Closed Two and a Half Dogs [Astrid]

[Ceira Everwood]

17th Day of Summer, 513 AV Ceira’s stomach growled in hunger. Yes, I’m nearly there - Shut your petching rumbling! Letting out a long, frustrated sight, Ceira looked around in an attempt to get her bearings. The sky was slowly fading to darkness, the last tendrils of the sun’s golden rays were fighting with the shadowy twilight for dominance - but they were slowly losing ground to the night. Walking along one of the roads closer to the shore, she noted that not many people were around tonight, only a couple were out for a walk. Maybe they're all inside. She was on her way to one of the social highlights of Zeltiva, a place where she could both satisfy her hunger and find some quiet entertainment. Ceira hadn’t been there before, having mostly hunted and caught her own food during the late hours of night, but she had been exhausted from today’s events and, with her stomach’s ever increasing moans of hunger, she didn’t have the time or patience to hunt. Which led her here - The World’s End Grotto - in order to ease her aching belly and to also tick off another place on her list of must-sees in Zeltiva, or so the locals told her. Heh, I’m killing two birds with one stone... Gosh... What I wouldn’t do for some plump, juicy birds in front of me right now... Refocusing her thoughts on the looming structure ahead, Ceira took in the sight. It was made of various sandstone rocks piled together to form the walls, with wooden planks accompanying the rocks. Altogether, The World’s End Grotto was quaint, antique even with the small hedged and flowering gardens circling around the front. Glass windows could be seen to glow with a soft light, a tell-tale sign of the business going on within. All in all, it was very, very different from the Kelp Bar she visited just a couple of nights ago. Strolling up the cobbled pathway to the entrance, she placed a hand on the wooden door and pushed it open gently with a slight creak. Ceira noticed that the Inn didn’t seem that busy, maybe she was early to the party, so to speak, but she wouldn’t have it any other way - it was actually a relief from all the hustle and bustle of the day. The atmosphere held a comfortable silence, broken by the murmurings and sometimes loud guffaws of the customers. Only a few patrons loitered about, either chatting aimlessly or digging into a steaming hot meal. She had to stop herself from drooling over a man’s plate of meat though, being able to smell the hot spices that adorned it from where she was standing. Get a hold of yourself! You act like you haven’t had food for weeks! As if on cue, her stomach let out another groan, signaling its need once more. Alright! Jeez... Rolling her eyes at her own antics, she eyed the bar from where she stood. Steeling herself, Ceira apporached the counter, sliding into a empty seat whilst she glanced at the meal choices. Steak sounds nice... But so does fish, though the bones are fickle. Hm. Steak and vegetables it is. She looked up from her musings, in an attempt to find a waiter, or someone who could serve her. Her stomach growled in anticipation - she was so close, yet, so far! “Hello?”

[Astrid Ismosia]

The night was still young in the eyes of the patrons of the Grotto’s end tavern. The main room of the grotto was filled with a soft warm glow of the multiple candles. Astrid crouched in front of a crate that she had manage coz Shayra in, the pup now sat in the box tail wagging happily. Placing her hand under the pups chin she looked sternly into Shayra’s eyes
“Now. Shayra, Stay…”
Astrid’s voice came out in a motherly whisper, her face softening Astrid planted a kiss on the pup’s nose and slowly rose to her feet. The kitchens were relaxed at times like this so the cooks played some sort of card game that she never understood no matter how much they tried to get her into it. As if they noticed her watching, without turning from the game one of the cooks gestured her over.
“Aye Astrid Get over ‘ere… Bring um… whats she called? Naya?”
Rolling her eyes Astrid tapped her thigh, with two of her fingers, calling Shayra to her. Astrid closed the distance between her and the cooks whilst Shayra ran circles around her yipping excitably.
“Ya know full well her name is Shayra! Anyway imam supposed to be tending the bar whatchyouwant?”
Frowning inwardly at her broken common that she put on whenever she talked to the cooks to mock them yet they always just ended up laughing at her, just like always, Shayra bounded up the cooks and jumped on the crate the were using as a table, disrupting the entire game, Laughing Astrid pulled her back
“Hello?”
Eyes widening Astrid ran back through the kitchens and came busting out of the door and into the bar. Sure enough a woman was seated at the bar. Astrid brushed the hair out of her eyes smiling politely.
“I am so sorry! What can-“
Astrid paused as the door opened behind her and the familiar clatter of paws on the wood. Shayra had manage to get into the kitchens and into the bar….

[Ceira Everwood]

17th Day of Summer, 513 AV When Ceira didn’t receive any answer from her inquiry, she felt the curious eyes of some old ladies aimed at her turned back. They started to whisper like the old gossips they were, thinking that she couldn’t hear them, but she could - even as they tried to hide their murmuring between their drinks. Shyke, I must look like I’m talking to myself. Just great. Is someone even working here tonight? Her belly let out another impatient and starving protest, and just as she opened her mouth to signal someone once more, a young girl burst out of some doors - which Ceira assumed was the kitchen due to the steam and smells that wafted out - looking somewhat frazzled. The girl had midnight black hair, which hung down like a curtain around her, following along the curve of her back. Equally dark eyes looked out in interest towards her, Ceira noticed. Almost like my own eyes, minus the gold flecks though. The girl was slightly taller than herself, but only by an inch or two and wore a white sun dress. She was obviously the bartender or waitress, at the very least she worked there - and thats all that Ceira cared about at the moment. “I am so sorry! What can-” The girl paused mid-speech and so did Ceira’s internal ramblings. Why did she stop? Its not like I was going to bite her head off... I’m not that hungry yet. Besides - it would be too much effort and she probably wouldn’t taste as good a a piece of juicy steak. She glanced at the man she saw when she first walked in, his plate now only containing a couple of crumbs now. Ceira was oblivious to the situation occurring on the girls side of the bar, her hunger blocking out any other senses. Another growl of her stomach emphasised this and she let out a sigh. “Look, I’m sorry to be a bother, but could I just get a hot meal, maybe some vegetables and a piece of meat? Nothing fancy, just something filling.” Ceira heard some sniggers behind her and she turned back again to glare at the old women, sending them a glare. Two of them stopped their sniggering, leaving only an amused look on their face, whilst the last returned her stare. She twisted around towards the girl again, set on ignoring the old coots. With a start, she realised she had forgot to ask the girl something. “Oh! And a drink please, water or juice maybe. No alcohol.” She stressed the last bit, not wanting to have a repeat of her previous drunken experience - or the hangover that follows.

[Astrid Ismosia]

Astrid forced a smile on to her face as she inched around the bar to the silky black pup that was sniffing the edge of the bar her tail wagging excitably. As she shuffled to Shayra she observed the woman at the bar. She looked as if she had been living in the wilderness, her tan pants looked as if they had seen better days and her white shirt was more of a grey…
“How would you like your meat?”
Astrid was only a few more steps away from the disobedient pup, who had yet seen her, smiling politely at the patron she whispered to Shayra
“Go back to the kitchen!”
She whispered furiously to the pup. This iccindent got Astrid thinking that she should leave her darling pup at home… bending over she pushed the pup back “Shayra!” Astrid whispered furiously as the pup nibbled at Astrids toes “Are you sure you don’t want a different drink or something?”

[Ceira Everwood]

17th Day of Summer, 513 AV Ceira allowed a confused look overtake her face as she eyed the girl. Well, she's an odd one, thats for sure. She felt the girl's eyes on her and briefly thought that she should have put a little more effort in cleaning up. She probably looked like she walked out of hibernation in the bushes, which, if Ceira was being honest with herself, wasn't too far off the mark. It wouldn't be the first time that I have rolled out of a couple of bushes, what can I say - if you find the right one - they're comfy! "How would you like your meat?" Glancing back towards the dark-haired girl, Ceira wondered once more why she was acting so strangely. "Medium-Rare, please." She liked her meat to be pink, though right now she couldn't care less about how cooked her meat was. As long as it was hot, tasty and wouldn't give her food poisoning, she'd be happy, she wasn't that fussy at all. Ceira's stomach rumbled again and she deepened her frown, Why is the girl still here? I've given her my order. Do you pay beforehand here? "Go back to the kitchen!" What? "Shayra! Are you sure you don't want a different drink or something?" Now Ceira was beginning to become even more confused, this girl has either spent too much time on her feet, or she's starting to lose her mind. "Erm... Miss?" She didn't know exactly what to do, this girl was obviously some kind of crazy, seeing as she was talking to imaginary people. Last time I checked, my name wasn't 'Shayra!' Leaning forward over the counter-top in order to address the girl in front of her better, Ceira caught sight of a small blur of black on the floor and became distracted. "Ah, I think you have a little shadow there Miss. Is this little pup here bothering you?" Leaning over the counter even more, Ceira reached down towards the puppy, which was pitch black from its nose to the tip of its tail. It seemed to hav been nibbling on the girls toes, So I guess thats why she's been a bit... Distracted. Explains alot. She had a soft spot for puppies, though being a canine herself can be seen to sway her opinion in favour of others like her. Although, this cute little thing right here is adorable! Grinning widely as she stretched down, she managed to just touch the top of the pup's forehead, giving it a gentle scratch with one finger. "I assume this would be the mysterious Shayra? The little thing is just an absolute darling. Aw - and to answer your question from before, just juice. Definitely no alcohol for me please, I've had enough excitement with that particular beverage to last me a while!"

[Astrid Ismosia]

Astrid laughed and watched the pup stand on her hind legs to get closer to the woman’s hand. She wondered since the woman’s tarnished clothes had already dirtied her pretty bar she might as well place Shayra up on the bar. Picking up the bundle of annoyance Astrid placed her on the smooth polished surface. The pup immediately ran over to the woman and began pulling at her clothes
“Yeah This darling Pup is my lovely Shayra”
Half of the tavern turned towards the bar as Shayra began to yip jumping around the patron of the bar. Some had seen Shayra before, running around underneath the tables and among the legs of many of the regulars, however some had not, looks of disgust greeted the innocent pup’s excitement. Astrid just shook her head and began whipping down the other side of the bar.
“I can honestly say I have never seen her so friendly with someone ma’am”
The normal sounds of the Grotto began to cover the clatter of Shayra’s claws on the wood and her whips as the woman played with her. The bustling in the kitchen told Astrid that the food was on its way; ducking under the bar she grabbed a placemat and some cutlery. The grotto had wonderful plates added a sense of class to a building that usually held the drunkards, even the knives made her proud to work at this tavern.
“Well, apart from me of course…”
Astrid was focusing on the woman attempting to work out what drew Shayra’s attention, the bell sounded indicating that her meal was to order. In the window to the kitchen sat a plate of the juiciest steaks that had been flavoured with the most salivating spices. Licking her lips Astrid lent in the window and whistled.
“Oi! Boys! Can I get one of these?! Me and Shayra share?”
Her voice lost all sense off class, as it did when she talked to the kitchen hands, otherwise they wouldn’t listen to her. It gained a sense of stupidity.
“Ya! Sure!”
Grabbing the warm plate Astrid lightly placed the plate down in front of the woman, Her pup lost all interest with the woman’s clothes and began to sniff around the plate
“Shayra….. What do we do?”
Astrid placed her hands on her hips and frowned at the pup.

[Ceira Everwood]

17th Day of Summer, 513 AV

The little puppy in front of Ceira was adorable - truly it was. Now that the woman had placed the small black shadow on the counter, she could get a better look at the pup. It’s seemed to be the darkest shade of black, almost as if it was silhouetted in darkness. The puppy kept pawing on the counter, only pausing to occasionally eye Ceira. It was an amusing act, though some of the other’s in the bar didn’t seem to see it that way. Frowning, they muttered about the antics of the pup, whispering hushed comments. To this, Ceira turned around, glaring at the people who seemed unhappy with the pup - her dark stare resting on the group of elderly women from before. One of them caught her eye and quickly looked away, going back to finishing her meal. Grumpy old badgers...

“I can honestly say I have never seen her so friendly with someone ma’am. Well, apart from me of course...”

Ceira shrugged nonchalantly, she knew why, of course, but she wasn’t one to share that information with just any person. “I guess you can say I just have a way with dogs, they seem to like me well enough.” She grinned at the serving girl, before turing her attention back to the pup, scratching the small black shadow on its back, it seemed to like it, with its tail wagging at a speed similar to a whip. “Hello Shayra, aren’t you just a cutie?” Still teasing Shayra by gently tapping her on the nose, the small puppy attempted to nibble on her hands, though she moved them away before Shayra could get to them.

Then, the food came out.

Although Ceira had previously forgotten her hunger due to the welcome distraction of the puppy, the wafting smell of the steak invaded her senses and she sat upright as it was placed right in front of her. Her stomach growled, roared even - the food was so close - and she quickly grabbed the fork and knife that had been laid out next to her. “This looks delicious...” Not even bothering to finish her sentence, Ceira practically attacked the plate, cutting off bits of the meat to eat. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shayra creeping up on her food, so she instinctively let out a low warning growl, something that could be heard by dogs only. My food.

“Shayra..... What do we do?”

Ceira snapped her head towards the girl, before looking back at the puppy, who was still interested in her steak. Aw... She was only momentarily stuck on the decision, glancing between the plate and the pup, but then she waved the girl off. “Its alright, she’s fine right where she is.” Before the serving girl could say anything else, Ceira pinched a small piece of meat off her plate, sliding it towards Shayra, who gobbled it up in seconds. “Well, I guess she likes it!” She ate a piece of the meat herself, reveling in the explosion of herbs. Well, this was definitely worth the wait... Breaking off another piece for Shayra, she once more allowed the pup to nibble on the small bit.

“Relax, its fine. What’s your name anyways? I’m Ceira.”

[Astrid Ismosia]

Astrid tried not to lick her lips at the sight of the mouth-watering meat; she had also noticed something odd when she had Shayra fighting for the food, Ceira had growled, a growl that insticantly made Astrid protective of her pup but it also sent the survival instinct of food, into over drive, as if the growl was the canine warning of procession. Astrid let out her one little growl under her breath to see if the woman would react but also to warn those who meant harm. My pup.
Regaining her pleasant decor Astrid leant on the bar and smiled.
“Astrid, Pleasure to meet ya Ceeeirra”
Astrid purposely dragged out her name to help register it in her mind for longer, she had to admit even for the weird habbits she quiet liked this strange woman.
Licking her lips Astrid kicked the kitchen wall, reminding the cooks about her order. Her stomach began to rumble this meant Astrid was close to finishing her shift. Being able to shift and wander the streets of Zeltiva in search of food, fun or even just something to entertain her and Shayra. Absently Astrid reached over and scratched Shayra’s ears as she begged for more meat.
“Where do you call home?”

[Ceira Everwood]

17th Day of Summer, 513 AV

Ceira bit into another piece of the steak, her stomach had stopped growling as soon as she had started eating and no longer bothered her anymore. The pup still sat next to her, shifting its weight on its paws as it tried to stay put. Well, 'trying to stay put' was putting it nicely - The poor thing looks like it has ants in its pants. Ceira cut up another small piece of meat and gave it to Shayra, who cut its life short with a couple of bites.

My pup.

Freezing in place for a couple of moments, Ceira just looked on in shock at the barmaid, who had just voiced a growl of warning. One hand had gripped her fork as she had just picked up another bit of meat, though it tightened ever so slightly as surprise ran across her features. Did she just... growl? For a good moment or two, Ceira just stared at the girl with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. Her dark eyes almost bore into the serving girl, intently studying her, but then she realised that she was causing a little bit of a scene between the two.

“Astrid, Pleasure to meet ya Ceeeirra”

“Same... here.”

Ceira wasn’t focusing on how she spoke as she was still interested in Astrid. So she could hear my growl then... She can as well... A small frown crossed her features in a puzzled way, but she was quickly brought back from her mindful wanderings with Shayra licking the tips of her fingers. It seemed the pup was almost oblivious to what had just occurred, which made Ceira doubt herself - did she really hear Astrid growl or was she just imagining things? She took another bite of food as she mulled this over.

“Where do you call home?”

Deciding to just ignore the whole episode altogether, Ceira was glad for something to talk about and instantly answered Astrid. “Me? Right now ‘home’ is a small place right outside Zeltiva. But in reality i’m always changing around. I travel alot, you see.” Satisfied with her answer, Ceira nodded once at Astrid, then turned her attention back to her steak, which seemed to have become a great deal smaller since she had last looked at it. She gave Shayra a stern look, but you could tell she didn’t really mean it - being more playful than anything. “It seems your pup has quite the appetite, she’ll grow up quick enough, eh?” A small chuckle escaped Ceira, but she continued on.

“And what about you? You live here or elsewhere?”

[Astrid Ismosia]

Astrid noted that Ceira began to look uncomfortable after Astrid had growled. The bell from the kitchen rang again, her mouth-watering Astrid turned to her plate filled with the juiciest meat.
“I uh…”
Distracted Astrid pulled up a stool and set her plate down. The meat was medium rare covered with a mix of thyme and rosemary, the potatoes were covered in Sam’s special gravy that Astrid just adored.
“I live near the University, like to wander though. Spend a lot of time around the docks; Shayra likes the smell of the fish for some weird reason”
Cutting into her dinner Assilsa gave a quick smile to her pup before digging in to her dinner.
“Pardon if imam being rude, I have about 10 more bells to go of my shift and have no time to eat once I get home”