PM to join A Night At The Stallion [Hisoka, Crypt, Yohan]

[Yohan]

"Lovely?" He said, somewhat amused. "Well, no one has ever described them as 'lovely' before." Slowly he could feel his sadness leaving him.

"Music..I do enjoy music. So long as the music is well played. My ears work very well. Any odd pitch is easily detectable. The man with the lute over there was quite excellent. Even from the roof it was great. Your uh.." He his low voice grumbled softly as he looked for the right word. "mate?-over there. He's quite the storyteller as well." He said the word mate hesitantly.

Yohan took great pleasure in her smile, a true smile appearing on his face as well. It had been a long time since anyone had genuinely smiled at him. A small breeze brought to his nose her odd smell once again and he breathed it in deeply. A confused look appeared on his face.

"So, tell me, Lisoka was it? Your scent...its different from the others around here. Why is that?"

[Rhylund Vauler]

Rhylund could feel his posture slackin with a touch of reliefe as Crypt turned around to ensure him that “Hisoka”─pretty name─could fend for herself. So, lovers indeed. He was glad the man considered himself to be lacking the description overprotective: too many stories with a sad ending started with jealous beginnings. His brow slightly furrowed as the storyteller named the Zith, “Yohan?” The hand absent of his lute rose to give his right earlobe a small tug. “You’ve met him before?” That, or the man had astounding hearing. Perhaps his compliment towards his skill with the lute carried more weight than he had originally thought. The serving girl returned to refill their mugs, and Rhylund gave her another charming smile for her troubles: if she kept at it, the end of the evening might find the young man in love. He took a small sip in imitation of Crypt. “No, I don’t suspect he’ll harm a fly─and I can’t blame the poor soul for being so cautious─he’s braver than I am. The place seemed ripe for a mob only a moment ago. Your friend, Hisoka, she seems to have the gift of instilling calm in a hostile environment.” He flashed his own smile and raised his mug towards the bar as he caught the small wave aimed for Crypt from the blue-eyed girl. No sense in not being friendly: he suspected they all might share an ale after the other man’s story. Rhylund took another small sip and set the mug down on the back of the dais, then quickly ran through a few chords to make sure the instrument had maintained its tuning. Heads began to turn and bodies began to shift to face the two men as the strings sounded off in agreeable pitches with one another. “I think it’s about time we give these good people the ending to the story of your talking cat, Master Crypt.” A bright-eyed smile shaped his features before he moved to stand fully on the dais. His back brushed against the far wall so that the the other performer had ample room to continue with his gestures and positioning throughout his tale.

[Hisoka]

Hisoka blushed faintly at the word "mate". "N...no... not mate... Master saved me from starvation, and healed my paw- my hands...", she spoke nervously, lifting her bandaged hands. "He is not my true Master, since we only met yesterday...", she trailed off, remembering. Hisoka looked at him, smiling slightly."Hisoka. I am a wolf Kelvic.", she replied simply. "Many do not realize, since I have been educated in human speech, thought and behavior." She shivered privately at the memory of those lessons, forced by her mother's Master, her skin paling slightly. "I even play flute", she said, comforting herself in the knowledge that it had not been all bad.

[Yohan]

"Oh...well, excuse me. Its just, the way the two of you seemed was.." He trailed off. "Never mind..."

"Hisoka," He said to himself quietly, "What a pretty name.." Her next sentence confused him however. "What is a..wolf Kelvic..? Ive never heard that word before."

The change in her body did not go undetected. Yohan grew quite worried as the blood seemed to drain from her face. She seemed to get a little better when she spoke of the flute. "Im sure your very talented are you not? Id love to hear a tune." Yohan had completely relaxed now, turning his dark body so he was angled at his new friend. He rested with his arm on the table, seemingly holding up his own head. His wings were only wrapped about him so much that his arms were slightly covered.
He was pleased to notice that a lot of the original tension had left. Though some of the customers still glared, they seemed comforted by the fact that Hisoka was not dead yet. Then the sound of a lute caught his attention.

Yohan smiled, "It would seem your Master and his friend are about to start it up again."

[Hisoka]

Hisoka nodded, "Perhaps I could play for you one day", she said, her smile broadening. She was happy that Yohan had begun to relax, and that the tension was just an after image of what it had been. As Yohan had said, it seemed that the duo were re-engaging their audience, preparing for the continuation of their tale. "We will hear some more of the strange cat, and it's little tricks!", she laughed softly. Hisoka had begun to interest herself in the story, just before the break. The cat seemed to have been up to a little scheme, whether the outcome was what the cat's boy expected, remained to be seen. She turned her attention to the dais, as Crypt and the Bard took their places, this time with filled tankards close at hand, and comfortable seats.

[Crypt]

“No, but I could hear part of his name as he was introducing himself, and I lip-read the rest. Rather easy, actually.” Crypt took another sip of the ale, still watching Hisoka and Yohan, though not as closely as before. Interesting. Apparently, if I'm correct, Rhylund thinks that Hisoka and I are in some sort of a relationship. If only he knew we just met a day or two ago - Ah well, I'll keep that little secret for now. “Yes, it appears that she has a gift. Very well, let us end what we have started.” Crypt stepped onto the raised dais after Rhylund, then turned to face the crowd. “If I may have your attention please,” Crypt began, “I shall now be continuing the rest of my story. Now, where was I? Ah yes, I remember now. I assume quite a few of you are wondering how the cat would obtain everything he said his master owned - wealth, lands, the fair hand of the lord's daughter. The very same day, Manx and Arthan set off for those lands under the pretext of preparing their lands for the lord's visit. Once they had reached there, after many a day of walking, the cat approached every peasant he could see. Now, a talking cat is rather rare - most, if not all, of them had never seen or heard of such a thing in their entire lives. And as such, they were terrified by Manx, assuming that he was actually a spirit of great power. Tell all that pass by that your master is Prince Arthan, lest I visit my wrath on you, ordered the cat. And for fear of angering what they thought to be a being that could strike them dead in an instant, they obeyed him. And so when the lord questioned of them their master, they said but two words.” Crypt lifted up two fingers slowly and deliberately to emphasize his point. “Prince Arthan. However, their true master lived in an enormous castle, and he was a mighty and terrible mage, whose greatest ability was to transform into anything he desired. But Manx the cat was more wily and cunning than he, and hatched a devious plan to rid the world of him. Sneaking into his room, the cat boldly spoke to him. Master mage! Oh, how long have I yearned to gaze upon thy wondrous visage. The mage was well-pleased by the flattering words, and motioned for Manx to continue. I have searched for you for many a day, alone and without help, for all my friends doubt your existence, and most of all your greatest magic. Greatly angered, the mage rose from his throne, shouting with a voice akin to thunder as he did so. Who dares to doubt me? Cat, I shall give you a display of mine abilities - describe it to the fools you term your friends, and if they still refuse to accept that I am real, I shall send lightning and fire to rain upon them. With nary a hint, the wizard transformed into a raging bull, stomping and smashing wooden tables, and then into a proud hawk, moving faster than most could see, and lastly into a gargantuan wolf, tearing with razor-sharp teeth at the steaks that lay on the immense dining table. Finally, he turned back into his initial form, and eyed the cat, waiting for its reaction. Of course, Manx displayed much terror and awe, which pleased the mage even more. Magnificent! Wonderful! Terrifying! I shall be sure to tell my friends of your mastery of magic! But even if I speak of this to my friends, they will still doubt me. For they shall say: can he transform into something very small? He has only transformed into large creatures. True, they are impressive, but can he turn into something small, like a mouse? The wizard's face turned red, and without a word, morphed into a rat. And Manx swiftly dashed across the room towards him and gobbled him up, ending his life.” Some people started cheering, while others whispered among each other. “There's only a little left to say, my friends. The lord met Arthan, dressed richly and with all manner of jewels on his clothes. On that very day, his daughter and Arthan were married, and together, they ruled their lands justly and fairly. And what of the cat? A silver bowl of milk constantly refilled by his own personal servants, a soft cushion to rest on and all the fish he ever wanted. And that's the end, folks. Remember, though most of us can never achieve something like this - to live in comfort for the rest of our lives without worries - we can at least try as hard as we can. We may not be noble Knights or legendary heroes, but we help others survive this harsh world of ours. Thank you for listening to this little tale of mine.” And Crypt bowed low, amidst the many mizas raining down on him from an appreciative audience.

[Rhylund Vauler]

Rhylund listened as Crypt collected the remaining stray pockets of attention roaming the tavern’s common room. As his tale resumed with the lord traveling with the man and his cat, his fingers clipped the bottom string and with a soft galloping motion: he suppressed a grin that none were sure to catch as he realized Crypt noted that they were walking─not riding. However, the crowd seemed not to catch on, as the rhythm portrayed a generic sense of travel that most were accustomed to hearing. He moved his hands to form the melody already associated with the cat several times before as Crypt told of the house-pet using its common ability of speech to sway the peasants into naming his master as the lord of their land. The clever little ditty marched right along with the feline and then came to a halt as the man held up two fingers for emphasis. The song did resume as did the story, but it changed its playful nature as there was woven into existence a menacing, and powerful wizard, standing between the man and his happy ending. Rhylund’s lute roared with low thunder and deviant, greedy tones of shadow-wrought evil, supporting the imagery of the terrible mage. Each of his beastial forms earned their own special chord as the storyteller described the gruesome displays of power. And as the cat voiced his concerns, Rhylund meshed the feline’s theme with the dark key of the mage, until finally the man agreed to perform his last act of vanity and to make himself small. Suddenly the tune reverted back to original cat’s theme and danced slyly along as the lead devoured the wizard, whiskers and all. The bard knew that this was the end. He strummed a fanfare fitting of the man’s successful victory over his humble beginnings and laced it with romance at the mention of his new lady wife. The cat’s theme too found its way worked into the triumph, but his tune settled down as Crypt set to capitalize on the real message of overcoming such strife. His own thoughts were light with the thought of neighbor helping neighbor, and the warmth was not sullied by Mizra that rained down from the tables. Rhylund watched as Crypt collected the coin. Money was important, but he was not as worldly as some: besides, a fellow perform could not tell that tale then go back on giving his share of the tips─could he? The bard bowed towards the audience and gave a wide smile and couple of waves before stepping down from the dais. His eyes found the tavern’s owner, and the man mouthed silently for them to take a break. Rhylund turned back to Crypt and gestured towards the girl with blue eyes. “I think it’s time we take a proper rest. Why don’t you introduce me to your companion? I think there is an empty table in the corner, despite your excellent performance.” He gave a genuine smile and waited for Crypt to lead the way once his lute was resting silently at the back of the dais.

[Crypt]

Picking up one last coin, keeping up a mental tally of what they received, Crypt made a final flourish before departing for the table where Yohan and Hisoka were seating at. “Nice to meet you, Yohan. I've not seen many Zith in Syliras - only one, not including you - but you seen good enough. At least you're not trying anything funny. My name's Crypt, by the way.” Crypt turned to Rhylund, passing half of the money earned to the lute player, smiling as he did so. “Half's yours, Rhylund, 'tis only fair. I reckon we've earned more than we could have by ourselves. It's been rather enjoyable performing with you.”

[Rhylund Vauler]

The bard followed the storyteller as he lead the way over to where the Zith and the blue-eyed girl had been seated. He waited for Crypt to finish addressing the man accompanying the small girl as he felt a small frown touch one corner of his mouth. It almost passed as a compliment─that the Zith was decent enough to not to be up to any ‘funny’ business─but, Rhylund had always taken it upon himself to assume that no one ever was. At least, not until proven otherwise. His eyes touched the ceiling as he tried to place himself in Crypt’s shoes: maybe it was different when the girl you were courting was on the line. Losing her to a hungry Zith was probably worse than losing her to a charming bard. He gave his head a small shake and pulled in the proverbial reigns. His eyes moved back down to meet Yohan’s, and then the crystal-spheres of the girl, before fashioning his mouth into his patented crooked grin. He took a breath to form the words, but it caught in his chest as Crypt turned back towards him and began splitting the coin received from the crowd. “Thank you, good sir. Not bad at all─if I do say so myself.” He turned at the waist and flagged down the nearest serving girl. “Drinks are on me.” He looked back at Yohan, “Everyone’s.” The woman approached and hastily took down any requests. He watched her depart and turned back towards the group, this time determination mingled behind his smile as he set to introductions. “Rhylund Vauler,” he said, marking his deep bow with practiced showmanship. He considered taking the hand of the blue-eyed woman to offer a small kiss on it’s back. There was always the chance of offending Crypt: but, he was an entertainer too. He’d probably offer the same to Rhylund’s own mother if she were there. However, as his eyes wandered up her slender frame they came across two hands clad in bandages. The decision to abandon the gesture was made for him. “A pleasure to meet you both.” He smiled and waited patiently for their drinks and the girl’s name.

[Hisoka]

Hisoka smiled at the two men as they came towards them. She approved when Crypt split the earnings, since the Bard had contributed wonderfully to the tale, raising the quality of the storytelling. Hisoka almost objected when the musician had ordered them all drinks, since she had smelled the scent of ale, for it was a tavern, and had not enjoyed it's sour smell. However, she thought better of it. Perhaps she could pass it on to Yohan or Master, she thought to herself. The Bard had introduced himself as Rhylund Vauler, bowing as performers did, and she noticed him glancing at her hands. She tucked them back into her sleeves, for it made her wary, when others saw what might be seen as a weakness. As he met her eyes, she noticed his were a green, flecked with hints of gold, grey and brown. Interesing... "My name is Hisoka", she said smiling, amused by the sight of conflicting thoughts flitting across his face. "You play well.", she told him, her eyes trailing along his instrument. Looking up at Crypt, she tilted her head inquiringly. "Do you often tell stories? You seemed very comfortable, and you did funny impersonations". She laughed silently as she recalled a few, the light dancing in her eyes. The bar maid returned with the drinks, setting the tankards carefully in front of them, giving, Crypt and Rhylund, each a wink. Hisoka took a curious sniff of the contents of the nearest one, frowning slightly, took an experimental sip, wrinkling her nose as she swallowed. Turning to Yohan , she whispered, "How can humans drink this?"