[SS Tavern]Supply and Demand (Robert)

[Cassandra Coven]

Timestamp: 10th of Spring, 511 AV Location: Silver Sliver Tavern Cassandra slipped inside the kitchen, leaning on the door as soon as she closed it, tired from flitting about from table to table in the main hall. The hours had been long but the tips were poor and she was exhausted and not in the best of moods. Taking the brief break surely would do no harm. She would scream otherwise. It was a male-dominated crowd tonight, and a rowdy and boisterous one at that. The women she saw were all standing - all serving girls like her, though she thought she spotted a gaudily dressed courtesan or two on the laps of a few of the more distinguished patrons in the more private booths. But the rest of the tables were occupied by off-duty guardsmen, the occasional Ebonstryfe, and of course the regular patrons and perennial city drunks. And most of them seemed more preoccupied with ogling the rear ends of the barmaids and sneaking a feel or a pinch when they thought they wouldn't be caught. Cassandra had to slap away more than her fair share of groping hands on her way to the kitchen. She wouldn't have minded it so much if they actually upped their tips with each grope, but they didn't. No money, no touchy, she groused, stuffing her gloved hands in the pockets of her apron vehemently. Her fingers closed around a familiar leather bag in one of them. Cassandra pulled out the small container and eyed it warily. It had been over a week since the rogue of a man handed the small bag of intoxicating herbs to her and told her – blackmailed her – to give the tavern patrons a free taste of it, to create a demand for it so to speak. She hadn’t touched it since then, not knowing how exactly she was to introduce it to the customers without raising suspicion from the numerous guardsmen and Ebonstryfe who frequented the place. It did not help that the man’s presence pressured her to finding ways to do so as well. Cassandra had caught sight of him among the patrons for several nights now, his penetrating gaze always seemingly on her whenever she glanced his way. He never approached her however, perhaps merely observing her if she carried out her end of their bargain. She knew she had to act soon if she expected him to keep quiet about her dark secret. Cassandra had purchased a handful of pipes – cheap ones, nothing like the exquisitely carved piece the man made her smoke the drug from – along with two pairs of fingerless lace gloves earlier today. The pipes’ ends were already stuffed with the dried herbs, she had made sure to do that before her shift started, but she was nervous about just handing one out for a customer to try. What if Papa or Mama caught her? Would they be mad? Would they fire her? She had just purchased her own place; losing her job would mean she had to give it up. She had to if she wanted to be able to feed herself. But not doing so would mean that the dark man would rat out on her and she could end up in prison – or worse! Cassandra shuddered as she remembered her few encounters with members of the Ebonstryfe. It had not been pleasant. No, I have to do this! she told herself. Tonight’s as good a night as any. Maybe it would help the drinkers be a little more loose with spending their coin for drinks. She recalled the feeling of well-being the drug gave her after she had smoked it and suddenly she found herself yearning to have a bit of it as well. Just a puff, or… Snap out of it! Cassandra berated herself. You shouldn’t get yourself addicted to it too! The words came easily to her but it was harder to pry her eyes from the leather pouch. In the end however, she stuffed it back in her pocket again, reminding herself that it was for the customers and that she’s letting them try it to keep herself safe from her blackmailer’s threats. Cassandra took three clean mugs from the sink and filled them with ale from the tap at the back, before stepping out into the main hall. She headed for the door, giving a friendly nod to the latest employee of the tavern, the bouncer whom she had yet to catch the name of. She hadn’t much time to socialize lately, so busy was she with her work and too preoccupied in working up the courage to carry out her task in distributing the drug. Briefly, she wondered if the bouncer would be open for a smoke as well. Maybe she’d ask him during one of their brief breaks. For now however, she had to think up some sort of sales talk for the drinkers in the outside tables to try out the drug. It was an ideal place for her to start, where there were less eyes to see what she would be handing out to the patrons and the lighting was poor enough for them not to distinguish anything if they did. Ledger : Less 25gm – Pipe, 5 pcs Less 15gm – Silk Gloves

[Robert Cithon]

Robert was not is the best of moods. The roof over his bed had sprung a leak sometime in the night, allowing the cold morning dew to slip through the worn wood and create enough of a wet spot to keep him uncomfortable. He tossed and turned in the small bed nearly the entire night, sleep always a breathe away, yet never fully setting in. It was a frustrating feeling. So when the sun peaked over the horizon, Robert was already awaiting it’s warming presence. The light basking him in an early morning heat. With the warmth and light Robert set out for exercise, he decided o he would run today. And so he did, for at least two hours he was jogging around the city. It was humorous how many onlookers seemed to think he was being chased and quickly darted out of his path. One of the few highlights of his day. After his morning run, he quickly washed of with a warm cloth. The water forcing away the sweat and grime from his skin. He had welcomed the clean feeling, and a freshly washed pair of clothes to go on top of that. He wanted to appear as more than a common street thug hired as a bouncer today. It was his fist official day as an employee at the Silver Sliver. And so that is what brought him to his current mood, he was sitting in a corner of the tavern. Overlooking the crowded room. There seemed to be an abundance of men here today, he wondered silently if it was normally like that. What had soured his mood was how the men were acting. Nearly every person he eyed was long over due to leave the building for a good nights rest. Yet most remained, and each had his fair share of touching the employees in unacceptable ways. Robert felt the need to brake each and everyone fingers, maybe a nose or two along with it. After an hour or so of watching the same scenario repeatedly, Robert decided he needed a brake. If he had to witness another patron grab a barmaid against her will and her force his hand away, he would snap. This is going to take some getting used to, he thought silently to himself. He began to walk to the door separating the main hall and the kitchen area, but something told him to turn around. So without giving the feeling an afterthought he began to head for the outside sitting area. Perhaps fresh air will do me some good today, he thought to himself. Robert weaved between the table politely nodding to any patrons he accidentally bumped into. Robert was not a small man, and weaving was not something he was very accustomed to. None the less, he made it to the heavy set door and gave it a shove. It narrowly missed a barmaid, “Sorry miss..:” He said as he passed the woman and continued on his path to the farthest most abandoned area he could manage. Robert took a seat and looked outward over the canals, The water always seemed to put him more at ease. “Perhaps that is why I ended up in this city..” He said out loud. Robert leaned back in his seat, stretching his hands. He had felt so cramped inside the building all day, being outside was a nice change and was drastically helping his mood.

[Sulavik]

The Silver Sliver Tavern was almost like a drug for Sulavik. The hustle and the bustle, the thrum of voices, the patrons talking to eachother - and on the rare occasion, to themselves - was cathartic. Sulavik's mood had worsened, spiralled down since the ending of Winter. It was ironic that what had frosted his heart over had happened in the coldest month. The world reflected mood, it seemed. The beer they served at the Silver Sliver Tavern was warm and hearty, though not nearly as well acclaimed as the Silver Sliver drink itself. The drink, though, was sickening. It was the colour for metal, not for alcohol. Sulavik himself could not get accustomed to it. It was beer for him - something light, something known, something reassuring. Something he needed after the last season in Ravok. Sulavik had heard all about Ravok before he came. He had heard about its dubious denizens, about the dangerous Ebonstryfe, about the possible death that waited every day for him, but he had never guessed it would actually apply to him. He had never guessed that Akalaks made brilliant slaves. Never guessed that people would use and manipulate him so that they could get paid off and pay the rent. He never thought it would happen to him. But it had, and now Sulavik was left bemoaning his fate over a tankard of ale in a table outside the Silver Sliver Tavern. His shoulder and his forearm were scabbing over now, and only itched occasionally. The evidence of the fight, the bruises and the scrapes, were fading away, leaving it only embedded in Sulavik's mind. It was almost as if it hadn't happened - but of course, it had. The horrific amounts of alcohol he had consumed showed that perfectly. His tankard was slowly draining, slowly emptying. It simply wouldn't do. How many had he had at this point, four, five? Not nearly enough. It wasn't into the next day yet, plenty of time to drain almost double that again. Makil may not have been as achingly hurt as Sulavik was, but anger, and surprisingly pity, reigned his mind now. Sulavik needed to have revenge. Revenge though would wait. Instead he raised a hand for a barmaid, anyone who could supply him with the beer he needed. He waited for a few moments, waiting to see if anyone would heed to his call. When they didn't, he stood up onto the table itself, surprisingly steady for a man with so much alcohol in his blood - it was the sheer bulk of his body that caused him to get drunk slower. "Beer please," he called out, calm and not angry, but in Tukant, unaware that he had reverted to his home tongue.

[Karc]

Karc sat at one of the table's a mug in hand. On the table sat his pet eagle Aero. The bird watched the patrons, his gold eyes falling over all, making more than a few shiver. Karc liked the city. It was different, definitely different, but good. At least he didn't have the constant eyes watching him, and the disdain to endure. He shifted back and forth. A man came out from inside and sat down. Karc sighed this was such a different place. He liked it here, but he would have to get use to it. Suddenly a large Akalak stood up onto his table and said something not understandably. Aero, jumped and glared at the large figure, giving him the "golden eye of death" Karc put his hand on the eagles back petting him glaring at the Akalak. "Can you please sit down your disturbing my eagle."

[Cassandra Coven]

It seemed she came out of the tavern at the right time, for a tall man - a very tall man - had just climbed atop of his table and was calling for...something. Cassandra could not understand him, his words did not sound Common at all, and she did not know any of the dialects of spoken by visitors of the city. Peering at the figure closely, the dark haired barmaid realized that the man belonged to that race of blue-skinned giants...Akalicks or Akalocks or something...she wasn't familiar with them, having only seen a couple from a distance when she passed by the Slave Market on one occasion. Up close, this one looked rather formidable. She hoped he was not drunk. Or violent. Unsure how to approach the foreigner, Cassandra glanced at the bouncer, hoping her would back her up in case the blue giant proved difficult to placate. She had noticed that her fellow employee had followed her out into the open air, perhaps to take a break from his duties ("Is he allowed to do that?" she wondered idly) or to unwind for a moment. He had looked rather tense the whole evening, though the vibe the crowd gave off would have done that to anyone she supposed. Hopefully he would intervene if things got out of hand. Or hopefully, things wouldn't get out of hand. She drew nearer, not with a little trepidation, and waved a gloved hand at the man in an attempt to catch his attention. "Hello? Sir? Please calm down. Do you need anything?" Cassandra paused for a moment as her brain caught up with her mouth. Of course the man wanted something! Why would anyone come to a tavern? He needed drink, a strong one, like everyone else sitting at the tables, so he can get back down and not cause a scene. And maybe buy more drinks and give her a tip if she played her cards right. As soon as the man stepped down ("Priskil, he's really tall!"), Cassandra took one of the mugs from her tray and smoothly slid it over the table. And then, before she lost her nerve, the barmaid pulled out one of the pipes from her apron pocket and placed it beside the foaming mug. A warm smile graced her lips as she looked back up to the tall man. "A little something to try out while you drink our ale," she said as way of explanation. Her hand fished inside her apron once more and she pulled out a short lighting taper. This too went on the table as she lined it neatly beside the pipe. "A complementary smoke, sir. Supply is limited for now, so I suggest you try it. If you need anything more, just wave me over. I'll be back soon." Another smile, a wink and a light touch on the arm as she moved past by him and Cassandra knew that her personal way in dealing with the patron had possibly diffused a potentially awkward situation, and probably sold the drug to him in a most innocent manner. She felt her confidence soar and, as she stopped by the table of the next customer, the words came easier for her. "Hi! Drink, sir?" She didn't wait for him to reply, just placing the mug on his table before he could even speak. It was a sales trick, to force customers to accept the drink (and pay for it!). Most wouldn't turn it down, not if they did not want to appear rude. Why come to a tavern if they did not want to drink after all? This one appeared young however, only barely out of his teens it looked like. That didn't stop Cassandra from using the same pitch on hi mas she did the first man. "You may want to try this out, sir," she said as she placed both pipe and taper beside the mug. "It's complementary; free of charge." She gave the man a smile to encourage him further, though she did not bother to touch him as she did the first man, leery as she was of the bird of prey he had nearby. "If you need anything more, just wave me over, alright?" Cassandra's eyes roved the other tables, checking to see if anyone else needed anything. Finding that the other patrons were still well stocked with drinks, she sauntered over to the table where the bouncer sat. The smile she greeted him with was a little more tentative. She never really had the chance to talk to the man before. She didn't even know his name. "Long day?" she asked, injecting just the right amount of concern in her voice to get him talk. "Can I get you anything? I'm Cassandra by the way. I know we haven't had the chance to talk yet; I didn't even know when they took you in as part of the staff." She did not extend her hand to shake but she didn't bring up the last mug of ale from her tray. "Drink? You look like you could use it. I promise not to tell Papa you had a freebie if you promise not to tell him I gave you one." She laughed at the tease, her voice light and musical, as she tried to break the ice between them. OOCSorry if I did a lot of actions on this post, I wanted to move the story along.

[Robert Cithon]

Robert was keeping to himself enjoying the refreshing air. He loved being outdoors, he would remain outside all day if he could. But it being his first day, he was probably breaking some rule for being out here. And he did not want to upset his newest employers, on his first day of work. Just as Robert was on the verge of rising and returning to his place in a corner watching over the bustling crowd, a man stood on his table. A very tall man, at least a foot taller than Robert himself was. And Robert was not a very small or short person, he was by normal standards, above average height. The man was seemed to be rambling on in his own language. Robert knew of the man’s race, Akalak. He had personal had close encounters with them before. They were typically very skilled warriors. Being so, Robert hoped he did not have to force the man off his table. But as if some god had been listening in on Robert’s thoughts, a woman approached the Akalak. She must have nak for diffusing situations, because whatever she said seemed to calm him. Robert watched from his peripherals as she handed him another mug, and something else. Robert did not quite make out. It was probably no concern of mine anyways, he thought silently as he returned to watching the flowing canals. Robert was soon lost in his own thoughts. Shutting out the world around him, a bad idea at work. But it was an old habit of his whenever he started thinking deeply, he lost himself for hours sometimes. Luckily enough for him though, the same pretty young lady disturbed his train of thoughts before he at idly for to long. Robert politely returned her smile, and added a nod of his own. “Very long day, I am not used to such boring tasks.” Robert said jokingly, hoping she would not take offense or run off and tell on him. Robert waved a hand dismissing her offer for a drink. “No thank you mam, not of that any ways. I don’t care for it myself.” But her attempt at being friendly did bring a smile to his face. He laughed a little himself “But I promise I won’t tell you offered me one either.” Robert leaned forward, an awkward attempt at being polite. The would be bow was followed by his words of introduction. “I am Robert, if you were not informed yet.” Robert smiled a little more. His day was already beginning to look a bit brighter. OOCSorry for the delay and short post. Been a rough few days.

[Sulavik]

Sulavik scoffed at the man sitting at a nearby table. Who brought a bird to a tavern in Ravok? Seemed like an utterly pigheaded thing to do. Never knew what might happened to your own behind in this city, let alone a bird. Sulavik had absolutely no qualms telling him exactly what he thought. "Excuuuuuuuse me," he slurred, acting more drunk than he actually was. "Didn't mean to upset your eagle. Better hope someone doesn't roast it, it looks like it would be quite tasty with a side of potatoes." A large mischievious grin graced his face, as though he had fun provoking the man. Sulavik's attention waned, and he switched back to Tukant - purposely, this time. "I want some beer, I said!" It was an interesting situation, where SUlavik could feel Makil's disapproval radiating. It was rare that Makil was the sensible one. Sulavik giggled aloud, amused at the other person inside his head. To anyone else it would look like he was giggling at himself and talking to himself in a weird language. Don't be such a passive-aggressive helioc, Sulavik. Petch off, Makil! I lost my lover and my pride! I can do what the shyke I like, now, and you can't say jack about it! Another giggle. He was about to call out again for beer, again in Tukant - the blank looks he recieved were amusing - when a rather pretty girl walked up to him and asked him to sit down. Sulavik could not help but stare at her chest, though in an entirely clinical way. Hmmm, Makil, what do you think? I think they're quite nice enough to attract the blokes, but I need an expert opinion. They'd be pretty useful in her line of work, don't ya reckon? For the love of Akajia, Sulavik. What the petch is wrong with you? Grow some balls, man, stop moping. It was an extremely rare occasion that Makil tried actively to wrestle control from Sulavik, but it happened now. Makil, wresting control for Sulavik, and all for the purpose of restoring his sanity. Strange. The power struggle lasted in his mind for a couple of moments, and Makil had almost succeeded, when Sulavik, with a powerful mental shove, yelled out "NO!" and quashed Makil once again. He grinned at the woman serving him, accepting the beer gratefully and taking a long draught. The grin was bordering on manic now, and Sulavik let forth a deep rumbling laugh. "You know how it is, eh, Bargirl? Just arguing with my other personality. Happens a lot." He wiped the foam of the ale from his lips, and took the pipe. He made a big deal out of inspecting it, then nodded solemnly, as if it had passed the checklist of what was acceptable. "Thanks for the smoke, girlie," he smiled - a smile which rapidly vanished as he winked and trailed her fingers along his arm. "Bitch," he murmured, as she walked away. "You're not my type!" He yelled at her over his shoulder, an image of Solat flashing through his mind. Angry at himself for thinking of that bastard again, he grabbed the lighting taper. He fumbled with it for a while, holding the pipe in his other hand, until finally, he managed to light the pipe. He took a long draught from the now burning leaves, sighing as he did so, trying to get rid of his anger. He had no idea what the pipe was, but he really didn't give a petching shyke any more. Anything that helped would be a bonus. Makil wisely kept silent. He glanced at Eagle Boy again, and saw he had been served what Sulavik himself had been. Grinning, pipe wedged between his teeth, he taunted the man. Man - more like boy. "Are you sure daddy would let you smoke that, kiddo?" The sarcastic effect was most likely ruined by the fit of coughing he had at the end of the statement. He had hoped it wouldn't be obvious to anyone that this was the first time he had done this.

[Karc]

"Excuuuuuuuse me. Didn't mean to upset your eagle. Better hope someone doesn't roast it, it looks like it would be quite tasty with a side of potatoes." Karc's eyes narrowed as the man spoke, but other than that his face remained passive. Aero just gave the man would could be considered a disdainful look. A smile slowly spreading across his face, "I imagine you would have to kill him first, and that is a task in itself." His eye twitched when, the man turned away from him, ignoring him. He shook his head at the Akalak as he ranted on like a madman, simply drinking from his mug, and feeding scraps from his meal to Aero. As he fed his bird his mind wandered... "NO!" Karc, cringed at the sudden out burst that had shaken him out of his musings. The blue man seemed to be going insane now, as he screamed. He then then seemed to calm down as the serving girl approached him, though an insane smile was plastered on his face. He then laughed, "You know how it is, eh, Bargirl? Just arguing with my other personality. Happens a lot." He then thanked her, but when she went to turn and serve Karc he tried to stop her, she resisted which made him angry so he started to scream at her. "Hi! Drink, sir?" Karc went to respond, but she placed the mug on the table before he could speak. "You may want to try this out, sir," she said as she placed both pipe and taper beside the mug. "It's complementary; free of charge." She then smiled at Karc, but kept her distance. Karc guessed it was because of Aero. "If you need anything more, just wave me over, alright?" She then moved off. Karc, nodded and took a swig from the new mug, but as he was about to light the pipe the blue man spoke again. In a sarcastic tone, "Are you sure daddy would let you smoke that, kiddo?" the man then went into a fit of coughing. Karc ignored the drunk, but anyone could tell he was about to crack. He glanced at the pipe again wondering what it was, he guessed it was some sort of tradition or just something a polite person does in this place, he shrugged and lit the pipe(with some trouble for it was his first time) and placing it in his mouth and breathing in deeply, he looked very peaceful.

[Cassandra Coven]

Cassandra smiled at the shared joke. She was glad the new hireling, or Robert as he introduced himself, wasn't a stiff individual or she would have a hard time getting along with him. While she could mold her approach to suit any number of personality types, the barmaid preferred to just be herself among those she had to deal with on a day to day basis. Papa and Mama knew how to pick their people it seemed. "Probably for the best. Wouldn't do for you to be woozy when you throw people out for being drunk and disorderly." She laughed, a musical sound, as she took back the mug of ale and place it back onto the serving tray. "How about a smoke, then? Just a little something to pass the time while you're watching out for trouble. It's from a...a friend. I'm helping him out to see if there's a demand for his, um, product." A look of uncertainty crossed Cassandra's features as she spoke, but she went ahead and placed one of the three remaining pipes on the table before Robert and drew back before her could turn her down. "You don't have to try it now, just keep it with you in case...you know. You can just give me back the pipe some other time." She half-turned, listening to the noise coming from the table of the tall blue giant, and she sighed. "I better go. It looks like someone needs more ale than what this mug contains. "Please don't tell Papa about the smoke! I'm really just doing it for a friend, I'm not even earning off it. Please?" She bit her lower lip and passed that puppy-dog eyes look that had worked so well in convincing other men to do what she wanted in the past before. It was an expression that had the right mixture of pleading and charm that even a eunuch would find hard to resist. As a kicker, she added, "It would really mean a lot to me if you didn't. "I'll talk to you later!" And with a parting wink and a smile, Cassandra was off again, hurrying back inside to get more drink to pacify the Akalak ("...Akalek?" she wondered to herself). Halfway through the brief conversation with Robert, she had began to worry if it was a good idea to involve a co-worker in her distribution of the drug for the dark stranger but pulled out the pipe, she knew she was committed to selling it fully to the bouncer. She just hoped her charm had worked on the man and that he would not tell their employer that she was handing out free samples of a possibly banned substance among the patrons.

[Robert Cithon]

Robert smiled at the barmaid. Perhaps this job wasn’t going to be so bad after all. “No I suppose I am better fit sober” He said jokingly. His mood was lightening up already. It never ceased to amaze Robert how much a friendly smile and gesture could change some ones outlook. Mere moment ago Robert was gritting his teeth refraining from striking at the next patron how slightly overstepped his bounds. Robert took the pipe from the girl. He had no intent on using the substance. Robert was a firm believer in staying sober and healthy at all times. He believed a man only drank to hide from his troubles, and he felt the same about any other mind numbing substances. But despite his reluctance, he took the pipe. Stashed it in his coat pocket besides one of his concealed weapons. “Thanks” He said quietly fondling the pipe in his pocket. “You secret is safe with me” He smiled warmly at her. She was skilled in convincing men to do what she desired, he could tell. Many woman had tried that expression on him before. It was useless, despite her wearing it so well. Robert heard the Akalek yelling again. It must be his own language, he will be trouble. Robert surveyed the area again, deciding he would stay out here. It seemed he might be needed here after all. As she turned to go Robert stood up. His figure towering over the barmaid. “Holler for me if you think you need help” He said firmly. Robert did not want to give the blue giant half a chance to harm his new friend. Well..she was friendly enough.

oocsorry its so short. Was rushing to post, held up enough already