PM to join I Guess I Could Try It... (Cantillion)[The Rearing Stallion]

[Aventis]

15th of Autumn, 514 AV

The dullness of Aventis' day couldn't begin to describe how impossibly bored he was. It had been ten bells since he had awoken and six since he had consumed any food or beverage. The only thing that had kept him sane was walking, reflecting. The sky was gray. The air was warm enough for the children indoors to expect something better than the dreary outdoors they were to find. On days like today, Aventis found, the best tactic is to not avoid the dullness, but accept it. By very definition, it could not hurt you.

It did not seem as if the vague majority of passerbys shared his philosophy. Aventis may be standoffish and shy, hiding hi lower arms under his cloak even now, yet he seemed quite chipper compared to his fellow denizens of Syliras, most of whom watched the road, most of whom paid no mind to their surroundings. Their loss, Aventis thought to himself.

Aventis seemed to be orbiting towards the area nearest The Rearing Stallion. Could be fun... he thought. If not to drink, then to simply scope out the area. Get acquainted.

As he was considering his options, the rest of the world began getting darker and darker. He had considered his options, and he had decided to go to the tavern. It was getting nippy and perhaps they had a hearth of some kind.

So be it.

Aventis

[Cantillion]

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Cantillion sat at a small table for two near the fire, alone. He was sore and tired from the day's "training", if sitting around with your hands in front of you for hours on end could even be considered training, and just wanted to go back to the barracks and sleep. "You seem preoccupied with your own thoughts," Dra-Nelsa's voice rang in his head. "Go to the Rearing Stallion, drink some cheap ale." It wasn't technically an order that he had to follow; she hadn't commanded him to get drunk, and even if she had, it was doubtful that she had any way of finding out if that's what he was doing tonight. Then again, there were no shortage of off-duty knights around, most recognized by the Windoak emblems that they still wore, as a point of pride. That, and more than one were missing something. A finger, a hand, even the man who seemed to run the tavern was missing an arm. Is that what happens to Syliran Knights? "Your ale," came the voice of a barmaid, interrupting him from morbid thoughts. "Thank you," Cantillion answered back, swapping the silver miza in his hand for the mug in hers. As she wandered off to serve other patrons, he looked down into his ale, undeniably brown. He still wasn't certain how cheap ale was supposed to help his training. As far as he could tell, Dra-Nelsa was never intoxicated, at least not when he was around, and she had no problems. So why is it so hard for me? he asked himself.

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[Aventis]

Aventis stood, staring at the faded sign that hung directly above the door of the tavern. Moments like this had always intimidated him, mostly because they were so rare to come across. He knew most of Syliras now, and what he didn't know were mostly closed doors, and for those that can be opened, they usually contained uncertain conclusions. But Aventis liked to consider himself a hopeful and somewhat chipper character, so why not?

Aventis, with bats far too large to be butterflies in his stomach, opened the door to be met with a warm, enticing environment full of merriment and joyous laughter. More importantly, however, there was a hearth. Aventis, still with churning nerves, walked slowly in an attempt to arouse as little attention as he could. His arms were gently tucked beneath his cloak, and he tried as hard as possible to not look as... Tall as he was as he slowly made his leisurely way through the tavern, each customer, luckily, engaged in their own business. Except, it seemed, for one.

He sat alone in a two-seat table right next to the hearth, just receiving a mug of some... Brown... Hazel... Liquid. The beverage looked the opposite of familiar to Aventis, but the man did not. He had seen the man around the dormitories, around the training grounds. He was the mage squire. And he didn't look particularly happy.

Aventis sighed deeply, and then smiled to himself. As long as he was being stupid, he mightaswell stick to one theme.

Aventis, with a quicker cadence now, approached the squire and sat across from him. From there, however, he didn't know what to do. Hopefully the squire would recognize him. Maybe.

Aventis

[Cantillion]

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Yellow eyes, looking for answers in the alcohol, snapped up and locked on the stranger taking the seat across from him, their golden hues rapidly going green as the two men just stared at each other. No greeting received, no greeting returned. A cloak, closed all the way around. He wondered if it was really cold enough tonight to warrant a cloak. Especially now that he's inside, near the fire, he thought, eyes moving down slightly, then back up to the man's face. It reminds me of them. Cantillion blinked, suddenly unnerved, but still quite aware of the situation at hand. This man couldn't have been much older than he was, though he did bear a significant scar along the side of his face. A hunter? he imagined. Could they have found me already? No, he countered. They would come for me themselves. They wouldn't have someone else do it, certainly not a human. Still, the man waited for something, some kind of reaction. Could they get into Syliras, though? he asked himself. He's trying to get me outside the castle walls. They're waiting for me out there, and I'm not ready. He began to panic internally, balling his hands into fists on the tabletop. This is a safe place, he told himself. There are knights all around. Don't be afraid. Cantillion took a quick breath, ready to speak to his uninvited guest. "Do I know you?" he asked, a pure question, with no hint of condescension.

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[Aventis]

The squire looked up at Aventis. "Do I know you?"

The situation could certainly be described as awkward. Most definitely. Aventis took a moment, swallowing most of his personality, and proceeded to speak. "I... Um... Maybe. I saw you at the squire dorms... Just thought that I could, you know... Sit down." He said, nearly cringing at every word that flowed ineptly from his chapped lips.

"I dunno'. I've been pretty brave today. I'm terrified of this place, to be completely honest..." He said, taking a minute to look around, assessing the tavern, the laughter burning his ears. He sighed, eyeing the strange drink that the squire had ordered.

"Sorry... Should have started with this... I'm, uh... I'm Aventis. Nice to meet your acquaintance." He said, awkwardly holding his hand out

Aventis

[Cantillion]

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"Aventis," he repeated back to the stranger across from him, eyeing him warily. His offer for a handshake went unnoticed, the entire concept foreign to Cantillion. "You've seen me at the dormitories?" he asked. In just the past few days, since he joined the Order as a Squire, he had "crossed paths" with plenty of Squires and Knights alike, though he never had much cause to stop and strike up a rapport with them. It's possible, he decided, and if it was true, it wasn't likely that this stranger was anything other than a Squire or a Knight. Even though he hadn't gotten to know many of either, he had a gut feeling which of the two was in front of him. "You're a Squire, then?" he asked quickly. "What brings you to this..." he paused, looking around the room briefly. "...this place?"

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[Aventis]

“Aventis…” The squire said to him, assessing him studiously, his offer to shake hands all but unnoticed. Bit rude…

“You’ve seen me at the squire dormitories?” He asked, as if in disbelief.

“I… Yeah. I have. I joined recently… The eleventh, actually. I haven’t been around much, I suppose. I saw you once or twice.” Aventis said, the night looking duller than he assumed. Which was fine, dull was good. Dull meant that there was no danger. No fun and no new friends, but no danger, which was good.

“So you’re a squire, then?” The man asked, nearly forcing the words from his pale throat. “What brings you to this…” He gestured to the tavern around them, “This place?”

Aventis sighed. Dull, yet still dangerous. He, more than anything, was afraid of getting too familiar with a stranger. It’s unwise, it’s dangerous, and he doesn’t want to make a mistake he would regret. He took a moment, leaning back in his chair and gesturing quickly towards the fire.

“It’s cold,” he said, “And you had an open seat next to the fire.”

Perfect. Nonchalant, unassuming.

Aventis gestured towards the beverage that the man had ordered, genuinely curious. “I need to know your name, and what that is. Please.” He said. Slightly forceful, like the man homself. He hoped it would beget a bit of respect.

Aventis

[Cantillion]

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"Oh,"Cantillion said, looking down at his mug. He had nearly forgotten he had it in front of him."This is 'ale'," he said plainly. As he looked back up at Aventis, he realized how foolish he had been, jumping to conclusions so quickly. His pursuers would have caught up to him quickly, if not at all; by now, they must be spiting the safety of Syliras, the walls of the citadel keeping them away from him. He had to believe that he was safe here. "And my name is Cantillion," he added with a curt nod, picking up the mug and taking a sip. As the liquid met his taste buds, Cantillion's eyes squinted and his face contorted into a small grimace, swallowing the ale quickly. "Bitter," he said out loud, eyeballing the contents of the mug as he set it back down in front of him.

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[Aventis]

“Oh,” The man said, shifting his eyes towards the mug. “This is ‘ale’.”

The squire seemed to shift, watching Aventis carefully, assessing him, as if he were a threat, as if he had done something wrong, as if he were looking, ever-watching, for something of shrouded subject. It was… Offputting, to say the the least. The man seemed to subject Aventis to cautioned suspicion. But it was no matter, the man had shown no hostility towards him, and most likely did not intend his impression.

Aventis nodded politely, the answer raising more questions than it did satisfy them.

“And my name is Cantillion.” The man added. Aventis nodded again. I’ll have to remember that...

Cantillion took a long swig of the strange liquid, greatening Aventis’ curiosity. “Bitter,” he said, assessing even the drink in his hand before he set it down.

“I, um… I’ve never had ale.” the squire ventured. “How much does one cost?

Aventis

[Nivel]

Aventis : XP Award: 3 Socialization 2 Observation Lore: Don't avoid the dullness, Accept it Location: The The Rearing Stallion The feeling of having giant demonic bat butterflies in your chest Cantillion: The mage squire who's a bit distant Notes: Too bad this thread was so short but what are you going to do. Cantillion : XP Award: 3 Socialization 2 Observation Lore: Location: The The Rearing Stallion Patron Knight commands you to get Drunk on cheap ale Do all the knights have missing appendages? Ale tastes Terrible Aventis the Squire that has stalked you a bit. Notes: Abandoning a thread..shame on you Additional Comments: Comments here