[Flashback] Don't Bring a Cello to a Knife Fight (Julian)

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Fall 1, 510


Tshaka was on her way to the Kelp Bar as usual after a long day of work. She really needed a beer, she'd been working as a stevedor all day and was exhausted from unloading ships. She could really use some of that dark green, salty pleasure to quench her pallet. She saw the bar come into view and was instantly delighted. She skipped into the bar, once more attracting eyes with her revealing attire. She wore her emerald green bikini top, her loose, soft leather breeches, her chain belt, and her floppy soft leather boots. Her black and platinum blond hair was woven into two long braids.

She saw a sign saying that there would be music tonight. She really hoped the music was good because this crowd was not easily pleased, herself included. Many a musicians became involved in barfights, and never returned. Tshaka typically fought on the side of the musicians, because any with guts enough to play here can't be all bad. She sat on a stool and ordered two kelp beers and eyed the crowd, attempting to appear intimidating and sizing up people and searching for weapons. She herself had her dagger hidden in her belt after all though she wasn't really trained to use it. A barfight is as good a place as any to learn she figured. She drained a green beer, enjoying the warm liquid run down her throat as she waited on the musician or a brawl, whichever came first.

[Julian]

Right from the start, Julian had been warned about playing at the Kelp Bar. He'd been specifically told that somehow, musicians often became involved in tavern brawls and bar fights. The idea was foreign to him, and he wasn't sure exactly how that would play out. It was either the pure disbelief, or the exciting notion of a bad idea that drove him to ignore the advice and make the arrangements anyway. So now, Julian sat on a borrowed chair in a vacated corner of the bar, sending a reverberating hum through the large cello in his arm as he drew his bow across the strings. Cellos were deceptively loud instruments, and though the bar was filled with inane chatter and an interesting mix between laughing and shouting, a deep rich song played well amid the clamor. Julian had chosen to play A Winter's Whisper, a slow, calming melody that was popular among the musical circuits in Syliras. Summer had only just ended, but he didn't quite feel the proper warmth to be playing the more traditional festive rhythms. It added more of an atmosphere, rather than serving as entertainment. It wasn't as if it mattered what he played. Julian presumed his music was mostly noise to others. Few were really listening, so he played whatever came to mind. Though his gray blue eyes had been focused solely on the cello strings, the sound of someone new entering the bar inspired him to glance up. An Eypharian woman had joined the Kelp crowd. Humans being so predominant in Zeltiva, it made her stand out just a bit more than the others. She wasn't the only non-human here, and Julian wasn't sure exactly what about her made his stare linger as long as it did. It might have been her thicker build - she was lean, but muscular. A working woman, for sure. Juian returned his attention to his cello as he reached a major crescendo in the melody, requiring closer watch of the strings. A sudden unease had come over him, feeling a bit like anticipation for things to come. Was it the advice he'd received earlier making him paranoid? The fear was enough to bring about a passive smile on his face. He mindfully remembered that he still had a small survival knife tucked in his back pocket.

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Tshaka sat upon her barstool with a kelp beer in her hand. She saw the musician get up front. She didn't recognize the instrument but didn't mind the music it made. Many people ignored it but to be quite honest it was leagues above the other musicians that typically came here. She ordered a second beer and walked closer to the musician and grabbed a better seat. She locked her eyes to his and began to sway to the music. This was the first musician she actually wanted to hear through until the end. Her eyes shone, and she smiled teasingly at the musician. She always had a soft spot for artists.

She finished her beers and ordered a third. She started to relax, her swaying becoming more pronounced. Her serenity was broken by a patron yelling, "Cut that racket out!" She turned and saw a small human man throw an empty beer mug up to the front. She caught it barehandedly, much to her own surprise, then shot the man a nasty glare, "Sit down, shut up. Now." She turned back to the musician, finishing her third beer, the alcohol loosening her up. She shot the musician a look of pure desire. A small clamour could be heard behind but she ignored it. The man she told to sit up was standing behind her, ready to bring a heavy wooden stool down upon the back of her unsuspecting head.

[Julian]

As the song began to calm itself and draw to an end, Julian risked another glance toward the bar patrons. To his surprise, the Eypharian woman had chosen a seat rather close to his little nook. It was clear she was enjoying the music, and as she moved to its rhythm, her eyes were locked on his. Julian found himself unusually intrigued, watching her for a short while, then tearing his eyes away to pay better attention to his chords. Some part of him was of course relieved that any of these wretched people could enjoy his deep, resonating music. Another part couldn't get that playful little smile out of his head. Despite his best effort to stay focused, the distracting thought of her led his hand off-course and he mistakenly hit a sour note. He cringed, grinding his teeth, and shortly after there was shouting from the back. Snarling to himself, Julian looked up in time to see a glass mug hurling through the air and straight toward his head. It was too late to react. Tink! The mug's flight was cut short by a slender, but strong hand. The Eypharian woman had caught it in one of her six arms. Julian raised his eyebrows as she turned to shout at the crowd. Ah, so she was fiery. He'd guessed as much as soon as she had walked in. Strong women were always appealing. Perhaps... a little more so than he'd prefer, as he was again caught by her entrancing eyes. She liked his music - he was more than flattered she thought so, but... Julian offered her a tranquil smile and nodded gratefully. The expression vanished however as he watched a man stand up and loom behind her, wielding a bar stool like a bludgeon. An immediate thought went through his head: Now I see. This is why musicians get in bar fights. "Get down!" Julian called out, shooting to his feet. He had nothing in hand he could immediately use to help the woman - he certainly wasn't about to waste a perfectly good cello on a face as ugly as his. But in his hand was his bow. He awkwardly whipped the small wooden tool at the larger man, aiming over the Eypharian's head and hoping she would duck in time. Probably by luck, the bow's wrought hair struck the brute's cheek. It bounced off of his face uselessly, but by the time the stranger knew what hit him, Julian stood in front of him, a hand gripping the stool raised over both their heads. His metal-blue eyes bored coldly into his as the two men stood there at a temporary stalemate. "Have you got a problem?" Julian asked flatly. Behind him, the abandoned cello stood leaning against his chair in the corner nook. The bow had clattered to the floor. One hand still gripping the larger man's upraised stool, Julian's free hand hovered ready over his back pocket. "Or is this just how you pick up women?"

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Tshaka felt the wind as something flew over herd, moving away from the stage. She heard a twang and a clatter followed by some footsteps. She opened her eyes from the musical trance and saw the bard keeping a patron from hitting her with a stool. She narrowed her eyes on the attacker, saw his friends ready to back him up. She stood up and got between them, "Maybe we should all calm down. She turned so her left shoulder was closer to the attacker.

"Its just music, calm down and enjoy it, no harm no foul." Then her smile filled with poison as her three right fists flew toward the man. The top crashing into his jaw, the middle jabbing into his throat, and the bottom hitting a rockwall that is the man's abs. He staggered a bit, the bar growing silent. Tshaka had been making a name for herself here, and was not about to give it up. She stared death into his eyes, "Leave now or be carried out." She saw that the bard wasn't helpless so maybe she would have some help, five guys was tough for anyone to handle. But this was her castle, and she had to keep the order.

[Julian]

"It's just music, calm down and enjoy it, no harm no foul." Any genuine quality to the woman's words was cleanly extinguished as she delivered a powerful three-fisted blow to her attacker. Julian could only grin helplessly in bewilderment, brought to ambivalent laughter by the sheer absurdity of her violent outburst. She was serious, wasn't she! Terrific! Julian was left holding the bar stool on his own as the man staggered backward in either pain or sheer surprise, most likely both. In that split second before gravity would bring that stool back to the floor, Julian was faced with an unexpected choice. Help her or leave her to her own devices and run? She hadn't exactly started this fight, but she'd made it clear that she had no intention of backing down and ending it peacefully. It really wasn't Julian's problem, nor his place to intervene, and likely he'd be better off bowing out quietly and leaving the bar before he ended up waking a few hours later, battered and very possibly robbed. What he did in the next few seconds would decide which course he'd chosen to take. Really, he ought to leave the woman to her own problems. Thonk-krrack! Julian brought the stool down onto the man's head so hard that one of the legs snapped in half. Both he and the wooden furniture clattered to the floor in a twisted heap. Julian was left brushing the dust out of his palms, unable to quell a mischievous smile that had suddenly appeared on his face. Even as he turned to follow the Eypharian's eye line to the five other large men that had stood up to defend their friend, he still couldn't quite wipe away his grin. No doubt about it, Julian was not leaving here without something getting broken. "Hold on just a minute!" a new voice shouted from the far end of the bar. "I'm not having this happen AGAIN tonight. You all are going to take this outside or--" The bouncer's speech was tragically cut short as he bit the bar, shoved into it face-first by one of the ruffian's friends. The entire place had grown quiet - either in fear or in awe of the spectacle. As the men loomed closer, Julian took advantage of the moment to look at his newfound ally - or very likely the cause of all this to begin with. "Flames," Julian muttered through a smirk that remained on his face. "What have I gotten myself into?" One of the men marched forward, shoving a table out of the way to charge at the Eypharian. Julian roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her out of his way, stepping in front of her to smash the bottom of his fist into the attacker's face. The force was enough to knock Julian off his feet, and he landed on his backside in front of his cello. A glint in his hand revealed his newly drawn weapon - a small knife, more suited to skinning a hare than being used as a weapon. The attacking ruffian had stopped in his tracks, blood now flowing freely down his chin. Cupping his nose, he slowly drew his hands away to reveal it had been broken - Julian had met the man's face with the metal pommel of his own knife, a more concentrated force than a simple fist. As Julian slowly got to his feet, the injured man let out an enraged howl, wiping the blood away and coming forward again at Julian with his ham-like hands outstretched. Another of his allies flanked him, coming at Julian from a different angle holding the broken stool leg in his fist.

[Tshaka re Hafra]

Tshaka saw two men head toward the bard, the remaining three breaking off toward herself. She drew her own dagger even though she could barely use it effectively. Maybe it would scare them. She had to be careful though. Violence was tolerated but murder was not. Two of her hands grabbed glass mugs, one a stool leg, while the other two made fists. She looked like a mythical statue holding all of the different weapons. The first man charged her roaring and she slammed a mug down on his head followed by an uppercut to his bent over face. That punch really hurt her hand but it didn't stop her. What did was a beer mug flying through the air and exploding on her forehead.

Glass splintered everywhere, causing blood to flow into her eyes. She couldn't open them so she had to try to fight blind. She could hear the scuffle behind her, and could hear the boards creaking in front of her. As the creaking grew closer she swung the stool leg downward. It felt like it had been caught, so she slashed wildly with her dagger. She felt it purchase some skin and the hand let go of the stool leg. She then felt a stool crash hard into her back. She stumbled and fell to the floor. She heard the creak once more and stabbed down into the floor, believing she just stabbed one of the men's feet.

[Julian]

((Sorry my post is super long. >_<))

This was getting insane. The bar was a chorus of excited shouting and laughter - people cheering for both the musician and the Eypharian and the five brawlers. There was a cheer with every punch, smack and hit that connected, no matter which side it was on. Julian wasn't even sure what he was doing - this wasn't him! He wasn't violent by any means. That didn't stop the mad grin from taking residence on his face: he was having the time of his life. Julian raised his knife as a burly man came charging at him, and another coming from a different angle. The fear that built up in his chest did nothing to dispel his smile, even though he knew he couldn't defend himself against both attackers. Backing up uneasily, he desperately searched for the Eypharian woman. No good, she was dealing with the three other contenders. Flames. His breathing sped up as the excitement welled and the men drew closer. At the last moment, Julian dashed backward. With his free hand, he grabbed the neck of his cello and, with all his strength, hurled it at one of them men. It was caught, but the force and the weight of the instrument was enough to make him stagger in place momentarily. However, Julian was thrown off balance by the effort, and the second man immediately tackled him. "Oof!" Julian landed heavily on his side with the other man gripping his jacket. The breath was completely knocked from his lungs and he was left gasping for air. A jarring punch to the side of his face was enough to completely disorient him, sending an earthquake of pain resounding through his skull. Julian couldn't defend himself with his weapon because his knife arm was pinned underneath himself. There was one more option. Before the second punch came, Julian recovered enough of his senses to turn his head and in a last-ditch attempt, lock eyes with his assailant. By no means was Julian a large man, hardly even a strong one. In a fair fight between any one of these men, he would come out the lesser without contest. There was one thing that the attacker didn't know about him, however, that would make a significant difference in this fight: Julian was a Hypnotist. Perhaps not a very GOOD one, but he knew enough to turn the tide as he was pinned to the floor. Julian's gray eyes pierced deep into his attacker's. His Hypnotic skill wasn't enough to sate his beer-fueled rage, but it was enough to make the man hesitate in confusion. His balled fist slowed in mid air until he appeared to forget what he was doing with it. In this moment of opportunity, Julian wriggled an arm free and smashed his elbow into the man's face - more specifically, right in his eye. Stunned, the attacker cried out and rolled off Julian. The second man who had caught the cello had been waiting for his chance to get at Julian, and surged forward. Again, he found himself pinned to a wall - the back of his head smashed into it, sending another wave of light-headed confusion over him. But this time: his knife arm was free. The blade plunged into the man's shoulder. The sound of smashing glass got Julian's attention as his second attacker reeled back in pain, cupping a hand over his bleeding shoulder. "Wait!" Julian cried out, attempting to break forward and come to the woman's aid, but his attacker wasn't through with him yet. Bleeding shoulder not withstanding, he reached forward and took a firm hold on Julian's ponytail and yanked back. He cried out in pain and surprise, staggering backward. Another fist connected with his face, and this time he tasted blood. He was thrown back against the wall as another punch came for his stomach. He coughed helplessly, starting to slide down to the floor. As he heard the crumpling sound of another smashed stool, he saw through his blurred vision another man coming toward Julian. At this point, he was so dazed that he couldn't make out exactly what he was doing. He felt himself twist around, and the knife in hand buried itself in something. As his vision cleared, he realized the blade had buried itself in one of the men's palms, fixing it into the wooden wall. A howl rang out above the bar's crazed cheering. Something hard hit Julian in the back of his head, and he lost all sense of balance and fell to the floor. He could feel blood warm on his face, trickling from his mouth and nose. Someone was hitting his face again, but everything began to blur together. Pain racked through his entire skull and spasmed down his body. When it stopped, or seemed to stop, Julian barely opened his eyes enough to see one of the men over him, holding the knife above his face. BAM! The knife impaled the floor right next to his head. "Get the hell out of my bar, kid," the man growled, his voice deep and throaty like a bear's snarl. His breath smelled like kelp and copper. It wasn't anyone that Julian remembered fighting - the Eypharian must have done a number on him. "And don't you DARE pull a knife on my boys again or you'll end up at the bottom of the sea, you hear me?" Julian thought about retorting. He had an argument in mind about how five men against one woman was probably far more seedy than pulling a knife in a fist fight. If he swallowed the blood pooling his mouth, he might have said so. He found, however, that he didn't have the presence of mind to say anything. His vision swirled and slowly turned brownish, and then black. He could barely hold onto consciousness as he felt himself be dragged across the floor.

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Julian XP Award: Cello +3; Observation +2; Brawling +5; Intimidation +1; Negotiation +1; Knife +3; Hypnotism +1 Currency: 6 golden nilos Lore: Gauging an Audience; Kelp Bar Rules Award: Banned from the Kelp Bar Additional Notes: If Tshaka comes back, she can ask me to grade it for her as well. For now... do read up on Brawling, because you got points for the elbowing and hitting, but also for making use of bow, cello, and stool as weapons, which are hallmarks of brawling; that is, making anything and everything a weapon. The rules of the Kelp Bar basically run with brawlers being kicked out until the proprietor deems them worthy of returning, but pulling a blade or other true weapon makes it much more permanent, though Julian will have an opportunity to change that through a moderated thread if you wish. His pay is based on the daily earnings of a Competent level performer, per the Price List. If you want to be set up for seasonal income, do PM me about it. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!