[Pig's Foot] Ropes And Coils (Marone)

[Mirian Jade]

10th of fall, 514 a.v
sunset

Another day had come over the city of Sunberth, and once again Syna had found herself descending into the western skyline as Leth prepared to roust himself in her place. Once again Mirian had found herself on her way to the Pig’s Foot, shawl wrapped around her shoulders and knife strapped to her thigh.

An unusual addition, however, was the rope that accompanied that knife. It was wrapped and tied around one boot, coiled in such a way that it could look like an accessory or even part of the footwear. Today she wanted to try a new strategy, one that didn’t rely on her targets falling asleep or being too drunk to see in front of their own faces; this was a test of subterfuge, yes, but it was also a test of charm. And of lying, but that wasn’t nearly as fun.

It was getting dark by the time Mirian shouldered her way into the tavern, though not quite nighttime; there was still light streaming through the windows, and the last of the day’s patrons were still into their tankards. It wouldn’t be long before they left and heralded other, less savory patrons, but until then there were plenty for Mirian to pick out.

Always interested in making a good first impression, Mirian took the time to ride down her skirt enough to expose a strip of skin across her stomach, then shrugged her neckline halfway off one shoulder until her blouse was barely staying on top of her. A bit obvious, but it wasn’t like she was trying to be subtle.

Ready and able, Mirian turned her attention to the Pig’s Foot patrons. Surely there would be someone for her here tonight.

[Marone]

The Pig's Foot. The only reason for Marone to be out of the Sun's Birth at any time was either his work or his other work. He didn't know many people outside his gang and had no other interests that might have him putting himself in any of the dangers Sunberth had in store for him. That was the reason why he wanted to get over with his errand today fast.

By the time he noticed things it was already getting dark. Definitely not the time Marone wanted to be outside the protection the Refuge. He was trying to decide between staying a little longer or just leaving a message for whoever he was supposed to meet to arrange for the pick up some other day. Or maybe just have them sending it over to him on his own terms. That was until the hunger pangs got to him.

"Barkeep. Some food please and keep it simple. Just need it to fill me up some and maybe water too" Marone reluctantly found himself requesting. If he needed anymore food he could just get it from the Gold Lodge which would definitely be a lot better than anything he got from this shithole.

Marone never could understand how the Pig's Foot actually became so popular but never thought much about it since he had a better place to frequent.

Upon getting his food Marone took out his coin pouch to pay. It was a strange little thing which looked bigger than it should be because Marone collected some odd things in it. As a habit Marone didn't carry too much unless he already knew what he wanted or he was in the safe confines of the Sun's Birth. This trip was neither so he only carried enough for an unexpected meal or two he didn't need thanks to the services of the lodge.

And the meal wasn't too satisfying to him. Not that he would tell the owner of the Pig's Foot to offend him or the rest of his much hated regulars.

Given half an hour or more Marone would finally be done with his meal. While the meal wasn't good enough for him to take his time with and enjoy it he decided it was better to give his meeting a chance. It was already getting dark and rushing out now wouldn't make a difference towards how he felt about his safety.

Another bite of his meal and Marone also decided he was going to have to get to the Lodge when he got back no matter how late it would be. It really just wasn't good to him.

[Mirian Jade]

Mirian swept her eyes over the patrons, picking out men here and there that looked to be likely targets. Most of the “safe” looking ones were already at some stage of drunkenness, but––

––wait. There, at the bar. A man was pulling out a very large coinpurse, one that spoke to Mirian’s inner larcenist in ways that words couldn’t. It pulled at her soul, it did, especially since he seemed also to be the sort of person to display it freely in a tavern full of shady individuals.

He would be her preferred company, then.

She didn’t approach him, though––not immediately. Instead she hung back, moving amongst the other taverngoers as if she had business there, all the while keeping an eye on her quarry’s back.

He was eating, it seemed. And rather quickly, too; did he have somewhere else to be? Mirian hoped not, although perhaps she could use more physical means to convince him that he didn’t have to be wherever it was he had to be, if that turned out to be the case.

She waited until he was well into his meal, when he’d be less inclined to leave but still with a bit of food still to devour. Running a hand through her hair to muss it up and pulling her blouse almost completely off one shoulder to catch the eye, Mirian wove back through the cheerful bodies populating the Pig’s Foot and sidled up to where he had chosen to take his meal.

“Hey there, stranger,” she purred, plopping herself onto the stool next to him. “What’re you drinking?”

[Marone]

He might be exaggerating about the food a lot but there was a prevalent thought running through his head about why people would pay to suffer through a meal of this quality. This was especially true for Marone who was finishing his meal out of the gold he spent if nothing else. He was so consumed with trying to get through the food on his plate he didn't even care to notice if he was being watched but why would he? There were plenty of other people in the tavern which would be better than he for a multitude of reasons if someone needed them or so he thought.

But that was it. With the thoughts of what he could get in the Gold Lodge occupying his mind. Better things for nothing. Marone concluded he could get better as far as he was concerned.

He was ready to make a move despite only having eaten half his food but how could he have known someone would interrupt him with the silliest of questions. Food or drink didn't matter when they were all bad. Well maybe the drinks would be better if they were able to get him drunk but right now Marone was only drinking water and that would be reason enough to give a rude remark to the person that decided to disturb him.

Or would have if he didn't get a chance to actually see who he was talking to.

But he did. Her mussed hair and pulled blouse reminded Marone of how other men would describe a minx. Their words went everywhere but the general idea was the same. If they were to believed Marone's trip today wasn't a complete waste. His job didn't allow him to enjoy many things companionship included and this woman was of a different breed from the ones he was used to from his rare trips to Ruby's.

If this was going to be a regular chance for him everytime he is away from the Refuge Marone was going to have to get out of the Sun's Birth more often.

A chance like this didn't come often and Marone would be stupid to let it pass. The problem was him being caught unprepared and needed to buy some time as he didn't know what to do which left him with only one thing to say. One thing he should know better than to give someone he didn't know at all despite how attractive they were to him.

"Stranger? We should fix that little detail right now. My friends call me Marone" he said hoping the introduction was good enough to buy him the time he wanted.

Then he pushed his glass forward. It wasn't one of the best looking things. When Marone looked at it hard enough he could even see a little stain from when it was last used. The Pig's Foot was really living up to its name of being a pig but he only had what he had to work with. At least the tavern had lots of other things that can be used if he needed to.

"Its just water. Nothing special about it. Just makes it easier to get the food down" Marone said before suggesting "I heard the drinks here are pretty good. Maybe you'd like to try some?"

[Mirian Jade]

He looked like he was on the brink of annoyance and a snarked insult, at least until her turned and laid eyes on her. He stalled for a moment, and Mirian felt a small twinge of victory––her first impression had gotten to him. Good.

He managed to put together a response in more time than she’d expected, and it was one she found encouraging.

“Stranger? We should fix that little detail right now. My friends call me Marone."

That was certainly a good start.

“Marone,” Mirian purred. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a name quite like that before.”

He pushed his drink towards her, letting her see for herself what it was.

"It’s just water. Nothing special about it. Just makes it easier to get the food down."

Mirian nodded. The evidence was piling up for him being a newcomer, if not to Sunberth than at least to the Pig’s Foot. She could use that.

"I heard the drinks here are pretty good,” he continued. “Maybe you'd like to try some?"

Mirian blinked in surprised, but it passed almost as soon as it had arrived. She liked this one.

“That depends entirely on who I’m drinking with,” she said, pulling on as sultry a smile as she could manage. “Do you plan on staying for them, Marone?”

[Marone]

Marone was as much elated as she was at the other's reaction for entirely different reasons. Still. He might be making it a little bit too easy. He can't remember from where he heard it from but he remembered some sort of advice? Advice that he was unsure of its effectiveness. There was no better time to try it than the current situation though.

He just had to make it seem like he wasn't too interested for a while. How hard could it be?

"Strange" he said bemused. "There are a few Marones around here and there. Maybe its just a Sunberth thing" Marone said reaching the assumption that the woman wasn't from the city at all as a logical conclusion.

Then he made it look like he was getting ready to finish his meal when he set his plate and cup back in their place. Her suggestion was indeed a tempting one. Better than any other plans he had for the rest of the day but she didn't have to know that. For all Marone knew based on the bits and pieces she already gave him this woman seemed more and more like she just came to Sunberth.

No one would greet a complete stranger. Not unless they knew what they were doing or were very competent in their own abilities to protect themselves if anything went wrong. Marone was in neither camp which put him in a precarious position.

"I shouldn't be drinking right now. I'm waiting for someone on business" he admitted. It wasn't an entirely good reason or a compelling one for him to hold out but it would do right until the woman gave him some other one.

Yes another reason. He should open up that option as well.

"Although it is getting late.." he said while making a show of tapping the table impatiently. "I wonder what is taking him so long?"

[Mirian Jade]

"I shouldn't be drinking right now,” Marone said, making Mirian blink in surprise. “I'm waiting for someone on business."

Well then why had he offered to buy her a drink in the first place?

The answer seemed to present itself, as the man looked about them impatiently and began drumming his fingers on the table.

"Although it is getting late..." he continued nonchalantly. "I wonder what is taking him so long?"

Mirian smiled and scooted a bit closer. “Why do I get the feeling that your ‘business’ won’t be as handsome as you are?” the halfbreed remarked offhandedly. After another moment, her smile widened mischievously. “Of course, if he doesn’t come, that means I get you all to myself. I think I’d like that better.”

Alright, so it wasn’t her most subtle line ever, but Mirian did her best to keep from being too pushy. Aside from the slight movement closer to him, she refrained from any real contact that he didn’t initiate himself; with those of a more intoxicated disposition, touches and tugging at clothes usually moved along much faster, but this one here seemed a bit too intelligent for that. She’d match him if he pushed the envelope on his own, but until that happened she’d take it slow and let it simmer. Sometimes letting a target work for her was an effective tactic.

[Marone]

It would have come as a surprise if it came out that Marone was suggesting he would be buying drinks for the woman or himself since the only thing he was ever trying to do was buy time but that suggestion would've been one he would gladly have followed since it would be one that he could look forward to. While what she said about his business would remain up in the air Marone couldn't deny that his business puts food on his table.

But money could only go so far. As far as Marone was concerned he already did his part by coming to the Pig's Foot. If his business missed it then they would have to make up for it by going to a place of his choosing or convenience. Or they could reschedule. Marone wouldn't mind chancing the Pig's Foot one more time if he would get another opportunity like this.

A smile appeared on Marone's face as her's widened. "You might be surprised" he said with the idea he wasn't the best looking man around but still glad that Sunberth had a lot which looked a lot worse. The Sun's Birth did provide some good amenities for the man to maintain himself in a presentable manner which he'd be stupid to waste.

Just like he'd be stupid to waste this chance as well. "Get me all to yourself eh?" he said to affirm her suggestion and then paused. He was lost. All this time he was just reacting to what she said but now that she'd said something he could really get himself behind Marone didn't know how he was going to continue.

He needed to strike while the iron is hot. That he knew.

"You only had to ask milady" Marone said giving his best imitation of those ex-knight Dragoons. More cooler and chivalrous than the rest of the undisciplined rabble of Sunberth could hope to be, Marone included but at least he could try having so many opportunities to observe them.

And then moving in closer to her as if they were already accomplices to some secret they shared Marone said just only loud enough for her to hear "I'd like that better too" before getting back to his place. There was no sense in playing around somemore when they both had already revealed what they wanted but Marone quite enjoyed the rare occasion of getting attention from the object of desire rather than him having to give it.

[Mirian Jade]

“You only had to ask, milady.” Ooh. It had been a long time since someone had called her that, at least seriously.

He smiled, moved ever so subtly forward, and whispered.

“I’d like that better, too.”

Always a good sport, Mirian gave to indications as to whether or not she had heard his last comment. Instead, she took his mug of water and raised it, as if toasting to him.

“Here’s me asking,” she said. “And to hoping your business stays late.”

The took a swig, although the water wasn’t a particular exciting thing to be drinking, and set the mug back down. There was still some left, and she pushed the remainder back at Marone. It was his water, after all.

He was responding better than many of Mirian’s targets had in the past. He saw her as the woman, not the act, and that was something Mirian felt thankful for. Perhaps thankfulness was a bit of an odd feeling for someone in her position to feel for someone in his, but she wasn’t apologizing. A woman had to eat, and this was just how she did it.

“Speaking of lateness…” the halfbreed continued, “just how long do you intend to wait for your business? Surely there are less… boring things you could be doing instead.”

[Marone]

For a moment or two Marone's face turned ever so slightly sour. She had to remind him about his business when he was feeling so enthusiastic? Motivated? Excited? Maybe even more. But the waiting has been tiring and demoralizing to him. As far as he was concerned his business had better not arrived at all at this rate. He might explode and screw it up for him although there was a school that making deals with energy, any sort of energy, could end up helping a lot.

But none of the ones he was feeling right now and definitely not with a lady. Marone had the smile he wore back on by the time the woman set down the mug back on the counter hoping he did it fast enough for her not to notice. When he looked into it he could see there was still some water left in it. Water. It was good to go with a meal or when he was thirsty but not with a woman he was trying to play up to.

"Then milady. I'm all yours for the evening" Marone said before expressing his plans that "I was only going to wait until my meal is done but now that something interesting has come along."

He brushed aside the the unfinished plate indicating he was done with the whole business now that there is something a whole lot better before him. After that he pushed the mug away from himself and further away from her before offering his suggestion of what he could be doing instead.

"If you still want your drink I'll stay for some. Unless you have something else in mind. Like I said. I'm all yours milady." Marone would've given a bow or something like the Dragoons would when they were dealing with women but it didn't feel entirely right to him.

Just like being able to only refer to her as milady all these time but believing it has been effective so far he had no complaints and Marone was quite confident he might get his chance to call her something other than a slapped on moniker later on.