Closed [The Rearing Stallion] Night on the Town (Aldus)

[Wanda Endust]

The Rearing Stallion Tavern
22 Winter 513AV
Around the 21st Bell

A couple drunkards stumbled out of the tavern, each with an arm around the other's shoulder for support. The blind leading the blind, per se, laughing mirthfully and occasionally bellowing the lyrics of some bawdy song.

Wanda would have liked to hum along if she knew the tune. Instead, she simply smirked and shook her head. The Rearing Stallion was especially vibrant tonight. Whether that was good or bad, the girl didn't know. All the same, it was her destination.

She needed a night out -- she deserved it -- after spending most of her recent nights in the uncomfortable, silent presence of her sickly mother. Wanda considered the situation as her feet carried her to the door, shoes crunching the snow with eager steps.

Well before she even touched the door, Wanda could hear the cheers of patrons timed to the tune of a fast-paced little fiddling song.

The door swung open suddenly just as Wanda had been reaching for it. The volume of the cheering and the tune swelled as she stood staring into the barrel-chest of some jolly-looking laborer. "Ho there!"

Wanda returned the man's lofty and lop-sided grin, and the fellow threw his back in a loud haw-haw-haw kind a chortle. "Didn' expect you there, friend! Might o' given me quite a start, standing on the other side o' th' door here!"

"And same to you! I wasn't half expectin' some giant of a fellow to hop out at me!" Wanda returned jovially. Another bout of laughter shook the man's sides, obviously influenced by whatever half-drunken stupor he was in. "Mayhaps we got somethin' here in common then -- c'mere! C'mon in and make yerself cozy-like! Can't let a purty little'un like you sit an' freeze yer behind off!"

With that, the giant stood aside, ushering her in with a beefy hand. The door swung shut behind the pair with a solid thump, and the man trundled back over to his table (his passage was followed by a couple more cheers and slaps on the back), forgetting why he'd opened the door in the first place.

Wanda did a quick scan of the joint, sliding along the bar with a few nods to those she passed as she made her way towards the hearth. The whole scene emitted warmth -- from the crackling fire and glow to the jovial conversation.

Some bard upon the dais was hooking a small crowd with a tale. The crowd seemed to be almost entirely made up of rustic craftsmen or huntsmen, some nearly too large for their chairs, though Wanda would occasionally catch a glimpse of a couple women here and there.

Some bard upon the dais was hooking a small crowd with a tale. For now all Wanda was seeking was some warmth and entertainment, feeling only a tad out of place in the midst of all the hustle and bustle. She was neither drunk nor planning to get drunk. Instead, she cordially pushed past a particularly crowded table to an empty seat in front of the stage.

OOCThis post wasn't as wonderful as I wanted it to be, but I tried to set it up so that Aldus could either be the bard on the stage or a spectator.

[Aldus Beaumont]

* Aldus had decided, for the first few days of his legitimate employ as a bard, to travel across Syliras and perform his trade in the presence of different crowds each night. New to the trade, he had only told a single story in each place before another, more experienced storyteller would replace him, rendering Aldus and his budding craft obsolete. Struggling to hide his inner turmoil, he would press on this night, desperation leading him to the Rearing Stallion. It was already hours into the evening, the light of day having retreated beyond the horizon, the darkness of night bringing life to the tavern. The place was beginning to fill with people, and just as Aldus took place to begin his story, he would see a young woman entering the place. He would look her over for a moment before looking towards the patrons, all of whom had their eyes upon him. Aldus would not take place away from the patrons, like most bards had taken to. He decided to sit at a table with one empty chair, his grin materializing upon his expression as he began his tale, "You all seem to be a stalwart bunch. I'll tell you all of a legend of someone just like that. His name was Ragmar the Flight, a courier from way back home for me, the city of Sunberth. This be the story of Ragmar's first fight." The young man would pause for a moment before catching his breath to continue, "To be free of debt in this city wasn' likely, and Ragmar was no exception. One day, a team of thugs came to his door, tearin' the damn thing from its hinges. They raised up their blades and started to slash away, cuttin' up whatever they see. But Ragmar was too quick for that bunch, he saw his chance! He stole away into a different room, and picked up his axe! The young man's voice would take up a faster tempo, his tone altering, "True to his name, he ran, fast as can be, and stuck up that axe into the closest thug, you see. He didn' know how to use the thing, but fierce to defend, he rose into rage. Striking the first down like a chick in its cage. He screamed out, he shouted, for the rest to leave, he'd promise their lives and earn his reprieve. And run they did, they fled like rats. And Ragmar fell to the floor of his flat. Ever since that night, with turmoil heavy like lead... ol Ragmar's been called Mad Ragmar the Red." Aldus would take another breath, looking to the crowd that had begun to circle around the table, managing a cheeky smile, though inwardly, he was nervous, wondering if he had succeeded in his craft. Though moments later, he'd know, as a nearby patron passed him a mug, the rest staring at him, fixated. "I'll tell another in a few minutes, lads. Take a seat, I'll call out when I'm ready." The young man would rise from his chair, moving towards the tavern exit to take a short break.

[Wanda Endust]

After Wanda got herself settled, she glanced back up at the dais only to find that the bard in question had disappeared. She sighed in frustration, almost turning to order a drink, but stopped herself. No matter. It probably wouldn't take long for another bard to take his place.

It turned out that was unnecessary, though. From just the next booth over, Wanda heard a fellow raise his voice in the classical bard-ish way, drawing her gaze to the table. Of course, it was the man from the stage -- he hadn't left at all, simply chosen a less traditional vantage point from which to tell his tale.

She scooted her chair closer, cozying up to the chosen table, on cue with many of the other tavern-goers.

Wanda also fancied herself a bit of a storyteller -- sometimes her job required her to entertain some of the more antsy clients with a tale or two. Occasionally, she'd even try her hand at regaling a small crowd in a tavern.

From her own meager experience, she could tell that the man was unpolished in his technique. But that was made up for by the pure power of his conviction. While he may have lacked the more technical aspects of storytelling that came with practice, he was just convincing.

Besides that, the words used were almost musical. That alone compelled Wanda to listen. Rhyme was a trait Wanda had always had trouble with, but this fellow almost made it seem easy.

As such, she was almost saddened when the little tale came to a close. The bard stood to take his leave for a moment or two, and the heavy buzz of conversation gradually returned to the atmosphere.

Unconsciously, Wanda hopped up from her seat, eliciting a couple raised eyebrows from her neighbors.

"Just... think I need some fresh air," she answered their silent question, shrugging sheepishly. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the door swing open and shut once more as the bard stepped into the cold night.

With a sniffle and a determined tug on her cloak, Wanda maneuvered through the crowd, following the man's path and sliding through the door into the chilled night's air once again.

It took a moment for her eyes to readjust to the dim torchlight, but she identified a lounging shadow that she hoped was the bard. Would he mind her intruding? She was about to find out.

"That was a nice little tale in there," she began, pulling the cloak tighter around her body as a small breeze blew past the buildings. She sniffled, leaning against the tavern's outer wall. "That Ragmar fellow, was he real? I know a lot of folks kinda make up their stories and all..." She shot and aloof grin in his direction. "Sometimes I like to fancy myself a storyteller too."

[Aldus Beaumont]

* Cheeks would flush as he brushed past the last tavern patron, cold wind buffeting his features as he closed the door behind him. A giddy laugh would escape his lips as he leaned against the wall. The rush he felt, the intense, adrenaline-fueled elation that raised his pulse and warmed his body made all of his other failures utterly worth it. For days he had tried to successively draw in a crowd, to send a tavern full of people off on a journey guided by gentle, sing-song words and story, and at last... at least, he felt that he had succeeded. As the buzz of conversation rose behind him, Aldus decided that he would take his time and calm his mind, for this was to be only the first story of the night. He would tell at least two more. Easy enough, given that Aldus' life had given him enough of an experience to tell in it of itself, but he would neglect to mention his own past, instead preferring to tell the stories of the more than colourful characters he had met or heard of along the way. The young bard would rub his hands together, softly blowing into his palms and allowing the heat to flow through his digits, taking a deep breath afterwards, eyes closing as he rested the back of his head against the wall. Fingers would reach into his coat to produce a copper miza, the man flipping it in his hands as a means of distracting himself for several moments... that was, until he heard the creak of the nearby door opening, an eyebrow arcing as curiosity marked Aldus' olive features. When the figure cleared the threshold of the exit, the bard was more than pleased to see that it was the young lady who had entered the tavern just as Aldus had begun to tell his story. He had not seen her sit down, nor had he noticed her as he rose to exit, but the rush of storytelling had interfered with any desire to look around for particular, unfamiliar faces. Besides, it would be odd to fixate oneself upon a person with whom a conversation had never been struck. The bard would flip the coin just twice more as she asked her question before catching the miza in his palm, quickly placing it into his pocket as a laugh escaped his lips. "Why, thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it." Aldus arched both eyebrows this time at the question, an easy grin marking his features before he replied, "I don't have the gall to declare myself some kind of master at the craft, but I can safely say that in a story, the distinction between real and imaginary is best left open to interpretation. But, what I can say that if you enter the town of Sunberth and mention the name Ragmar the Red, you'll witness a measurable reaction." The bard would laugh again, a soft, "Oh?" escaping him as he tilted his head in curiosity. Though, catching the reaction before it could remain for too long, the bard turns to face the woman fully, "Are you, really? How wonderful. T'is always interesting to meet a fellow storyteller. Such a lovely one, I might add. Aldus extends his hand towards the young lady as he adds, "By the way, my name's Aldus. Aldus Beaumont."

[Wanda Endust]

The tick she finished speaking, Wanda considered her statement. Was she really a storyteller? Hardly. Only stories she ever told were usually to entertain a customer or to keep them from talking her ear off themselves. Sometimes it was hard to get a good feel for a client's muscles and ligaments if her hands kept getting interrupted with vibrations down their back. Especially if they were quite the animated chatterbox and even unconsciously threw gestures into the mix.

Besides that, though, she didn't have much experience with the art herself. On occasion, if the tavern's bard was particularly boring when she stopped by, she might step in for a couple chimes, but that was about it. Wanda chose to ignore that fact as the conversation pressed on.

I'll have to keep that in mind if I'm ever in that Sunberth place then, hm? she joked inwardly, a self-amused quirk crossing her face for only a moment. She realized she'd crossed her arms without meaning to at some point, and now lowered them as the fellow turned.

She cocked a wry eyebrow at his bit of a compliment. Since she began working at the bath house she'd received an influx of them -- not a ton, but enough for her to notice. She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the concept.

"Wanda Endust," she offered, taking his hand in greeting. Aldus Beaumont? His name sounded just as slick as his words. "Ha, well, I'm not too much of an actual storyteller. Probably a hobbyist at best," she chuckled, pulling her hand back. "I usually just hang out in the taverns a bit and hop in here and there. Speaking of which! I haven't seen you around before -- are you still pretty new to the city?" He'd already mentioned he wasn't from around here (unless that was a bard's farce, of course). But just how new was he?

Though the city itself was incredibly crowded, there was typically a crowd of "regulars" that hovered around specific taverns. She might not make her trips to the Stallion too routine, but Wanda felt that she might've noticed if Aldus had been hanging around a while.

OOCSorry for the shyke post. >.> I'm trying to see about brewing up something interesting to throw into the thread, but I haven't had any luck so far.

[Aldus Beaumont]

OOCStahp it. It's fine. We'll work it into a good direction ^.^ Anyway, it's their first time meeting. No one's just like, "LET'S GO ON AN ADVENTURE." from day 1. XD

* Wanda Endust. The name sounded rather celestial, mystical in a way. The thought of mystics stirred up the images of mages and their wicked nature. Aldus was reminded of his youth, a time when he had seen a mage in the city of Sunberth, a mad... Reimancer? He supposed it was the word, he thought he could remember it thrown out. The man had been going mad, setting fire to buildings, wreaking havoc until he was eventually assassinated. The assassin, or saviour, as hailed by the people, was never discovered, leading most to the impression that it had been the Night Eyes who had intervened on Sunberth's behalf. Of course, Aldus knew that not all mages were insane, or that magic in itself was not an engine of wicked, evil thoughts, but it was far easier to judge a collective, seeing as how the power itself drove the foolish who tried to control it into insanity. It controlled them, instead. But, the woman in front of him did not look capable of destroying the property of innocents, and injuring their bodies. She seemed, if anything, rather nice. Not an actual storyteller? A chuckle escaped him as he replied to her. She seemed rather confident in herself, yet there were possible cracks in it. A storyteller was a storyteller if they claimed to be a storyteller. Being a hobbyist or not had little to do with it. That was how Aldus carried his craft, and while there was little success, he managed to exit each night with a bit of mead in his belly and a few coins in hand. That was all he truly needed, anyway. "There's no such thing, dear. If you're compelled to rise up and tell a story, it doesn't matter what other walk of life you choose. You've got the heart of a bard!" He winked at her, almost puffing out his chest in a show of pride before he decided to answer her next question, "I keep a very low profile, Wanda. Sunberth teaches you to keep your eyes to the floor and stay out of people's way. I've just started working as a bard, too. I've been living off of family money since coming here from back home." He counted on the woman knowing little to nothing about Sunberth to allow the lie to work. Aldus' tone did not change as he spoke, mentioning his past albeit it altered slightly, with ease as he asked her. Anyway, it's about time I go up and tell another story. In a few chimes, anyway. Would you like to assist me? We could improvise something." Aldus loved the idea of involving the audience. It seemed to be such a grand sort of theatrical device. Hopefully she agreed.

[Wanda Endust]

OOC;) LET'S GO ON AN ADVENTURE! ... wait, that's not how it works?!

The heart of a bard, eh? Wanda chuckled to herself, resting her fingertips on her chin as she considered the man's words.

She supposed the fellow was right, though he seemed to be far more engaged by the topic than she had ever been. There was some kind of off-kilter charm out him that was fairly intriguing -- his amiable grin, innate sort of charisma, and spark in his eye seemed all to familiar to the girl. It was almost reminiscent of someone she must've known in the past. But who?

Realization hit her like a swift kick to the gut, and Wanda's elbow jerked slightly and collided with the wall the was leaning on. He's like... dad?[/color] Her brow furrowed slightly, her mind distracted from whatever fleeting pain the bone might be in. Yes, the fellow -- he'd said his name was Aldus something, right? -- held a striking resemblance to her own father, and it wasn't just the hair. Or even the eyes. Aldus simply exuded the same enterprising air about himself.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Either way, before she could formulate a response, he'd moved to her next topic and the sentiment fell to the corner of her mind. He was saying something about Sunberth, another point of interest for the girl. By the sounds of it, the city was not a friendly place at all -- what with people attacking each other over debts, and having to keep out of the way. If ever she went traveling, she'd make sure not to stop in there.

"Assist?" she repeated, drawn back to the conversation and away from her private thoughts. "Improvise?" She gave him a skeptical look. He was the bard here, not her. She was going to ask whether or not he was sure, but judging by his earlier words, he was. "I've never tried something like that before, but I guess it'll be a nice change of pace for the audience..." she cast a sidelong glance at the door behind her. It was cold out here. It was warm inside. The sooner she got back to her seat by the hearth, the better.

"So lead the way I suppose, O bard-hearted one!" she cracked, backpedaling to the door and propping it open with a lop sided grin. "Adventure awaits." If the bard crossed the threshold, she would follow.

Goddess, what had she agreed to? She was supposed to be using this time to kick back and relax, not to tout about in front of an overcrowded lot of half-drunks with something made up as they went along. But there was always the chance that it could turn out wonderfully.

[Aldus Beaumont]

* The woman's doubts were nothing to his own. In truth, he was afraid. Mostly, it was fear of his own lack of ability. Interpersonal conversation was where Aldus was comfortable, his ability to twist a phrase was at the least, workable to his own needs. But, to twist an entire story? A tale of adventure and romance was one that Aldus wished to learn how to craft, but in truth, all he had managed in his numbered seasons in this lifetime was a penchant for manipulating those with something he desired into... donating whatever the item was, usually a number of mizas, to his cause. What am I doing? We're just going to... hm. This isn't right. It's not you, Aldus. Calm down. You're a Beaumont, for petch sake." Nodding slowly, Aldus's hopes seemed to revive, his grin materializing again upon his features, just slightly lopsided in form as he entered the bar. His chiseled features betrayed little, if anything of his earlier doubt, his walk straight and proud. First, the young man approached the bar, the intent to wash down the confidence and lock it in his belly with the ale, to preserve it indefinitely. "An ale for the bard! And another, for his lovely assistant!" Aldus grinned again, motioning over to Wanda. The brewmaster laughed a hardy chuckle, shaking his head in amusement as he poured two mugs of ale for the bard. Aldus reached into his pocket, placing two silver mizas onto the bar before raising his own mug to his lips, taking a long drink. And then another. He turned towards the stage, catching the eye of a fetching young lass in the audience, flashing her a wink before he led the way towards the stage. The booming chatter of the tavern was no longer daunting as it had been before, Aldus much more confident. He recalled the last story he had told, which while unable to garner the full attention of the entire bar, had, at the least, earned him a moment of glory, and a conversation with his lovely and for-the-moment assistant. "The last story I told, kind ladies and gentlemen, was a tale of the past, an entry in the journal of your humble servant, Aldus Beaumont. But, my dear friends, now we turn the page to a more recent endeavor. To a prettier face. Now," This was where Aldus was to begin misdirection, hoping that the collaboration between himself and the lass he shared a fragment of his life with outside was enough to push a sense of sincerity, "I've had the pleasure of knowing Ms. Wanda Endust for quite an amount of time, and she certainly has an interesting perspective. Is it true, Wanda, that you've embarked on a crusade against the colour red?" A chuckle escaped the man's lips as he cast his gaze about nervously, though he was encouraged as he heard several chuckles, and saw most of the tavern smiling at him.

[Wanda Endust]

Wanda followed as her new acquaintance lead the way back into the cheery warmth of the bar. She couldn't honestly say that she was nervous, apprehensive, or even unsure of herself. There were very few things she backed down from, and telling a simple story was not one of them. She did, however, feel the budding uncertainty that usually came when one had no clue what one was doing.

But what was the worst that could happen, really? Their story might flop, and the patrons might roll their eyes. Yet a good number of the bar's customers would likely have trouble remembering the incident through their drunken haze, and another umber were fast approaching that same point of their night.

Wanda, for one, would feel no embarrassment so long as she gave the task her all. But what about Aldus? As far as she could tell, storytelling was his livelihood. Was he nervous? Surely not. Yet Wanda was stopped short as the young man caught the attention of the fellow behind that bar's counter. It'd taken her a split tick for her to notice the bard's pause, and she'd almost accidentally continued up to the front of the room without him.

An ale for the two of them? Maybe the fellow's nerves actually were getting to him. It was odd, to her at least -- Aldus seemed fairly self-assured from the confident tone in his voice and his steady, unrushed motions.

But to drink before a performance? It struck her as strange. Wanda herself hadn't had much experience on the matter herself, but it made sense to her that a bard would withhold from the alcohol if he wanted to give an effective performance and not just howl out a bar song. The brewmaster offered her a mug as well, as requested by her partner, but she declined with a cheeky grin and a shake of her head.

Nevertheless, they eventually made their way through the lively crowd and onto the stage. Here, Wanda peered out cross the room. She couldn't quite say that it'd been a dream of hers to someday claim a place on the platform, but it had been something she'd considered for some time. She had shared a story or two before but mostly among a table or two, like Aldus's earlier performance. Of course, this wasn't much different. The audience was much larger than she might've been used to, but did that really change anything? It was almost like they were simply speaking to a larger table.

But Wanda soon discovered jut how distracting a larger crowd can be -- she didn't realize that Aldus had begun speaking until her brain registered the sound of her own name.

"-- Wanda Endust for quite an amount of time, and she certainly has an interesting perspective. Is it true, Wanda, that you've embarked on a crusade against the color red?"

What? Wanda's gaze danced around the crowd before she cast a sidelong look at the young bard. The color red? Goddess, why hadn't they thought of working out a least a rough plan of what they would say? What was he thinking, putting her on the spot like that? He was the bard here, not she.

...Ah, but what had he said earlier? It didn't matter that Aldus was more experienced at this -- Wanda had gotten up on stage too. She was here to perform and, thus, had the "heart of a bard", right? Gods, that saying was going to start getting on her nerves.

Now, though, she was grateful that she'd refrained from drinking. She'd need her mind to be in tip-top condition if they were going to be thinking things up on the spot. Luckily enough, judging by the chuckles, the bard seemed to have already caught the crowd's favor. All they needed now was to expand upon that.

"A crusade against --? Oh, please Aldus, it's like you don't know me at all," she began, putting as much exasperation into her voice as she could while she gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "I'm a peaceful person, really. Rather, it's the color red that's started a crusade against me."

At work, there were often times where Wanda would need to put on a front to appear as if she actually knew what she was doing. Fake it till ya make it, she reminded herself, taking a steadying breath.

Wanda cocked an eyebrow at Aldus before turning back to face the crowd. "You see, the first time it happened, I was just minding my own business in the Bazaar," she gave a shrug, "when this man suddenly comes streaking through -- say, Aldus!" she interrupted herself. "Weren't you there too, when this happened?"

[Estrellir Konrath]

Wanda Endust

Skills
Observation +1
Socialization +2
Storytelling +1

Lores
Story: Mad Ragmar the Red
Aldus: convincing storyteller
Sunberth: unfriendly place
The heart of a bard

Aldus Beaumont

Skills
Withheld due to retirement

Lores
Withheld due to retirement

Comments

It’s a pity this thread ended prematurely, the idea was great. I liked the interaction and how you started cooperating so soon. If you’ve any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me!

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