A Knife in the Dark [Nyahna, Damselian]

[Gravon]

Already tensed to the bone, Gravon felt his body jerk in reaction to Sasin's sudden rise from his chair, nearly slipping off his own seat as his eyes widened to take notice of anything the stranger might do. Fortunately, Nyahna only reacted timidly to his brother's action, though while that might have allayed his overreactive nature, the sound of quick footsteps nearby forced him to jump to his feet and acutely scan the tavern. Quick feet bring dark tidings, he thought. He did not see the tavern-master's boy run to fetch his father, but he assumed what was going to happen. Just when his eyes met the tavern entrance, Gravon watched as a green blur rush through with a fairly sized unit of knights behind it.

With his muscled tightened enough to rip the skin from his body, the half-breed almost found himself leaping forward to intercept the band of soldiers. He nearly toppled forward as he stopped himself, especially at the sight of the badges pinned to the newcomers' collars. The Isurian hastily recovered just as the Akalakian giant gripped his brother's neck.

"Calm down, little brother...or else you'll find your head abruptly facing the wrong way." The man said. Gravon found himself growling as he felt obligated to help his kin, an anger rising in his chest as he stood there clenching his fist. Experience thankfully kept him from making any foolish actions, his body as still as stone. Gravon ignored the knights behind him, eyes glaring at the Akalakian indignantly.

After an uneasy moment, a woman broke the silence. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

For once in his life, Dams spoke in a softer tone as he responded to the lady; at which felt odd to Gravon as he watched him logically explain the situation. It brought a tiny smirk to his face, though one would have to look hard to notice. And as usual he just kept his mouth shut, allowing his silence to act as a concurrence to his brother's words.

[Nyahna Sasin]

It was soon obvious that he hadn't been wrong about the knights. Having been in syliras for quite a while had given him what he had jokingly dubbed his "knight sense". The first hint was the clomping of metal boots on the floor. Glancing from the huge akalak (Siku damn it, he had to crane his neck to see his face, even from this distance) to the lithe woman holding a spear, he took another step back as they moved to intercept the two brawlers.

He glanced at gravon as the Isurian seemed to stumble. He wasn't planning on fighting the knights, was he? He had taken the man to be smarter than that.

Sasin hissed under his breath as he spotted the three swords. These were some high ranking knights.

He listened as the Akalak attempted to explain himself, speaking softer than Sasin had heard him speak all night. Oh gods. Somehow, he doubted that either knight would be satisfied with that.

[Dusk]

The girl - Dam's mental estimation was a few years too old - couldn't stop a tiny quirk of a smile at Rhuryc's drunken comment. Her boot shifted and came to rest in the center of his chest, though the spear remained only an inch away from his cheek.

She focused on the Akalak man once he began talking, thin brows quirking up at his suddenly careful words. When he finished, and she was sure the others weren't going to interject as well, she simply turned to look at the barkeep. The fingers on her free hand twitched, and the barkeep twitched his own fingers in response, some signal between them. The woman nodded, as if he'd confirmed something for her, and then sighed again as she straightened up off of Rhuryc. Another wave, and one of the knights that'd been behind Gravon moved over to haul the drunk to his feet.

"Perhaps you don't realize how loud you are, Damselian," she said dryly, referring to the name he'd practically shouted across the tavern, "but every person in this establishment heard every word you said. Rather booming, like a walking headache. Because of this, we all heard quite clearly when you disturbed this man's quiet attempts at drunkenness and then insulted him."

She turned on Rhuryc then, a frown twisting her mouth as she glared up at him. "And you should know better. You're not new here, you know the rules."

She looked from one to the other of them, and then nodded as if a decision was made. "Take them both to the tank. The council can see them in the morning and decide what their punishment should be. You two," she said, pointing first at Gravon and then at Sasin, "were smart enough not to get involved, so you're free to go. But if I ever have to interrupt my time off to deal with this childish shyke again, I'll take a pound of flesh off each of you, you understand me?" she said softly, the apparent youth of her voice in no way detracting from the seriousness in her eyes.

She turned to the guards who were in uniform, and motioned for them to drag Rhuryc out of the tavern, which they quickly turned to do. "Sorry about this, Kimbis," she sighed, her eyes climbing up to meet the Akalak's gaze - a long way, since he was half-again her height. "You mind escorting him?"

Kimbis chuckled and loosened his grip on Damselian's throat, shifting to simply hold him by the upper arm instead. "No worries, Aquila. That's the curse of rank - a day off is never really a day off," he said, shrugging as he waved the woman to return to her now-cold dinner.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc grumbled something. Or another. It was most likely just drunken meanderings. Despite his situation he appeared to not care about either the spear or the boot; and it was not because of the alcohol. His vision was a blur, true, but there was little one could do to take the man off his guard. Already he had a plan. The girl would not expect him to fight back. A quick jerk and she would be on the ground. Without the spear he had an advantage, a hostage, if he could draw his blade he might be able to clear a path free from the tavern while he held the Knight at arms. Or he could lay there. Despite the excitement of his plan Rhuryc decided instead on the way of ease, resting beneath the boot as if he had been slain.

The girl twitched and he was free. With a gruff grunt Rhuryc hoisted himself from the ground - his balance surprisingly well off for his state - and stood to his full height. For a moment he considered asking the Knight how the weather was in her realm. Fortunately, she addressed him first. Another grunt followed. He knew he would end up in the tank. Maybe there he could get some peace. He grunted, again, in response to the girl-Knight and made no move to resist. Instead, he unbelted the sword belt from his waist and handed it over to the guards as they made to take him. Better he offer it than they be forced to remove it; that would end up in another brawl, one that Rhuryc was not so sure many would walk away from.

"My dear lady," Rhuryc bowed, still drunk, but the motion was not one of a mocking intent. "A pleasure it was to be privy to your boot. I feel I have lost a friend since his departure."

The dragging was quick to follow. When the Knights made for his arms Rhuryc did little to resist. He instead walked calmly along side them, concentrating on the route ahead as his head blistered with thoughts. Of all the nights. Yet, of course it would be tonight. He grunted. Again.

[Damselian]

It was difficult to tell what their fate would be until the young woman began to speak. She seemed to smile slightly at Rhuryc's comment, giving Dams hope that they might get away with a warning. Either that or she knew the swordsman, which would bode even worse for the Akalak. He had a tiny, calm smile on his face before she opened her mouth. The tone of her voice instantly told Damselian that he was screwed. His lips gradually pursed, drawing tight against his teeth, before eventually curving downward into a distinct frown. "Rather booming, like a walking headache. Because of this, we all heard quite clearly when you disturbed this man's quiet attempts at drunkenness and then insulted him." she said. Dams' stomach sank. He was so screwed. Ironically, he honestly hadn't come looking for any trouble. It was his misfortune to have introduced himself to the wrong person at the bar, and now he would pay for it. Inside, Damselian seethed with hatred and anger. His dark alter-ego advanced from the fringes of his mind, cackling derisively. "Ohhh, look what you've done now boy. There's only one way out, and I think you know what that is..." the shadowy figure told him, stepping closer and closer. "They don't know the nature of your weapon. If you strike by surprise, you can take one of them hostage before they realize what's happening. But quickly now, time is running short.." it continued. His frown intensified. Uncertainty flooded his mind as he considered attacking the knights. Kimbis loosened his grip on Dams throat, moving to clutch the smaller Akalak's bicep. With his right hand free, Dams could grab the chain from his waistband and catch them all off guard. The young leader of the knights looked like a manageable hostage, he assessed. A lot easier to hold onto than Kimbis, at least. If he wrapped her throat, he could drag her out of the tavern in relative safety, and use her life as a bargaining chip to secure his escape. Then reality emerged, and the shadowy figure stepped back into the darkness. He was likely to end up as a pin cushion for a half-dozen knights if he made even a single step towards their captain. Most of the attention was on him, since he was the loud-mouth of the bunch. She even knew his name already, how sweet. He pushed the dark spirit deeper into the recesses of his mind, shoving it back into eternal darkness. He could hear it whispering still, but the voice was too low to discern any meaning from the speech. He pushed further, until only silence remained in his head. He reflected for a few more moments before sighing and gesturing for Kimbis to lead him out of the tavern. He would take his chances in a jail cell. At least if they threw him in a cell with his ill-tempered, drunken neighbor, he would have a fighting chance. He was one crazy bastard, but he sure wasn't suicidal. He would be dead long before he could escape Syliras if he tried to fight his way out of the tavern. "Gravon, come visit me tomorrow night if I haven't returned to the camp by then. Oh, and bring my coinpurse, just in case I need to pay fines and what have you." he stated solemnly. His voice was low and deep, resigned to the fate ahead of him. More than likely, they would condemn him in court. He would spend days, maybe weeks in jail. He grumbled silently in his mind, furious that things could go so drastically wrong on his first night in Syliras. He had only just arrived in town. He would get to see the prison before he could even visit the bazaar, or most anything else in the city. How f***ing fortunate.

[Dusk]

Once it was clear both of the men were going to cooperate, the tension in the tavern eased and most people went back to enjoying their meals or their drinks. The knights and the Akalak simply shoved the two men into a walk and began escorting them to The Tank.

OOCRhuryc and Damselian, you two can continue in the linked thread. The other two can continue here if you wish. Have fun!

[Templar]

Rhuryc: Drinking: 2 – Brawling: 2 – Seduction: 2 – Observation: 2 Lore: Recognizing a lost Battle – Getting Arrested Damselian: Drinking: 1 – Rhetorics: 3 – Unarmed: 3 Lore: Bothering drunk humans, not a good idea. – Breaking the law, and the concequences – Getting Arrested. Gravon: Drinking: 1 – Rhetorics: 2 – Observation: 3 Lore: Remaining Calm – Watching your Brother get taken - Nyahna: Drinking: 1 – Observation: 3 Lore: Getting out of the way - Additional notes: Excellent thread.