11th of Summer, 512AV
20th Bell
The light had dimmed outside, though the setting sun cast warm colours through the city before she lowered to sleep. Tsukiko took an order of five ales from the bar, balancing them carefully on her tray, before turning to face the terrain she had to travel to reach her goal; a table on the far side of the tavern, occupied by a company of four men and a woman. As she had noticed over the past nights, the Rearing Stallion tended to get busier in the later hours when people got off work. This meant that there tended to be many obstacles for her avoid, be they legs and feet, tools and bags, or even an overly curious hand or two. The last, she did not tend to take very well. This evening was no different, and she met this challenge as if she were navigating her ship through the sea; planning the safest root for her cargo before she set sail.
A few steps brought her to her to a table of young men, a few of them sticking their legs out as they lounged in their chairs. By the looks of them, they were among many squires that occupied the city, seemingly exhausted from a day's training. Giving a small smile, she stepped over their lanky limbs, thankful that she was allowed to where her trousers, instead of the silly skirts she often saw those of her gender boasting around town, even if a small part of her admired women's attire. Having passed her first obstacle, she was met with a few calls for more drink, and looked in their direction as they raised their hands, and nodded with a smile, calling "Be right with you," while she began mentally keeping record of who had asked for what as she continued down her path.
Her trajectory brought her passed a table of a few drunks whom she had noticed frequently over the past several nights. As she made her way by, she felt someone prod her behind, and without thinking, she shifted her tray into one hand, reached down, and gave a sharp pinch, and was rewarded with a small yelp. She looked down at the owner of the hand, and smiled gently, though her blue eyes shone as if with steel, as she said with a sweet tone, "Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" Tsukiko watched as twin pools of mud changed from an annoyed look, to one tinged with fear as the man shrunk back slightly, shaking his head. Relenting a bit, her smile became playful, the light in her eyes less steely, and added, "Just holler if you do," and continued on her way, silently berating herself on her reaction. 'If you keep this up, you won't last long,' she thought, weaving her way among the tables. 'Still, that doesn't mean that you should take that sort of thing lightly,' another part of her conscious countered. 'They just become braver once they fill themselves up with drink,' she argued back, having seen this sort of thing happen often in the company of drunken sailors. This sort of silent argument had begun to be a routinely thing since her first few days of work.
Occupied by her thoughts, she missed a foot that stuck out in front of her, barely managing to catch herself at the last moment. Luckily, only a small amount slipped over the rim of one of the mugs on her tray, and was met with a few laughs and an apology as she took firmer footing. A bit of colour rose to her cheeks at her blunder, joining in with the laughter as she patted the cove who had tripped her on the shoulder, and told him it was her fault for not paying attention. One of his friends spoke up, teasing him. "There are other ways to catch a girl's attention," a man with cropped brown hair said with a lopsided grin, watching as his friend squirmed slightly under her palm. The man who had tripped her seemed to be a timid one, despite his size, which she estimated was taller than her own 5'8 height, though she couldn't be entirely sure with his hunched posture. "Ah, so he does this often?" she asked as she tried to get a look at the man's face, a bit curious despite herself. From what she could tell, he was on the border between handsome and plain, though it was hard to tell from her line of sight. "No.. well, not on purpose, at least..." the man said, glancing up at her with eyes that made her pause. They were a mix of green and... purple.
'Vantha,' she thought before recalling that she had customers waiting for their ale, and smiled at the two. "Well, I better go get these ales to their owners. Call if you need anything," she added with a wink and a final pat before continuing on with her order. The rest of the way was somewhat uneventful, a few bumps here and there; it was a bit rowdy, with a few of the seedy sort scattered throughout, and she was careful to avoid the dart boards. Coming up the the group, she announced, "Here you are, sorry for the wait! Five ales," setting them down on the table, careful not to spill them. "Almost lost one there," remarked the woman with a slight grin, having noticed Tsukiko's blunder moments earlier. "Aha, sorry about that, I could get another for you if there isn't enough?" she replied with an apologetic tone. "No harm done," said one of the men with a chuckle. The group as a whole seemed to be relatively mellow and in high spirits, which eased her nerves. She shared a warm smile with them and asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you? I'll make sure not to trip," she added, raising some laughter with the meager joke. "Haha, not that we don't trust you, but well be good for now," replied another man. "Well, you know to call if you need anything," Tsukiko said with a grin, before making her way back to the bar. It was almost time for her change.
20 Chimes later...
Retreating into the kitchen, her skin began to glow gently, traveling up from her finger tips in soft waves. What light there was in the kitchen reflected off her smooth pale skin, which now seemed to have a similar colouring to marble. Her form grew slimmer, while her hair turned from a brownish russet to black, and slightly longer. Slender green horns grew to curl at her temples, while her eyes became a vibrant indigo blue. Arranging her hair, she tied a cloth around her head, much like how women did so to keep their hair out of their work or food, covering her horns. She and Kevith's wife, Remi, had come up with this during the first few nights that she had been working at the Rearing Stallion. It made her seem a bit less different, though there were always some that noticed. At a glance, she would seem a different person, and she did not feel inclined to correct anyone. Slipping back out into the main room, she took a breath and headed back into the crowd of tables.
"Excuse me!" Came a male voice a few feet to her right, turning, she saw that a raised hand belonged to the brown haired man earlier. With a smile, she headed over. "New, are you?" he asked, apparently oblivious to the fact that she had been the woman who his friend had accidentally tripped. "Yes," she replied with a nod, "Is there anything I can get you?" "Another ale I think," the man said, gesturing to his empty mug before turning to his friend and raising an eyebrow. Looking at the Vantha, she found him openly staring at her, this time his eyes a mix of blue and a dark green. 'Sharp,' she thought with an internal smile at how he seemed to have noticed her dual nature. "Hey Avi, what do you want? It's not good to keep a pretty girl waiting," his brown haired friend said, winking at Tsu with the last. He was a charming fellow, she thought, the type that liked to get along with everyone. "Hmm? Oh... another ale.. please," answered Avi, which was probably an abbreviation of his name if she had anything to go by. "Aren't you.." he began, hesitant. "Be right back," she said, giving him a discreet nod and a wink, which seemed to have him taken aback slightly; then again, his eyes were greener than a few moments before. 'Hmm... curiosity must be green,' she thought, absently amused as she went to get their order, taking another order on her way back to the bar, her steps light and clear of obstacles.
20th Bell
The light had dimmed outside, though the setting sun cast warm colours through the city before she lowered to sleep. Tsukiko took an order of five ales from the bar, balancing them carefully on her tray, before turning to face the terrain she had to travel to reach her goal; a table on the far side of the tavern, occupied by a company of four men and a woman. As she had noticed over the past nights, the Rearing Stallion tended to get busier in the later hours when people got off work. This meant that there tended to be many obstacles for her avoid, be they legs and feet, tools and bags, or even an overly curious hand or two. The last, she did not tend to take very well. This evening was no different, and she met this challenge as if she were navigating her ship through the sea; planning the safest root for her cargo before she set sail.
A few steps brought her to her to a table of young men, a few of them sticking their legs out as they lounged in their chairs. By the looks of them, they were among many squires that occupied the city, seemingly exhausted from a day's training. Giving a small smile, she stepped over their lanky limbs, thankful that she was allowed to where her trousers, instead of the silly skirts she often saw those of her gender boasting around town, even if a small part of her admired women's attire. Having passed her first obstacle, she was met with a few calls for more drink, and looked in their direction as they raised their hands, and nodded with a smile, calling "Be right with you," while she began mentally keeping record of who had asked for what as she continued down her path.
Her trajectory brought her passed a table of a few drunks whom she had noticed frequently over the past several nights. As she made her way by, she felt someone prod her behind, and without thinking, she shifted her tray into one hand, reached down, and gave a sharp pinch, and was rewarded with a small yelp. She looked down at the owner of the hand, and smiled gently, though her blue eyes shone as if with steel, as she said with a sweet tone, "Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" Tsukiko watched as twin pools of mud changed from an annoyed look, to one tinged with fear as the man shrunk back slightly, shaking his head. Relenting a bit, her smile became playful, the light in her eyes less steely, and added, "Just holler if you do," and continued on her way, silently berating herself on her reaction. 'If you keep this up, you won't last long,' she thought, weaving her way among the tables. 'Still, that doesn't mean that you should take that sort of thing lightly,' another part of her conscious countered. 'They just become braver once they fill themselves up with drink,' she argued back, having seen this sort of thing happen often in the company of drunken sailors. This sort of silent argument had begun to be a routinely thing since her first few days of work.
Occupied by her thoughts, she missed a foot that stuck out in front of her, barely managing to catch herself at the last moment. Luckily, only a small amount slipped over the rim of one of the mugs on her tray, and was met with a few laughs and an apology as she took firmer footing. A bit of colour rose to her cheeks at her blunder, joining in with the laughter as she patted the cove who had tripped her on the shoulder, and told him it was her fault for not paying attention. One of his friends spoke up, teasing him. "There are other ways to catch a girl's attention," a man with cropped brown hair said with a lopsided grin, watching as his friend squirmed slightly under her palm. The man who had tripped her seemed to be a timid one, despite his size, which she estimated was taller than her own 5'8 height, though she couldn't be entirely sure with his hunched posture. "Ah, so he does this often?" she asked as she tried to get a look at the man's face, a bit curious despite herself. From what she could tell, he was on the border between handsome and plain, though it was hard to tell from her line of sight. "No.. well, not on purpose, at least..." the man said, glancing up at her with eyes that made her pause. They were a mix of green and... purple.
'Vantha,' she thought before recalling that she had customers waiting for their ale, and smiled at the two. "Well, I better go get these ales to their owners. Call if you need anything," she added with a wink and a final pat before continuing on with her order. The rest of the way was somewhat uneventful, a few bumps here and there; it was a bit rowdy, with a few of the seedy sort scattered throughout, and she was careful to avoid the dart boards. Coming up the the group, she announced, "Here you are, sorry for the wait! Five ales," setting them down on the table, careful not to spill them. "Almost lost one there," remarked the woman with a slight grin, having noticed Tsukiko's blunder moments earlier. "Aha, sorry about that, I could get another for you if there isn't enough?" she replied with an apologetic tone. "No harm done," said one of the men with a chuckle. The group as a whole seemed to be relatively mellow and in high spirits, which eased her nerves. She shared a warm smile with them and asked, "Is there anything else I can get for you? I'll make sure not to trip," she added, raising some laughter with the meager joke. "Haha, not that we don't trust you, but well be good for now," replied another man. "Well, you know to call if you need anything," Tsukiko said with a grin, before making her way back to the bar. It was almost time for her change.
20 Chimes later...
Retreating into the kitchen, her skin began to glow gently, traveling up from her finger tips in soft waves. What light there was in the kitchen reflected off her smooth pale skin, which now seemed to have a similar colouring to marble. Her form grew slimmer, while her hair turned from a brownish russet to black, and slightly longer. Slender green horns grew to curl at her temples, while her eyes became a vibrant indigo blue. Arranging her hair, she tied a cloth around her head, much like how women did so to keep their hair out of their work or food, covering her horns. She and Kevith's wife, Remi, had come up with this during the first few nights that she had been working at the Rearing Stallion. It made her seem a bit less different, though there were always some that noticed. At a glance, she would seem a different person, and she did not feel inclined to correct anyone. Slipping back out into the main room, she took a breath and headed back into the crowd of tables.
"Excuse me!" Came a male voice a few feet to her right, turning, she saw that a raised hand belonged to the brown haired man earlier. With a smile, she headed over. "New, are you?" he asked, apparently oblivious to the fact that she had been the woman who his friend had accidentally tripped. "Yes," she replied with a nod, "Is there anything I can get you?" "Another ale I think," the man said, gesturing to his empty mug before turning to his friend and raising an eyebrow. Looking at the Vantha, she found him openly staring at her, this time his eyes a mix of blue and a dark green. 'Sharp,' she thought with an internal smile at how he seemed to have noticed her dual nature. "Hey Avi, what do you want? It's not good to keep a pretty girl waiting," his brown haired friend said, winking at Tsu with the last. He was a charming fellow, she thought, the type that liked to get along with everyone. "Hmm? Oh... another ale.. please," answered Avi, which was probably an abbreviation of his name if she had anything to go by. "Aren't you.." he began, hesitant. "Be right back," she said, giving him a discreet nod and a wink, which seemed to have him taken aback slightly; then again, his eyes were greener than a few moments before. 'Hmm... curiosity must be green,' she thought, absently amused as she went to get their order, taking another order on her way back to the bar, her steps light and clear of obstacles.
