Closed Absinthe and Mayhem (Richard Blow)

[Thaloyss]

55th of Spring
515 AV

A day of ghosts and slavers could exhaust one like no other. Thaloyss had remained in bed -- well, on the floor -- for most of the day. Her scaly body was sprawled across the ground, white rosettes stark against her dark scales. She was quite pretty, really, especially with the iridescence.

There was a slither of coils against coils and she was human once more, lying on her belly. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. What was she to do today? Richard hadn't come over, so they weren't doing much hunting. Her stomach growled loudly in protest of the lack of food and she frowned. After she'd gotten fired it was difficult to secure a meal.

But hey, her new job proved to be far more interesting and had significantly less creeps to deal with, and for that she was grateful. The only downside was that she had a chatty Spiritist to deal with, though he was amiable enough.

The Dhani sat up and managed to pull her skirt on, followed by her shirt. She hauled hersef onto her bed and crawled from there to her shoes. If Richard wasn't going to come to her, she was going to go find him.

She emerged from her home cautiously, squinting in all directions to make sure there weren't any armed thugs sent to rough her up. While it would certainly feed her, she'd rather not take care of them right after she woke up. Knives and clubs weren't fun when you were tired. She set off after confirming it was safe to do so.

A good half-bell of searching combined with gut feeling brought her to what she hoped was the right place. She pounded on the door with one hand, jiggling the doorknob with the other. Hopefully he was home at the time.

"Richard! Are you in there?" she called. He was her main form of entertainment. She deserved to annoy him after he got her fired.

[Richard Blow]

The door swung open around the third knock, allowing the smell of cooking meat to waft out and revealing a shirtless Richard with a steak from an unknown part of an unknown animal hanging from his mouth. For how gaunt he appeared judging from his face, the fellow had some impressive abs, and arms with the ill-defined heft that everyone raised in hardship seemed to possess. A diagonal scar from where a dagger missed his guts cut across his right side. With a bit of effort, he tore a mouthful off the thing, chewed for a few ticks, swallowed, then said with typical Richard deadpan "'Sup. Steak?" It occurred to the wizard that he'd never heard Thaloyss mention food that wasn't people, nor had he seen her dine. "Maybe that's why she's always so hungry..." he thought to himself with a small smile.

[Thaloyss]

Thaloyss' face crinkled up in disgust. Who cooked their meat? Oh, right. Humans did, because they were weird like that. Raw meat was so much better, you got the flavor of the blood and the taste of their fear in their last moments. She figured it was just a personal thing, though. Some of her people cooked their meat.

She stared down at Richard for a moment, examining his bared torso. If she'd known that he was going to be shirtless she would've joined him. Though on second thought, a shirtless woman in Sunberth probably wasn't the best idea. It'd basically be screaming 'stab me' or something along those lines.

Her mind turned back to the steak. She was quite hungry. Choking down cooked meat was better than nothing. "Yess. Ssteak. That would be nice."

Her gaze had been drawn to the scar on his right side. He appeared to be lucky enough to avoid death in that situation. Lucky enough to avoid death in many situations, apparently. The Dhani was kind of glad he hadn't ended up in her stomach.

She half-mumbled if she could come in, pushing him aside as gently as she could. That was more or less polite, right? She ducked into his home, nearly bumping her head on the doorframe.

[Richard Blow]

"Glad to see they taught ya manners in Zinrah." Richard said sleepily as he strolled back to the kitchen, taking another bite out of his steak. Figuring the Dhani liked her meat raw and bloody, he just grabbed a fresh cut and tossed it her direction. "Wondering if she even tolerates cooking." If the look on her face when she smelled what he was eating indicated anything, it was "No. No she does not." "So how y'doing? Guessing ya haven't seen any thugs yet either." the Spiritist asked casually as he wiped his hand off on his pants and wandered off to grab Thaloyss' portion of the payment they collected from Tavish. "Your share." he said as he set the gold down on the dining table and sank into a chair. "Any plans for it?" "Shoot, does she even know how to have fun?" he wondered to himself, deciding that beating up scumbags, while entertaining, wasn't necessarily "having fun." Besides, what was life without a little variety?

[Thaloyss]

Thaloyss snatched the steak from the air, a smile flickering across her face. She wouldn't have to choke down the gross cooked stuff after all. Her teeth scissored through the meat and she ripped a chunk off, hardly chewing before she swallowed. A short cough cleared her throat.

"No, I have not," she said as she held the payment. After a moment of consideration she set it back on the table. "I wass thinking we could visit one of these brothelss you sspeak of. What are they? And there iss no usse in letting good drink go to wasste, sso we might as well have ssome."

The Dhani pulled out a chair and sat down, putting her feet up on the table. She tilted it onto its back legs, balancing precariously. "I've been ssleeping the whole day, I need to get out," she told him as she bit into the raw steak again.

"What kind of meat iss thiss? It iss not too bad. Human iss better, but you would not know that, I think. You do not sseem the type to eat your own kind, and you do not act like one of those horrid Myrianss."

[Richard Blow]

Richard nearly choked on his steak when he heard Thaloyss' suggestion. "Really?" he managed to sputter after a good ten ticks of coughing. "A brothel's a place for the rich an' lonely to get whores. Didn't think you were that kinda girl." he teased with a glib smile. "Butcher said it's beef, but ya only get his word." Richard said with a shrug as he went to get the absinthe bottle and some cups, smiling faintly. "Glad it ain't people. Ya guessed right; I ain't gonna judge, seen way worse, but it's not my jam- means it's not something I like. Myrians are people eaters?" Richard barely knew about the going-ons of his own region, let alone who lived on the other side of Mizahar. The Spiritist pulled the bottle open with a bit of effort, sniffed the contents and immediately bolted upright with a pleased hoot. "Oooh that's the good stuff a'ight. I don't think I can even drink it straight. Imma get some water." 'Figure now's a good a time as any to show you around the place." Richard said thoughtfully as he sat back down with cups partly full of water, poured two shots, and slid one to Thaloyss. "Y'ever been to the seaside market? Shyke's insane. Think I saw a tiger there once. Great fun t'go wander 'round, if y'keep an eye on your coinpurse." He stopped to down his shot, slamming his cup on the table and shaking his head like a horse bothered by flies. "Damn... This stuff's intense watered down too." he chuckled somewhat hoarsely. "I'll give it t'Tavish, he knows where to get some good booze. But yeah. Seaside market. Great sightseeing. Y'game?"

[Thaloyss]

Ah, beef. Cattle. It wasn't as tender as a good, fleshy human, but it would suffice. It was skinned at the very least. Thaloyss didn't know how to skin things, she just swallowed them whole. It was faster that way. Her partner's explanation of a brothel only made her raise an eyebrow and take another bite of the raw steak.

"Myrianss are people eaterss, yess. Jusst like Dhani, though we are not on good termss back in Zinrah. They are ssavagess, though they ssee uss as uncivilized. Can you imagine that? Abssolutely ridiculouss."

She set her teeth in the meat and tore off a massive chunk of red meat, chewing briefly. It wasn't too bad. Not bloody enough, though. At least it wouldn't get on her clothes. She lifted a hand from her food and licked the blood from her fingers, then grabbed the shot glass and downed it quickly.

Nothing but a slight cough came from Thaloyss, who didn't even bat an eye. "We have had sstronger in Zinrah," was all she said. Her nature as a constrictor Dhani also contributed to her resilience.

"Sseasside market it iss. Sshall we go now?" she asked, standing. "I do not want to sspoil my appetite with beef if we are going drinking. Who knowss, I might even get a meal later."

[Richard Blow]

Richard smiled grimly at Thaloyss' explanation of Dhani/Myrian relations. "Yeah, we Sunberthans get called that from foreigners too. Like them and their head-smashing governments're any better. 'Least here, everyone gets a shot at it." Seeing the Dhani's reaction to absinthe, Richard laughed in disbelief, shook his head, and pushed the bottle over. "I don't even want to know what y'drink in Zinrah. Let's go. Maybe we'll find an exotic rhino-bear or fireworks. I'll get dressed." And so, be-shirted and coated, and armed with the bottle of absinthe, they set off! "Now it's real important to really double check a thing y'want to buy." Richard said seriously, pulling out his waterskin and motioning for the bottle. " 'Bout three fifths of everything in the market's fake or garbage, an' trust me when I say you won't find the guy you bought from again. If y'get separated, just head for the west edge. Should be easy t'find each other there. Oh! An' watch out for oysters. Petchers have shells like knives." The wizard topped his waterskin off with absinthe, passed the bottle back to Thaloyss, and took a swig as they dove into the throng of shouting merchants and customers, Richard grabbing for Thaloyss' hand to avoid getting pushed apart by the jostling crowd. The place was a cacophony of sound, smell and color. On a slightly elevated platform a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache and butcher's uniform hoisted braces of skinned, bloody animals, crying "Dogs! Fresh dogs! Juiciest dogs!" A fat woman with a permanently furrowed brow was hawking brilliantly colored fabrics, claiming they were silk straight from Kalinor. Somewhere in the distance, a string of firecrackers went off. A shirtless Benshira stood on top of a sword stall, swallowing a blade. A one-eyed elder with a hunchback and tremors shoved fake jewels in the face of anyone who passed, and a thick cloud of smoke hung over the proceedings. A pack of orphans pushed past the duo at, Richard instinctively wrapping his arms around himself to protect his purse. A couple meters away, a fortune teller finished setting up her tent. "Meet up at the psychic's tent in ten chimes?" Richard asked loudly, looking over his shoulder. He'd spotted the drug tent, and wanted to grab some "enjoyment enhancers." After all, this was probably Thaloyss' first time tearing up the town, and she really deserved to have the best experience possible! Besides, they hit a major score yesterday, they earned themselves some goodies.

[Thaloyss]

Thaloyss took the bottle of absinthe, and then they were off. She listened carefully to her partner's warnings, the bottle changing hands for a moment before returning to her. Apparently oysters were dangerous. Perhaps they could be used as an improvised weapon, should things take a turn for the worse.

With her hand clasped around Richard's the Dhani could take a look around. The dog meat made her twist around, though the man selling them was far more interesting in terms of a possible meal. The mustache would be annoying, though. She hated mustaches.

Her head whipped around to gaze at the supposed silks of Kalinor, then again to find the source of the loud popping noises. It was so loud at the Market, how could anyone pay attention? The glint of metal drew her eye to the sword-swallowing Benshira, then it dropped tot he fake jewels. There was so much to take in, and the absolute chaos combined with the thick smoke was beginning to give her a headache again. She took a sip of the absinthe and whacked a reaching hand that belonged to one of the filthy orphans away from her coinpurse.

She glanced at the Spiritist. "Pssychic? Yess, I will ssee you in ten chimess," she said, motioning for him to go do his own thing. She drifted away from Richard, becoming lost in the crowd. Where to go first?

Thaloyss couldn't decide, so she simply followed the current. It took her to a tiny stall owned by a massive, muscle-bound man. Inside several reed cages were an array of mewling kittens. One in particular attracted her attention: It was primarily black, with calico markings on its face and forepaws. It had shorter legs than the rest, and that was most likely what drew her to it.

She pointed to it eagerly. "I want to buy that one!"

Her impulsiveness made the owner of the stall smile warmly. "Aye, little Tascha. She's a good one. Five silver mizas," he told her. It was a higher price than it normally would have been, but the Dhani didn't know that as she handed over the money. She extracted the kitten from her reed cage and placed her gingerly on her shoulder.

She thanked the stallkeeper and hurried back to the psychic's tent, just like Richard had told her. How long had she taken, just buying the little creature? The man had said her name was Tascha. She liked that name.

Thaloyss arrived at the tent and took a good look at the kitten. Yes, everything about it said 'healthy animal,' even the shorter legs. She held it up in front of her face and examined the eyes. Bright, well-fed. She'd be a good mouser. She scratched Tascha on the head before setting her back on her shoulder.

Ledger-5 SM for kitten

[Richard Blow]

While Thaloyss was getting a new animal friend, Richard took another swig from his waterskin (he was starting to feel hot in the cheeks and fingers) and dipped into a dingy brown tent that stank of a whole bunch of everything. A bald, wiry fellow with green eyes and skin dark as Richard's was tending the makeshift counter. When he saw the Spiritist enter, he broke out into a grin. "Richard ma man! Gimma some skin brotha, I ain't seen you in years!" "Darrel!" Richard drawled happily, the two of them engaging in a sequence of handhsakes, high fives, and interlocking fingers so complex it would take a foreign scholar two seasons to understand. "How you been since y'got that ghost outta you?" "I been fine, man. Doin' ma thing, makin' a living, feedin' ma kids. You?" "Got m'self a partner." Richard said proudly. "A lady Dhani partner with super strength. We celebrating a score tonight, was hoping you could hook us up with somethin' special." "Yo, what kinda special we talkin' 'bout?" Darrel asked cautiously. Richard leaned in real close, an expression of utmost gravity on his face. "She's never gone out before." "Aww man..." Darrel moaned, throwing his head back and burying his face in his hands before letting them drop to reveal a grin. "You lucky you caught me early. Still got that legit shyke for ya. Where ya guys headed?" "Gonna show her the sights, maybe check out the Slag Heap fire or the park, an' she wants to go to a brothel." Richard said thoughtfully, tapping the inside of a finger with each location listed. "Got just the stuff." Darrel said with a grin, whipping out two vials of clear liquid, two of powder, and two tablets from under the counter. "Now y'already know what Pulp is- don't worry, tested it m'self, it's not a bullshyke batch. These tablets're called "Warp" according to the guy that sold 'em to me. 'Parently they blow your mind into another dimension. And this..." the dealer frowned at the powder. "I actually dunno what this is. Some kinda Inarta club drug. Y'snort it when you dancing with a honey." "I see..." Richard murmured as he rubbed his chin, "And how much for the lot?" " 'Bout fifty gold." "Fifty gold?! C'mon man, can't you give me a break?" Richard pleaded. While fifty gold was in his price range, it still hurt. "No can do, brotha. I got kids to feed." While he would never splurge so much for himself, it was a special day... Begrudingly, Richard coughed up the dough with a mutter of "Better be th'best stuff..." "Loyss better thank me for this." he thought somewhat grumpily, though his mood lightened somewhat when he told himself that he had some sweet drugs now, and it lightened a lot when he remembered that heck yeah, they'd be going to a brothel blitzed on absinthe and club drugs. The Spiritist hailed Thaloyss as he shoved his way over to the tent, grinning ear to ear. "Heeey! Y'got a cat! I didn't know you were a cat person! Whassername?" Upon receiving it, he cooed at the little thing and tickled its wee tummy before straightening up, beaming. "So I scored us some sweet goodies t'go with the booze. Wasn't cheap, but I know th'guy, so I'm pretty sure we'll get our money's worth." Whipping the vials of liquid out of his coat pocket, the wizard said contemplatively "I think... Pulp first? Yes, pulp first." Now decided, he nodded and offered Thaloyss the vial.