Closed All Hands on Deck [Rearing Stallion] (Shiress)

[Sayana]

Fall 30th 514AV The evening had only just begun and the Rearing Stallion was already packed tight with customers. Sayana was running a little late for her shift and she had to squeeze her way through to just get in the door. She wore her typical red skirt and blouse and had also brought along a couple of percussive instruments: her finger cymbals and her tambourine. Normally the tavern had a good number of regulars, but never had she seen it this busy. As she elbowed her way through to back, as politely as she could of course, she saw that the barmaids were working double time, trying to keep up with the extra clientele. “Finally Sayana, what took you so long?” Kevith called out as he caught sight of the Eypharian. “Now I want you to start serving drinks quick as you can.” “But--" Sayana began to protest. “I don’t care what it says on that little employment form of yours. You help me in however I see fit.” The old knight said as he glanced around his busy tavern. “It must be that Harvest Festival that just finished up yesterday. Now that it’s done everyone has come here instead, or at least until winter planting starts up.” He shook his head. It was great for business but nevertheless overwhelming. “Now get moving and find one of the barmaids to show you the ropes.” “Aye aye captain,” Sayana replied with a mocking salute. For a moment she thought she had pushed the knight one step too far, but he smiled in return and then headed into the back. Now it was her turn to weave through the tables and people. Of all her times working in a tavern, she had always preferred some sort entertainment position. A few times she had been a server, but never really good at it and that was a few years ago. When she spotted one of the barmaids, Sayana quickly approached and said, “Kevith says that you need an extra pair of hands. I have a pair or two to spare.” She waved her free high and mid hands. “What can I do?”

[Shiress]

If by now Shiress didn't know how to handle herself in a packed house, she was doing something very wrong. Tonight, however, was a different story. The Rearing Stallion was aroar with a hundred different voices, sliding chairs, clanking glasses, and the occasional outburst of random approval of some elaborate story or over exaggerated jest. Seemed every patron in the place wanted an ale, with an occasional side of dinner. Most had a three count already to their front and still called for more.

"We should get more Knight's in here..." mumbled Shiress, not staying the rhythm of filling the mugs before her with the all mighty, amber liquid.

The heavy, wooden tavern door groaned and creaked on it's old hinges, as it swung open. Shiress gave a quick glance up just as a woman stepped through. It was that woman. The dancer, with all the arms. The bartender found the dancer both odd and curious, though, she'd not had the opportunity to actually talk to her. For what ever race the female was, as Shiress had no idea, she was a beautiful specimen. With her dark eyes and deep bronze skin tone, often adorned with a bright and colorful array of garments, she was hard to miss. Not to mention the arms.

Lowering her eyes again, Shiress continued her work and pulled a trey toward her and began placing the filled mugs in its center. As she turned, a figure blocked her path. She paused, meeting the stranger's gaze. As she spoke, the bartender arched a brow and shook her head, a bit annoyed. "Kevith is right" she huffed. Pushing back fallen ringlets from her eyes, the girl glanced around to each of the dancer's many arms, as they were presented. "Well, you definitely fit the bill." she noted, laughing, as she placed the trey back to the bar and began removing the mugs. Then, holding the trey before her, she gave a toothy grin. "I don't think you'll be needing the trey." Taking a step back, she pointed over the woman's shoulder to the table in the corner, where several patron's awaited their drinks "Take this over to them, but mind their hands, they'll pinch you in a heart beat. I'll get their meals" Turning on her heel, Shiress slid past the bar and disappeared into the kitchen.

This should be an interesting evening

[Sayana]

“Well if they pinch me, I might pinch them back but a little harder,” Sayana replied as she tapped the hilt of her dagger sheathed at her hip. She grinned and then rolled her eyes recalling Kevith’s warning. “Alright alright, I promise I won’t cause havoc with it, but our clients don’t know that, do they?” With that she tucked away her finger cymbals and began loading up her hands with a mug of ale each. She didn’t consider doubling up on the mugs and her high right hand held her tambourine instead. With a wink and a smile to Shiress, the Eypharian did as she was bidden. “Out of my way!” Sayana announced loudly as she moved through the tavern with five drinks in her hands. She gave a long shake of her tambourine and drew even more attention to herself. Even though it was a highly juvenile and self-centered method, it successfully parted the crowd enough for her to get through and deliver the mugs to the table Shiress had pointed out. “So who ordered the beer? I mean the ale?” Sayana asked as she arrived at the table in question. She squinted at one of the mugs, looking hard, and was pretty sure it was ale. Four people at the table indicated that they had ordered an ale and Sayana provided the mugs accordingly. “I have another ale here, who ordered an ale?” She asked in a raised tone hoping that she’d be able to deliver the last mug to someone at a nearby table who had ordered one. “I’ll gladly take that off your hands,” said a man as he produced a silver coin. Sayana gladly set down the mug and took his offered coin. But then he continued, “And for a gold we could have some fun.” With a grin he started to reach for her exposed waist. She dismissively brushed his hand away with one of her own. “Look, can’t you see we’re rather busy at the moment?” She said a bit harshly and then turned away to find the barmaid again. Perhaps it was a good thing that it was so crowded since he didn’t seem to want to squeeze past people just to follow her. When the Eypharian got back to the bar she saw several mugs filled with a darker liquid. Maybe beer? It had been so long since she had to differentiate between the various drinks. As she loaded up her hands once more she called out to the back, “Hey! So who do these go to?” It was at that point that she realized that she didn’t even know the barmaid’s name.

[Shiress]

Shiress slid out from the kitchen, and back into the tavern, cringing at the absurd noise coming from the crowd. Every voice seemed to be in a battle to be louder than the other. Stretching her neck, she placed a plate to the front of a patron and silently cursed the threatening headache that crept up from her raddled nerves. The bartender counted down the bells to closing.

just twoooo mooore and then blissful silence...

As she placed the last plate on the table, a familiar voice called over the crowd. Straightening, she glanced to the bar where the woman stood, looking nearly as bewildered as the bartender felt. Smiling, Shiress moved toward her, looking down to the mugs in question. "Hmmm, good question" she murmured. Lifting the closest drink from the bar, she gave the Eypharian a wink and turned her back to the crowded tavern, brought the mug to her lips, and took a quick sip from the surface of the dark liquid.

Crinkling up her nose with a sour expression, she sat the mug back to the bar. "Ugh...it's beer. The darker liquid usually is, and the lighter is almost always ale. Here.."stooping under the bar, Shiress pulled several wooden mugs from beneath it "I'll put the beer in these wooden ones and the ale in the metal ones" she tipped each metal mug above the wooden "that way you can tell which is which. Oh, and this..." she pulled a small glass from under the bar and held it out for the woman to see "will be for the wine." Sliding the mugs across the bar, Shiress motioned down it's length to where several knights sat in conversation "Those guys there are waiting on these"

As the woman stepped away, Shiress tapped her shoulder "Hey, I really appreciate you helping me out and you'll get the hang of it, I promise" She gave the multi-armed, dark skinned woman a grateful smile, just as another call for alcohol rang through the noise. "My name is Shiress, by the way. Just yell if you need any help." she added and, with a nod of her head, stepped away again and disappeared into the masses.

[Sayana]

“Shiress,” the Eypharian repeated. “I’m Sayana.” With the mugs of beer in her hands, wooden mugs, she sifted through the crowd towards the knights that the woman had pointed out. Who knew a place could get so packed? But unlike Shiress, Sayana was rather enjoying herself with the busyness. The noise and confusion was interpreted as closeness and liveliness, and Sayana thought nothing of it to raise her voice along with all the other voices of the tavern. “Mugs of beer coming through! Watch your step!” She warned as she tried to hold the many mugs either above the crowd or close to her body. “Hey girly! Me and my mates want another round of ale.” One of the patrons called to her as she was passing their table. Sayana stopped to count out the four young men at the table. “Four more it is,” she answered loudly and then carried on to the table with the knights. She set down the mugs of beer and only realized now just how heavy they had all been. She shook out her hands and attracted more attention than she had intended. “Oi, Six-arms, aren’t you the one usually on stage?” One of the knights asked as he produced enough coins to pay for the round of beer. Sayana took the coins and leaned over the table knowing that such a position would put her cleavage nicely on display. “I’m the girl. And now they have me serving drinks instead of dancing for all you folk.” The Eypharian replied. “It’s a downright shame, don’t you think? Especially when I can move like this.” She gave her chest a little shimmy. “How about those arms of yours?” The knight encouraged. Sayana fanned out her arms in a large gesture and then promptly knocked over the mug of one of the other knights. The beer sloshed into the man’s lap before either of them had time to react. “Oi! I just took this in for washing.” Said the second knight. “Oops,” Sayana said as she looked over at the mess beside her. “I promise I’ll make it up to you. A beer on the house, and I’ll clean it up quick as a Dhani.” She gave the knight a reassuring pat on the shoulder, which was probably the last thing he cared about at the moment, and then dashed off from the scene. “Shiress! I need another beer.” Sayana called as she hurried back to the bar. “And a napkin… or two.” She added looking a bit embarrassed.

[Shiress]

A glance in the direction of Sayana warranted a double take. The multi-armed female was in a rush forward, a rather troubled expression on her face. The bartender took several steps forward and met the Eypharian mid stride, as she called out. Shiress shot a glance over the women's shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry about it." she assured, holding up a hand, dismissively. "Though, it would have been more entertaining had it been his head, and not his lap"

Sliding a towel from the bar top, Shiress slid passed Sayana and approached the drenched Knight. "Here you go, Ser" she offered the towel forward "this will get you dried up." The Knight said nothing, but snatched the towel from the bartenders hand and began sopping up the ale. "Can I get you a dinner, on the house, of course, for your trouble?" The Knight glanced up from his chore, shrugging his thick shoulders "No, it's fine. Although, a dance would be nice" he added, cutting his eyes up to the Eypharian, with a wink. Shiress immediately shook her head, her finger wagging vigorously "Oh, no, no, no..not tonight. Tonight she is with me and I need her more than you do, I'll warrant."Leaning a hip against the edge of the bar, she arched a brow "Tell ya what.." she glanced quickly from the knight, to Sayana, then back to the Knight. "You let me keep this lovely lady and I will dance for you!" The Knight howled out a snort and threw his head back, laughing. "I have seen you dance and I would rather have another beer in my lap!" Shiress jerked a towel from her shoulder and swatted at the man. "I'm not that bad at it! she said, defending her dancing skill, or lack of.

The Knight laughed even harder.

"Ah, be off! I have duty later, anyway." he pointed a long, thin finger at the dancer. "You owe me one..I tend on collecting!!"

Shiress nudged the dark skinned woman by the arm and turned, making her way down the bar. "There, see? No harm, no foul." she glanced around the tavern, noting several newly emptied tables, cluttered with half empty mugs, dirty dinner plates, and other..non-recognizable litter. "come on" she called, jerking her head toward the tables "let's get some of those tables cleared, maybe we'll have the chance to talk a bit."

Stepping up to the first dirty surface, Shiress began pulling the soiled mugs toward her and turned her green eyes sidelong to meet Sayana's "So, how long has your beauty graced the fortified city?"

[Sayana]

“Don't worry about it. Though, it would have been more entertaining had it been his head, and not his lap.” Sayana gave a snort of laughter at Shiress’s comment and immediately felt relieved. She glanced back at the knights hoping that they hadn’t noticed or overheard but the tavern was far too busy for either to have happened. As the barmaid grabbed a towel, Sayana wanting to feel useful found a second one and hurried back to the scene. While the knight was cleaning up his lap, the Eypharian took care of the much smaller mess that was on the table. “No, it's fine. Although, a dance would be nice.” The knight said in reply to Shiress’s offer. “I’d be happy to, I could even --” Sayana began to reply before the barmaid cut her off. “Oh, no, no, no..not tonight. Tonight she is with me and I need her more than you do, I'll warrant.” As Shiress attempted a counter-offer the Eypharian let her sort things out while she wiped up the floor. There’s nothing worse than the sticky feeling of dried beer under your shoe… apart from being barefoot. It made her realize how lucky she was that the tavern had a dais set aside for performers. The barmaid and the knight had nearly finished up when the knight pointed a rather accusing finger at Sayana. “You owe me one..I intend on collecting!” “Come find me next time, and I’ll show you what’s what,” Sayana promised with a wink. Once that had cleared up the two of them moved on to some of the empty but uncleared tables. Sayana began stacking plates and putting the bits of litter and remaining food onto the top plate, while Shiress gathered up the mugs. “So, how long has your beauty graced the fortified city?” The barmaid asked. “Only since the middle of summer, this year.” Sayana answered after pausing to remember when exactly she had arrived. Had it already been so long? She had already forced away many of the memories of her journey from her mind, not wishing to relive the horrors in her dreams. “But I just started work here on the 22nd. I’m running low on coin and could certainly use some.” At several plates high, Sayana made sure all the cutlery was in place and not about to fall before picking them up and moving on to the next table. There she began piling the plates even higher and also grabbing some of the mugs so she’d be able to carry them too with a different set of hands. “How about you? Born and raised, or traveled from afar?” The Eypharian asked as she hefted the plates in her low hands and held a pair of mugs in each of her mids. She still had the dirtied rag and her tambourine in her highs, but she was still being quite efficient with the dishes. As she headed towards the bar and the kitchen in the back, she stopped for a moment as she remembered something. “Oh shoot, there were four people who wanted ale. Or beer. No, definitely ale. After we clear a few more tables, can I get to that?”

[Shiress]

The Stallion can use a few more of these Eypharian's around...

...talk about multitasking

Peering stealthily through a curtain of chestnut colored hair, Shiress hiked a brow, musing to herself, at Sayana's abilities. The higher the plates and mugs stacked, the higher the bartender's brow rose. The Eypharian had the skill of several barmaids and bartender's, in one slender, handsome body.

The girl listened, nodding appropriately, as Sayana spoke, mouthing "Oh, OK" when her employment date was mentioned. The girl wondered how long the Eypharian had worked at the Stallion, for she had not noticed the multi-armed dancer, before tonight. "Well" she said, with a cant of her head and polite smile "I'm glad you're here. I'm in your debt, Sayana. You have my thanks for all the help."

Of all the things the bartender had learned over the season's of working at the Stallion, to not ask 'wince thou came' was not one of them. It always brought forth a turn about question for the questioner, on the same subject. Shiress' comings and goings was a painful subject, and one she was loath to discuss.

She brushed back a curtain of chestnut hair and smiled. "Oh, born and raised." she lied, suddenly, and uncomfortably, aware of her Zeltivan twang, as she spoke. "I've traveled a bit, but for the most part, Syliras has been my home" She added, feeling a bit guilty for the untruth.

As the last dirty dish was removed, Shiress followed the Eypharian from the table, nearly running head on into her, as she turned and spoke again. "Sure, that's fine." she said, rounding the bar, and placing her pile of dishes down. As Sayana stepped away, the Stallion door opened and in walked four very familiar faces, every one belonging to a known trouble makers. Shiress shot a glance toward the kitchen door, and met the equally concerned glance from Kevith. He gave a nod and the bartender immediately understood, he would be watching.

The sound of wood scrubbing against the stone floor rang out, followed closely by coins raddling and twirling around table tops. A good many patron's had noticed the new comers too, and Shiress, watching as they piled out through the door, turned to find Sayana, glancing toward the Knights, who had been sitting on the far end of the bar, as they moved closer to the men. They, also, seemed to have recognized the trouble, when it walked in.

"Sayana" she called, shooting a glance over her shoulder in the direction of where the men settled around their table, several of them already looking around, hopefully in search of a server. "We've got some trouble.."

[Sayana]

Sayana smiled as Shiress confirmed that she was a Syliran. It seemed like many people of Syliras had been born here. And the Eypharian certainly knew of the perils of traveling. Even though the barmaid appeared slightly uncomfortable, Sayana took little notice. If her travels were anything like the Eypharian’s, then they weren’t necessarily the best of memories. As Sayana returned from the kitchen, with her hands now empty of dishes, she went to the bar to fetch the drinks. Shiress hadn’t yet poured anything, but Sayana noticed the barrels that obviously contained some kind of alcohol. She took a mug, a wooden one, wood for ale, and went over to one of the barrels. She paused a moment as she noticed some writing or labelling on the barrel but with a sigh she dismissed it. She didn’t have the time to try to squint and understand the letters on it. Instead she simply opened the tap near the bottom and let a little go into the mug. Briefly, she scrutinized over the liquid but determined it was too dark. She chugged it down and tried the same with the barrel next to it. This time it was a lighter colour of amber and thus she filled all four mugs with the ale. They foamed quite high and she had to be careful not to let them overflow. With ease the Eypharian picked up the mugs in each of her mid and low hands and began to weave through the busy tavern. “Excuse me! Coming through!” She called out drawing attention to the fact that she really did need to get through. Partway through her trip she forgot where exactly her customers had been sitting. As she looked around to find the group in question, she noticed that the Stallion door had opened with four newcomers stepping in. Great. Even more people to serve. But then she spotted the group who had ordered the ale and nimbly wove through the crowd to reach them. However, much to Sayana’s dismay, as the dancer reached the knights they were already getting to their feet. Several other patrons were also looking like they were planning to leave. “Oh come on, I just got these for you,” the Eypharian complained. One knight gave her a grim look but gave a quick nod in the direction of the table as if he and his friends still wanted the ale. With a sigh she set down the mugs on the table. She would have preferred to also collect the coin but figured the knights would be honest enough to pay up by the end of the night. At last she turned to actually see what the ruckus was about and saw that the newcomers had settled themselves down at a table. They didn’t look particularly… well anything, but the way that the knights and other patrons had acted suggested otherwise. She unconsciously let her low left hand stray towards her dagger’s hilt but then forced herself to remove her hand. It had only been a few days ago that Ser Kevith had reprimanded her for resorting to her dagger and she didn’t really want it to happen again. It was then that Shiress called to her and confirmed the situation. Sayana glanced over at the group grimly. They clearly looked as though they wanted to order something and if Shiress didn’t feel safe enough to ask them herself… Regardless, this was still an establishment that prided itself in serving food and drink. Boldly she approached the table, but this time she actively played with the hilt of her dagger at her hip in attempt to draw attention to it. She was armed, and they probably were too but she didn’t want them to think they’d easily get away with anything from her. “How might I help you, gentlemen? Would you to start with a round of ale? Or beer?” Her voice was determined but also had a forced friendliness to it. Even if these guys were trouble, there was a chance they might only be here for a drink and would leave once they were done. Nevertheless, the dancer was comforted knowing she had a second smaller knife at her belt, and a third tucked into her blouse at her chest.

[Shiress]

The bartender watched wearily, as the dancer approached the table, her hand outstretched in an unseen gesture of warning. Sayana had completely misunderstood the girl's foreboding of trouble. Shiress wasn't frightened of the group, only she knew they had to be handled cautiously, like a tilted lantern in a barn full of hay. Bringing attention to the steel at her waist, Sayana had just flung over the lantern.

Covering a look of dread with a hand, Shiress shook her head, muttering curses under her breath. The dancer might as well have unsheathed the blade and twirled it about, for all her subtleties. The Eypharian may be skilled with a blade, for all Shiress knew, but odds were that four armed men would be better and if the rumors were true, their unlawful skill in magic would increase those odds.

Shiress knew little about the men, save what talk had informed her, but she never saw them apart from one another. Brothers perhaps, a gang more like. They had not been in the city for very long, and if the gods were good, they wouldn't remain in it much longer.

Eight mischievous eyes rose to greet the dancer, each pair taking in her shapely form, hungrily, before settling on the hand playing at the hilt of a dagger. Amused glances shot between the men, as Sayana spoke. The man to her right settled back against his chair, his arm resting on the table, a dangerous smirk forming on his lips.

This one seemed to be the leader, Shiress thought, always the one to initiate any bad doings. His dark hair hung to his shoulders, greasy and stringy, framed a handsome face -handsome when not twisted with malice, with a sharply pointed goatee covering his chin. His name was Maddox. Shiress only remembered that, because the name fit. The man was mad!

"Whatcha gonna do with that little thing?" the man asked, looking around the table for amused chuckles. Loosening his cloak, the man let it fall open, exposing a sheathed sword hidden beneath. "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."

The bartender shot a pleading glance toward Kevith, who beckoned her to act, with a wave of his arm. Biting back another curse, she stomped forward, crossing the floor in a hurry, to place a calming hand on the arm of the Eypharian. The one she hoped was closest to the dagger - The woman had so many, she hadn't the time to make sure.

"Lets not play show and tell today" she said, feigning amusement. Giving a side long, wide eyed, warning glance to Sayana, she lowered her voice and spoke in a whisper, through her teeth "No matter what - don't!" She hoped the woman understood what she meant. Baring her teeth more, in what she hoped looked like a genuine smile, the bartender slid her eyes around the table. "Now, what can we get you guys to drink?"

"We'll have us a round of whiskey" Maddox offered, sitting straight, his eyes trailing up from Shiress' rear "but first.." the man's thick, callused fingers wrapped around the bartenders arm, pulling her down into his lap, his other hand groping at her chest. "Lets see what you got hidden"

Shiress fought against the mans grip, but the sound of chairs being slung back and rising voices, caused her pause. The sound of a blade being unsheathed at the table, quickly followed by the unsheathing of steel from behind her, caused her eyes to close. The man, along with his companions, one dancing a dagger before him, shot to his feet, dumping the girl unceremoniously to the floor. Grabbing for what ever arms she could reach, she pulled Sayana down to join her under the table, meeting her with an annoyed look. "What in Sylir's name were you thinking?!"
OOCPermission for the brawl and permission to mod the Knights given by Nightmare