Closed Tricks of the Trade (Alaia)

[Tydus Tempest]

x

6th of Summer, 514

The last dregs of Tydus Tempest's bottle of wine spilled down his throat as he held his light crossbow in his right hand, his left carefully sealed around the bottle that he had just depleted, laughter erupting from his lips as he half-heartedly aimed it at the mast of his ship. The workings of the weapon that Aedre had gifted him with were completely unknown to him, and he had decided to dedicate a portion of the evening to learning how to load the weapon. It was, unlike the cutlass or dagger, and much less his fists, something he could get behind due to its utility. Much like the grappling hook that he now found to be his favourite weapon despite his inability to effectively use it, he saw the crossbow as less of a weapon and far more of a tool to carry him forward.

Capable of not only dispatching enemies but also acting as a medium to propel rope in the event of needing to board, the Tempest saw it as an opportunity to improve himself and his capabilities as the buccaneer that he aspired to become. He had been, in the past, a pirate with the Tempest pod. Though, the traditional sense of the word was lost in the nature of what purpose he served. Rather alone in Riverfall, with only Kel and Callipsia (Adney's still here too, right? I should track him down some time...) as his mates, he found that he was lacking when it came to actual confrontation.

At best, I'm a distraction for the other crew. At most, I'm the business end of our little trio.

The Tempest looked at the strange contraption in his right hand, noting the uncocked nature of the drawstring and finding that the first step must be pulling it back. There was a lever at the middle of the gadget, and Tydus presumed that it was there that he needed to pull the string to. Cocking the string back, the Tempest found the resistance to be incredibly significant, fingers struggling to pull the thing back, and the first attempt ended with the string recoiling, a pained gasp escaping him.

By Laviku's bloody mucus that stung. Guess I gotta put a bit more force behind the damned thing.

On his second attempt, Tydus found that he was successful, the Svefra exerting himself to draw it back and place the string over the lever. The Tempest then reached for a bolt, placed upon the floor due to his lack of a quiver to hold them in.

First thing on the list when I decide to head out... Well... after a bottle of wine. This one's useless now.

The Tempest looked to the sprung crossbow, managing to work out how the bolt needed to be flocked and managing to make it work to his advantage. Once successful, the Tempest found a surge of pride filled his being, bright laughter bubbling from his lips as he stood to his feet. The loaded crossbow faced the floor as he raised his head smugly, tempted to call aloud before he raised the weapon, its face geared towards the ship's mast.

"Aha! I am Tydus Tempest, scourge of the many women of the sea, lord of the crossbow and master of the tongue! Fear the name, landlubbers, for one day he'll..."

The Tempest hesitated because he had no petching idea how to finish that sentence, though in a moment of delighted inspiration he finished it with a loud shout, pressing the crossbow's trigger. SHUNK. The bolt penetrated the mast's wooden surface, embedding itself deeply.

The Tempest was in absolutely no way prepared for what happened next. The weapon's recoil wrested it from his hands, the crossbow falling to the floor with a thud as the Tempest scion pursed his lips.

Ow.

Relatively uninjured in body, though with tremendously wounded pride, Tydus decided that his little self-tutorial was over, making his way off from his ship. Without being acutely aware of doing so, he took the bottle of wine with him, the unlabeled bottle serving as a reminder for him to buy a new one to drink aboard the ship. After all, ale was a drink that very quickly overstayed its welcome.

Common | Fratava

[Alaia]

The evenings were beautiful on the docks; it was one of her favorite places to spend her free time. If she wasn’t on the beach she as on the docks and tonight was no different. The velvet sky stretched above her and she lifted her face to the light of Leth letting the glow of his moon reflect silver into her hair and scales. A breeze caught her dress and made the white lace dance around her frame while cooling her off from the heat of the summer day and making her smile to herself. The Konti could still feel the heat under her bare feet on the wood of the docks but she was thankful that the warmth of the day was not also the night’s Mistress. The docks were busy, as always, but the life on them was always different at night. The men who had been hard at work sweating and breaking their backs during the day were now relaxing and joking with each other over a pint. The ones that weren’t in the tavern’s were already drunk on their boats and calling out to each other from one deck to another. The pressure of the day’s duties were gone now and it was simply a time filled with enjoyment, even in Alaia’s reserved nature she couldn’t help but grin watching one man smack another upside the head only to have them both laugh it off. She had wandered a distance from the Pearl House and chose a quieter part of the docks to settle in on, from her new spot she could still watch the sailors and the activities they were partaking in. Beside her was a post that dived into the water so she used it to lean her spine against, one leg up on the dock and her other dangling freely so that her webbed toes could skim the top of the sea. In a calm swaying motion she let her foot skim back and forth over the water and she curled her other leg inward so her dress could modestly cover herself despite the awkward position. The chimes slipped on and the Konti’s eyes were eventually drawn to a boat not to far away from her when a man started screaming out into the night. She had absolutely no idea what he was saying, she didn’t speak whatever language he shouted in nor did she actually know what language it was from the unintelligible distance. The man however, sailor she hoped otherwise he was about to destroy someone else’s ship, seemed to be enjoying himself as his laughter echoed into the night and reached her ears. What is he doing? She furrowed her brows trying to see what he was up to but she couldn’t actually make out what he was holding in his hands. Then he shouted. Alaia jumped slightly in surprise when the next thing she knew there was an unexpected object flying from whatever he was holding in his hands and then something struck the wooden shaft of the mast. She couldn’t see that well in the darkness since he was a few boats from her but without even thinking she was on her feet trying to tell from her position if he was obviously injured. He seemed alright enough, at least he was moving around and not unconscious on the deck of the boat anyways. He chose that moment to descend from his boat and start down the docks….in her direction. She could ignore him, pretend she didn’t see anything or she could approach him just to really make sure he was alright since he shot something into the mast on the boat he had occupied. The thought barely lasted a tick, she knew what she had to do – she had to make sure he was alright even if she didn’t want to it was Rak’keli’s way though in honesty it set the konti at ease as well. Straightening out her dress Alaia moved forward, one wet foot leaving prints with each step before she stopped in front of the man. Concern was clear in her tone as she spoke in slow common, not because she thought he was slow but simply because it wasn’t her native tongue. “Are you alright? I saw …” She motioned vaguely towards the ship he had come from since she didn’t really know what she saw except an object shooting into the mast. “…did you hurt yourself?”

[Tydus Tempest]

x

It was in the Tempest's nature to attract attention. It was, most of the time, a gift. A blessing from the Gods for a positive, outward disposition and the ability to turn a phrase, but a curse as well. The Tempest was also very boisterous, which in certain circles (namely the city of Kenash, where he spent a small amount of time) would find to be disruptive and uncouth. Of course, the Tempest did his utmost to wear the appropriate guise to suit his situations, but this was not always successful. The young man prided himself on the knowledge of certain social avenues, an adaptability that rose with the tides and swelled with his own desires. Swelling aspirations, deep, significant ambitions that festered in the Tempest's mind compelled him to act.

It was a second nature, an intrinsic understanding that settled in him. Though this situation, one where his nature was already set askew by an alcohol-imbibed outburst, was one where he found a disadvantage. It was by no means an easy task to reverse a first impression, and by the woman's face, he could tell immediately that her first impression was... concern?

This was unexpected. She seemed neither hindered by his attitude nor attracted by it, though rather, she was asking him if he was unharmed. He then noticed the woman's blonde hair, looking over her form to find sparse scales that adorned her skin. The pattern was familiar to the Tempest, as was the attitude, the scion making the connection and formulating in his mind that the woman was a Konti. He allowed a chuckle to escape his lips as he stepped forward, his still stinging hand raised to lightly ruffle the hair behind his head. Nonchalance. It was easy to pull off, and easier still to maintain, the Tempest intent on immediately repairing the earlier impression as he flashed a bright smile at the woman.

The Tempest's voice, unlike before, was woven into carefully articulated, metered tones. Tydus' trip to Kenash had set him with a fervent desire to alter the way he spoke, the improvement of the nature of the Tempest's grasp upon Common more than present in his mind. It was difficult, but when he spoke, it was clear that there was a measurable success in it,

"Just a whiplash, lass. Been trying to figure out how to shoot this blasted crossbow that a friend of mine gave me. Anyway, what brings such a lovely Konti lass to the docks?"

The Tempest offered the Konti his hand in greeting. If she took it, she would find that he immediately rose it to his lips.

"My name's Tydus Tempest, dear lady. Would you give me the pleasure of knowing yours?"

It was strange carrying the foreign tone upon his lips, Tydus feeling the Svefra heritage slowly pulled from his words, though he decided that it was only fitting. Common was the tongue of his business, the communication with the world outside of his race, and the bridge that he used to enthrall, manipulate, and communicate with those that were not immediately given the status of friend, such as the Svefra.

It was his branch of understanding towards a people that he did not naturally empathize with. But, just as he altered his voice, his relations were altered by his words.

The Konti, if she took his hand, would feel the deep, fervent intention that Tydus had to improve upon his ability to speak the Common tongue. She would also sense the budding desire to learn to use the crossbow that he fired, as well as the need to build relations with others, though the last would be muddled and opaque, as the Tempest was quite unsure of how and with whom he would do so with.

Common | Fratava

[Alaia]

Alaia’s eyes grazed over the man before her in clinical observation as she tried to see if there were any obvious wounds as he chuckled when she expressed concern for his well being. She wasn’t sure if he was laughing at her or at the situation, either way she followed the motion of his hand in his hair and then she offered him a warm smile in return to his. He seemed alright at least, no blood that she could see and no lacerations that were apparent on his limbs. Whiplash. That was possible she supposed though she could only examine him so much in the dark from this distance. His common was pretty decent and it only made her smile more, at least they had a language they could communicate in – for all she knew he only knew the one he was shouting on the ship. Glancing over his form one more time, double checking in a slightly obsessive way she finally noticed the wine bottle in his hand before she replied to him in gentle tones “I live close by, I enjoy the docks at night….” She paused and then amended her statement “…any time of day really.” Her eyes darted down to his hand as he held it out to her in his introduction and for the space of several ticks she paused unsure if she was actually going to grasp it. She didn’t want to, she didn’t want to touch him and see this stranger in her head but she didn’t want to be rude either. The war flashed across her pale blue eyes until finally she took a step forward to make the shake more comfortable for her shorter reach and just as she expected her vision swam with images and feelings of his coming days. She sensed no ill will from the man before her, in fact what she did see of his desires to learn his cross bow and common were so normal they were a bit shocking. For once it didn’t feel like she was dissecting someone’s brain without their knowledge or at the very least it didn’t feel like anything she couldn’t figure out through casual conversation. The other images were fuzzy and she didn’t try to focus on them, not that she wouldn’t have gotten anything more from them if she did, instead she was crashed back into their present conversation as his lips pressed against the back of her hand. She hadn’t noticed him lifting it to his mouth so there had been no resistance on her part until those soft lips unexpectedly brushed her skin and she jerked her hand out of his. If he didn’t hold on tighter she’d frown while a blush flourishing beneath her creamy skin and she crossed her arms instinctively like a shield across her chest. “Sorry…” Yes, she was apologizing for her dramatic reaction to his actions which she could only assume he meant as something to be gentlemanly and kind. The frown turned into a sheepish smile after a tick and her arms dropped from their crossed position though she did back up a step. It was everything she could do not to wipe her hand off on her dress, logically there was nothing there but her increased heart rate turned her mind into an unpredictable sea of emotions. Emotions were never logical. “I’m Alaia.” She finally remembered to give him her name and she chewed her bottom lip with her words. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Tydus. Was that your boat you were on?” She glanced passed him to the boat before she nodded towards his hand “Will you let me make sure it isn’t something more than whiplash? I’m a healer …” She held out her hand to him this time, palm up, hoping he’d let her look because it was going to gnaw at her if he didn’t. There could be a small fracture or torn ligaments or something so it would just make her feel better if he let her look, plus the wine bottle didn’t exactly harbor trust in her when it came to him diagnosing himself. “…please.” Diagnosing medical problems or medical health was something she was much more comfortable with then actual emotions so it was only natural for her to fall back into this clinical side of her personality.

[Tydus Tempest]

x

The Tempest scion's lips curled with amusement as his new 'friend' pulled her hand away. The motion was quick, almost akin to retracting one's hand from the mouth of a fire. It was, to Tydus, an incredibly amusing motion, for it belied two things about the Konti. The first was focus, for she had done the motion quickly, almost as part of a reflect, which showed that it had taken her from surprise. The second was the picture of innocence. Tydus found a smirk forming in the depths of his thoughts as his ocean blue eyes slowly swept over the woman's body, curiosity taking hold. It was a habitual glance, discrete in execution, though the smile upon his lips would remain.

Tydus could not feel the elevated heart rate in the woman's chest, but he could see the result stir upon her face. He watched the Konti as she took to more readily analyze him, asking again if he desired medical treatment, and the Tempest, though quite unsure as to why the Healer had such a present desire to do so (Is it an obligation? I remember S'Essy being the same way.), but he found that he didn't mind. A chuckle escaped his lips as he lifted his injured hand for her to see. A deep, purple splotch would be visible across the back of Tydus' hand, the appendage trembling slightly from the injury, but Tydus seemed not to notice. The alcohol in his veins had dulled his senses and he felt the much more present attention of the woman's gaze rather than pain in his hand.

Alaia was, as all of her kind were, a beautiful individual. By all appearances, she was several years younger, and it intrigued him. By the way she spoke and her one-tracked mind regarding his injuries, it seemed the mark of an older woman. He had felt this way with all of the Konti he had met thus far, and though he couldn't investigate, as asking a shell her age was about as polite as calling a Svefra a lubber, it stuck. He spent several ticks musing over this before he decided for a much more simple approach, a steadfast desire to entertain himself forming in his mind.

He held his hand up for her to see once again as the Tempest layered djed into his words. The woman seemed tense, rigid, even. And Tydus intended to help her rid herself of such tension.

Such a lovely lass doesn't need no wrinkles to mark her face. Stress is awful. I'll... loosen her up a bit.

For all of the slaps that Tydus Tempest had received and the general reputation he assumed himself to have as the sort to objectify women... it truly began as the simple intention to help them relax. After all, it seemed that beyond the shores of Laviku's domain, their lives were filled with disdain. It seemed that everyone agreed with the notion that life at the sea was far more free than at shore, but most did not have a way to enjoy that existence.

That just means that I should give them something to enjoy, doesn't it? If only for an evening.

But, of course, first things first. The Tempest passed Alaia his hand, a small smirk beginning to grace his features as he commented,

"Have it yer way, lass. Yeh can check me hand, but on the condition that yeh let me take you out for a drink after. Sounds good, lass?"

If the woman took his hand, she'd sense a fervent desire on Tydus' end to show her a good time.

Common | Fratava

[Alaia]

The hand was clearly wounded. She glanced towards it when he hand it out to her and she pulled her eyes from the smiles on his lips and instead focused on the bruising flesh. Uncrossing her arms she stepped closer again this time taking his hand into hers with a feather light touch. Again she was pulled into seeing his intentions though they were a bit different this time around, his drive matching the words that came from his lips. Tilting her eyes towards his she frowned slightly at the condition. What could one drink hurt? Logically nothing and yet she wasn’t accustomed to conditions or to accepting offers of drinks from men she didn’t know. If it meant she could heal his hand she decided she could spare the time to let him take her for a drink and after she could leave just as easily as she came. Plus she enjoyed the occasional sweet taste of a drink on her lips though it was never more than that, a drink she typically had by herself.

“Okay, you win. Now let me heal you.” The words of defeat fell from her lips with the hint of an amused smile before she looked back to his hand. She didn’t typically get conditions attached to her ability to heal, on average people were more than willing to let her help so she wasn’t sure what else to do but allow him the stipulation. He seemed to genuinely just want to have fun; perhaps she needed a little fun in her life. Gently she’d lay her other hand on top of his so that it was held between her palms and she closed her eyes pushing away the sights that bombarded her. It started off slow, the heat spreading through her veins and warming her as if she was just stepping out of the shade and into the sun. The warmth would spread to the center of her palm and a soft glow would press between their touching skins as she prayed to Rak’keli with her healing.

The heat between her hands grew subtly as the healing began; the inflamed skin and the quick bruising that had manifested slowly began to heal itself. Her thoughts centered around his wound as she repaired blood vessels and soothed the muscles beneath the skin. It didn’t take long, only a couple chimes of her silent breathing and her warm hands and then she was quickly releasing her touch from his and biting her lip glad to have her hands back to herself. “Try not to do that again or at least do it when someone is around to help you.” She smiled to soften the ‘doctors orders’ she was giving him and then she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before looking up at him.

Turning her eyes to the direction of the closest taverns she tilted her head slightly and then looked back at him “Which would you like to go to? I admit I don’t tend to visit the taverns much.” Alaia offered him a sheepish grin and then motioned down the length of the dock preferring to follow beside him. Rather than picking a place herself she tried to cut that option off as best she could with her next words. “I’ll take your lead Tydus.” If he began walking she’d fall into step beside him and wrap her arms around her middle as a breeze pushed past them chasing the waves of the sea.

[Tydus Tempest]

The Tempest scion had found the agreement to the condition he had set, but with it... he discovered something else. A frown had nearly pursed the Tempest's lips as he noted the almost reluctant tone in the woman's voice, though he was later encouraged by the amused smile that wore onto her features. There was hope for this one, but she seemed so consumed and strung out by her abilities that she had even lost the ability to enjoy herself. The thoughts materialized upon the Tempest scion's thoughts as his hand was healed, noting the warmth that permeated within his hand. The same warmth turned to a nearly icy chill as the swelling reduced.

The hand slowly pulled from the woman's hands and lightly caressed her cheek a moment after, the Tempest scion pulling at the reaches of his djed as he took advantage of the moment to apply a subtle touch. The Tempest viewed Hypnotism in two categories. One side of it was pure, unbridled manipulation that worked to steer a subject and work them into the Hypnotist's intentions. The other was gentle steering and what Tempest called release from their inhibitions. One worked to ensnare and the other worked to liberate. While the Magic Man from Avanthal had taught him the first, and Tydus had taken to it naturally, he by and far preferred the second use, which he had learned through his own self-discovery.

Each person wore armour around their souls, a sort of aura that protected them against others. It functioned as a filter to their words, a stopper to their vocalization, but it did not halt their body's reactions. Pupils dilated, bodies shook and twitched, and even the most tight-lipped of humans, unless they watched it carefully, showed their emotions in their body language. It was something that Tydus had picked up over time, and he applied it to his use of Hypnotism.

Alaia was obviously reserved, demure in both dress and in practice, and the Tempest would attempt to break, if not shatter altogether, this horrible, encumbering limitation that he perceived. Tydus felt that the life of a lubber was one cursed by the confines of 'civilization'. A person's innate nature to enjoy, desire, and attain was inherently broken by the very structures that protected them. It seemed that way in every city that the Tempest had experienced.

Only the Svefra know how to truly live, it seems.

Djed wove both into his touch and his words as the Tempest caressed Alaia's cheek, a smile gracing his features as his words adopted a rhythm to them, confidence abound in his verse and intonation as he said,

"There's a tavern right here, actually. T'is called the Alements. The proprietor's a good friend of mine. Haven't been there for anything but business, so thought it'd be a nice place to show ye. Anyway, t'is a great place to just relax and let the world fall by the wayside."

Djed was tasked for two purposes, woven into the last part of his response. Tydus' touch wove two emotional responses, the first set for a calming aura around the Tempest. In line with the first, the second response was set to relax the woman, set her at peace so that the suggestion could land upon her eardrums.

A single thought poured into Alaia's mind, momentary in function, but present nonetheless.

Maybe he's right. I should enjoy myself.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Alaia]

.

Alaia’s lips pulled into a frown when his hand came up to caress her cheek, she did not like to be touched but as he spoke her frown loosened slowly until a sigh fell from her lips and she softened her expression. Maybe she was being to up tight. He just wanted to show her a good time, she could feel that much when he touched her and her nerves settled back under her skin. Alaia didn’t turn away from his hand like she normally would have, instead she let it happen and when he removed his touch she offered him a tilted smile as if silently apologizing for the rigid spine she was so very fond of.

“Alright, let’s go to this place your friend owns.” A place to escape the monotony of her everyday life sounded better the more she thought on it, just a night enjoying a drink with a man she didn’t know. She was sure it would be an interesting night but she didn’t think she should worry about it as much as she had a few moments ago. Maybe he’s right. I should enjoy myself. The Konti faced her steps to match his and she followed Tydus towards Alements, her bare feet enjoying the docks as the wood cooled to give way to the summer evening.

Upon entering Alements her eyes took in the soft lights that illuminated from the lanterns that filled the space, it gave it a comforting glow that settled any moments of hesitation and she looked around with a smile. The place seemed to be more peaceful then many places she had visited in the city so she took a moment to enjoy the serenity before she glanced back at Tydus. “Those seats look comfortable don’t you think?” Her scales seemed to welcome the flickering lights of the lanterns and they reflected back at the Svefra with glittering opalescence. Under the warm light her Rak’keli mark delicately cascading along the side of her face seemed to stand out as well only accenting the inhumanness of the healer.

Shifting her weight she allowed her feet to carry her towards the comfortable seating of plush chairs just waiting to surround the petite woman in a comforting embrace. If Tydus didn’t object to her choice of seating she wouldn’t speak again until she was delicately folded into her chair and then she reached up to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear before she spoke. “What is your idea of fun Tydus?” Alaia tilted her head with her question; a grin forming on her lips almost betting herself that this man’s version was fun was very different from her own. She was curious and it was more soothing when he spoke when her sitting there awkwardly trying to figure out what to talk about.

[Tydus Tempest]

And how it worked on her! It was always Tydus' belief that Hypnotism at the level he was capable of unleashing it was unable to fully twist a person's mind against them. Tydus merely opened realms of possibilities and engaged his subject. He encouraged them to step into the doors and live in that realm. For Tydus, Hypnotism was not possible unless there was already an inclination towards the possibility that he enrolled into being.

Of course, this was not true. It was, if anything, conditional, for the longer Tydus spent Hypnotizing his subject and remained undiscovered, the more he could unravel and ultimately direct. Time was the ally of the Hypnotist, but for the quick, gentle nudge in the right direction, the philosophy was sound. And the fact that the woman seemed so open to his encouragement was undeniable. The Tempest masked a smirk as he led her into the Alements. Afterwards, she seemed to take on her own lead, and thus, she led him to a smattering of chairs held under lantern's light, Tydus eagerly taking a seat.

"Ah, they do, lass. And, of course, they are."

Tydus allowed a brief, relieved sigh to fill his lungs with air before speaking, but his own thoughts were interrupted by the Healer's question. And what a marvelous question it was. His idea of fun? The young woman could very easily discover what his idea of fun was from first-hand experience, but he would not mention that now. She was just becoming accustomed to the notion of not being an enjoyment-deprived workaholic. And as such, Tydus knew he had to take things slowly with her. A drink or two would most certainly help.

"My idea of fun, lass, is the last ghost of Syna's light fadin' away. When Leth rises, a world of possibility forms, the blanket of night removing teh in'ibitions of man and woman alike. The sweet taste o' rum or teh sweet dance of wine on the tongue. Teh enjoyment of an existence ou'side teh workings of earning one's pay. In me eyes, fun is when a person can let down their walls and surrender themselves to their wants n' real needs."

Tydus' words flowed with a passion for the idea, a desire borne from the blood that coursed through his veins, the stirring of Ty's mind born from an innate desire to tell and talk, to drink and want. To petch and have. Tydus' life was one of haunted nights and dying days outside of the taverns and embrace of alcohol. Inside of it, however, Tydus evolved. The smile that stretched his lips easily reached his ocean's blue eyes as he asked of Alaia,

"I expect you to answer once we 'ave our drinks."

He chuckled before rising from his seat. A short exchange of words with Elise would have Tydus returning from the bar with two glasses of spiced rum, the Tempest placing the tab on the debit he had with the Alements before he offered one glass to Alaia,

"This, lass, is the elixir of life. They call it rum in the city of Kenash, and it is rumoured to have the power to bring the dead to life."

Of course it did. Rum brought Tydus back to life whenever his heart burst from the memories that haunted him. It resuscitated him, and it sustained the blissful retreat from those thoughts.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Alaia]

Alaia had asked what his form of fun was and well his answer did not disappoint her. His answer was actually more than she had been expecting and she found herself leaning just a tad closer. His response was poetic and made her frown lightly, more at her own lack of a response then what he actually said. What was she supposed to say? Fun to her was sitting alone on the beach in silence. That was fun wasn’t it? His description of what he enjoyed made her question her own ideals of the word, thankfully he didn’t want her to answer right away.

Her own lips pulled into a responding smile to his and as he spoke with Elise the healer let herself get lost in the ideals and truth of what she found to be pleasurable. Healing wasn’t fun, it was her job and her life and while sometimes it proved to be interesting that wasn’t the same thing as fun. Her free time was typically spent on her own though she did hear of a dance that was happening the end of the season and she thought maybe that could be something she would enjoy around others. The question she asked him was more weighted then she thought it would be. Alaia half rose from her seat when Tydus brought over the glasses of what he called rum. She enjoyed wine but she never overindulged and she never had this drink before.

Taking the glass with delicate fingers that were careful to avoid his she settled back in her seat and inclined her head slightly “Thank you … for the rum.” Her mouth formed around the name of the beverage unused to its taste on her tongue. Delicately the Konti lifted the glass to peer at the amber liquid aflame with the light of the lanterns that were decorating Alements. It was gorgeous in color and she brought it to her nose to take in the scent. She was testing the new drink with as many senses as she could before she brought the glass to her lips and tilted its contents onto her tongue. The flavor that filled her mouth could only be described as a warm molasses and caramel with a hint of smoke. It wasn’t sweet like molasses but it was definitely unique in flavor, her sip wasn’t big and it warmed her throat as it traveled like a seductive flame inside of her. It was nothing like wine, it felt heavier in her mouth then wine but it was just as delicious.

Slowly Alaia smiled at Tydus in approval of the drink “I don’t really think it could wake the dead Tydus but it is delicious.” Taking a deep breath she stared at her drink rather than him as she thought of how to answer her side of the question. “I used to get into all sorts of trouble with my cousin when we lived on Mura.” She paused and then tilted her blue orbs up to him. “She had this desire to always do something that we weren’t supposed to, partially I think it was more of a desire to see me uncomfortable then to actually have the adventures we had. That was fun.” Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought and she brought the rum back to her lips taking a slightly larger sip this time. When she spoke again her voice was smoky from the alcohol. “Now I suppose I just enjoy the beach and drawing, I work a lot I don’t have time for much else then a glass of wine and my sketch pad.”

Alaia moved to place the unfinished drink down for now, she wasn’t done but her hands sought to finger the lace of her dress for something to do. “Are your walls up right now Tydus?” She smiled gently with her question “If they are then you aren’t having fun according to your definition and if I’m going to be here to have a drink then the least we can both do is try to have fun.” The statement was clearly innocent in its meaning, she didn’t want to bore him when he invited her to have a drink so if she could she’d do her best to entertain. In her line of reasoning if he had fun she would be content with the unexpected night out and go home with a smile.