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The 29th of Fall 514AV
Port Tranquil
A barrage of angry, flying droplets crashed down on the Lhavitian streets, the wind raged and howled as a ferocious beast and banged hard with everything that hadn't been secured well enough against walls and other objects. The Tranquil Port wasn't quite tranquil anymore, the relentless wind and rain made too much noise for it to stay true to its name. Not to mention the waves that rolled and broke into the bay, dark blue with while foam on top, wild and violent, untamable.
The storm had been going on for a couple of days already, raging and bellowing, chasing everyone inside and for a day the Azure had been completely deserted and no shop had been open. The bat had known all along that the black blanket of clouds couldn't be a good thing, grey clouds carried rain and the darker their coloring, the worse. Having seen those clouds on the twenty-seventh and having smelled the rain, Brandon had realized there would be a downpour coming, but not even he had expected it to be a storm like this. And a storm it was, no one would argue about that, no it was fact. Most people hid inside, only coming out when necessary; when they had to go to work or if they needed to go buy some food, but otherwise they weren't to be seen. It was strange to see the rather deserted streets, they usually were too crowded, but now?
As to be expected, the storm was aggressive, tugging at everything, doing its utmost best to deafen anyone who dared to walk outside, attempting to blow them away and soak them with the watery arrows. The last part, at least, succeeded. It wasn't the worst natural occurrence the starry city had witnessed though, the bat could still vividly remember the blizzard which had assaulted them last winter, four days he hadn't left his house, four days he had been bored to death. A little bit of rain and wind was nothing compared to that ordeal.
Upon voicing that last thought with a smug grin, the storm got even worse, the rain descended even faster and harder, and the wind got as chilly as it could manage. Unpleasant was a huge understatement, soaked to the bone and tortured by icy winds, the bat felt as if Morwen herself was pulling him into a freezing hug. A string of curses targeted the dark sky and the Kelvic quickened his pace, he was almost there.
Stumbling into the doorway and struggling to close the door again, Brandon entered The Rusty Anchor, a pub located in the Tranquil Port. While sailors, fishermen and other sea-faring folks were the regular customers, the occasional citizen could be found in the rowdy bar too. The Demise was certainly more popular and not as dirty-looking, they had a large base of regular customers. It was a matter of preference. “Welcome!” greeted the old man from behind the counter, “stay right where you are. Oy, Lass! There's another one for you!” Brandon, who had noticed the puddle which had already gathered around him on the floor froze on the spot as a woman with a tired expression made her way towards him.
She sighed upon laying eyes on him, and raised her hands, a bluish gas pouring out and floating around them. Not a word was uttered while she assumed a focused face, and slowly his clothes became less heavy and wet. Surprised the bat watched as the water that had soaked his clothes was drawn out of them, streaming like small rivers in the air towards the blue gas-orb she had formed. It took but a chime or two and then the bat was all dried up, even his hair wasn't wet anymore. The water that now hovered in the air was lead into a bucket where it just started flowing naturally, instead of floating around. Brandon grimaced. Magic, a tool only the gods were to wield, a tool that could cause mass destruction in the wrong hands and drive the users insane; it wasn't meant for mortals to use it. However, so the bat supposed, it could come in handy every now and then.
A quick thank you was muttered by Brandon, and the woman nodded in response, still not speaking as she retreated back to her table in a corner of the room while the Kelvic approached the bar. “What's with her?” he asked, gesturing to the mage who'd just played towel for him. “Ah, I like to keep my bar dry on rainy days,” answered the old man, “so the customers have to be dry too; that's what I pay her for.” He shrugged. “So what will it be? A mug of ale for you or would you rather have something stronger to warm your insides?”
“Ale will do”, was the answer and the bartender nodded, grabbing a mug and filling it up with the beverage, taking the coin Brandon had placed on the counter.
Port Tranquil
A barrage of angry, flying droplets crashed down on the Lhavitian streets, the wind raged and howled as a ferocious beast and banged hard with everything that hadn't been secured well enough against walls and other objects. The Tranquil Port wasn't quite tranquil anymore, the relentless wind and rain made too much noise for it to stay true to its name. Not to mention the waves that rolled and broke into the bay, dark blue with while foam on top, wild and violent, untamable.
The storm had been going on for a couple of days already, raging and bellowing, chasing everyone inside and for a day the Azure had been completely deserted and no shop had been open. The bat had known all along that the black blanket of clouds couldn't be a good thing, grey clouds carried rain and the darker their coloring, the worse. Having seen those clouds on the twenty-seventh and having smelled the rain, Brandon had realized there would be a downpour coming, but not even he had expected it to be a storm like this. And a storm it was, no one would argue about that, no it was fact. Most people hid inside, only coming out when necessary; when they had to go to work or if they needed to go buy some food, but otherwise they weren't to be seen. It was strange to see the rather deserted streets, they usually were too crowded, but now?
As to be expected, the storm was aggressive, tugging at everything, doing its utmost best to deafen anyone who dared to walk outside, attempting to blow them away and soak them with the watery arrows. The last part, at least, succeeded. It wasn't the worst natural occurrence the starry city had witnessed though, the bat could still vividly remember the blizzard which had assaulted them last winter, four days he hadn't left his house, four days he had been bored to death. A little bit of rain and wind was nothing compared to that ordeal.
Upon voicing that last thought with a smug grin, the storm got even worse, the rain descended even faster and harder, and the wind got as chilly as it could manage. Unpleasant was a huge understatement, soaked to the bone and tortured by icy winds, the bat felt as if Morwen herself was pulling him into a freezing hug. A string of curses targeted the dark sky and the Kelvic quickened his pace, he was almost there.
Stumbling into the doorway and struggling to close the door again, Brandon entered The Rusty Anchor, a pub located in the Tranquil Port. While sailors, fishermen and other sea-faring folks were the regular customers, the occasional citizen could be found in the rowdy bar too. The Demise was certainly more popular and not as dirty-looking, they had a large base of regular customers. It was a matter of preference. “Welcome!” greeted the old man from behind the counter, “stay right where you are. Oy, Lass! There's another one for you!” Brandon, who had noticed the puddle which had already gathered around him on the floor froze on the spot as a woman with a tired expression made her way towards him.
She sighed upon laying eyes on him, and raised her hands, a bluish gas pouring out and floating around them. Not a word was uttered while she assumed a focused face, and slowly his clothes became less heavy and wet. Surprised the bat watched as the water that had soaked his clothes was drawn out of them, streaming like small rivers in the air towards the blue gas-orb she had formed. It took but a chime or two and then the bat was all dried up, even his hair wasn't wet anymore. The water that now hovered in the air was lead into a bucket where it just started flowing naturally, instead of floating around. Brandon grimaced. Magic, a tool only the gods were to wield, a tool that could cause mass destruction in the wrong hands and drive the users insane; it wasn't meant for mortals to use it. However, so the bat supposed, it could come in handy every now and then.
A quick thank you was muttered by Brandon, and the woman nodded in response, still not speaking as she retreated back to her table in a corner of the room while the Kelvic approached the bar. “What's with her?” he asked, gesturing to the mage who'd just played towel for him. “Ah, I like to keep my bar dry on rainy days,” answered the old man, “so the customers have to be dry too; that's what I pay her for.” He shrugged. “So what will it be? A mug of ale for you or would you rather have something stronger to warm your insides?”
“Ale will do”, was the answer and the bartender nodded, grabbing a mug and filling it up with the beverage, taking the coin Brandon had placed on the counter.
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credit goes to Euthisa