Completed [Pig's Foot Tavern] A Night In the Tavern (Mirian)

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan's breath caught as Mirian's eyebrows rose. For a moment there, he thought that he had offended her. Thankfully, she looked more curious than upset. Mirian was the only person who had been kind to him in the city so far; he did not want to pay her back for that with disappointment. Quite abruptly, Mirian took his hand in hers and stood. Deltan did not know whether she had given up hopes of sharing his bed for the night(he wasn't at all certain whether he wanted her to give up or not), but he thought he at least owed it to her to humor her. Besides, he was as curious as she was. The young man stood at Mirian's direction and returned the woman's grip on his hand, allowing her to lead him out into the night. It was a pleasant night, though as Mirian led them through the city Deltan had the unpleasant sensation that they were being watched every now and again. Well, he had heard that Sunberth was a dangerous city at night. His fellow merchants' guards had warned him of that. Being none-too-discreet about it, he used his free hand to tuck his cloak away from his sword, exposing both his weapon and his coin purse. Not too long after Mirian began leading him along, Deltan took on a different demeanor. The young man still seemed equal parts nervous and pleased to have a beautiful woman holding his hand, but his eyes had a scanning quality to them. He paid more attentions to their surroundings than he did to Mirian, and through his hand his companion might notice the readiness in him. Deltan was on alert and, though he was inexperienced, he knew well enough to be ready for anything. If not for their linked hands, he could have been a bodyguard paid to ensure Mirian's safety. The young man was no match for a group of thugs, but he certainly thought he could handle the job of protecting her this night. Protecting people and possessions was what he'd been trained for; as a result, he felt somewhat obligated to protect Mirian. She did not seem able to defend herself, after all. At least, not from a band of thugs. As he saw shadows slinking through alleys, Deltan decided that it might be best to stay indoors at night. Still, Mirian had apparently grown up here. If anyone knew what was safe, it would be her. Boots making a soft thudding sound against the road, Deltan looked over at Mirian and asked, "Where are we going, Mirian?" Guardian or not, he still felt more than a little out of his depth with her and it showed through in his voice.

[Mirian Jade]

He rose, allowing her to take the lead and guide him from the Pig’s Foot. There was an instant when her eyes, flickering cautiously around to tavern to make sure no one was interested in following them, met the darker eyes of another patron tucked into a corner. Whether he’d heard the conversation or had simply gleaned Deltan’s nature as an outsider on his own was a mystery, but either way his eyes were amused as he watched the woman take her quarry to more suitable grounds. He knew what she was up to, but Deltan was an outsider––natives didn’t care what happened to outsiders. She pulled her eyes away as they stepped into the night, which was cool and somewhat refreshing after the closed-in heat of the Pig’s Foot. The door closed behind them, and then they were on their own. She slid her hand out of his, then sidled up to him and hooked her arm comfortably around his waist. He had become tense in alertness, and he was right to; Mirian herself kept a careful eye on the shadows around him, doing her best to steer them away from the alleys, but also made sure to remain aware of him, too. As she allowed herself to adjust to the darkness and the nature of travelling in Sunberth, she found her curiosity rising again. She wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation, in all honesty; she certainly couldn’t just outright ask him if he liked men or women, in the case that he was heterosexual after all and would be alienated by the question. She was sorely tempted to just grab him to see how he reacted, but he seemed nervous enough already and she didn’t want to risk putting a wedge between them. “Where are we going, Mirian?” he asked finally, breaking the silence and interrupting her scheming. “The docks,” she answered. “It’s not far. And it’s a bit safer than these parts. There’s rooms there we can… talk.” Perhaps it would be best to just outright ask what it was she wanted to know. “Come to think of it, love,” she said, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. “You seem fairly set on the idea of… talking. Any particular reason why?” Unable to resist anymore, she dragged her hand across his rear in a rather unsubtle manner, keeping an eye on his face to see how he would handle it.

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan was pleasantly surprised to feel Mirian's form pressed against his side, one of her arms about his waist. She certainly wasn't a shy maiden, though Deltan had not expected that for even a moment. He barely considered pulling away; it felt too nice to have her this close for him to want to do that. "The docks," Mirian answered, "It's not far. And it's a bit safer than these parts. There's rooms there we can... talk." Well, that answered one question; she was as set on sleeping with him as ever. And there he'd almost been convinced she wasn't a "lady of the night." Disappointing. Mirian's next words--and actions--startled Deltan. "You seem fairly set on the idea of... talking. Any particular reason why?" She asked, promptly groping his bottom and making his shoulders jerk in startlement. Even surprised as he was, wide blue eyes forgetting the rest of the city and focusing solely on Mirian, he looked upon her with desire. Deltan wanted her, and was having a very difficult time willingly refusing her all-too-willing offer. Those words combined with her tease sparked an unreasonable offense in Deltan. He picked up on that amusement, of course. Among hypnotists he was fairly oblivious, but one picked up a certain affinity for guessing the emotions of others simply through the habit of manipulating them. In this case however, he mistook her amusement for mockery. The young man's eyebrows knitted together in disapproval as he roughly pulled himself away from her grip and said in angry tones, "Because I don't want to sleep with a prostitute!" Almost instantly he regretted it, blinking twice as he realized what he had just said. His momentary anger had led him to speak without thinking, and he felt guilt nibbling at him within moments as he tried to think of how to take those words back. The worst part was that it was only a half-truth. He did want to sleep with her, whore or not. He just didn't want his first time with a woman to be with one... And he was certain his "performance" would be sub-par, due to a lack of experience. Even now, he wouldn't say that. He wouldn't admit he had never been with a woman before. That would be too humiliating. So, Deltan just watched Mirian with worried eyes, waiting for her to slap him or scream at him or worse, cry, and knowing he deserved it.

[Mirian Jade]

Several things happened to him when her hand wandered southward. First, he turned and looked at her, blue eyes filled with fire of a distinctly carnal nature. Second, that fire changed to anger. And before she could react, he pulled himself roughly from her grip, as if insulted. “Because I don’t want to sleep with a prostitute!” For a moment, Mirian could only blink at him. He seemed as surprised at his words as she was, and for what felt like an eternity they simply gaped at each other. He couldn't... he didn't... “You… you think I’m…” The information moved slowly through her mind. He thought she was a prostitute. Working at this hour, after dark, at the Pig’s Foot. He... he really had no idea that… Mirian burst out laughing before she could stop herself, though she instantly began clawing at her mouth to keep it in. “You think…!” It was too much to say out loud, and she almost doubled over trying to keep the eruption of giggling from spilling past her fingers. “Oh gods…” Breathe. She had to breathe. “You… oh, love, you really aren’t from Sunberth, are you?” She turned away to wipe at her eyes, swallowing her laughter. He thought she was a prostitute. And honest worker, instead of what she actually was. As if any prostitute was mad enough to ply their trade outside a brothel, after dark, at the Pig’s Foot no less. The irony didn’t escape her, and she wondered briefly if, tomorrow, he would wish she had been an honest prostitute. Three deep breaths, and she managed to turn back to him, hands up and palms out in a gesture of peace. “I’m sorry, I…” she swallowed back a grin, “I didn’t mean to give you that impression, but… gods, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed.” She coughed and cleared her throat from the saliva that had sprung from her laughing fit. “I’m not a whore, love. Whores live in brothels, and they certainly don’t go to the Pig’s Foot at this hour. It’s… you really thought…?” But then she was grinning again, turning away until she could control herself enough to look back.

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan had been prepared for Mirian to glare at him, or yell at him, or slap him, or even start crying. What he had not prepared himself for was gales of laughter. He stared at her, unsure whether her uncontrolled laughter was good or bad. Either way, it was better than any of the alternatives... At least, he thought so. By the time Mirian got her composure back enough to apologize, Deltan was smiling nervously at her. That was not at all the kind of response he had expected. Somehow, that worried him. He relaxed slightly as he answered, "No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have accused you of that." The apology was sincere; he genuinely regretted it, though he was glad she hadn't taken it the wrong way. Clearing his own throat, he added, "Yes, I really thought you were...one of those," he hesitated a moment, unwilling to say he'd thought she was a whore. "I'm sorry. It's just... That kind of place is where those women find patrons in Syliras. Why wouldn't they do it here?" This time it was a genuine inquiry. He had absolutely no idea why whores couldn't work where they wanted to. Realizing his attention had been entirely off the streets for several moments, he began sweeping his gaze around them once more, ready for someone to try to steal from them. They weren't at the docks quite yet. Even then, he really didn't think it was as safe as she said it was. Docks were known in some cities to harbor quite a bit of crime. "What do you do for a living?" he asked after a few moments, wanting to change the subject. If she wasn't a whore, then why had she all but pounced on him? Deltan wasn't ugly, but he knew he was hardly the gorgeous sort that inevitably ended up as a Syliran Knight with women all but dangling from him. It was flattering, true, but also more than a little baffling.

[Mirian Jade]

After a moment of baffled silence, Deltan backpedalled and offered an apology. Even that was endearing in its own way; every word from his mouth only increased her enjoyment of his company, and her smile was wide and genuine. “That kind of place is where those women find patrons in Syliras,” he explained. “Why wouldn’t they do it here?” Mirian sighed good-naturedly and gazed at Deltan as she considered how to answer. What was there to say? It wasn’t the location that they stayed away from, it was the time of day. Syliras was a place somehow safe enough for whores to work at night. Sunberth was not. He glanced around them cautiously for a moment before posing another question. “What do you do for a living?” Hah. “Where’s the fun in telling you that now?” Mirian purred, sliding back up to Deltan and replacing her arm about his waist. That was something she’d avoid talking about, at least for now. “Tell you what, love: you and I head on down to the Drunken Fish and get ourselves a room. You tell me about Syliras, I’ll tell you about Sunberth. A question for a question. It’s not much farther.”

[Deltan Colari]

Mirian's smile put Deltan at ease; she seemed to have forgiven him for his loose tongue. That was good, since Deltan would have been at an utter loss as to how to handle her otherwise. As the woman resettled herself back against Deltan, he found himself returning her smile. He was even so bold as to return her gesture by wrapping an arm about Mirian's shoulder tentatively. It still felt a bit wrong to be so...familiar with someone he'd just met. He did it partially as a sort of apology for his behavior, giving in somewhat to what she wanted. He barely admitted it to himself that he also did it because she'd given him a good excuse to give in. That evasive answer about what she did with her life made him laugh a little, while the tone she used did little for his resolve not to sleep with her. Deltan knew that, the longer he stayed near Mirian, the less likely it was that he'd keep to his decision. Then again, she was offering to help him find a room, and to tell him about her home city as well. That was good; he needed both. "Deal," he said, that smile feeling goofy on his face. He couldn't stop smiling, though. He genuinely liked Mirian, even if she did put less weight on the more carnal aspects of life than he did. "Lead the way, Mirian," he finished, returning to his continual survey of the streets. He would trust to her guidance, focusing himself on ensuring no one decided they were easy targets. He had paused just slightly on her name, considering calling her something like "love" or "dear," but it felt wrong. Such endearments might come easy to her, but he simply didn't have the experience in this sort of thing to feel comfortable with it.

[Mirian Jade]

“Lead the way, Mirian,” “As you wish, love.” The docks weren’t at all far, and Mirian couldn’t help the bit of tension that left her shoulders at the sight of lights and more people in the streets. Perhaps there was more of a risk of individual violence, but she could handle herself, and if the shortsword was anything to go by it looked like Deltan could, too. Here, at least, the gangs had less purchase, and a man with a woman under his arm was less of a target than either would have been alone. The Drunken Fish was a thick, towering building that was bright, bustling with bodies and bursting with noise. If the Pig’s Foot quieted when shadows fell, the Fish only got rowdier, filled to the brim as it was with sailors of every race and creed. There was an altercation between two men just outside, but they both seemed drunk and paid little mind to the two that passed them. Another less drunk individual leered at Mirian, but she remained fixed the the man that had long since decided to put his arm around her. Deltan seemed to be growing closer and more comfortable, after all, which put her somewhat at ease. The stench of sea, sweat and sailor mixed together when they stepped inside, while the sound of laughter, yelling and off-key music created a roiling chaos of noise and general liveliness. People drank and argued and told stories until they were red in the face, completely uncaring of how many drinks they’d had or how much lighter their pockets would be in the morning. Mirian stood on the balls of her feet to reach Deltan’s ear. “Don’t mind the noise,” she said. “It’s quieter upstairs. We talk to the bartender.”

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan relaxed as well as they approached the crowds. There were more people, true, but they were dangers that Deltan could see and confront. Slinking shadows were troublesome; this was much better. Only now in a crowd did he take a care for his coin purse, tugging his cloak to cover it but not his sword. That stayed on display for the benefit of those around the pair. Deltan looked up at the large building, surprised at its sheer size in comparison with the buildings around it. Most of Sunberth was built squat to the ground. This inn, called "The Drunken Fish," dwarfed the buildings around it. Impressive, for this city, but nothing at all like the grandeur of Syliras. It was a bit nationalist of him to think so, but Deltan could hardly imagine anyone thinking Sunberth was much to look at. The young man noted one of the men leering at Mirian, and gave him a look that he hoped seemed harsh. Really, it was more like a boyish glare, and Deltan unfortunately knew it. Only once they were past him did Deltan realize that he'd felt protective of his companion for the evening. Not just protective of her safety, but protective of the fact that she was in his company. It made a little smile cross his features before fading away. Despite the noise and stench, Deltan felt quite at home. He had grown up among the poorer parts of his town, and had gone into establishments like this from time to time. Had even worked in one a few times, unloading crates and kegs. It was familiar, unlike the shady quiet of the Pig's Foot. Tilting his head down a bit to hear Mirian better, he glanced over to where he supposed the bar was. A faint, thoughtful frown crossed his features as he noticed two distinct kinds of workers. One wore common clothes, served drinks, and generally did their job. Bartender and barmaids, clearly. The other group wore poorer, more heavily mended clothes. THey moved just as quickly, though many had eyes down or had a furtiveness to their step that spoke of fear. What was wrong with them? They worked alongside the others, but clearly lived less comfortable lives. Deltan dismissed them for the moment, for now taking the lead with Mirian. He moved to lead her over to one of the bar keepers after nodding in assent at her words. Speaking loudly to be heard, he half-shouted, "How much for a room?" Then, after receiving a few different prices for different qualities--all spoken in that Sunberthen accent that required a little more thought to understand than in his native land--he held up a couple golden mizas for a room for themselves. Judging from the character of those around him, he did not want to end up robbed blind by someone sleeping in the same common area. Deltan wasn't that foolish. That done, he tried to guide Mirian upstairs after the barkeeper, trying to puzzle out the best way to get out of her expectations of sharing his bed. He could have eliminated that by picking the cheap room, but he did not want to offend her...Or be robbed blind. Regardless, he now had to figure out what to do. Maybe he could keep her talking all night? That might do; she really seemed to like foreign places.

[Mirian Jade]

The man even shot a glare at the one who leered as they passed. It was absolutely charming. He adapted to the warm din of the Fish more quickly than she had expected, weaving between the moving bodies comfortably and with familiarity. He may not have been Sunberthian, but he could at least remain unintimidated by one of their taverns, and that was something, at least. Though there were some men that eyed Mirian with obvious heat in their gaze, she remained out of the spotlight for the most part; she was under someone’s arm, and generally the Fish’s patrons preferred easier quarry than someone who was obviously already taken. After all, there were plenty of others to be had with less effort. They made their way to the bar, and thankfully Deltan opted to pay for a room to themselves. The bartender took the money and guided them up the stairs, followed by Mirian who was followed by her companion. She knew she should keep her hands to herself, but the warmth and noise had loosened her shoulders. Her hands didn’t wander downwards this time, as they had before, but up and sideways; she was already halfway wrapped around him, and so she let her fingers play at the hem of his shirt, every now and then slipping beneath to touch the skin of his hip and lower back, and if he gave her free rein she would eventually wander higher, slipping her entire hand under the cloth to draw her nails gently over his ribs. The second floor was much quieter and relatively neater. There was something resembling a whole other tavern with chairs and a serving counter, though this one lay empty. The bartender gestured down one of the halls at the far side of the room. “Third door on yer left,” he directed. “And ‘less ya pay fer another night, get outta here by noon tomorrow.” Mirian was looking at Deltan, even as she responded to the bartender. “Thank you,” she said into Deltan’s shoulder, signalling their guide to depart. With her attention returned fully to the flame-headed young man, Mirian slipped out from his arm and came square to face him, rising from the heels of her feet to draw closer to his face. “What do you say, love?” she murmured as close to his ear as she was able and dragging her fingers over his abdomen. “Let’s you and I get in there and talk, hmm?”