Closed Usual Business

[Ricky Maze]

Usual Business
Spring 36 513 AV; 20th Bell
Location: The Grotto

Ricky was in Burt's room at the Grotto, with Fenvur in his lap as he had snuck into Ricky's pocket again before he left to come. Ricky and Burt had been talking for about half a bell now about things, important things Burt needed to know about really. Like how Ricky could now use magic but never really attempted to, although that would soon change as he needed to focus on learning to use what he knew. If he wanted to be able to face any challenge with certainty he had to be ready to face the challenges that lie ahead, thus Burt agreed that he too must help his son in this. Which surprised Ricky even more, considering it was his own father who taught him to fearfully respect magic. "Ya sure yer okay with this?"

"You're my son, magic or not you're still the same. I've taught you how to see right from wrong, and if you feel practice is the right thing to do then I support you." Burt assured him with a nod, his expression serious as he leaned forward. "But you better keep your self from goin' bonkers you hear. I ain't puttin' you through all this just to lose you to insanity, I've devoted to much time in raisin' ya and you've a family that's more important than any sort of trainin'."

"I know," Fenvur stretched and yawned as he stood on all fours, the kitten then dropped to the floor and went to the cracked door, "believe me this whole trainin' is just one big preparation for the storm ahead.Once that passes the I can fully commit to bein' settled with Tel, and we can go 'bout raisin' a family with a normal life." Fenvur had squeezed his way through the door and made it out into the hallway, his master unaware that the kitten was on his own adventure now.

The brave little kitten walked onward with curious fascination of the world around him as he looked around, the massive hallway huge all around as he walked the rooms of the giants. He made his way to the staircase and jumped down each one until he descended to the large room where the tables were, only a few people seemed to be dining herw tonight. "Mew." Fenvor looked around curious and lost now, aware that he had travelled too far. His master wasn't anywhere in sight and that wasn't good, thus he did the one thing he knew would help bring Ricky around. "Meow." He called with a pan of the room. "Meow." His master hadn't come around yet, what was taking him so long?

[Wart]

"Y'know I really ain't got the patience t' be standin here talk'n to you I know you got some here I 'ave been through this shyke before!"

"Look mam I've never even seen you here before now there's the Kelp Bar--"

"It was a while ago a'right, now you really think," the woman lifted the cane at her side and smacked it against the counter, "that I would be here if I could'a walked to the petchin Kelp Bar?!" The lack of assistance now caused her to lean forward and grasp the counter for support, adding to the fear of the bartender on the other side. Through her teeth the woman sighed and pulled a gold miza out of her pocket it, dropping it and sliding it towards the man. "There, that 'nough for ya?"

"I... o-okay. Fine. Just, just hold on okay?" He disappeared for a moment. In his absence Wart brought her cane back down and used it to move back away from the counter. In her other hand was a bunch of papers and an old pencil, much restraint being used to keep from crumpling both. When the man came back he set down a mug of putrid smelling green liquid. The look on his face was one of lingering nervousness and confusion, as he couldn't fathom why anyone would go so far out of their way for it.

Wart shoved the papers under her arm and grabbed the mug. Through a red-eyed glare she muttered "Thank you," and went off to find a table.

She was lucky that the Grotto had been relatively empty that night. The decrease in rowdiness as well as distance was what brought her here as apposed to the Kelp Bar. All the same, she did come for alcohol, and at this point she needed something stronger than what they normally served.

Picking out an empty table, Wart stuffed the cane underneath and out of sight. She then set down her papers, then her drink. Kelp Beer. It'd been a year since she'd had some. Even then she'd preferred it for its ridiculous alcohol content, but tonight the aches and pains warranted even more urgent reasons to stomach the putrid smelling beer. The Kelp Bar was the one known for serving it, but she'd found that with persuasion other inns tended to be able to find a store of it if they really tried.

On the first touch of the drink to her lips, Wart's stomach lurched. It had been so long, she'd lost the tolerance she'd worked to keep up since that first time at the tattoo shop. Gods, i's the initiation all o'er again. Holding her nose, she took a small sip, forcing it down with a grimace. A dull warmth quickly spread through her body, and she allowed herself to relax for a moment.

As she began to spread her papers out and readied her pencil, she began to glance around the room to find some sort of inspiration. It had been ages since she'd last drawn, and she desperately needed the practice.

"Mew."

Wart's eyes, now settled down to her usual purple, scanned the room for the source of the sudden small noise. The petch...?

"Mew."

This time she spotted it. A small kitten standing near the stairs. Wart scoffed in disbelief. A kitten in a bar. Now that was a first for her. A stray rat, a (shudder) bird even, but she'd never actually seen a kitten just wandering like that.

With a very slight hint of a smile on her face, Wart picked up her pencil and began to sketch the little animal. Her hand still shook a little, but she tried to control it enough to make it look like it was on purpose, like it was supposed to be fur or something. With a quick sip of beer in between strokes, she continued looking back and forth between her paper and the kitten. She wasn't much of an animal person, but with all the stress of the last week, even she had to admit that the thing was almost... Cute.

[Ricky Maze]

"You take care son." Burt gave a pat on Ricky's shoudler as he had headed for the door, their conversation finally ended with rather better terms than Ricky anticipated.

"Ye too pa. Oh!" Ricky peered around the room to see if Fenvur was in sight, the little furball however was not. "Did ya see where Fenvur went by chance?"

"I assumed he went back into your pocket again." Ricky passed his father and checked under the bed, looked in the spaces the kitten could fit in while Burt checked his travel gear and even his shoes; yet there where no signs of Fenvur.

"Shyyyke." Ricky sighed with fingers ran through the hair on the back of his head. "This isn't very funny." He remarked as Burt started to laugh.

"Havin' a baby soon and you're already losin' a kitten, what will your lass do with you." He teased with hands at his hips.

"She'll tan me ass if I don't bring Fenvur home." He pointed out with a smirk, but a sound finally reached his ear by a faint echo. A call from a youngling cried for him as he had lost his master, Fenvur had meowed for Ricky somewhere down the hall. "Oh thank Zulrav." He exhaled in relief, as he peered down the hall. "I'm off to save fuzz ball from strangers, I'll see ya tomorrow pa." He parted with a wave as he shut the door, Burt could only laugh at the irony as he watched his son leave. "To think he's still the same, only in the near future he'll deal with the same things I did." It was amusing indeed that Burt had raised Ricky all on his own, and now the time for Ricky's turn to do the raising would come soon.

For now though he spent his time following the sounds of a kitten. "Meow! Meooow!" Truly Fenvur must be getting worried, because his master had yet to reveal himself. That is until the sounds of a giant, almost literally, finally came to the wooden steps that led up to the rooms of the Grotto.
"Okay ya petchin' flea bag, did I not tell ya to wonder off so much." He lectured in the form of a tease, as he finally descended low enough to scoop the kitten in his hands. Though he only needed one hand to hold the kitten, because Fenvur was actually able to fit on his palm. So Ricky brought Fenvur face level and brought on the parental lecture. "Ya tryin' to give yer Pa a heart attack at an early age? Huh? I was worried ya might'a been lost there." He put his left index finger underneath the chin to direct Fenvur's stare, since the kitten had attention span issues with the rest of the room. "Meow."

"Don't gimme that lip, ya know papa don't like bein' scared like that," he trekked onto the floor of the Grotto now and brought Fenvur over to a table to be placed upon, "'sides ya know what mama would do if I lost ya? She'd get mad, and we both don't like 'er mad do we?" He then proceeded to give Fenvur a chin rub with a grin, the kitten delighted with purs and closed eyes as he fell into bliss. "Yer a spoiled thing ya know that." He pointed out in amusement, unaware of any others who's eyes might be upon him. "How am I gonna lecture my kid when I can't even lecture a kitten." The wonder made him chuckle as he took a seat, an index and middle finger to stroke Fenvur's spine as he indulged in the attention.

[Wart]

With a steady breath, Wart gagged down another swig of her drink. While it might have seemed counterintuitive to some to be drinking and drawing, the alcohol was slowly steadying her hand. The frail shaking was diminishing and the strokes became more smooth. Unfortunately, just as she was able to make some real progress on the body of the tiny cat across the room, the heavy set steps of a man on the stairs interrupted.

The artist looked up from her work in time to see the subject of her sketch being scooped up. This man, presumably the one who the little thing had been calling for, looked completely unfamiliar. That wasn't a surprise though, Wart had hardly been social even before her year long absence. There weren't many faces around Zeltiva that were familiar.

She wasn't one to "check out" other people, but as an artist Wart couldn't help but notice that the man was aesthetically attractive. With his height and muscles he was the kind of person she would stick in a painting as tightening a rope on board a ship, or even fighting in a brawl.

Regardless of his appearance, however, he had just interrupted the scene she'd been capturing and her eyes simmered a slight red, annoyed at having her progress impeded. She shoved her paper off to the side and pulled over a clean one to start over. She paused though, distracted by the way the man was now treating the small animal. She couldn't hear every word, but from his actions she swore it almost looked like he was scolding it. Like a child.

Having never owned an animal herself Wart didn't understand the sense in it, but she'd scolded her paintbrush for disappearing once so maybe it was like that. Big ol' sailor man worried f'r a cat. Wart laughed under her breath. In any case the man had sat down with the kitten now, and frankly there wasn't much else of any interest in this bar. So, once again, she began to draw, this time beginning with a rough outline of the man.

When she started the body of the kitten, she realized it would fit together much better if it would just turn its head. A though popped into her head, and with a quick smirk, Wart blew subtly over her drink into the direction of the two, in attempt to spread a waft of the fishy scent.

[Ricky Maze]

"Ya know, ye part of the family too now. And in a sense yer gonna be an older brother pretty soon." He talked on as though Fenvur were able to understand him, while the kitten just looked up to him then elsewhere curiously. He happened to notice the faint smell of his favorite meal, which is fish obviously, as it wafted from another part of the room. In turn this caused him to look over in the direction for the smell for a coulpe of chimes, and curiously scan the area to seek it's source. "If Odis were still 'round ye'd be the middle brother, and the baby would be our young'st o' course." He rambled on lost in thought as he continued to pet the kitten, delight in Fenvur's expression as his eyes closed in bliss once more.

"Since Odis isn't here though that makes ya the family pet, as well as the guardian in a sense." He quirked with a chuckle, a small grin on his face as he went for Fenvur's underbelly. "Not that ya do much fightin', hardly can call ya a guardian can I?" Fenvur swiped a paw at his finger and rolled onto his back playfully as Ricky tickled his belly with his finger. He then used his whole hand to play like it were some big monster for Fenvur, and laughed as the kitten scratched and nipped at his fingers. "Gah, ya little petcher." He chuckled after he pulled his hand back, the kitten looked at him innocently as Ricky shook his hand a bit. "I take it back, ye got enough spunk in ya after all." He mused to Fenvur who proceeded to clean himself now, just as any cat would do after a bit of rough housing. He looked over to the same spot again as he did earlier, eyes on the artist that drew the two as Ricky watched him contently.

His content became curiosity though as Fenvur really did seem to have his attention grabbed, probably because he found the source of fish he smelled earlier when his nose picked it up. Ricky on the other hand took notice that a woman just sat there with her world occupied with drawing, however it was this first glance he didn't really note what she looked like at first. Just simply brushed her off as a artist drawing what she felt like drawing, yet however another glance caused his smile to fade a bit as he took in further detail. He was almost startled by her features, her unruly brown hair color and tattooed face resembled that of another he once knew. A girl he was once with from a time he had not looked back upon, although he could admit he and that girl had a short and wild history together. As he realized he had nearly fallen into a stare he came to and pulled his eyes away to elsewhere, aware that though this artist had a resemblance to who he thought of she wasn't her. And so he focused on Fenvur once more, though he did find his curiosity to well up inside him. Thus he would give her an occasional glance as he played and teased Fenvur a little.

[Wart]

Wart's plan worked just long enough to get down the kitten's little face. After that the man continued to play with the little thing, still talking to it. It was no matter now though, she had the rough outline of their poses down and was able to glance over for details.

The drawing was taking more time than she would have liked. She was gaining back her old posture and way of holding the pencil, but she continuously made simple mistakes or stray lines that had to be corrected. If it weren't for the alcohol she would have been more annoyed with it all. As it was though she continued to drink to fight off the pains of muscle inactivity and continued to loosen up more.

At one point Wart glanced up to see that the man was staring at her. That wasn't anything new, she often got stares in public places. This time however she was still lacking her vibrant eye makeup and the color in her hair, so it was a bit more unusual that she'd still be attracting attention. It was just her usual self, shorts and a light shirt. Sure there was the cane but she'd hid it well under the table. Last thing she wanted to look at while drawing was that petching chunch of wood.

For a moment she stared down at her drawing, wracking her brain. His look was almost one of recognition, nostalgia even. Well petch maybe I do know 'is guy... The doctors at the infirmary told her her memories would be fuzzy for a while, though she didn't want to admit they'd be right. Quite a few faces and events were escaping her attempts to remember them. Especially the few weeks leading up to whatever sent her sleeping. Maybe this guy was a part of one of those, maybe it was something important. Maybe he'd been down the Equinox one day? A customer? Or even in the Kelp Bar?

After a few more moments of thinking she gave up and dismissed the notion. Man talkin' to a petchin cat, prolly a drunk thinkin' I'm someone else. Normally she'd forget it all and continue drawing out her paper in peace, but she couldn't help seeing him glance over out of the corner of her eye. Maybe it was the alcohol's influence, maybe it was being away from other human beings for so long. Whatever it was eventually she decided she'd try being sociable for once.

"That ain't one a' those people 'at turn into animals is it?" She asked the question without looking up, finishing a touch of shading on the table they were at. It was one of her theories for why he kept talking to it, though she never actually heard it talk back. Heck she didn't know anything about Kevlics, for all she knew maybe they don't talk. After a moment she paused and looked up at the man, waiting for an answer.

[Ricky Maze]

"Yep. Just as I thought." He quirked with a bit of dismay in his mind, he had taken the chance to pry into his curiosity and now he had let it get the better of him. Now he had come to the attention of the artist as she did her work, and slightly regretted in doing so now that she would probably find him distracting. Yet a question came up, one that irked his interest right off the bat. "People that turn to animals?" He looked a bit lost in her direction, a recollection on what he knew in her reference done before he could give a humble reply. "Kelvic ye mean? Luckily not." He gave a bit of a laugh when he said that, able to admit that while it would be nice having a Kelvic would be twice as hard. "If Fenvur were Kelvic I'd be in for a world o' pain." He joked rather calmly as he leaned back, the chair creaked as he did so which in turn interested Fenvur.

"It's bad enough he likes to hide in me pockets and venture off when I ain't lookin', imagine how he'd be in human form." There was a chuckle that came from Ricky as he played with Fenvur again, his hand a giant monster that poked and tickled the kitty as he swat at it. "Sorry if we happen to disturb ya, I didn't notice ya over there at first since I had to lecture young mischief 'ere." He looked over to the artist with a friendly smile, still a bit surprised as how alike she looked to who he thought of earlier. "I've to say," He was cut off by Fenvur. A sudden dart to the other side of the table with a curved spine, he had become the little warrior kitten he picked on earlier; ready to pounce. "I've to say that ye actually kinda look like someone I once knew, we haven't pro'lly met by chance have we?"

Fenvur darted across the table pack to Ricky, who brought his arms off the table with a furrow in his brow as he looked at the kitten. The kitten didn't stop of course, instead he slipped off the edge and onto Ricky's lap with claws that dug into his pants and outer skin. He hissed and tightened a fist as he looked down at the kitten, who only looked around in bewilderment from his fall. "Mew."

"Okay, back to the pocket for ye." Ricky grunted as he plucked Fenvur off his leg, he still couldn't stop the smile on his face even after the kittens fall. Ricky brought Fenvur up to his left side pocket of his vest and held it open with his free hand so Fenvur could wander, the kitten looked within to see that it was his favorite place after all and then prowled inside with a pur as he made himself comfortable. "Teh, little shyke bag." He teased with a content expression, blue eyes moved from his pocket back to the artist. "Sorry 'bout that, what were ya sayin'?"

[Wart]

Kelvic. Tha's the word for em. Wart knew next to nothing "magic related", a loose classification that, in her mind, included both the animal people- the Kelics, and ghosts. Because of this she had a firm fear-turned-prejudice against the whole lot. In all honesty, if the kitten had turned out to be Kelvic, she likely would have uncomfortably pushed the drawing away and started again on something entirely different.

The artist set down her pencil and rested her arms on the table, allowing herself a small break as she watched curiously the relationship between the tiny animal and the burly man that continued to play with it. So it had a name, and it hid in his pockets. Mischievous li'l thing, musta been why 'e was down 'ere. It was humorous, the stark contrast between the two and yet the clear attachment. It reminded her of someone else, someone who had their own little pets with their own names and little quirks. She tried to bring up a mental image of who that was, but it was one of those memories still locked behind that patchy fog she'd woken with.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts the woman responded with a laugh. "Nah, y'ain't a distraction, more a somethin' to draw in this borin' inn." She noticed the bartender shoot her a look, and she shot him a quick glare in return. As the man started to speak she looked back to him, chuckling at the "ferocity" of the playful kitten. Alcoholic influence or not, it had been a long time since she'd allowed herself to just laugh and enjoy conversation with someone. His question, however, caught her off guard and she winced a bit as she looked down at her papers.

"we haven't pro'lly met by chance have we?" He would ask her that. The one question she'd asked herself but couldn't answer. "Huh..." Her hand rose and gripped at her hair as she tried to force some sort of recognition. Not remembering someone wasn't a big deal at the core, but the problem was the possible range of people this man could have been. What if he was someone who could answer her questions, shed some light on what had brought about her long absence? What if he was someone she'd been avoiding, some authority figure perhaps? She stared at his face for a moment, taking advantage of the tiny onslaught going on with his fuzzy pet.

The alcohol she'd been steadily consuming wasn't helping, and finally she gave up with a frustrated sigh. As his cat returned to his pocket (an action she found strange, but almost understandable considering the animal's size) she answered, just hoping that he didn't fall into that latter category of people.

"I don' think so. Been through some shyke lately, prolly wouldn'a remembered if we had." She gave him a bit of a smile, trying to play it off causally. "Name's Wart, if tha' rings any bells." She watched for a reaction carefully, her own eyes moving from purple to a tint of blue. As far as she knew there wasn't anyone who shared a name like hers, so it was sure to either prove them strangers or provide some sort of remembrance.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky chuckled a bit when thr artist called the inn boring, and admittedly in the time Ricky had to stay here he found that he actually had thr same opinion as well. It gave him a slight chuckle at how the interest just kept generating with this woman. When she answered his next question though he put a bit of thought behind her words, the fact she's "been through some shyke" and probably couldn't remember if they had hinted away at something. Something Ricky was all too sure what, but felt he could actually relate in some way. When she introduced herself Ricky thought about it for a moment, but no recollection anybody ever being introduced as "Wart" came to his mind. "Naw, I've never met a soul with that name. Rather unique though. I'm Ricky Maze, although Ricky is what I usually go by." He added with a short laugh in an effort to express humor.

"I wonder just what kind o' trouble she's been through, doesn't look like she's been roughed up to bad." His eyed tried to softly examine her with just quick small focuses on details about her. She definitely looked to be shorter then him, and the tattoos on her face were interesting to behold. He in fact was reminded of the little things his mind nearly forgotten just by seeing them, things a girl he once knew told him from a time that's passed. "You need to let yourself loose, have some fun you know." They echoed in his head faintly, the memory of this woman teased him as he failed to remember her name. "Damn it. I shouldn't be thinkin' 'bout her. I should be thinkin' 'bout Telion, she should be here sooner or later." He decided it would only help sate his curious apetite quicker if he had just asked her what happened.

"Ya can tell me it's non o' me business if ye like when I ask this, but what exactly did ya go through to skew yer memory?" He inquired politely with a bit of a humble grin, a hand inside the pocket that purred to pet the source of it's noise. He was okay to share his past issues if she were to ask about them, since he was practically waiting for his beloved to arrive so they could buy dinner.

[Wart]

Ricky Maze. There was no familiarity in his name, and it seemed hers offered none for him either. No, they were definitely strangers, despite any recognition the man might have mistaken earlier. It was a relief, but at the same time a disappointment. Sure it meant she hadn't cornered herself into any long forgotten trouble, but this man wasn't going to be giving her any answers either.

Wart quickly masked her disappointment and continued to go on casually. "No, don't think I met a Ricky 'fore either," she replied as she reached for another small drink of her beer. Even with her decision to relax for once, the weirdness of the situation wasn't lost on her. The only socializing she usually did with a stranger involved raised voices and a projectile or two, especially when it was within a bar. But then, with everything that had been going on, anything was possible at this point.

As she took her drink she could feel the man's eyes still lingering on her. She took a moment and glanced down at her arms, slightly self conscientious of what it was he would see in her. The unhealthy, almost starved looking frailty of her frame had lessened considerably now that she'd been eating and moving around. It was reassuring, she didn't look so pitifully useless as she had when she'd first gone home. The last thing she wanted was for these burly sailor types to be looking at her and seeing her the state she was in, seeing nothing but weakness.

It was the whole reason she'd delayed going back to work. She did not need Cordo getting ammo to tease her with. As she glanced back up from setting down her drink she realized the similarity between the man at the other table and one of her coworkers, Eth. All he was missing was the light hair and the shirtless chest. Petch, Eth'd prolly die to have somethin' like a lil kitten around. She hadn't seen it before, but it was a puzzle both this man, Ricky, and her coworker shared. So clearly large and tough, but warmhearted. He clearly had a soft spot for that cat, but he didn't hide it. Didn't brush it off to mask weakness. The way she saw it, the world wasn't to be trusted and the moment you showed a sign of weakness was the moment the world would come down and break you with it. Her eyes narrowed as she looked on him. What was it that made the display of softness just 'normal?'

It was a question for another time as the man, once again, brought up his own question that she hadn't the forethought to prepare an answer for. It would be easy of course, to accept his offer and tell him it was her business and her's alone. Lying was just as easy. Even with the loosening effect of the alcohol, Wart was guarded when it came to the personal stuff. She studied the man for a moment as she decided how to answer. Was there a point in telling him the truth? In that regard, was there even a point in lying? There wasn't even much of a truth she was able to tell, with how little knowledge she had of the circumstances.

Finally she sat back in her chair with a sigh. "Fell asleep f'r... Too long I guess. They tol' me it's some post tragic amputa... er, memory loss, tha' sorta shyke." The medical terms were lost on her, so she chose what words she could. "S'posed to come back, just real slow." She ended it with a shrug and small laugh, but the irked red in her eyes conveyed that it wasn't such a minor inconvenience as she tried to play off as. While questions were being asked, she decided it would only be fair if she rose one herself.

"You an the lil... Fenvur? stayin' here at the inn or jus' comin' by?" She assumed the same condition with her inquiry, as simple as it was, and the man could easily refuse to answer. It was plain curiosity now, as she'd ruled him out as being involved in her past. Even if it was just a piece of the background of a stranger, anything that filled the gaps in what was going on in Zeltiva these days was something of interest.