[Rearing Stallion] Winds of Change:A Beggar's Coins [Closed]

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny stared at the red-headed woman for a long time, his curious expression slowly shifting into that of worry, she had been staring at the counter a long time, it was obvious, even to someone as thick as he, that she had withdrawn into her own thoughts, cutting her sentence short, and even looked afraid. Yes, fear, sorrow, Ash'eny realized that while he was concerned with his upbringing, that he had forgotten that Avalona's life, just because she had someone, didn't mean it was all cheerful and peaceful. Perhaps he was selfish. "Listen, Avalona. You don't have to say anything that will make you uncomfortable. I'm not trying to interrogate you or torture you." Ash'eny hand slowly lifted and placed itself on her shoulder near to him, giving it a firm, but of course not painfully strong, grasp. "And if you need to talk about anything, I'm good at listening. Talking, not so much, but I can listen very well. Ash'eny took a moment to glance at his hand, he was surprised by his own eagerness to try and cheer up this woman, a stranger! Avalona and Ash'eny just met and already they were trading personal stories, assaulting each other with a myriad of emotions, and even complimented each other on their looks. Ash'eny felt a strong urge to stand up and flee from the tavern, perhaps Syliras as a whole. For so long he desired somebody to be with, someone he could trust and confess his life to, that the very moment he met someone with similarities, quirks, and unique stories he found himself drawn towards her like a bug huddling around the only source of light for miles around in the void of night. Upon realizing this, he found himself startled, yet unmotivated to pull back, turn a shoulder, and pretend like it didn't happen. "I think you could make a living off of painting. It might be worth trying if it's something you are passionate about. The things you truly care for should be taken seriously, embraced, perhaps even pursued." Ash'eny smiled, hoping said expression would infect Avalona as well. He heard his own voice as he... was he lecturing? Theorizing perhaps, regardless, he knew he didn't really obey his own philosophy. Hell, Ash'eny wasn't even aware of anything he was passionate about. Stealing was an addiction, not something he either loved or hated. It didn't count. Drinking was just a tool to ease feelings, even if he couldn't handle it well. That obviously was not something to be pursued. What then did Ash'eny have? 'Nothing...'

[Avalona]

When Avalona felt the reassuring pressure on her shoulder, her mind snapped back to reality. A feeling of horror ran through her, as her eyes took on the look of a deer that someone had surprised in the woods. What am I doing? She licked her lips nervously. It's nothing, she wanted to say, ignore it, pretend that it never even happened. Ava opened her mouth to speak, "That was...I mean...it was just..." She sighed, before running her fingers through her red hair, and made a decision. "I really don't like worrying anyone. It makes me feel like I'm a burden." Ava lifted her eyes to meet his, and gave a small smile. "So, please don't worry about me." Her smile grew, and she placed her hand on top of the one sitting on her shoulder. " And you can talk to me too! Remember? I said I'd be your friend no matter what." Ava's hand fell back onto her lap. Still holding his gaze she added, "We made a promise."

"I think you could make a living off of painting. It might be worth trying if it's something you are passionate about. The things you truly care for should be taken seriously, embraced, perhaps even pursued."

Honestly, Ava was surprised to hear him say this. Ash'eny seemed to draw out the emotions that she tried so desperately to hide, causing her pain and worry for making him, well, worry. Memories and feelings that she tried so hard to bury were being brought to the surface the more she was around this man. It was truly frightening. Avalona felt vulnerable, weak even, and she could feel her mask chipping, cracking violently like ice. And yet...his words could make her so happy. The warmth from it was intoxicating, as if Ava was a cat basking in the rays of the sun. She smiled, for indeed Ash'eny's smile had been infectious. " You're one of the first people to tell me that. Thank you, Ash'eny."

[Ash'eny]

"Nobody wants anybody to suffer unless they are truly evil. Worry, it's just another form of pain. It's not unnatural you don't want people to worry about you. You're a grown woman. It's common for you to thirst for independence. It's just what we humans do." Ash'eny spoke, then offered a sly little grin to replace the cloud of seriousness. "And besides, it's also in my nature to care for others... some others." What Ash'eny really meant was something along the lines of 'I care about nobody really, except my dead daughter and for some reason, you'. He shook his head lightly, trying to shake such thoughts from his head. The beer, it had to be the beer. It wasn't logical for him to think like this, he was a thief, a beggar, a homeless petcher. he had nothing to offer, nothing to give, except for friendship, whatever that was worth. And that promise he made? Why did he do that. "But look at me, preaching like a teacher speeches to a mere child. Forgive me. I've been very verbally aggressive today. But yes, I do know I can talk to you, but not for twenty days. Twenty days, I will talk until my lungs collapse and my cheeks turn blue, and there will be thousands of questions I expect, and as promised, I will answers everything." Ash'eny grinned childishly at that moment as his head cocked to the side causing his eyes to point downwards past his nose and cheeks to watch Avalona, attempting to pick up any sign of discomfort. "Don't thank me. It's just my opinion though. For all I know, your painting could be no better than mine." Ash'eny chuckled lightly, he didn't know if he was a natural artist or not, he hadn't even touched a paint brush in his life. It was a joke of course, but for him it was doubly so because of that thought. "But you seem like the kind of woman that could do just about anything you set your mind to." Him, a professional painter, that thought was comical to the thief, just the idea of trading his profession of swiping coins for that of coloring with paints. He had no reason not to try really, but he had no place to try it, money wasn't particularly a shortage at the moment, but it was carefully kept. "I want to see you paint sometime."

[Avalona]

Avalona listened with wide eyes as Ash'eny spoke, hanging on to his every word and unable to pull her gaze away from him. This man really had no idea how much he could affect her. One minute he could stir up things she'd rather not think of, and the next he would be comforting her, leaving her feeling as if she had just downed a comfortably warm drink. She had not felt like that since she was a small child, her then healthy grandmother stroking her head and telling her that everything was going to be alright. And she would sit there in her arms, her face bruised and her clothes filthy from the mud that had gotten thrown at her, until she cried herself to sleep. But that was a long time ago. That was before she had learned that her pain was hers alone, and that it was wrong to force someone to feel those emotions with her. Yet Ash'eny was teaching her something. Perhaps, every now and then, one could share their worry with someone else, instead of letting it grow malignant inside their heart. And perhaps she did not have to face everything alone.

Avalona sighed contentedly, smiling slightly. Almost as if she were talking to herself, she said, "You always know just what to say, don't you?" Her eyes searched his. "I'm beginning to feel that the gods decided to cast pearls before swine." She chuckled. "And I don't mind being preached to, but...you'll have to deal with me asking a question now. Why twenty days? I'm curious." After asking, Ava returned her attention to the food in front of her, now cold. She didn't really mind--food, hot or cool, was still food. There was only a bit left, so Ava finished after only a moment, her fork clattering onto the plate and causing her to flinch ever so slightly at the noise.

Avalona prodded Ash'eny playfully with her pointer finger--now it was her turn to teach. "Accept thanks whenever it's given." She said in a sanctimonious voice, and then crossed her arms in front of her, sticking her nose up in the air. "And I take great pride in my painting abilities, thank you very much." She grinned to show she was teasing. "I want to see you paint sometime." Ava laughed. "Ash'eny, watching someone paint is like watching grass grow. It's boring, really it is. You could be my model if you want, although that's not much fun either." Avalona had said it without thinking, and yet now she could feel something stirring in her mind. She leaned back in her seat, so she could take in all of Ash'eny's body at once, and slowly studied his body from feet up. Her artist eyes swept up his form, noting proportions, and spent the longest time lingering on the man's face. This feeling...could it be? It was. Seeds of inspiration had been planted in her mind, waiting to take root, and Avalona was determined to make sure they did. She grinned slyly, her mouth twisting almost coquettishly, so that one side was raised more than the other. "You shouldn't have said that, you know." Ava leaned forward, her smile still playing on her lips. "Now I want to paint you."

[Ash'eny]

"I always know what to say? Hardly. Most of the time I don't even consider my words before I vomit them all over the conversation. I suppose I'm just blessed by with the luck of... of..." So much for his words. Ash'eny's gaze slowly lowered from Ava's face as he quite literally dove into a deep meditation, trying almost painfully hard to think of whatever word was right there on his tongue. It was, he could taste it, somewhere along with te faded taste of beer, he could taste the word. Beer? Maybe it would help. Ash'eny glanced over at the counter to see his mug, filled. What a coincidence. Maybe the Gods were looking after him, or at least his thirst, which was oddly getting stronger as he drank. His left hand slowly reached out and grabbed the mug and pulled it towards himself, and with a simple shrug, a resignation on trying to extract the missing word from his vocabulary, he took a large drink of his drink. Lowering the cup seconds later, he sighed while simultaneously wincing, then proceeded to bat his eyes until the watering was a little more than a shimmer on his eyes. "Why twenty days? Do you mean why not now or why specifically twenty?" Ash'eny pondered a moment before deciding to answer both questions. "I don't want to tell you know because we just met (Though it doesn't feel like it)..." He paused a moment to allow a silent burp to be swallowed back into the deep darkness of his bowels. "And it's not that I trust you (even though I shouldn't, I feel like I could say anything and you'd keep it a secret), but I need to know if you..." Ash'eny paused again, but it was not the presence of a burp this time than inhibited his speech. It was a thought, something he pondered, something he almost said, something he dubbed too sacred to say, or perhaps foolish to do so. He blinked a few times in confusion before retreating to his mug once again. Surely he was nearing his limits. Before long he would be on the floor snoring like a drunk, which was expected. "... How do I say this. Bluntly I guess. I need to know you are going to be around me at that time. Twenty days seems a suitable time frame to see if you can still stand my presence or not. And another reason for twenty days, and not thirty, nor ten, is because ten is too short. I need time to think over things. To... get some shyke settled. And thirty days... I could be dead." Again Ash'eny dove into his mug, though took a very long time hiding there as he began to seek out every single droplet of alcohol he could manage, or more so, avoid eye contact as long as possible. Did he break his promise? No, he didn't explain anything yet, he would do that in twenty days, but he could still let her know he may not be around afterwards. "You know, I'm a fairly patient guy. I might enjoy being immortal, even if it means being painted on parchment." Ash'eny chuckled lightly, he couldn't help but notice that the tavern began to rock though, it was slow at first, a faint wavering, but it was a petching strong one. Ash'eny lowered his hand to his stool, gripping tightly as his body slowly tilted one direction, then shifted towards the polar opposite. He must have looked weak, pathetic. How embarrassing. Ash'eny began to feel a very strong sense of horror. He was drinking too much. His thoughts were beginning to run together, those images that should be kept to oneself were thoroughly blended with those that Ash'eny could easily talk about, which was potentially dangerous for him, maybe even to those around him. "I-I-I think... I think you are... You drinked too much Ava. Yer all... falling and shyke. Shyke!" Slip and fall. Ash'eny fell straight backwards off his stool and found himself staring straight upwards at the rafters, his head rocking slowly as if he was watching the motions of a housefly, yet capturing it not. He couldn't help but smile though. Whatever it was that he said before finally tipping into the intoxicated side of balance, was far from his memory now.

[Avalona]

..."I need to know that you are going to be around me at that time. Twenty days seems a suitable time frame to see if you can still stand my presence or not. And another reason for twenty days, and not thirty, nor ten, is because ten is too short. I need time to think over things. To...get some shyke settled. And thirty days...I could be dead."

Avalona froze after his last sentence, the sounds around her replaced by a choking silence....Dead?...Ash'eny? She went into herself, into a place deep in her mind where pain turned to numbness. Otherwise, her emotions would have surfaced onto her face. Did he have some sort of disease, or maybe someone after him? The latter was more what it sounded like, and Ava could sense, coming back to reality, the feeling of protectiveness fill her. I will do whatever I can to keep this man safe. She said to herself. Afterwards, though, Ava realized how ridiculous the thought was. What could she do? She was just an artist, useless in a fight and connectionless. People like her were expendable, someone could kill her and probably not a single person in all of Syliras would care. Except (as far as she knew) the man sitting in front of her. The man who was almost a complete stranger to her, who had just informed her that in thirty days he could be dead, and the man who she had made a promise to. "Ash'eny..." She whispered, her voice so quiet that it most likely would not be heard above the noise of the tavern. But she was not to finish that sentence, for the redhead began to see that something was definitely wrong.

Ash'eny was swaying, back and forth, as if sitting on the deck of a ship in particularly choppy water. Ava could only stare in fascination. Just how much beer had he drank? Fear filled her. Why hadn't she been paying attention? Ava was furious with herself. Sure she had said something with his third drink, but she had been too distracted by the conversation and her own damn emotions to realize how many mugs he had ordered afterwards. Dung. Dung, dung, dung, dung, dung, dung, dung. Her mind was completely focused at scolding herself, and she did not notice Ash'eny again until she heard the solid thud of a body hitting the floor. Ava snapped back to reality, but the man wasn't in his seat anymore. Puzzled, she asked, "...Ash'eny?.........Ash'eny!" Her voice turned to terror the second time she called out his name, seeing his form sprawled face up on the ground. She rushed over to him, stumbling a bit as she stepped from her seat, and hurried over to where he lay. She leaned over him, tense with anxiety. Ash'eny was conscious...barely, but Ava knew that that could soon change, and she had no idea what to do if he passed out--which was likely. "W-what should I do?! Ash'eny, do you have any place I could bring you to? O-or something I should do?" Avalona did not know whether or not he would respond, but if she really needed to she could take the man to her place. After all it wasn't far from here, and because she hadn't painted in a while it wasn't as messy as usual. Still, though, she'd wait to see if Ash'eny could manage to tell her anything.

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny stared at Avalona a moment when she hastily returned into his view, he was actually startled by this, as if he hadn't realized they were in the Rearing Stallion, nor that there were dozens of people there, and many were staring and snickering. Ash'eny watched her a moment before bursting into girlish giggling. He wasn't hurt, that was one thing at least. "I think I was pushed. What should you do?" Ash'eny pondered her question thoroughly, as if it was something as important as financial advice for a long-term and life-altering commitment. The sort of expression he made hinted that it was difficult for him to think logically. Perhaps. "You should do whatever you want to do." Ash'eny's world was still spinning, mostly from the alcohol finally saturating his system and really grabbing him. And when a particularly strong wave of dizziness began to cloud his senses, he leaned up and quickly wrapped her arms clumsily around her body. He felt like he was going to fall again, which was unlikely as he was already resting on the floor. "I'm falling." Ash'eny spoke, his face was pressed against her shoulder now, holding onto her for dear life. He wasn't sure what threatened his life at that particular moment, but he felt she was watching over him, what a new and comforting feeling that was. All he wanted to do was to hang on to her with his arms tucked neatly under Ava's arms, and his fingers tied together behind her back to hold him there safely. Also, if Avalona had examined Ash'eny at all, she would probably notice strange apparel as his cloak was sprawled and lay open. Black leather armor, lightweight, and easily spotted in the torchlight-lit room of the tavern, but it was obvious that at night is when it became difficult to see. The cloak too, the inside did not reflect that of the outside. And if she looked hard she might even recognize a vest with various tools, none strong enough to be a smith's hammer or chisel. Maybe she didn't catch these things, but it would probably hint to a few unfavorable night-oriented professions that he held. Thief, assassin, mugger, investigator, etc. "I think I'm falling."

[Avalona]

Avalona was truly worried for Ash'eny, but when he started giggling she felt her body relax slightly. He may have been laying on the floor, yet he seemed fine, truly a happy drunk. She exhaled in relief, and listened intently to get the man's opinion. "You should do whatever you want to do." Ava rolled her eyes, reminding herself that it was probably a stupid question to ask to a man in Ash'eny's state in the first place. She should have been prepared for an answer like that, but the redhead was not the kind of person who thought ahead, instead dealing with things as they came. So, naturally, Ava was completely unprepared for what happened next.

Ash'eny sat up ever so slightly, and then entwined his arms around her, hanging on as if she was his life-preserver in a violent storm. It happened so fast that it took Ava's mind a moment to realize what had happened: she was pressed against a man. A shiver went through her body as it warmed, the heat concentrating on the skin beneath the cloth under Ash'eny's hands. She could feel herself get a little light-headed, and Ava squeezed her eyes shut. Why is he doing this?! The man's scent washed over her--he reeked of alcohol. Oh. That's why. Avalona opened her eyes and sighed, calming down, her body relaxing in his arms. Afterwards, Ash'eny buried his face in her shoulder. "I'm falling." Ava wriggled in his grasp, attempting to readjust herself in a more comfortable position, and spotted a flash of black in her peripheral vision. Intrigued, she glanced down at the strange attire, previously hidden under the man's cloak. But she only allowed herself to stare for a few seconds before tearing her gaze away from the suspicious clothing. I can't do this, I can't doubt him. Twenty days and I'll know for sure. Just wait twenty days. She told herself.

"I think I'm falling." Avalona's attention was pulled back to Ash'eny, instead of his clothes, and she responded to his statement by stroking his head gently. "You're not going to fall, Ash'eny." Ava whispered in a voice only Ash'eny could hear. "As long as you hang on to me." She smiled lightly to herself, and then attempted to pull out of the man's grasp. "We've got to get you standing up again. Unless you're planning to lay there all day?"

[Ash'eny]

Ash'eny stared up dizzily into Avalona's eyes. The color of her irises weren't unlike his own, dark brown, rich, appearance of black when gazed upon from afar, or during the night sky. He felt himself captivated, as if he was looking into a mirror at himself, yet trying to figure out why his hair was red, long, and his features so drastically altered. A woman? That wasn't Ash'eny, that wasn't a mirror. Ash'eny blinked several times, he didn't seem to hear what Avalona was saying, perhaps it was the obnoxious ringing in his ears, the buzzing in his head, the light throbbing on the back of his skull, which he just now realized was there. "Why are you standing so close to me?" Ash'eny gave Avalona a severely confused look, then within seconds of his asked question, his eyes widened, he had fallen! It explains a lot, the bump, the woman peering down at him like he was quite a ridiculous man. His arms around her... He quickly released himself from her as he realized what he had done, hugging her like that. "Sorry. I'm a lightweight." Ash'eny would have been embarrassed, but the alcohol seemed settled enough now too keep his emotions, as well as his logic, from surfacing too easily. "Lay here? No, someone might step on me. Laying here isn't good, isn't a good idea. Where's the floor?" Ash'eny spoke, control over his speech seemed limited, yet his conscious thought seemed to fluctuate between being sound and being weak. He slowly tried to pull himself up, grabbing onto his stool for a makeshift brace, and hoisted himself in what felt like a perfect place to withstand gravity. Instead, Ash'eny found himself on the ground again, this time his rear took the full impact of the floor. Gravity was a jerk to those who drank themselves silly. "I think you pushed me." Ash'eny wasn't so much as accusing Avalona as he was pitying himself, his indignant expression, he looked like he was about to cry, or at least that was a possibility. Ash'eny rubbed his eyes slowly as he sat on the floor. Perhaps he had given up on trying to stand again, and resigned himself to where he was right there. By the Gods, if he could see himself, he'd be beyond embarrassed.

[Avalona]

It was obvious to Avalona that Ash'eny was very, very drunk. Sometimes he appeared to get a little less confused, but then he would say something else that seemed to convince Ava otherwise. At least he had his thoughts working well enough to release her, which for the woman was a relief, as she could feel her legs begin to cramp up from the uncomfortable position. He hurriedly let go, after he had been staring at her in bewilderment for being so close, and quickly apologized. "Sorry. I'm a lightweight." Ava frowned. Then why was this man silly enough to have had all those mugs of beer? If he couldn't handle alcohol well, he should have known better. Stupid man, making her worry about him when this situation could have been avoidable. Because of this thought, the redhead felt no guilt at all when she giggled as Ash'eny struggled to stand, pulling himself up before falling back on the floor. "I think you pushed me." That shut Avalona up. She glared at him, about to protest otherwise, when she saw the look on his face. It reminded her of the expression of an abandoned puppy, sad and self-pitying. The redhead sighed, forced to forgive his accusation--it was the beer talking after all, not him. Ava smiled to herself, You know, in this state he really is kind of like a puppy. Her smile broadened at the thought, and she mentally shrugged. I guess I can deal with this. She grabbed Ash'eny under the arm, hoisting him up to the best of her abilities, and letting him lean on her lest he fall again. "I think we should leave Ash'eny; you should probably sleep this off." She was planning to bring him to her place, the pallet resting in the corner a perfect place for him to lay down. It was actually for the models who she needed to stay overnight, but it would work just fine for her drunken friend. Ava began pulling him in the direction of the tavern door.