The Rearing Stallion: Aren't You a Little Young? (Lucas)

[Runas]

Summer 2nd, 511 AV

Runas reclined in her chair, her dark green eyes narrowed as she watched a drunken group nearby slap eachother on the back and exclaim about their success in their jobs. Syna was high, and her form was that of a proud Eypharian. If she'd not been in that form, she highly doubted the successes of those men would even drift across their minds. Humans were one of the more vapid races. They were entranced by Ethaefal much more than any other, including Akalak.

With a silently mirthful curl of her full lips, Runas reached for the husk of bread placed on her table for her consumption. She rarely ate, but when she did she took in enough food to sustain her for a good day or two. It wasn't like she required food in the evening, anyway, and she wouldn't eat something if she didn't have to. She supposed that was part of the curse for falling down into mortal life.

Her dark green eyes, which were lined with kohl, sized up the fruit she'd ordered on her plate. She was an almost-vegetarian. She didn't touch most meats and quite often went without of the ones she did touch. She was a picky eater, but fruit she could eat any of. Melons, grapes, apples, berries... They were heavenly, divine. Of course, the sustenance she once consumed all those years ago was far better than the fare here, but she had no room to complain. If she did, she could one day wake up unable to eat anything but leftovers scrounged from bins or begged off unwitting men.

Runas sighed, keeping her eyes lowered so she couldn't easily be swallowed into conversation, and began to pick at grapes, popping them into her mouth to be eaten. She ate without company, and the empty seat at her table was just begging for someone to come along.

[Lucas Arias]

Lucas looked a little too young to visit the Rearing Stallion and get completely and utterly drunk. The knight to be stood at an unremarkable 5‘6“. He was slender, with fine features rather than the angular ones he wished he had, and he had unruly, bright red hair so that he looked more like fifteen than a young man that would be eighteen in another couple of months. But that didn’t keep him from misbehaving, spouting insults and emptying glass after glass. He even participated in a bar brawl every now and then (and always lost – brawling was the one thing that he really sucked at) – and he lied, tricked the poor bar maids and played pranks on them. He often claimed that he was some kind of tavern inspector, employed by the knights to make sure that their alcohol was really alcohol and not just horse piss and water, but since he had just done a tavern inspection at the Rearing Stallion a while ago, he had decided that he would play the part of the normal patron today, otherwise the employees of this fine establishment would most likely grow suspicious, and that would be the end of free alcohol – forever. So he strolled into the Rearing Stallion, dressed in his best clothes (he aimed to make a good impression on people, even when he just wanted to get drunk), sword at his side, looking for an empty chair. Fortunately he found one soon, and immediately dropped into it. He only took a closer look at the person opposite of him after he had sat down – and he immediately sat up a little straighter, and tried to smooth his unruly mop of hair so that he would look a little better. He had never seen a woman like her before. She was beautiful, gorgeous, divine. And she had six arms. „By Kelwyn“, he murmurred and rubbed his eyes to make sure that he saw correctly. „Why do you have six arms? What do you do with them?“ It was probably not the best pick up line (in fact it was entirely possible that she would be offended), and he should have asked her if the chair was free before he sat down, but the squire rarely thought that far. He always acted on an impulse. And of course he knew that he was most likely facing an Eypharian, but he still didn’t have any idea why Eypharians had all those arms!

[Runas]

Abruptly, Runas' relaxing meal was inturrupted by another patron... A boy no less! Someone who was undoubtly a child when she'd been in Syliras in the beginning of her life! He looked to be a youth of sorts, and his red hair shouted Inarta, but his build didn't. She'd have accused him of being an Inarta-Symenestra if he were more pale, but that just wouldn't sit either... Unlike him, she had a shred of etiquette if not tact.

Of course, this boy lacked tact as well, even respect would have been welcome. He plopped himself down into that vacant seat and immediately directed his gaze to her arms. Six arms. She had to have the mortal seeming of a six-armed woman, didn't she? Still, it was better than looking like a Dhani or Symenestra during the day, and at least her Ethaefal form wasn't one of Syna's.

Her dark eyebrows rose at his form of greeting, as though indignant at such words, but her eyes conveyed none of this. They wouldn't stoop so low as to reveal any form of irritation she may feel, fake or not.

"Have you ever met an Eypharian before?" She asked in a cool voice, both sultry and distant. A rueful smile curved half her lips up in an almost-there smirk that faded as quick as it had come. "Six arms is not as unusual to me as two. I can multitask better than a human or Inarta like you in the least. That is what you are, right? Inarta?" Her tone was soft even if he thought her words harsh. She didn't think she'd have time to tell him why Eypharians had so many arms, after all, would he believe her?

"Are you hungry, boy? You're too thin if you plan to grow any taller. I'll buy you a meal if it will feed you. You don't want to be short, do you?" Propriety had taken the forefront of her mind. This boy, teenager, or whatever he could be called, was indeed somewhat small. She wasn't sure of his age, but she'd place him at fourteen or so. Of course, she rarely observed human children, because they took so long to reach maturity.

[Lucas Arias]

Lucas didn’t know whether he should stare at her beautiful face, her six arms or another part of her body. He couldn’t help imagining what it would feel like to be embraced by a six armed woman, what it would feel like if all those hands were touching his body. He involuntarily blushed. His cheeks turned a rather interesting shade of red for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and pretended to look elsewhere for a moment, as if he were trying to gain the attentin of a waiter or waitress so that he could finally order that alcohol and get something to eat on top of it. „Uhh ... no, I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ve ever met an Eypharian before“, the boy admitted and looked back at her. Her voice was quite sultry, and there was something quite appealing about the way she smirked at him as well. „You are my first. If you eat, do you hold six spoons? Could you fight with six swords? Do you ...?“ He blushed a little again and decided that this was a question that better remained unvoiced. „Inarta?“ he asked and looked at her in confusion. „No, I’m not Inarta.“ He shook his head. „At least I don’t think so. My family is from Syliras. So unless my mother cheated on my father with an eaglerider and didn’t tell anybody ...“ He shrugged his shoulders, and then he proceeded to look a little irritated. „I’m not a boy!“ he informed her. „I’m almost an adult!“ He really hated it when people made a comment about his height or how thin he was. „And I’m not that short! But a meal would be appreciated nevertheless. I’m hungry – and thirsty.“ He smiled at her gratefully. When there was the possibility of free food and drinks, he decided, he could forget that he was being insulted for a moment and at least try to be somewhat polite.

[Runas]

This boy's face was perhaps the most expressive she had ever set eyes on, and Runas found that extremely amusing. It was enough to bring a glimmer of the emotion to her usually reserved green eyes, and pushed interest in him forward. His embarrassed actions all hinted at something he'd thought of that he couldn't speak. As much as she'd like to know what, she couldn't find it in her to ask. It just wouldn't be interesting enough, she told herself. If she'd known exactly what he was imagining, even the impassive eyes she tried to keep distant would have shown what she'd felt, whether it was good or bad.

Dark emerald eyes glittered secretly again as he interrogated her about the nature of her arms. Her eyebrows were lifting at the actual words he'd used to direct his curiousity.

"Well, first of all, if you've ever met another person like me, you'd remember." Her words had double meaning. He would indeed have a hard time forgetting an Eypharian, and she was not just a six-armed woman, but something much more different and inhuman than that. If he'd seen even one other Ethaefal, male or female, he'd not forget that encounter either. "Why would I use six spoons to eat? I don't have six mouths on me. Do you use two spoons? As for the last question, have you ever written with your good and bad hand? Could you imagine having to control six arms at once while wielding deadly blades? An Eypharian would most likely cut himself instead of his opponent. Dual wielding is possible, but not six."

Another smirk ghosted across her lips. She was going to ask him to finish his question when he jumped right into her Inarta guess. Dark amusement began to burn in her forest gaze. She could amuse herself so much with this boy. Even if he claimed to be almost an adult, he was still younger than her. She'd been on Mizahar for eighteen years already, and therefore she was a legal adult. Her mind returned to the Inarta topic and she grinned almost mischievously. "It has been my experience that most women would not admit to such affairs unless forced to. You could have an Inarta father, but who knows? Only your mother, of course." Her tone could almost have sounded cruel, but only if the boy picked up on it. As it was, her eyes shone darkly. "You most certainly appear to be a boy, young master. How old are you? Aren't you still a little young to be here?"

His agreement to wanting food earned him a soft laugh, followed by her catching a waiter's eye and waving him to their table. Her green eyes drifted to the man now and she nodded for him to make his order. She was not averse to feeding hungry people, and while she had only offered because he looked like an underdeveloped boy, she was not petty enough to refuse him from a free meal. In a way, she was both rude and not so. A confusing combination, but the one that worked best for prying amusing reactions out of unsuspecting mortals.

[Lucas Arias]

„Yes, I think I’d probably remember“, Lucas agreed and tried to stop staring so hard. She’d offered him a meal, and thus he didn’t want to be too rude. He’d only be a little rude (and a little attracted to her because she was so exotic!). „As for using six spoons, no you don’t have six mouths, but if you had six spoons you’d probably be done with your meal faster. You’d save a lot of time. You could take turns with each hand!“ He nodded to himself. To him that seemed like an excellent idea, and he was almost tempted to try eating with two spoons or two forks when his meal arrived. „And I‘ve tried writing with my good and my bad hand. I’ve taught myself that to impress people, but I’m still a little slower with my left hand, and it gives me a headache after a while. You have six hands though ... does that mean you have five bad hands? Or do you have three good hands and three bad hands?“ His eyes were as big as saucers now, and she could practically see the cogs in his brain churning! „Maybe I should ask my mother“, he pondered, although he didn’t really believe that she had cheated on his father. She’d always been fateful to him. She was the perfect female knight. She was so perfect that it wasn’t even funny anymore. That he looked kind of Inarta was probably just coincidence. The Inarta weren’t the only redhaired people in Mizahar. It was definitely just coincidence. „I’m almost eighteen“, he told her. He couldn’t help but sound a little offended. „And why do you think I’m a little young to be there? It’s not as if this is some kind of brothel or a seedy bar. It’s a respectable tavern!“ As the waiter arrived, he ordered both a meal – whatever the cook had prepared for the day – and a glass of wine. It wasn’t a proper meal without wine, and then he waited for her to make her order.

[Runas]

Runas couldn't help but smirk at the persistent way he stared at her. She guessed that part of his interest in her was her appearance, the other the pheromones excreted. It was not the brightest idea to come here when it was that time, but usually the stench of smoke and food was enough to overwhelm the scentless chemical exuded by female Eypharian's at certain times. She hoped he didn't get excited over it. She didn't feel the need to cause a scene after all.

"It is not ladylike to eat quickly." Runas said when he voiced that possibility. She'd not heard of the proud Eypharian race even considering to use six hands to eat. If a pig had six arms, then that would be the only case of a sentient being eating with all six limbs. The fact that the thought of using all six made this boy excited was saddening. He'd make himself fat if he had six arms, that was obvious. "Two hands I can manage. It is called ambidexterity. Doing the same with six would require much more focus than with just two. If you had six arms, are even just four, could you imagine the headache then? Usually, I focus on just one pair of arms to avoid confusing myself. Most other Eypharians do the same."

Hearing him tell her how old he was in that indignant tone of his. It truly was endearing and, in an odd way, attractive. She liked to gnaw on people's opinions to the point where they became irritated. This male had such a cute way of expressing irritation however. She smiled again, amusement beginning to glimmer in her eyes as she bent her interest to him now.

"You are almost eighteen? There is no age defined as almost eighteen. I am certain you mean seventeen, though. Now I, on the other hand, am eighteen." At least, she had been born eighteen years ago. This body, the Eypharian one, was twenty-eight in appearance. She didn't find it important to say so, though. It wouldn't be fun if he became unnatracted to an older Eypharian. "Oh, I wasn't making a comment on the status of this inn. I much like coming here and enjoying myself. It is much more respectable that the Golden Dragon, although it lacks the entertainment there."

Green eyes gleamed again after her companion made his order and she looked up to the waiter. She smiled and ordered wine as well, having fruit already ordered and sitting before her on the table. The man left and Runas looked at the boy again.

"Seventeen makes you old enough to play with me, then. You'll be my companion. Tell me your name. Mine is..." At this point, she hesitated. If she planned to play with this boy, probably past sunset, she'd have to be Ethaefal. Well... Maybe the transformation would bring an amusing reaction from him. At least those pheromones would be gone when she changed. She decided to give him both names over the course of the day. "Tawna. My name is Tawna." She smirked again and reclined in her seat, picking at a grape.

[Lucas Arias]

Lucas didn’t know anything about Eypharian pheromones – he was only a boy, not some kind of scholar – he only knew that she was one of the most attractive women he had seen recently and that he couldn’t stop thinking about all those hands on his skin. Fortunately he didn’t try to make a pass on her – at least not yet (there was always the chance that he would lose control later on). He just sat in his chair like a well behaved squire, looked at her, smiled a little (a somewhat stupid looking smile) and nodded to what she said. „It’s definitely not ladylike“, he agreed because it seemed as if that was what she wanted to her. „You wouldn’t want to look as if you have no manners!“ As she told him that she usually focused on just one pair of arms, he scrunched his face up in a most peculiar manner. She could tell that he was thinking hard – again. And again the words that followed left something to be desired. „I can’t really imagine the headache“, he admitted. „I’ve never had six arms.“ He held his arms up so that she could see that he did indeed only have two arms and didn’t have any additional arms hidden either. „If I knew Morphing, I could probably give myself six arms, but since I don’t know any magic ...“ He shrugged his shoulders, completely oblivious towards the fact that magic had a bad reputation and that talking about it so openly wasn’t always a good idea. „But if you focus on one pair of arms, what do you do with the rest? Do they just hang uselessly from your shoulders until you need them?“ „Seventeen, yes“, he confirmed. „And I don’t mind that you are already eighteen. I like older women.“ Here he blushed a little. As she stated that he would be her companion, his eyes widened. „I’d love to be your companion!“ he assured her. „My name is Lucas. What do you want me to do, Tawna?“

[Runas]

Runas smiled in return to Lucas, hers a little less bovine and a little more deliberately calm. She nodded at the waiter as he returned, surprisingly fast, and fished out her purse to pay him as he placed down Lucas' food, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. He must have thought she meant a whole bottle to be shared when she asked for her own glass. Well, it was no matter. Wine would help her hypnotism take root.

"I wouldn't try to eat with six. It would make a mess to coordinate six limbs to deliver food to one mouth. And it would just appear stupid if one hand went at a time, like I was some sort of glutton."

Another smirk flitted across her lips as he continued to speak, watching his eyes with her own dark, expressionless ones. She should pay attention to the time to ensure she didn't change here, but really... This boy was so fascinating. In a soft voice, she spoke deliberately cool words to watch his reaction before she charmed him. "You seem to enjoy stating the obvious. I know you don't have six arms. Only Eypharians do. And I should tell you something about morphing. I'm not sure if a person with that particular magic can make human arms spring out of his body, but only insects have six arms from the animal world, and they are quite small."

"I suppose I use them when I have to. I can make them all move at once, but it is confusing. Even for an Eypharian. Four arms are easier to manage, I've heard, and two are a godsend for six armed ones like me." She was getting tired of his questions about her appearance. No matter how much her arms interested him, they disinterested her. So, she changed the topic. "What do you do for a living?"

She smiled secretly at his words about liking older women. That would make it easier to play with him. As to what she'd like him to do...

"Right now..? Eat with me, and then stay with me for the night." She smirked, letting her words dangle and insinuate. She'd let him assume what she wanted from him and see how it turned out.

[Lucas Arias]

„As the wine arrived, Lucas reached for the bottle and poured himself a glass. And then he poured her a glass because he didn’t want to seem impolite and placed it in front of her. Truth to be told, he was a bit of a glutton, but he would never admit it out loud because it would give him a bad reputation. He didn’t want a beautiful woman like Runas to know about all his little vices. And thus he only took a slow sip from his wine before he focused on the food that really smelled quite delicious. He took a bit and then he looked at her again. „Is stating the obvious such a bad thing?“ he waned to know. „And I’m pretty sure you can give yourself six arms with Morphing – if you are good enough. It would probably be just hard to move them properly if you’ve never had six arms before. You’d look like a partially paralyzed Eypharian for a while. I met a mage once. He said it’s definitely possible.“ He remembered the meeting with Hadrian in the Stone Garden. The man had been very fascinating, and he wished their conversation would have lasted a while longer. He could have taught him so much! „Are there any Eypharians with eight arms?“ he wanted to know. While she wasn’t interested in her arms, they definitely fascinated him! He took another bite from his food (that was quite delicious), and then he realized that she had asked him a question, so he answered it. „I’m ...“ He paused for a moment, realizing that „squire“ didn’t sound particularly impressive. „... a knight. Well, almost. I ride, I fight, and I do other fun things. And I’m also an artist. I’m very versatile.“ He smiled proudly. „Can you imagine me with a weapon, Tawna?“ As she said something about staying with him for the night, his eyes grew so big that they threatened to drop out of their sockets, and he almost choked on his food. He also went slack jawled for a moment. Did she want him to ... to share her bed? He stammered a bit, and then he said, „I would love to spend the night with you.“ And then he blushed. A lot. Because that was definitely unexpected (but something that he had always secretly dreamed of). That she didn’t necessarily mean that she wanted to sleep to him, didn’t even occur to him.