wasn't sure, he suspected the creature was spoiling for a fight. Or she was flirting. As far as Gawain was concerned, women and their ways were not something worth understanding. And with three women surrounding him, he suspected that he wouldn't be understanding very much as the night went on.

Facing the waitress who'd just approached, Gawain attempted to lean a bit closer to her, and muttered, "Another ale, please."

[Adeon Tien]

A man wearing a heavy, dark cloak entered the Inn, his hood pulled low so his face was not visable. As soon as he entered, a peculiar scent-which smelled like a mix of dust and an array of flowers-filled his area. He moved slowly to the nearest table, sitting down with his head hunched over.
It was obvious that he was making a concious effort to seem ordinary, to not draw attention.
Two pale hands exited from the folds of his cloak, folding themselfes on the table infront of him. He glanced out from his deep hood at the inhabitants of the bar, surveying the room.
After a few minutes of this cautionary exercise, a wench asked him what he wanted, but he waved her away, sighing in a tired, raspy voice. He curled his hand into a fist, moving it to under his hood, coughing. His voice seemed a bit more than tired, it seemed scratchy, to the point where it looked like it was painful to use.
After this, he was silent. Simply surveying the room, once again.
The knight.
The Mixed-Breed.
The watching woman.
The Waitress.
These seemed like the most radiant characters, and so he began observing their behavior.

[Samantha Grenth]

Samantha couldn't help but freeze as she heard a voice she had't in year. Her predator persona dropped down as she turned. Staring at her with a smile on her face was her long time friend and her mothers bestfriend, Liriah.

Letting our a breath she didn't know she was holding Samantha couldn't help but smile back at her long time Aunt. And then she cringed. Samantha scurried back from Liriah to a seat and tried not to appear too guilty or innocent. Realizing what she had just done Samantha couldn't help but let out a small huff of angry air.

Samantha stood and addressed Liriah, "It's good to see your again Aunt Liri." Samantha wanted to run and hide. Actually she had already done that and was afraid that if she tried to leave her seat Liriah would have a few strong words about it. Liriah had known Samantha since she was just a cub and had even taking to looking after Samantha when Rose and Samuel had a bad day.

Aunt Liri had earned the nickname because Samantha was too little and couldn't, or rather refused, to say Liriah. "I'll umm, wait until your brake if you want." Samantha looked away and then back to Liriah. She had a feeling that Liriah wouldn't be too happy to just be having contact with the Feline after a couple years.

Samantha hated how Liriah could take her out of her predator state especially when things were just getting interesting but she knew Liriah was like a second mother after she lost hers. But one that wanted her for herself and not for something she wasn't.

[Liriah]

OOCWe really need to sort the posting order out >w< It's a mess atm and there's no replies from Xyl and Ai, and I don't really expect you two to reply anytime soon, so I'm going to take my turn and allow Gawain to reset the Posting order Stars and kisses ~Lira Leaning in closer towards the armor clad mercenary, Liriah wrote down the mercenary-knight's order of ale, using her enchanted quill to write down the single order that came from the group. As she pocketed the notepad away, tucking the little rectangle of tickets back into her breast pocket, a sudden recognition came over her. The girl draped over the mercenary looked oddly like her niece, Sammy, but Sammy had left years ago after Rose had died in that "accident". She could still occasionally see the event in her nightmares; smoke and fire, everywhere, and Rose's slumped body soaked in scarlet. Snapping back from her trip down the river of memories, Liriah watched the girl intently as she stiffened suddenly, peeling herself away from the man. She and the others still hadn't responded whether they were ready or wanted to order yet, leaving Liriah standing there and smiling intently, waiting patiently while the tension in the group grew stronger. Following the strangely familiar girls movements, Liriah broke into a smile, a small laugh escaping from the confines of her lips. It was Sammy! Having forgotten the other patrons for the moment, Liriah approached her niece, her best friends' daughter and only child, wandering what she was doing back in Lhavit and curious as to who her companions were. Waving Sammy to take her seat, Liriah smiled at the now-all-grownup young lady who stood before her. "It's good to have you back, Sammy," her voice was mellow with affection as she took her notepad out and wrote down 'roast fish', it was her treat and, since it's for Sammy, Liriah didn't think Terence would mind "so, how was your adventures?" Liriah, being the rather perceptive woman she was, could tell Sammy was unnerved by her presence. She didn't know why, however, and just put it off as embarrassment from doing.....something. She had really missed Sammy ever since she had ran away, leaving Samuel behind and all alone, alone up in her small cottage and her sad visits to the broken Samuel in Lhavit. She had missed the little pet name that Sammy had used for her, Liri, when she couldn't string all of the syllables together. It was something that Rose had tried, and failed, to fix, but Liriah didn't mind. It was nice to have someone call her by a pet name. Liriah was glad and happy that Sammy was back after the past two years, but she was exasperated and rather upset that Sammy had never sent her a message or came by to visit her father. She couldn't blame or hold it against Sammy, however, since Lhavit reminded her of what happened in the past. The "accident". After her shift, Liriah was definitely going to have a chat with Sammy, have tea and little cakes and all, and reminisce over what had happened over the years. "You don't have to wait for me," her reply was followed by a smile; how Sammy had grown into a fine tiger "go, play with your friends while I work. I'll return to receive more orders if you and your friends need any." Giving Sammy one last look, an authentic smile lighting up her entire face, Liriah left to retrieve dirty plates and new orders from the other patrons. Her crystalline horns shimmering in the light as her hair flowed over her chest, the light from the candles refracting off her moonshine skin and sunset hair as she left off for the kitchen, her trays filled with dirty plates and bowls precariously stacked on top of one another and her notepad inscribed with orders upon orders, her mind solely focused on the mercenary's order of ale and Sammy's roast fish.

[Ai Shou]

Ai had a bad habit of feeling overwhelmed when there were a lot of girls around. It made her feel like she would have to actually try to get Gawain's attentions, but she knew she had little chance. Now with the kelvic trying to intimidate one of the girls and the new female arrival, Ai felt even smaller. She was just a simple Vantha with the looks of any normal person with the exception of her angular features and ever-changing eyes. She continued to remain silent, her eyes shifting to a dull grey that had specks of silver intertwined within the dull irises. She frowned and turned forward in her seat, trying to forget about Gawain sitting right next to her. Just thinking about being near such a calm and serene person made her heart race like the wind. Not only did he have little clue to who she was, he apparently didn't know most of the other women as well. "It's not surprising that he forgot." She said quietly to herself, whispering under her breath. She'd watched the streets many a night and on a few of those nights, she had seen him and even overheard his words from the rooftops. That was the only reason why she knew just who he was. If she wasn't so shy half the time, she might actually have remembered to introduce herself.

[Xylona Redwater]

OOCSorry about the wait guys. I talked to Gawain, and we agreed that the posting order should look something like this from now on. 1.Gawain 2.Xylona 3.Ai 4.Samantha 5.Liriah.

Xylona felt her insides turn at the waitress's mention of the tigress' "friends". Even to say they were tolerating each other would be a stretch of the imagination. Somehow, though, the waitress seemed to know the tigress. The tigress, seemingly called Sammy, had calmed considerably since "Aunt Liriah's" appearance.

Now, her crocodile smile was replaced with a sort of musing look, as if she were thinking of times past. Xylona gripped the edge of the table, trying to calm herself as well.

Deep breaths. She closed her eyes to picture waves on a shore, trying to slow her breathing to match the crashing waves. In...and out. Fill your lungs, and release the anger through your nose.

Opening her eyes, she tried at an apologetic smile, hoping they could start over. Xylona took a final breath- closer to a sigh- before addressing Sammy. She had wanted to inquire of her family, opening a more cheerful topic perhaps, but the words came out with a sting, accompanied by a slight sneer rather than her remorseful grin.

"You knew her, did you? Was that your Aunty?"

Maybe she hadn't done enough breathing.