PM to join {The Pigs Foot} A sunny day in Sunberth {Lucian}

[Aider Silander]

13th, Fall 514 AV.

It was a crisp day in Sunberth. The sun was shining down upon the lawless streets and crowds formed in the market. Aider, with his cloak wrapped around his body, made his way to the tavern in the center of the market. The most popular and by far the safest tavern in Sunberth. Upon entering the building, Aider quickly made his way to an empty table. His eyes scanning over people, much like they had done in Nyka, taking in what he could about each person. Though most of the people seemed the same as they did in Nyka. Drunken fools looking for some arse, some money or a fight. Though Sunberth did have its quirks. A city that seemed gangs rather then a local government, and they didn't have monks ready to beat you with in a inch of your life.

Aider sighed settling back in his chair, the place was just noisy enough that if he wanted to talk to himself he could and no one would notice. He once again was just another face amongst the crowd. Though he didn't mind, this place was dangerous and dark. The colors of his home city had faded within the season of him being here. He was in a place where he could build himself to strive and survive in the rest of the world and that's what he looked to do. But for now he would wait, and drink. "Simple people doing simple things in a not so simple place" he mumbled under his breath. Rumors had been circling lately that had caught his ear, but he hadn't done anything to investigate. No real need yet. He would wait to see if there was more to them then just rumors. The tavern filled with more people as Aider slid over to the bar, getting himself a pint of ale he worked himself back over to his seat and began his people watching again.

[Lucian Hill]

It was a particularly exciting day in Sunberth. It was only three days after the gang violence erupted in the streets, and Lucian was not enjoying it in the slightest. While tall, he was lanky, and it was only by grace of lucky avoidance that he hadn't been beaten to death in an alley by now. He found himself on his way to the Pig's Foot, his stomach feeling hollow and a hunger headache forming in his head. His hands were balled in his pockets, his hood down, clothes a bit dirty and his hair a mess, but he was still relatively clean for someone in Sunberth and he managed to take time out of his day to at least wash his face.

After narrowly dodging an outright brawl in the middle of the street between what he assumed to be members of two minor gangs, he was in the Pig's Foot. He glanced around the tavern, tilted his head in a not surprisingly birdlike fashion, and spotted a man purchasing a pint of ale with mizas that he pulled out of his pocket. Perfect. As the man walked back, Lucian casually ran into him, attempting to spill the ale and cause a slight distraction. If it worked, he would also slip his hand into the pocket while the shock of the spill was still affecting the man, and see if he could get anything out of it.

x

[Aider Silander]

The Nykian held the pint close to him. Taking single slip before he turned to return to his seat. Taking two steps he felt the body of someone bump into his causing to poor the cool liquid onto the both of them. "Petching Shyke" Aider cried out as the mug crashed to the floor. He felt the hand enter his pocket, but not turning his attention to it. He went and picked the mug off of the ground and then turned to the man he ran into. "I am sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" he asked. His attention fully on Lucian now.

"Here let me get you something to drink as to make up for my careless act" he said, a friendly smile spreading across. He moved to put his arm around Lucian's shoulder and walk him over to the bar. "I'll take two pints of ale please" he said. "The names Aider what is yours?" he asked. His mood turned into that of someone who hadn't just had ale poured all down his shirt. He waited for the reply, as the waitress poured them both an ale. He pulled the coins out of his pocket and paid her. "Come on, I have a table over here" he said, putting his arm around Lucian again. Walking them both over to the table, he pulled out Lucians chair then sat down himself. He put his own mug down on the table after taking a long gulp.

"How long have you been in Sunberth?" he asked, sitting back in his chair and resting his arms across his chest. The Nykian was probably to nice for his own good. Most people would have grab the young and slammed him into the counter. Beating to him to death or close to it and just let him bleed out outside the tavern. Aider sighed the state of this city and how they handled pick pockets was much like his home city. Violence and only violence. No one understood the virtue that talking it out offered, the ability to offer different solutions. But for now it was punch this and stab that and it bothered Aider to his core.

[Lucian Hill]

Confusion and suspicion was most evident on his face, most marked in his narrowed eyes. The raven exhaled quietly, shrugging off the confusion in an effort to go with the flow. Some of the ale spilled on himself, but not enough to make a difference on his black shirt, and he needed to wash his clothes regardless. The ale wasn't a problem. The 4 silver mizas clutched in his left hand wasn't a problem, either, even as he slid them into his own pocket after taking them from the man. It was the man who was the problem - the apologetic man who now had his arm around him, the man whose fault it obviously was not.

"I'm...good, thank ya." The smile on the lips of the other man made Lucian wary, and the general friendliness made it evident that this man was not Sunberthian native. It was scarier than if he had gotten angry or defensive - no one was this kind, unless they had ulterior motives. The raven watched the man through the corner of his eyes as they walked to get two, two pints of ale, one for the both of them. It would be rude to run off now, and the man most definitely noticed the money missing in his pocket when he went to pay. It was uncomfortable.

It was around the second time he had his shoulders covered by this man that his suspicion began to melt. It was rare that someone was nice to him, and he didn't want to ruin it with unneeded wariness. His face relaxed slightly, but there was no smile yet, even as he sat down across from the man and took a sip of the ale. The confusion was still evident, however, and he eyed the man for a while, still contemplating whether he'd share his name. After a moment that felt like a bell, he sat up, putting one hand on the table and setting down his mug. He rarely drank, never feeling the need to spend money that way, but the bitter taste of alcohol was enjoyable in an odd way and led him to drop even more of his suspicion.

"Lucian. I'm Lucian Hill. I've been here my...whole life." Now, though, it was his turn to ask the questions. If anything, his confusion had now been turned into the question of why a foreigner was in Sunberth, of all places. Anywhere seemed to be better than here, from what he'd heard, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He slouched forward in his seat then, both elbows on the table and his head tilted to the right, in a birdlike testament to his Kelvic form.

"Yer not from here. Why are ya here?"

x

[Aider Silander]

The Nykian watched the young man. He could feel the nervousness and wariness coming from him. "Its nice to meet you Lucian" he said, reaching his hand across the table. He took Lucian's hand in his and shook it firmly. He figured that Lucian knew that he knew at this part. "I am not from here. You are right, I come from... North of here" he said. "I'm here cause... Well its a long story. The short one is the caravan that I was traveling with decided to stop here. I waited for a bit and never got any word for them. Then I ran into..... an old friend. So I just haven't left I guess" he said with a shrug. He sat forward placing both of his arms on the table. "Tell me about yourself. What do you do?" he asked. The Nykian curiosity now over whelmed his urge to keep calm and act like nothing was wrong. The warmth of his brown eyes looking straight into Lucians. He wanted to know whatever Lucian had to offer him. "Tell me about Sunberth" he asked, "I haven't been here to long and you most likely could tell me how things... work around here." He took another long swig of the ale. A refreshing sigh leaving his lips as he sat the mug down.

The Nykian sat back in his chair, his eyes looking over Lucians head scanning from one end of the tavern to the other. It didn't pay to get comfortable in a public place. To much could happen, a gang could stroll in. A bar fight, a mugging or a murder. He noticed that Lucian had an almost animal like approach to the way he asked the question. Aider's eyes landed back onto Lucian. Taking another swig he sat forward. "You seem really young, do you live alone?" he asked. He shifted slightly in his seat adjusting most of his wait to the balls of his feet on the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single gold Miza. "You want to play a little game?" he asked, not interested in how far he could push the mans guilt. He wanted to see if he was just going to say something about the coin he took from him.

[Lucian Hill]

The raven shook the man's hand weakly. Guilt was pulling at the edge of his mind, distracting him from the conversation at hand. His mouth was dry, his tongue roaming over his lips to wet them despite this. He blinked for a second, coming back into the real world and nodding, his hands now clasped together under the table. He couldn't quite remember doing so. Lucian eyed the ale again, but decided against taking another sip - he could not hold his alcohol well, and he did not want to tempt fate by drinking any more. His head was already becoming blurred, fraying at the ends, but he could hold himself together at this point. Hai if it seemed rude, he didn't want to lose his head.

"I do...things?" He nodded again, settling on this. Things. His eyes roamed over the crowd, and he was still hunched forward a bit, his head tilted. His head always seemed to be tilted. He was reluctant to meet eyes with the man, reluctant to meet eyes with the man, even as the man was being so incredibly and impossibly friendly. No one was this friendly, no one shared this much about themselves. It was strange, and confusing, and even a bit amusing if he were going to be honest with himself. It was refreshing, even if he didn't want to admit it.

The raven eyed the ale again, and gave into the urge to take another sip. He still wasn't used to the bitter taste, but he was finding it almost as strange as the man before him. Almost as quickly as he took the sip, however, his hands retreated back under the table, clasped together. Lucian didn't notice, but one of his legs was bouncing up and down, revealing the fact that he was full of nervous energy. The raven looked at the foreigner, and he eventually spoke.

"Sunberth is scary. Sunberth is dange'rous. Don't go out at night. Don't go out at all, really." The warning was serious, but he knew that no one would take the advice. Hai, he himself didn't take that advice. He needed to eat, and going out was the only way to get food - even if it were from such a place from the Castle Commons, or the Pig's Foot where they were now. Lucian ignored the question of whether or not he lived alone - that was a dangerous thing to answer, though the friendliness of this foreigner seemed genuine, he was still wary. His attention landed fully on the man when he pulled out the gold miza. A series of emotions passed through face, beginning with anger and ending with jealousy. He wished he had grabbed the gold rather than the handful of silvers - the silvers could buy him food for a day, the gold could buy him food for quite a few days. His eyes narrowed at the man, before staring intently at the gold.

"I'd love ta play a game."

x

[Aider Silander]

Aider watched Lucian's eyes as they looked down at his drink and then around the room then back to his drink. His head resting in his hands, he could feel the nervousness of the raven. He spoke in parts, thinking of what he had say before he said it and then gave himself a nod as if he was agreeing with himself. His eyes dropped to the ale again, this time partaking of the slightly bitter liquid. The Nykian smiled and sat back, the gold now spinning between his fingers.

"Scary and dangerous" the Nykian repeated with a nod and spoke again "My home city had its dangerous and scariness." He paused for a few ticks before speaking again "Nyka is a place of mystery and wonder. A entire cavern filled with strange creatures and thing." He waived his hand in the air before placing his elbow on the table, the coin resting on his thumb. One side had a line drawn across it. "I'll flip this coin. You say if you think it will land on with the line facing up or not. We'll do this three times, if you get it right twice out of the three times. I'll give you the coin" he said with a smile.

He could see it on the young ravens face. The want to the coin or rather the need for it. "If you lose however. You will return the coin that you took from my pocket earlier" he said. A test of luck was all this was. There was no skill behind the game. It was simple, but he wondered if Lucian would play. If the chance to win the gold worth taking the risk of it. A grin spread across his face, it was only four silver. Not that big of a deal but to someone living on the streets. Fighting everyday for their lives, four silver could mean eating.

[Lucian Hill]

Nyka. The man was from Nyka. He'd heard of the city, but he knew very little about it other than the name and the fact that it was north of Sunberth. If Nyka was as dangerous as Sunberth, he dared not think of how any of the other cities made themselves out to be. The mystery and wonder, however, was definitely not close to the city of anarchy, and Lucian was only made more confused as to why this man left to begin with. The cavern part didn't make sense - the only thing close the a cavern really were the ruins, and while he didn't doubt they were full of strange creatures and things, he did not want to dwell. Not with a golden miza in his view, out in the open, being waved around by whom the raven decided was a complete madman. He decided not to touch his ale again.

The rules for the game were simple, and simply infuriating. He did not want to be rid of the four silver mizas now in his pocket, and he slipped his hand inside said pocket, holding them tightly in one of his hands. The raven was usually protective of his money, though this action most likely told every single pickpocket and thief in the tavern exactly where he kept his coin - not that they would be paying attention to him in the first place, not with a shiny piece of gold being held up in the air.

"I pick heads." The raven leaned forward in his seat, eyes switching between the coin and the Nykan like a nervous tic, as if he glanced away the two would disappear and he would wake up in bed in a cold sweat, fighting outside his window and a smothered fire in the hearth. A slight mischievous light glinted in his eyes regardless, hiding between the confusion and slow-melting nervousness. His leg was still shaking, and his other hand was now following the woodwork and scars of the table, but he was still watching both of the objects of interest intently, silently praying to Ovek (the one god he could name off of the top of his head) that the coin would land on heads.

x

[Aider Silander]

Aider smiled and with a nod he spoke "Heads it is then." his thumb flicked upward sending the coin into the air. It came down and landed flat inside Aiders palm. The mark pointed up towards the ceiling and Aiders eyes met Lucians. "That's one" he said before repositioning the coin and flipping it again. He caught it again. But this time it landed on the plan side. Aiders eyes continued to watch Lucians face, to see any sign that he might run. Again he reset the coin and flipped it. This time closing his hand around it quickly. "Tell you what. If you can tell me what side the coin is facing. Then I'll let you have it and keep the silvers as well" he said.

His eyes wandered around the bar. There was no doubt that some eyes and ears were turned to their table. The chance of a brawl growing every minute. Aider reached into his pocket, moving his fingers around the leather strap that was his knuckleduster. Though he wasn't that experience in fighting, hitting someone with the studded would cause enough damage for him to move away. He wondered about the lad sharing the table with him. He lived in Sunberth, he had to know something right. The Nykian pushed it out of his mind, his attention turned back towards Lucian.

[Lucian Hill]

Lucian grimaced. It was a 50/50 chance, and made even more so by the fact that he now had to guess what side it had landed on. The man was making up rules, perhaps just to ensure that he wouldn't lose his miza. He stared at the man's hand, enclosed around the miza and hiding its face.

Stupid.

The raven thought about it more carefully, now. There had been the tiniest pause before he closed his hand, just enough time for the man himself, (Aider? What kind of name was that?), to see what side the coin happened to land on. The chance of him doing this on purpose was high, especially if he didn't want to lose valuable gold. The coin was most likely line-side up, if he went by this thought process. But, the man could have predicted this. It could also be plain side up, tails, and he was just messing around with the man. Trying to make him worry. Even worse, it could still be heads up - the man knew he knew that he knew that — Lucian stopped thinking. He could go on forever.

He continued eyeing the hand, not saying anything for what felt like bells. He was trying to find strategy in a game of chance, but he'd be damned if he didn't wish he was Ovek right now. The raven was focusing on the coin too much to notice that other people were focusing on the coin as well - though, even if a fight broke out, he could easily escape in the mess. Maybe even without flying away. He reached his hands together, cracking his knuckles in a sign of slight anxiety.

The raven looked up at the Nykan, and back at the hand, ending the suspense with a terse, "Heads."

x