Completed Liar, Liar (Lorick)

[Savio]

4th of Fall, 513AV

To say that it was raining outside was an understatement. Savio could hardly two feet in front of his face as he raced down the narrow streets in an attempt to get back to the school. The young man was soaked and shivering from the autumn chill. His tunic stuck to his skin, along with his trousers from the water that saturated him. There was no way he could make it to the school in that weather without catching a horrible cold, if he wasn’t going to already since he had been in this horrible weather for most of the day. He came up to a building that he recognized as The Sharp Tongue Pub and quickly ducked inside.

Savio almost groaned in relief from the instant warmth that surrounded him. The scent of wheat beer and pipe smoke hung heavy in the air, but Savio didn’t mind. At least he was out of that damnable rain. Some of the patrons casted disapproving glares in his direction, perhaps because they thought he was going to shake himself dry like a dog. Savio ignored them as he pushed his rain soaked curls from out of his eyes.

“Ay lad, ‘ere!” Old man Alex “Yeller” shouted at Savio as he tossed the young man a towel of sorts. “Don’t git water all over me floors, bloody fool.”

Savio took the towel gratefully and promptly set about drying himself off to some degree. It would have to hold him over until the rain lifted enough for him to get back to the school so he could change his clothes and take a warm bath.

Savio wrapped the towel around himself and made his way to the fireplace and took a seat in an empty chair so he could warm himself. A pretty barmaid sauntered over to him and offered a flirty smile. “Is there anything I can get for you, handsome?”

Savio gulped and hid his blushing face by attempting to dry his hair. “Y-yeah… A wheat beer would be nice.” He stuttered into the towel.

The woman giggled as she walked off, and Savio could help but catch how she swayed her hips just so. The young man groaned before returning to trying to dry himself off. He even took off his soaked tunic and set it up to dry next to the other wet coats and cloaks. The pants he was just going to have to endure.

The woman returned with a wink and handed Savio a mug of the amber colored beer before walking off to serve the other patrons. Savio took a sip of it and wrinkled his nose slightly since he was not a fan of beer but rather preferred Syliran wine, he didn’t want to pay extra though. So he drank his warm beer in silence as he watched the rest of the pub enjoy themselves with their debates and coarse jests.

[Lorick Trahern]

Season of Fall, Day 4, 513 AV

Trahern was not exactly an avid lover of alcohol. Well, he mentally amended, he was a big proponent of it when someone else was doing the drinking. It loosened inhibitions and more importantly tongues. As he'd often believed, the two best places to obtain information were whorehouses and taverns. But unfortunately, Lorick had been suffering from over-use of his Morphing magic, and his hands still shook slightly from the strain. It was not wise to abuse his ability to take on a female form, despite the many advantages it granted, and so he found himself quietly drinking water in a place overflowing with ale as a slightly morose-looking man.

It was at this time that a tall, lanky young man with tousled brown hair stepped out of the rain and into the tavern. Trahern raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the fact that the man had stepped inside; honestly, Trahern would have done the same had been caught in the downpour, it was more that he seemed a lot different from the rough-and-tumble regulars of this place. That in and of itself was sufficient to warrant further attention.

Trahern smirked when the proprietor handed this young man a towel, like as though he were a wet dog come in out of the rain. Interesting. Trahern made sure to file that information away. Perhaps it could come in handy later, who knows. He then went to the fireplace, and a barmaid took his order, eventually bringing him a mug of what looked to be beer. Or perhaps it was ale; Trahern could not determine from that distance.

Lorick debated whether or not it would be wise to approach. On the one hand, observation alone might tell him a few things. It already had: the fact that the man was toned, but not muscled, meant that he wasn't a laborer. Lorick was no doctor, so he couldn't determine whether the scar on the man's forehead was from a fight, or he'd just bashed his head really good against a dresser. But then he didn't appear to be the type to drink to excess, so Lorick made a few tentative conclusions.

"Not a monk," he concluded, remembering those rather intimidating guardians of the city milling about. "Not dressed like one, not acting like one. May or may not be a fighter. Definitely in shape, but for what purpose, I don't know."

And of course the most important question.

"Can he benefit me?"

Lorick didn't know. He'd need to know more about this unusual man before such conclusions could be drawn. It looked like he needed to see if the man had anything useful to share. At the very least, he needed to know if he was a threat. Working his way over, Lorick sat down in an adjacent chair, and gave this man a smile as wide as it was false.

"Hi there!" he began. "I'm new here! Got a name, stranger?"

[Savio]

Savio leaned back in his chair with a groan, he was ready to be on his way back to the school so he could get some training done, or perhaps some sleep. Either way, he wanted to be out of the crowded pub. His wheat beer was almost finished and he was feeling a lot warmer, and in short time his tunic will be dry as well.

Savio was immersed in his musings that he didn’t notice a man staring at him from across the room until he had walked over and sat at Savio’s table. Savio jolted from his thoughts with a slight jump when a stranger joined him at his table. Savio looked up and more or less inched back the from man’s intense eyes. It was quite unnerving to say the least. Even the cheery tone the man spoke with didn’t lessen the… unsettling expression he wore.

Savio cleared his throat, and looked away when he realized he was staring impolitely. “Hello as well.” Savio greeted, putting on his best face for being rude earlier. “My name is Savio, and yourself?”

[Lorick Trahern]

Season of Fall, Day 4, 513 AV

"My name is Savio, and yourself?"

Lorick smiled. "Lorick, just call me Lorick," he answered brightly. He drew his seat up a bit, as he looked about the tavern. "I just arrived recently in Nyka," Lorick admitted, with a broad smile, "it certainly seems interesting! I'll admit it's quite different from where I came from, but it definitely has its charms."

Lorick shrugged, as he flagged down the barmaid that had given the young man, apparently named "Savio", his drink.

"Could I get another water?" he requested, and she simply nodded, taking his empty mug. No playful wink, no sauntering or swaying of hips. Trahern frowned a bit. He'd need to work on getting more familiar with what women responded to, if he was to gain any information from them.

"So, Savio, what do you do around here?" Lorick asked, as he held his hands up to the warm fire. "I take it you don't just run through rainstorms for fun?"

[Savio]

Savio nodded politely in acknowledgement. He listened absentmindedly to Lorick talk, but feigned attention so not to seem rude. It was a trick he had perfected growing up, and he had used it profusely on his father when he would ramble on and on about farm work. “Well then, welcome to Nyka.” Savio said with a grin. “Where are you from, by chance?”

The pretty barmaid walked up and she looked just as unnerved about Lorick as Savio felt. Granted, Savio knew next to nothing about his new companion but there was just something about the man’s eyes. They didn’t seem welcoming like most people’s, like whatever secrets lain beneath was to be forever locked away from view. It was an odd thing, and normally it wouldn’t bother Savio as much but it did.

“I am just a courier.” He admitted calmly, doing his best to avoid looking directly at Lorick. Savio busied himself with examining the fascinating color of the bottom of his mug. “A job is a job, and the news of Nyka needs to get around whether it be rain or shine.” The atmosphere of the pub had drawled the pun out of him.

The woman returned to Lorick with his mug of water and flashed a flirty smile at Savio who found himself blushing again. “Would you like some more beer, dearie?”

“Erm… yes please.” Savio managed to say before looking down in embarrassment. The woman seemed to take delight in torturing him as she giggled all the more and reached for his mug, purposely lowering her top half to expose her ample cleavage. Savio sighed in relief as she wiggled off. Why did women insist on teasing him so?

[Lorick Trahern]

Season of Fall, Day 4, 513 AV

When Savio asked him where he'd come from, Lorick shrugged. "Ravok," he replied, "I did a bit of business there, but things happened and I left."

Then Savio told him what he did. A courier. Lorick had no way to verify this information, though it did match this Savio's description. Perhaps some of his deliveries were to less ... friendly locales and thus the cut on the man's forehead. And it certainly made sense that a courier would need to be fit, the man seemed quite physically fit, yet not in the burly, muscular way of a warrior. More of the nimble, agile way of an acrobat.

Lorick mostly ignored the barmaid, as he worked a few things over in his mind. His eyes took on a sharp, concentrated look as he pondered his options. 'Befriending' this man might be useful, but it would require a great deal of time and energy Lorick was not willing to expend. On top of which, friendships required constant attention, which he could not afford at this time.

A test then, perhaps. Lorick had found one could learn much about a man from how they reacted to tense situations. He'd noted earlier that, prior to Savio's entry, a fairly muscular man at the bar had been making rather unsuccessful attempts at flirting with the same barmaid. Now, the man was getting up, frustration clear across his face, and seemed to be headed to the restroom. Lorick got up to do the same, making sure his action was as smooth and natural as possible.

"I'll be just a moment," Lorick announced, and headed in the same direction as the man, making sure to always keep him in sight. When they were both in the commode, Lorick glanced at the man, and grinned.

"Some day, huh?" he asked. The man just grunted.

"Some of these barmaids sure are something," he commented. The man gave him a dirty look. "Hey did you see how that one with the braids stared at the wet dog?"

Lorick made sure to put a little Djed into his words. Just to give a hint of suspicion. Really that was all that was needed. The man was already suspicious. He just needed the push.

"You sayin' somethin'?" the man growled dangerously. Lorick just shrugged.

"Eh, never mind," Lorick replied. He put a bit more Djed into the next statement too, to generate more doubt. "It's probably nothing."

His erstwhile companion gave him a hard stare, seeming to come to a decision and stormed out of the bathroom. Lorick smiled. He couldn't wait to see what happened.

Boxcode by Savio

[Savio]

Savio leaned forward to check if his tunic was dry yet, but to no avail. At least it wasn’t dripping anymore. In a bell, it should be completely dry but he had no intention on staying that long. He had never been the one for bars and such. Men drink too much, get cocky, and want to prove their masculinity. Even though Savio was fully capable of defending himself now, he had no intention of showing off.

“Ay! You!” Savio heard a voice boom from the direction of the lavatory. Savio ignored it, it couldn’t be for him anyways. Or so he thought. He was genuinely surprised when the mountain of a man stomped over to him and reached for him.

Savio smoothly avoided his touch and stood up, frowning at him. “Can I help you?” Savio said slowly. The man had clearly worked himself up into a fury and for no apparent reason.

“Yeah, hold still while I smash that pretty-boy face you have!” The man pulled back his fist and went to punch Savio. He had no stance and he was punching solely with his arm and wasn’t even putting his weight into the attack.

Savio easily slipped into his stance and dodged the punch with little difficulty. as the punch sailed past him, he gripped the man’s meaty wrist and in one fluid motion he twisted the man’s arm behind his back, kicked out his right leg so that his balance was upset, and then with his free hand he gripped a hold of the man’s greasy hair and slammed his face into the table. Savio would hear the painful crunch of the man’s nose breaking.

Savio let him go and backed away to a safe distance. Eh, perhaps he shouldn’t have been so hard on the poor petcher. It was hardly a fair fight after all, Savio was mostly sober and trained; the guy was clearly drunk and had little knowledge in fighting. Savio felt eyes on him and he looked up to see the guys friends glaring and reaching for their weapons…

“Aw shyke…”

Boxcode by Edreina

[Lorick Trahern]

Season of Fall, Day 4, 513 AV

It was supposed to be an easy thing. Just set the mood and watch fists fly. Truthfully, Trahern had no good reason doing what he just did, he just did it to see how this "Savio" would react. He certainly seemed to move with the fluid action of someone who knew a thing or two about combat. Hmm. Well, that could be problematic if Trahern himself found himself in a confrontation with the man. Though honestly, having combat ability seemed appropriate; he'd probably have to defend the packages he was delivering.

As Savio easily rendered the big man unconscious, Lorick observed a few of the other patrons rise to their feet, reaching for their weapons. Mostly daggers, though some carried sticks of various lengths and thicknesses. He suppressed a grin. This should be an interesting fight. He turned to leave, or at least to get a better vantage closer to the door, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see one of the patrons staring at him blearily, his dark eyes boring into his.

"Oy!" he called, "I seens ya somewhere!"

Trahern shook his head. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, friend," he tried, as he backpedaled. The man shook his head vigorously, as though to clear it.

"Naw! I knows ya! You're that petcher done owe me twenty Laats!" he insisted. Trahern sighed. Really? He'd been told he had a unique face. One that was easily remembered, if not always for the reasons he wanted or liked. To be confused for someone else was a rather cruel twist of irony.

Trahern backed up a bit further, only to find the bar behind him blocking his way. There were a few mugs here, a stool or two, and a single bowl of hot soup, obviously abandoned by the patron drinking it. Probably one of the meat-heads with weapons drawn.

Trahern made a start at the man, at the same time putting a bit of Djed into his eyes to cause the tiniest sense of surprise in the man. The guy stumbled slightly, caught off-guard by the feint, before narrowing his eyes and raising an ugly fist. Trahern shrugged and grabbed the soup, and tossed it into the man's face.

When in Nyka...

Boxcode by Savio

[Savio]

Savio was near panic. He had never been trained to take on more than one enemy at once, let alone armed ones when he was unarmed. He looked around at his surroundings for some idea of what he could do, until he heard a loud shout and a long string of curses come from the front door. He caught a glimpse of Lorick, but he was mainly focused on his problem at hand. The fallen man’s three other friends had been distracted by the shouting and Savio saw his opportunity.

He gripped a hold of his table and shoved it so that it slid and flipped onto the men, knocking two of them down and left the last one unstable. Savio rushed forward and vaulted over the over turned table and lunged at the man, knocking him to the ground with his companions. Savio rolled as he hit the ground, softening the fall and getting to his feet with grace. He then grabbed the blinded man who had been harassing Lorick and shoved him out the door. A few of the other patrons of the bar had already picked up the other harassers and tossed them out into the rain with the first.

The bar keep was glaring daggers at Savio and Lorick. The acrobat gulped and walked over to grab his belongings. He didn't make any tips that morning and only had two gold mizas in his pockets.

“I am sorry about the damages. I hope this is enough to cover them.” Savio apologized to the older man as he handed him over the coins. His expression softened only slightly and nodded.

“Clean up yer mess before ye leave. I am not yer mother.” The man grumbled as he walked off to tend to his patrons. Savio nodded as he walked over to the table he had flipped and sat it up right again and pushed it back to where it had been before. There was still glass and spilt beer and soup on the ground.

Boxcode by Edreina

[Lorick Trahern]

The hot soup flew into the man's face, and he fell back, clawing at his face and screaming. Lorick shrugged, rushing forward and elbowing him in the sternum and then punching him with a wild swing. The only reason either attack connected was because he was still howling from having hot soup flung into his face, but when he'd cleared his eyes some, Savio had already sprung into action.

As it turned out, this "Savio" was a much better fighter than Lorick had initially anticipated. The man made several acrobatic maneuvers, flipping tables then vaulting over them, kicking his foes and then rolling and dodging out of the way of incoming attacks. Trahern figured that any attempt at fighting this man would have to be on extremely unfair terms before he would stand a chance.

As Savio paid two gold Mizas to the barkeep, Trahern walked quietly to the bar, leaning on it as the other man sheepishly started righting the tables, pushing it back to where it was before. Shrugging, Trahern walked over, careful not to step into any of the puddles of now stale alcohol and soup.

"I guess this really is a common occurrence in this city," he quipped, as he assisted Savio in straightening the table's position. "Any idea what the big guy wanted?" he asked innocently, as he nodded down at the man, sprawled out near the bar.

Boxcode by Savio