Completed [The Rearing Stallion] A Deal in the Night (Matthias)

[Hadyn Skellig]

3rd day of Spring, 513 AV
19th Bell

He was supposedly one of the most qualified philterer – according to Tiberian Lauris. Hadyn reserved her doubts but she was in dire needs of the salve this man was to allegedly supply. The burn that claimed a portion of her coworkers face was beyond her remedial skills and getting worse by the day. The philterer's salve was professed to be a life saver and Hadyn was willing to pay for it.

Lowering the hood the cloak, Hadyn entered the previously determined tavern to await her contact. Tiberian supposedly gone to great lengths to secure this philterer’s services for her, though she suspected it had more to do with Tiberian’s desire to get into her knickers. All the same she was appreciative of his willingness to assist her. Brushing dark curls from her face the smith made her way to the table on the east corner of the room, seating herself in the light. It was hardly a suspicious location (quite the opposite in fact), not quite owing to the secrecy Tiberian encouraged her to maintain. Seemed a bit silly to her that she should go to such odd, enigmatic lengths simply to get a lotion. Perhaps there was some untoward ingredient in the recipe; blood of a virgin or hair of child – some such nonsense.

She ordered a mug of ale and waited, watching the patrons thin at this late bell. Tiberian hadn’t given her much to work with so she hoped he’d been more descriptive of her appearance to the philterer. Pulling the leather gloves from her hands Hadyn crossed her leg, the hem of her brown dress rustling. She was not dressed for work in the forge, opting instead for a simple long sleeved gown bare of adornments and made of rough-hewn fabric. She carried on her person a dagger (more for her security than a legitimate threat to anyone) tucked neatly into one calf high boot. The narrow belt around her waist held the coin purse should the man arrive ready to strike a deal.

But for now she waited, the planes of her angular face shadowed in the dim light.

[Matthias Kyras]

The Rearing Stallion, Matthias noted with some distaste.

The philterer greatly disliked the establishment, it was loud, filled with people who wanted him to "share stories" and barmaid who dressed like whores. The man approached the door to establishment slowly, his cane striking the ground pointedly as he walked. His limp made walking anywhere a task, which made him even more irrate.

Still according to one of his more frequent customers this woman would pay a good deal of money for a burn salve, money which he could put into further his research. So as much as meeting the person here of all places was enough to have him glaring in irriatation the whole way here, scowling at everyone who crossed his path, it was business. Matthias reached into the confines of his thick philterer's robes and grasped the balm he had prepared a few hours back.

The process of creating it had not been very difficult, however it was not as strong as most burn salves. It would numb the pain and speed up the recovery process a great deal but it would still leave scars that might flare in pain ever now and then. Perhaps if he had possessed more time to perfect the formula he might have been able to create something stronger, a day or two more. Unfortuately his contact had informed him that time was of the essence, such a pity.

Matthias' scowl was still clear on his brow as he swung the door to the tavern open and limped inside. As he looked around he recalled that the woman was supposed to have coppery tan skin, be wearing a brown dress and had dark mahogany hair.

How very discriptive, the tall philterer thought acidly, looking around the tavern with sharp brown eyes.

He saw a woman who seemed to meet the discription of the woman he was meeting, sitting in at a table in the east corner of the tavern. He made his way over to the table, his eyes narrow upon the woman.

"Are you the woman who is the cause for disturbing my research?" Matthias asked as he approched the woman, the closest thing he could manage to a friendly greeting.

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn noted the new patron entering the tavern, his limp and robes identifying him as Tiberian's philter. She made no attempt to alert his attention, waiting patiently until he approached and addressed her. It wasn't the warmest of greetings but Tiberian was sure to giver her a heads up that this man was not known for his pleasant discourse.

"'Fraid so," she answered with a nod. She gestured to the empty chair across from her before signaling to the barmaid to tend him. "But if your work is as good as I'm told then we're both better off for this meeting."

Hadyn wasn't one to tack on pointless chit chat. It was evident the man had no interest in staying to wind the bells down with a drink. Business was business. The barmaid came quickly bearing a mug of ale for the man, departing silently.

"Hope you don't mind the house brew," she murmured, the words slipping languidly from her lips. She did not wish to appear overly rushed or anxious. Acting thusly would surely garner the attention of unwanted guests to their table. She would let him determine how the rest of their meeting would transpire.

[Matthias Kyras]

Matthias snorted derisively and sat down across from this woman, his scowl still firmly set on his face. He glared down at the drink before him and pushed it to the side, disgust clear on his features.

"I don't drink, and I really have no interest in remaining in this place any longer than necessary so lets make this quick." Matthias said, his words as alway blunt and straight to the point.

The only reason he was here was business, nothing more nothing less. He had no real desire to know who this woman was or why she needed the balm, he was just here to cunduct a transaction. The tall man placed his cane on the table with a sound thump and reached inside of his robes. He pulled from them a small capped clay cylinder, reached forward and placed it in the middle of the table.

"A hastily made burn salve, be warned that it is not as powerful as a normal burn salve due to the speed in which I was told that it was needed." Matthias said, his sharp brown eyes boring into the woman.

"It will numb the pain, and speed up the recovery process however the scars will remain and, depending on the sevearity of the burns, may even be painful on some days." He continued, his tone far more clinical.

He saw no reason why he shouldn't tell her that, he was a former docter after all. That and lying didn't sit right with him, he might be a very unpleasent person to be around and possess an unhealthy obsession with his research but he still held the truth to be sacred. Even if the other person didn't want to hear it.

"For any after pain I would recommend rubbing Arsyna Cream on the scars, it won't cure the after pain but it will help it. Its relitively inexpensive and common in most medicinal shops." The tall man said, still extremely frustrated that he hadn't had more time to perfect the formula.

Matthias was silent for a moment, stroking his well trimmed goatee, brewing the balm had cost him next to nothing to make. He'd already had the supplies on hand when the order came, besides that it was not a full burn salve just a weaker version so maybe half price would do.

He returned his attention to his contact, clearing his thoat. Hopefully she would have the money.

"Taking into account that this salve is weaker than the normal version and the minimal cost to me I would be willing to sell it for fifteen gold mizas. Its half the price of a normal salve." He stated.

[Hadyn Skellig]

"Sounds about fair," the blacksmith responded, canting her head toward the man. She shifted her position slowly, so as not to alarm the clearly antisocial philterer. Retrieving the coin purse from her belt, Hadyn made quick work of the mizas, setting them quietly on the table for the man. She'd absorbed his instructions silently, appreciative that he even bothered to tell her.

"Thank you," she started, dark eyes catching his expression in the low light. "I realize this was somewhat short notice. The recipient of this salve is in your debt."

Hadyn retrieved the cylinder, pulling it to her side of the table but leaving it there. If this man was as talented as Tiberian boasted, the balm would ease her fellow smith's burn significantly. She sat quietly, expecting him to take his leave before a thought occurred to her.

"If I am in need of your services in the future, how might I find you?"

[Matthias Kyras]

Matthias placed the coins into the coin purse within his robes, ready to leave now that this business was complete when the woman asked him how best to contact him. He clutched his cane, musing how best to answer the question.

The philterer hated unexpected visitors, however he did not yet possess the money for larger facilities like a shop. Also it seemed wise to have a possible regular customer to buy some of his creations. He removed the cane from the table and stood with some effort, eager to return to his work soon.

"I have a small apartment in the castle, your contact should know where it is. Only stop there if you are conducting business, I am not looking to make friends or have visitors over. I trust we are clear on that." He said to the woman, fixing her with a hard gaze.

Belatedly he realized he didn't know her name, which would probably be useful in future dealings. He extended a hand with some hesitation, unused to, "Friendly gestures," after deciding to live like a hermit in his own home.

"I am called Matthias." He said stiffly as if just the action of freely giving his name took some concerted effort.

[Hadyn Skellig]

Hadyn nodded in response, gazing up at him with an expression that conveyed slight intrigue. He was a philterer, a profession requiring interaction with others, yet his bedside manners were clearly lacking. Perhaps, as he mentioned earlier, his interest was purely in the research, not the people. She couldn't blame him. Syliras wasn't exactly known for its hospitable, charming citizens.

She accepted his hand in a firm but brief shake, canting her head gently to display gratitude for his introduction. Names were dangerous to give freely and she respected the man for his offer.

"Hadyn," she replied, releasing his hand so he wouldn't have to bear her touch too long. "I'm a smith at Sultros. Should you need anything from such a place I would gladly assist you."

[Matthias Kyras]

Matthias nodded at her offer, he might need some metalwork done in the future. Mostly copper philterering supplies and maybe the odd scroll case. Still it was good to know that he knew where best to find them should he need them. Perhap this woman might be more useful to know than he had first judged, only time would tell.

Without another word the always scowling philterer turned on his heel and walked towards the door, his cane thumping loudly with each step. He needed to return to his experiments as quickly as possible, the formula for the burn salve still had to be perfected. Matthias glanced once over his shoulder at Hadyn as he reached the exit, looking her over again with his sharp brown eyes. He then opened the door and walked out into the night, eager to return home as always.

This night had not been as bad an interuption as he had first thought, if nothing else it had given him a new project.