Closed A Few Mizas for a Good Night (Muue)

[Harkon]

Timestamp: Fall 5, 514 AV Location: Towery's Casino Time of Day: 21st bell, after sunset Harkon entered his home at The Terraces exhausted. It had been a long day at the plantation. There had been a large grouping of Fowlers sweep through the property. They didn't cause any damage, but the Morealis' found them to be annoying, so he, and the other private mercenaries, were charged with running them off. It sounded like an easy task at first, but the petching creatures kept coming back. They had to kill several, no easy feat in and of itself, just to scare off the rest. He needed a drink. He didn't drink often, but tonight would be a special occasion. He set down his axe, and made his way down to Shipwreck Beach to bathe. He scrubbed the daily sweat and grime from his body, always preferring the ocean water to fresh, and returned him. Being a special occasion, he outfitted himself in his expensive Season's Best, complete with top hat and walking stick. No one but the newest visitors or most ignorant citizens would confuse him for a Dynast. But he was certainly, a well dressed Freeborn. Leaving his axe behind, for alcohol and weapons never led to anything good, he made his way to West Bank. He made his way inside, smiling at the variety of women. He wasn't a big gambling man, but he would certainly enjoy some drink. Making his way to the bar, and ordered a pitcher of wine, paying his five silvers up front. The pitcher and an empty goblet were brought to him, and he poured it, and downed the first draught quickly. It wasn't bad wine either, not spectacular, but not bad. He poured another, and took it a bit easier on this one, his eyes now scanning the casino for anything of interest. He might eventually make his way to a cheap table to play a little, or perhaps watch one of the higher stakes' ones. But for now, he sat and enjoyed his drink.

[Muue]

Muue

Muue moved away from the table where she watched an odd exchange of rolling squares and moving chips. She had not yet made sense of the practice, but rather had grown bored of being so still and quiet when there were so many other things to see and do.

Movement at the door caught her eye, stealing her away from the table and towards the sight. It was not unusual to see a man come into this place, but this one looked different. He was not dressed as the men who came in smelling of the drinks behind the long table, nor did he look like the men who came in with hats tipped low and collars turned up to obscure their faces. Those men often disappeared into the smaller rooms with a girl who always returned to the casino with the strangest scents on them.

No this man was different again, dressed in attractive clothing, but not hiding behind them. He was lost from her sight a few moments, but with a little effort she found him once more. Her steps were smooth and slow as she made her way towards him, curiosity canting her head slightly to the side.

He settled at the long table, drinking deeply of something that was put before him before filling the container a second time and lifting it to his lips with a little less abandon.

She longed for the sight of her other shape, so much clearer - especially in such conditions as this - for she could not make much out of the man besides his tall hat and odd stick.

There was a dark mass of hair that framed his face, but she could make little more out from the distance. She sidestepped another girl, one she couldn't quite remember, a spinning step that didn't slow her a bit, and found herself well within spotting distance of the man.

She gave a soft, tentative wave, and curtsied, a trick she had learned at the plantation that seemed to please the people around her.

[Harkon]

He was sipping from the goblet when his eyes caught another pair staring at him, albeit briefly. They belonged to an attractive young woman. Several people passed between them, obscuring their vision, but he could guess that she was certainly interested in him. He couldn't tell from there if she was one of the Casino's slaves or not, but he assumed so. He hadn't seen many Freeborn or Dynast women that weren't accompanied by a man. He continued drinking, deciding to see if anything would play out with this woman, free or not. He kept his glances secretive, to make it seem like he wasn't paying her a lot of attention. To further the illusion of nonchalance, he looked away for a bit, taking another swig of his wine, pretending to be watching a table that was cheering over a win. He then glanced back over in her direction under the guise of scanning the room. Harkon's eyes fell on the woman, much closer now, waving and curtsying. He instantly knew she was a slave. No free woman would act like that, but it didn't deter him in the slightest. At least he brought enough gold. He tried to lock eyes with her, seeing if she would hold his gaze, a small smirk growing upon his face. He finished off his goblet, enjoying the robust taste. He wanted to lure her over, and not have to go over to her. He set down his now empty goblet, looking down, as he picked up the pitcher. He didn't look up, he would wait and wait. Once someone was interested, they had a tendency to follow up on that interest. Goblet filled, pitcher returned to the table, he took another drought, eye looking past the cup to see if she had indeed approached.

[Muue]

Muue

He seemed distracted, pulled in many directions each time seemingly by a sound or by the call of his drink, but he did see her finally as she rose from her curtsy. Her eye caught his and she turned her gaze quickly, ducking her head in not quite submission.

His attention turned once more to his drink, and she took the opportunity to approach, sliding unobtrusively into a seat beside him at the long table. When he drank again from his container of red water his eyes found her over the rim of the glass, she ducked her head once more.

The movement offered the man a view of her cheek, the puckered mark of the burn on her jaw. It had faded from angry red to a pale line showing starkly against the color of her skin.

"Hello." She spoke after a moment, voice raised slightly to be heard over the groans and cheers of men at the table with the lady-dealer. Closer to him now she saw his eyes were as dark as the mass of hair on his head, though they glinted with the lights in the room, and his face held a rather odd expression of some kind pleasure - though at what she couldn't tell.

She smiled in response, a small catlike grin, and waited to see what the intriguing man would do next.

[Harkon]

As he lowered his goblet, he could make out the brand on her cheek, confirming his suspicions that she was in fact a slave here. The wine was beginning to warm his stomach, and he knew it would begin radiating throughout his entire body. He felt her sit down next to him, a simple greeting given to him. He turned his head toward her, that same teasing grin on his face, "Why hello there." He noticed that her eyes were a lighter brown than his own, matching her sun-kissed skin and dark hair. She looked as if she might be a healthy mix of some of the races from his own land. Perhaps Eypharian and Benshira, certainly not Chaktawe, her eyes were normal. "And what might your name be, my beautiful young friend? And would you like a drink?" He offered his goblet toward her. He hoped she would take it, for drinking alone was not nearly as fun as drinking with a beautiful woman, even if she was a slave. "My name is Harkon, from the Morealis' plantation." He didn't say he was, or was not, a Dynast, leaving it up to her to make the assumption. It wasn't lying if you simply withheld the truth. Not that it mattered to the slave, but Harkon enjoyed this little game of his. He already knew how all of this would end, so he would savor the moments until then.

[Muue]

Muue

He gave her a look again, the same one as before, and it occurred to Muue that maybe he just always looked so.

"I am Muue." She replied simply, not entirely sure what place her youth had in the conversation, but willing to put that aside. She did not offer her hand, nor did she offer a title, though perhaps someone may have introduced her with one. Muue well liked her name just as it was.

Would she like a drink? She had not been offered one before, did she want it?

She leaned forward, sniffing delicately at the proffered liquid. Her eyes widened and she pulled back from the drink. The smell wrinkled her nose and she shook the delicate burning of it away. "It is strange smelling, this drink." She commented, settling back into her seat. She wasn't entirely sure she would like such a drink, but it couldn't be bad or the others, and this man in particular, would not drink it.

"Harkon from the Morealis' plantation?" She repeated the words back to him as a single entity. It was a long name for everyday use, she wondered if others thought so or maybe shared such lengthy names. "It is nice to meet you."

[Harkon]

Harkon thought Muue was an interesting name, soft, feminine, probably foreign. It didn't sound like it came from any of the desert cultures. He watched as she sniffed the wine, now suspecting that she'd never drank any before now. Her nose crinkled in a cute manner, and it was obvious that her first impression of it wasn't great. She wasn't wrong about the smell. Harkon had to agree with her on that front, but it did taste better than it smelled. Besides, everyone who'd been drunk before enjoyed it. "It is my pleasure to meet you Muue. You can call me Harkon, the rest is just pleasantries." He beckoned over a serving slave, "Bring me another goblet for my companion here." The slave nodded and quickly retrieved the cup. Harkon filled it and set it in front of Muue. "It is much better tasting than it smells, and gets better with every swallow." Her being a slave, he found no reason to learn about her personal life. When she wasn't working, she was probably locked up, and that was her life. So he stood up, "Care to join me at the Bones table?" He offered his right hand to help her up, and the other gesturing toward the table. He had no intention of playing, but he enjoyed watching others gamble. Perhaps when he got paid, he'd return as a proper customer.

[Muue]

Muue

All too quickly Muue found she had a container of red water all to her self. She lifted the cup with a skeptical glance, sniffing once more at the liquid before taking a small sip.

It was sharp and tasted of the twigs she often had to pull from her fur. It was not entirely different from such a thing, but she wasn't sure what the appeal in such a thing was for the man. Certainly if the taste was so it was the important part? The gentle stinging burn of the liquid was not quite repulsive to Muue, but she felt certain that such a thing could not be a mark in the drink's favor.

She hadn't had an opportunity to do more than sample the drink before the man called Harkon moved. He was on his feet beside her, his hand held toward her in an odd position that couldn't have been quite comfortable.

It took her a moment to understand what he was asking, but then she nodded, still intent on figuring out why this man looked so different from the others. Her eyes landed on the odd stick he had brought with him and she realized why his hand was held in such a way towards her. She reached across to pick up the stick and placed it lightly in his hand before standing to follow him to the 'bones table'.

[Harkon]

Harkon nearly laughed as she handed him his walking stick. His hand had been extended for her own, to assist her in rising. But she was a slave, and likely did not know of such niceties. He could inform her of the standard social grace associated with an outstretched hand, but he found her naivety a bit charming. He set the walking stick against the table, as a new round was beginning. He had always enjoyed bones as a child, and would be sitting at the table with them if he could afford to. He'd get paid before too long, and no doubt he'd be back here. As his companion joined him at his side, he slipped his free arm around the back of waist, resting his hand across the top of her hip and pulling her just a bit closer. He wasn't being forceful about it, just a bit more coercive. He enjoyed the proximity of a beautiful woman, especially in the presence of others, it stoked his pride. It didn't matter that she was a slave, just that her body was perfect and was with him. He was not a Dynast that was obsessed about his station in life. He was a Freeborn after all, this was the highest he could ever hope to achieve. And so long as he didn't cause enough trouble to become a slave, he could be content. The only way he could remotely increase his standing was to make enough money to live a more comfortable, more lavish lifestyle. For now, he'd be content with fine wine, women, and let the gods hash out the rest. The dealer had cup in hand, filled with the five dice, and was shaking it liberally. He placed the cup in front of the first man, without revealing the dice. Bets were placed on what he'd get by both the players and onlookers. Then to a chorus of cheers and groans, it was revealed to be four fives, quite the high value hand. He looked down at Muue, "Drink up, you'll enjoy it, I promise." He took a healthy swig of his own, "What do you think the next hand will be? I'm thinking a three of a kind."

[Muue]

Muue

She followed him to the table standing so she was not too close to him, but not too far away as to be forgotten. The clatter of sound from the table was distracting, and though her hearing was not as good in the fragile shape that echoed the ones around her, it was still enough to make her question her intent to figure out why this Harkon man seemed different from the others.

Before she could abandon her investigation a hand wrapped around her waist and drew her in closer to the table. Closer to Harkon. The pull caused her to shift, bumping against his side, and left her unable to move back away.

It was a strange position for her to be in, breaking rules of etiquette, but because of the actions of the strange man. She was mildly uncomfortable with the entire affair, but found she was left with little option regardless.

'Drink up,' he told her, the ring of not quite a command, but something close to it, 'you'll enjoy it, I promise.' He punctuated his words with a drink of his own, seeming to actually believe that it was enjoyable.

A slight reluctance tinted her motion as she lifted the cup to her lips, drinking again the bold, oddly flavored liquid. It tickled at her nose and burned at her throat in a way that wasn't entirely pleasant.

"The next hand?" She questioned wondering if he referred to the hand that currently rested on her hip, but the following words didn't make sense in that way, and so she discarded the thought. "I don't understand, what 'hand'?"