Closed A Second Chance (Aren)

[Sayana]

Winter 44, 514AV Generally things had gone back to normal. Sayana was rather used to the snow now and there hadn’t been a huge snowstorm since a couple dozen days ago. She had also fully recovered from her illness and had been eating properly since her wages had come in. And then of course dancing every night at the Stallion. Yet, there was a knot in her heart. She still couldn’t forget that night she spent with Aren at the Herald’s Arms. Or more importantly, the following morning. She had been so sure that after half a year she’d be able to put the memories of the Zith aside. And yet they had sprung so vividly to life that it had caused her to panic and act irrationally. She didn’t even know where he lived or where she might find him. A couple times she had tentatively wandered down Traveler’s Row thinking maybe that he was only in Syliras for a short while. But her pursuit was hesitant at best. What if he didn’t even want to see her? “Sayana, the pot is boiling over,” Remi called to her and she was jolted out of her thoughts. She quickly put down the bread knife and went over to the hearth to remove the pot in question. She held the pot using a fire hook and gave the soup a good stir scraping off anything that was stuck to the bottom. Afterwards, she returned it to the hearth and this time in a place a little farther from the flames so it wouldn’t boil over again. She returned to slicing up the bread and also to her own thoughts. Had she really been so terrible to him? She hadn’t told him to petch off or anything. But at the time, she had just needed to go. Essentially it had been a one night deal but why did it hurt so much to consider never seeing him again? “Your heart is a dangerous enemy to have.” Sayana looked down at the bread she was slicing and gave a sigh. Some of the slices were thinner than others and some had big fat parts to them. She was getting better but it didn’t help that her mind was so distracted. She carefully cut them into halves along the diagonal in attempt to hide the uneven thicknesses and piled them onto a platter. “I should probably get ready soon,” Sayana told Remi as she presented the cook with the platter of cut up bread. The dancer had been rather quiet of late and when Remi had asked her about it, Sayana had merely come up with a lame excuse. But at least Sayana always seemed to brighten up when it came to dancing. And even now as the Eypharian coloured her lips bright red and fixed up her curly brown locks of hair she was anxious to get out in front of the audience. She wore her usual beaded red top and long slitted skirt. She had her cobra dagger and a knife in her belt and a second knife concealed in her top. There was already a bard at the front playing and she realized that somehow she must have misjudged the time or the musician had simply come earlier than usual. Sayana had a couple of basic instruments of her own: a pair of shakers, some finger cymbals, and a tambourine but it was always easier when she didn’t have to focus on creating her own music as well as dancing to it. She peered out from the kitchens as she listened to the music and realized it was the same bard from the last few nights. She had talked to him briefly and apparently he hailed from Alvadas and had arrived by boat about a dozen days ago. As the bard’s song faded to an eerie ending, Sayana announced her presence with a shake of her tambourine high above her head. With her large piece of silk spread out between her two high hands, she let it billow behind her as she stepped gracefully through the busy tavern. With her mid hands she blew a couple of kisses to the regulars of the tavern and winked at some faces she did not recognize. The musician was kind enough to give her the entrance but soon started up his next song. It had an airy wispy feel to it and immediately she started using her silken veil to craft billowing shapes within the air. When she spun the fabric swirled around her and sometimes she used it to hide or partially hide some of her body. The bard had said that Alvadas was the city of illusions and the music reflected this by being tricky and often misleading. Fortunately this was not her first night dancing to the bard’s music and she was better equipped at gauging how it modulated. The evening continued this way with unique and interesting music. Sayana did not exclusively use the veil and often used various body movements, but for songs that were fitting for the veil she seized the chance to practice with it. There were a couple of times that she didn’t anticipate well enough and found herself moving slowly when the music had suddenly sped up or still twirling about when the music had been silenced. But for the most part she enjoyed the evening and felt that the audience enjoyed the performance too. It was growing late and she still wanted to practice and perform with her finger cymbals, or zills as she liked to call them. She paused briefly to discuss with the bard and he agreed to play something with a more steady and obvious beat. She left the veil at the edge of the stage and took out her zills, one pair for each of her mid hands. She began to walk in a slow circle on the dais and accented each beat with her hips. Slowly she joined in with the zills and simply kept the beat with them too. Then she added some complexity by making a “Ching” sound followed by the pop of her hip. It was harder improvising with instruments she simply paused to try out different rhythms that somewhat matched the bard’s melodies. To keep to the spirit of ‘dancing’ she separated the rhythms with sensual movements of her body and sometimes a spin or two. It was challenging but she was enjoying coming up with new phrases followed by a body wave or a chest shimmy. OOCIt's a bit long since I wanted Sayana to practice her cooking and also have some internal thoughts. Don't feel that you have to match this.

[Aren]

Aren had spent the last few days agonizing over his own miserable luck. Perhaps this was Wysar's punishment for invoking his name in vain once too often. Perhaps it was just a curse. Maybe it was simply some strange personality defect of the Akalak's. He'd never thought of himself as the type of person which prompted women to flee in his presence, but this was happening much too often to be mere coincidence, wasn't it? "Please tell me your whining will come to an end sometime THIS century?" Seros' patience had finally run out, and his inherently minuscule amount of empathy had been used up quite awhile ago. He had spent the vast majority of the last five days listening to his brother bitch and moan and doubt himself, and he just could not take it anymore. "Why don't you go in there," The darker Other suggested, referring to an establishment with the familiar sounding name of the Rearing Stallion, "And drink the place dry. Human alcohol tends to be weak, but I'm sure if you down enough of it you can pass out for a few hours and I can have the sweet peace of unconsciousness. Akajia knows your sleep certainly hasn't provided that." Whilst Aren was generally reticent to admit any point his brother was trying to make on, on principle, he had to relent. After that one incredible night it had been hard to find that same kind of peaceful slumber, on top of everything else. And he needed to sleep. Tomorrow he had a job; protecting some cook or the like, while the guy went out into the woods looking for mushrooms or something. Crazy, but Aren needed money, and if this guy was willing to pay him to keep his hide intact, that's exactly what he'd do. A single, undisturbed night of rest would have been incredibly welcome at this particular moment, even if he had to deal with a monstrous headache in the morning. A hangover would probably slow him down less, and make him sensitive to even slight noises, so it was probably preferable to the exhaustion he was currently experiencing. Acquiescing to Seros' suggestion, the Akalak turned 90 degrees and headed into the equinely named establishment. The first image he saw as he entered was one almost beyond belief. "You have got to be shitting me." Aren's brother exclaimed, the two sharing a very similar sensation. He'd thought about looking for her. About asking around for a six armed woman with dark skin, because how common could that be, but he had always just fallen short of actually doing it. One half of him was convinced that that there would be no point, even if he found her. No one had made her leave; she had wanted to. He had asked her to stay, and she had refused. What more needed to be said? The other half spent the entire day screaming that there was nothing to lose, except a little self respect. It had been a wonder he had managed not to attempt the search for as long as he had. Yet now that fate seemed to have apparently conspired to bring them together, Aren could do nothing but stand frozen just a bit past the threshold of the Rearing Stallion. Though his golden eyes focused on her moving body like rays of light, the Akalak found himself absent any thought save surprise. Seros, on the other hand, was sincerely hoping that if this reunion also went sideways, he wouldn't have to deal with another week of his brother's melancholy. It was a hope which he knew was almost certainly in vain.

[Sayana]

Ching, ching, ching-a-ching, ching ching-a-ching She was starting to get the hang of it and so she added extra layer, her hips. First up and down to the beat and then twisting in a controlled fashion. As she smoothed it out to figure eights traced upon the floor she was genuinely quite proud that she kept up the complicated rhythm with the zills at the same time. Almost a little too cocky, Sayana beamed at the audience and made eye contact with several of the individuals. A movement near the door distracted her and she turned her gaze on… no, it couldn’t be. Ching, ching, ching-a-- She stopped midway through a phrase with the zills and stood frozen staring at him. The blue of his face, the scythe strapped to his back and his facial features were enough to identify him. The audience members were surprised by the sudden halt in the dancing and started to look around. A few found the source but others began muttering to each other. A more obnoxious customer called out, “Boo!” And that was enough to snap her out of her paralysis. “Oh shut your petching mouth. I’d like to see you get up on this stage.” Sayana called back to the man in question. To the rest of the audience she announced, “I will be-- Enjoy the music.” She quickly left the dais leaving just the bard to continue playing. She nearly tripped on a chair in her haste to reach the Akalak. Don’t go. Please don’t go now that I’ve found you. In her attempts to hug him she practically ran full on into him. “Aren, it’s you. I’m so sorry. I was terrible to you that morning.” She tried to bury her face in his chest, that warm comforting chest. It was at that point that her emotions caught up with her. Her deep brown eyes teared up and she struggled to wipe them away to maintain her composure. “Please can I make it up to you?”

[Aren]

Aren honestly did not know what to expect upon finding Sayana, but he had certainly not been expecting her exuberant reaction. After the events of that morning, when she had suddenly left absent any desire to the contrary he might have expressed, he would have been less surprised if she had simply up and bolted a second time. Yet, when the Eypharian pressed her weepy face against his chest, the Akalak's hands reflexively came up to hold her shaking body. The subtle smile that now decorated Aren's face suggested a mixture of relief, confusion, and sympathy. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he understood regret very well. He knew what it was to do something in the heat of the moment that you realize later was a mistake, and the guilt it could provoke even if your reasoning seemed perfectly logical at the time. Transferring his hands to a position on Sayana's red cheeks, Aren's gaze shifted down to meet her watery brown eyes, "What do you have in mind?" He teased in a playful tone reminiscent of the night they had met. The Akalak had no idea what to say, but he just wanted to let her know that there was nothing to forgive. Whatever her reasons, whatever the circumstances, he wasn't one to judge or expect contrition. Right now, he was just glad that she was here and that she didn't seem inclined to run again. His features soon grew more serious, however, "You don't owe me anything, you know..." He whispered, not wanting Sayana to feel obligated to explain, recognizing that whatever he might feel for her was not necessarily mutual. He could be a delusional fool that read more into a one night stand than there was; in all honesty, however, he really hoped he wasn't, and her reaction suggested this was the case. Either way, Aren felt it necessary for her to know that she didn't need to tell him a damn thing. If she wanted to, he'd listen (especially curious as he was by nature), but if she didn't, it wouldn't matter to him. "...Neither explanation, nor reasoning, nor story." The Akalak uttered in a soft, gentle voice. He didn't require any of it, and he certainly didn't want her agonizing over what she had occurred a few days ago. There had certainly already been quite enough of that going around. Caressing her lips for a brief instant, the Akalak's sun-colored eyes held no hint of resentment or anger, "All I really want is to see that smile again, absent tears." Seros, however, was not so forgiving. Sulk Week, as he called it, was not going to be one he'd soon forget. The fact that he wasted even a single moment of anger at Sayana actually spoke volumes about the nature of his attitude towards her, though. That's how Aren knew that, however angry he might claim to be at the Eypharian, he was secretly glad that they had found her again, and not just because it would stop his brother's lamentations. The darker Other would never admit it of course, but the nature of an Akalak meant he couldn't really hide it, either.

[Sayana]

As Sayana pressed her face to the warmth of his chest she felt his hands move to hold her gently. It was comforting, more than comforting. He didn’t seem like he was about to tell her off. He simply held her. She took several slow shaking breaths to calm herself and tried to come up with a clear explanation for him. He interrupted her thoughts as he placed his two tender yet calloused hands upon her cheeks. She looked deeply into his beautiful golden eyes for that moment before he spoke. “What do you have in mind?” The combination of the words and the tone instantly lit up her face. Her smile was quickly followed by a strong hug with all her arms. Sayana did a quick wipe at her remaining tears and all that was left was a bit of dampness, somewhat red eyes, and cheeks that were also a little red. But even as she looked at his charming face, her own expression grew pensive as she struggled with how best to explain everything to him. He deserved an explanation after all of this and-- “You don't owe me anything, you know... Neither explanation, nor reasoning, nor story.” For a moment she was not sure what to say. She had just been mentally rehearsing her explanation… and yet he didn’t need it? “I--” Sayana began in confusion but then stopped herself. If he said he didn’t need an explanation, then maybe he really didn’t. The soft touch upon her lips warmed her heart and sprouted another smile upon her face even before he requested it. She looked up into his face again and even though her breath was still trembling a bit she felt herself relax in their embrace. She felt relieved that she didn’t have to conjure up the right words at that moment. She had been so sure that his first questions would be along the lines of “What happened?” or the dreaded “Why?”. And both would have been difficult to answer, even though she was fully prepared to. This unexpected breathing room gave her a chance to really think about how she wanted to address it all. He still deserved to know, but maybe it could wait till they were in a better state of mind. Yet he needed to know at least one aspect right now. “Aren…” There was a long pause as she searched for the words. “Just don’t come at me from behind. Don’t take me from behind. Or anything like that. Ever.” The last word was spoken with such conviction that it even startled herself. Would she ever get over all this? But for now it was best to leave it at that. “I’d like to explain more, but maybe when I’m less…” She waved her hand indicating the current state that she was in. She let out a long breath. That was now mostly out of the way. She took a brief glance at the tavern and its people and realized that she had been completely in her own world with Aren and oblivious of anything around her. Should she attempt to finish off her dancing for the night? Petch it. The tavern was empty enough now anyways. “Would you care to sit, Aren?” The Eypharian asked in a still somewhat tentative voice. She pointed to one of the several empty tables. She took his hand gently in one of her mids and was about to lead him to the table when she stopped. “Oh petch it. Let me kiss you.” She moved in attempt to wrap her highs around his neck and reached up wanting to taste his delicious lips. The height difference made it difficult to do anything more than a quick peck, but she wanted more and was prepared to wait a moment or two for it.

[Aren]

Aren almost smiled as he felt her arms around him, but the change in Sayana's expression told him that there was something wrong. It seemed as if she was about to say something important when his words made her realize that it wasn't necessary. Her face gave the impression that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, which in turn prompted the Akalak to think it had been the right thing to say, after all. Uttering his name with what appeared to be a distinct sense of purpose, Sayana revealed what had happened that morning that had prompted her to abscond. His own attempt at affection had been responsible, which didn't really surprise Aren, having suspected all along that he was somehow at fault. He still didn't know why she had reacted to such a simple gesture in that way, but it looked to be some kind of trauma, if he dared to hazard a guess. The warrior couldn't imagine what she must have experienced for her to recoil from him in the way that she had, but it must have been terrible. This new-found knowledge, in all honestly, did kindle a desire know what could have transpired to instill such a response, but he soon extinguished it like a tiny flame amidst a downpour. When the Eypharian said that she wanted to explain, but at another time, Aren responded with a slight nod. What he had said earlier stood, and the last thing he would have wanted was to pressure her into revealing something she wasn't quite ready to. She'd tell him when the time was right, or she wouldn't. Either way, the choice was, and always would be, her's. Sayana’s offer to sit was well received, and the Akalak easily allowed himself to be taken by the hand and pulled towards one of the empty tables that filled the tavern at this late hour; the touch of his skin on her's after days of wondering if he'd ever even see her again felt like a warm light on a cold, winter night. Before the pair got too far, however, the girl stopped right in her tracks, turned about, and with a determined statement, foisted herself up to meet Aren’s lips with her own. "You-" Was the only word the azure giant could get in before he felt that distinctively sweet taste he had come to associate with the dark skinned beauty that stood before him. Finding that he had missed the sensation even more than he had realized, Aren spontaneously wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up for something a little more substantial than the light tap that their previous height difference allowed. His thoughts blanking as they so often did when he was around her, the Akalak fell into the moment as if he was determined to make up for lost time. After what seemed like only an instant had passed them by, Aren gently set Sayana down, a sheepish, somewhat boyish look on his face, "I... I just really felt like doing that." He stated, in earnest, not caring what he might have sounded like in a room full of strangers.

[Sayana]

When Aren lifted her up, she made a soft contented sound and instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. Her high hands moved to the back of his head, not wanting the kiss to end too soon and her mid hands rested up on his shoulders for stability. His hands felt so good upon bare her waist. Her top did not fully reach her skirt and the gap was only emphasized in their current position. The Eypharian gave a soft happy sigh when he finally placed her back on the ground. She gave him a grin which was returned by a sheepish boyish look on his face. "I... I just really felt like doing that." “And I’m rather glad you did,” Sayana replied with a smile. “And if I ever need a lift, I’ll know who to ask,” she added cheekily. She was about to trot over to the empty table she had pointed out earlier, but when she turned she stood face to face with Ser Kevith. “Sayana, why are you not up there performing?” The old knight spoke in an accusing tone as he nodded to the empty dais. “Because it’s the end of the night and I’ll be packing up to go home soon,” Sayana replied and her eyes narrowed as she met Ser Kevith’s gaze. Her mid arm crossed over her chest, and she placed a cautionary high hand upon Aren’s shoulder. She didn’t want him getting involved with her affairs. This was for her to deal with. “And so you decided to leave half-way through your last dance?” Ser Kevith continued to question. Sayana’s lips tightened at his comment and she hesitated before coming up with a response. “I’m a good dancer but even I can make mistakes sometimes.” “So you left part-way through?” He persisted. “Yes, I left part-way through a performance,” Sayana finally said and found herself getting annoyed at his interrogation. “Then I expect one last quality dance before the night is through. Do not leave my customers with a poor impression of this tavern.” The ex-knight finished before leaving to most likely find a seat near the back of the tavern so he might check that she followed through with it. The moment the ex-knight turned around Sayana made a rude gesture with a couple of her hands. “Petching Hai…” she muttered darkly under her breath. “I promise I’ll make this quick,” she said to the Akalak. “I’d really like to show you my home. Of course, if you’d want to join me.” When she reached the empty table, she climbed up onto one of the chairs and addressed the remaining people in the tavern. “I’ve had a request for an encore dance from the noble Ser Aargon himself, master of this tavern.” She gave a rather exaggerated bow in the direction of the ex-knight. “However, since there are so few of you, I will have to ask you to come round this table since the stage is far too formal for such a close gathering we have now.” A few people turned in their seats for a better view and a couple others got up to take a seat near or at Sayana’s table. The remainder were clearly far too interested in their current drink and company or were too drunk to notice or care about the dance Sayana was going to do. The Eypharian made her final step up onto the table top and carefully walked about the surface checking its strength, tendency to tip or wobble, and noticing any particularly sticky spills on the surface. It seemed suitable even with the slight wobble to it. By now the bard seemed to be done for the night and was beginning to pack up. Sayana would have to make her own music if she wanted something to dance to. Actually… “Aren, would you be able to keep a steady beat with this?” The dancer asked as she handed him the tambourine she usually carried around on performance nights. “Then you’ll be able to see me strut some stuff, loverboy.” She gave a quick spin on the table knowing all too well that her skirt would flare out. OOCI was originally going to write the dancing in this post too, but it was starting to get quite long. I'll do that in the next post and maybe have Sayana take him to her home too. They still know so little about each other.

[Aren]

Aren had wished he had an extra pair of hands when Sayana's strong legs found themselves around his torso, but alas, of all the things he could be said to have inherited from his mother, extra appendages was not one of them. It was a shame, but the Akalak did smile once he had put the Eypharian down, her response to his gesture provoking memories reminiscent of the night they met. Unfortunately, before the pair could get too far into their reunion, a man approached them, rather intent that Sayana continue the performance that had been interrupted by Aren's arrival. Of course, while the Akalak was not entirely certain who the hell this guy thought he was, he felt fairly sure that a swift smack upside his head would promptly correct the old lecher's clearly evident presumption that he had a say in what she did or did not do. "List-" Aren began, feeling that at least a warning was in order before he stepped in front of Sayana to demonstrate how utterly inappropriate this man was behaving. Before he could really even get a word out, however, the Eypharian's hand on his shoulder told him that perhaps the situation was not entirely as simple as it might have seemed at first glance. As the conversation between the two developed, Aren go the distinct impression that something was amiss here, "His customers?" The warrior thought, a glimpse of understanding beginning to dawn on him. This guy wasn't a nosy patron of the tavern, he might very well be the owner of it. At the very least he was probably Sayana's immediate supervisor, and Aren had almost told him how he could or could not run his own business. Thankfully, she had prevented him from placing his own foot squarely between his teeth, but the thought that he could have almost caused Sayana a lot of trouble served as excellent motivation to keep him from further attempts at speech. The conversation between Sayana and the man Aren suspected was her employer seemed to go on up to the point that she agreed to continue her interrupted performance. She didn't really seem too keen on it, but the Akalak suspected that she took her financial responsibilities a lot more seriously than he ever had. Nodding in response to the Eypharian's expressed desire to show him her home, should he be so inclined, Aren lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly at the idea of finding himself alone with Sayana once again. "How do you know she lives alone...?" Seros' pessimistic maw soon intruded on his brother's cheery optimism, as it was wont to do, but he wasn't wrong. Again Aren was reminded just how little he actually knew about his new six armed... acquaintance? Friend? Lover? He didn't even know what they were, at this point. What did a single night together and an entirely unexpected reunion make them? "If she doesn't, I'm blaming you." Aren was quick with his retort, but Seros' perfectly reasonable question had sparked a very real interest in not letting another night go by without finding out more about Sayana. He was actually so lost in his own thoughts that he almost didn't notice when the Eypharian recruited him to take part in her performance. Surprised by the impromptu request, Aren merely mumbled what seemed to be agreement and took up the instrument she had handed him. Although he had absolutely no idea how to use the object that now found itself in his hands, he figured that extracting a steady beat out of it couldn't be all that hard. When her movements began to reveal parts of her legs underneath her skirt, however, he found that the concept of "steady" took on a whole different level of difficulty. Was this part of her regular routine, or was she doing this for him? Aren didn't know, but it certainly found a high priority on the list of questions the Akalak was planning to ask her, if he ever got the chance. Ching.

[Sayana]

She gave a smile at his mumbled response to the instrument. Close enough. At least it would free up her mind to focus on the dancing than keeping the beat steady. To get things going, she started clapping her high hands at a moderate pace hoping that the Akalak would get the cue and join her with the tambourine. The dancer’s hips were the first to start. They popped up and down in time to the beat in an alternating fashion. Soon she increased the speed and it molded into a constant shimmy of her hips. She kept this up with her low arms framing her hips elegantly, and slowly turned on the spot looking at the members of her audience. It had been a long time since she’d tried dancing on a table top. The last time resulted in too many stares up her skirt but more importantly there were the hazards actually falling off the table. Mugs of beer were sometimes an issue too, particularly if you didn’t want to get your feet wet. But at this table there was only one mug of a customer who had pulled up a chair to watch the show. She did a couple twists of her shoulders followed by two twists of her hips and then brought her hips in a large sweeping circle emphasized by the opening of her arms. As if to include the other audience members a bit more the dancer turned to face away from Aren. However, a single shoulder roll followed by a downwards glance at the Akalak over said shoulder easily said otherwise. The trick to improvisation was to always have a backup move for when you can’t think of anything. Sayana often used various hip movements as her go-to moves. They felt natural and almost always elicited interest and appreciation. The second trick was to have cute or daring moves that came out of nowhere and surprised the viewers. She bent down till her back was nearly flat and gave a little shimmy of her chest to one of the other men at the table. With another glance back at Aren she gave a wiggle of her butt and did three little hops backwards in his direction practically led by her rear. She stood up straight once more and carried on with her dancing, occasionally pulling up the hem of her skirt or utilizing the long slit at the side of her skirt. It was playful, cheeky, and crafted in such a way that while there was a focus on Aren, she didn’t leave any of the other audience members out. As her dance neared its end, Sayana began clapping once more to gradually speed up the tempo. She came down onto her knees and was shimmying her chest for all to enjoy as she turned on the spot. At last she faced Aren, never stopping the movement of her chest. Up until now she was helping him keep up the faster beat with her hands but now she stopped her clapping. “I’ll stop when you do, loverboy,” she said with a challenge in her voice as she pointed a finger first to her chest and then to the tambourine he played. When at last the dance was concluded Sayana hopped down from the table and attempted to join Aren… on his lap. “So are you going to come back to my place?” The Eypharian excitedly asked. “It’s beautiful. I just redid maybe ten days ago. And we can actually get a chance to talk this time…” A faint blush tinged her brown cheeks as she remembered the night they had shared. It had been straight to the point with hardly any preamble yet it had been so intensely satisfying. And now? Well she wondered what else there was to this Akalak. She knew him, yet she didn’t. And she wanted to know more.

[Aren]

He tried to match the rhythm imposed by Sayana's top-most arms as best he could, but Aren was no bard. The only tempo he was good at reading was an enemy's and the only music he knew anything about was the symphony of battle. The warrior was out of his element here, and he knew that the sound he was producing was a poor imitation of the real thing. The Eypharian did not seem to be bothered by his amateurish performance, though, and Aren endeavored to prevent his own lack of ability from hindering her dance. He kept the sound he produced with the instrument she had handed him as simple as possible, and as close to the timing she seemed to want. Sayana's movements eventually saw her attempt to engage more of the patrons of the tavern, but the Akalak did not miss the gesture which suggested that her thoughts were with him. The slight curvature of his mouth was almost imperceptible, but the dancer's intent had been noticed by a few of the other men who were looking on; their stern eyes turned to Aren for a brief moment before they returned their gaze back to what had become the stage. Although he didn't notice, the impromptu musician wouldn't have cared anyways, busy as he was focusing on both being part of the performance AND enjoying it. Unfortunately, when Sayana decided to point her behind directly in his direction, any semblance of a steady beat he might have possessed began to destabilize. If it hadn't been for the clapping of her hands, the Akalak suspected he might have completely lost all sense of the task he was supposed to be doing. After a few more provocative movements of her chest in Aren's direction, however, the dark skinned Eypharian indicated that the performance was at an end, much to the blue-skinned mercenary's simultaneous relief and disappointment. The audience was poor, and so the smattering of applause the dancer received should have in no way been taken as a sign of the quality of the performance, but the few patrons who remained clapped enthusiastically to make up for it; right up until the point their attention was diverted by where she had chosen to rest her enticing form. Luckily, Aren's disappointment didn't actually last too long, as Sayana promptly took a seat on his lap almost as soon as she had come down off her improvised stage. An ear to ear grin was his reply to her fantastic show, as well as to how he felt about her current seating arrangement. Her question evoked a more serious side of him, however, and placing his index finger underneath her chin, the Akalak tilted Sayana's rosy face gently upwards. "Wysar himself couldn't hold me back." Aren whispered, his smile softening as he leaned in to allow his lips to erase any doubts his answer might have failed to suppress. "And I'd kill him if he tried." He couldn't help but think, his mind suddenly flashing back to the way her figure had caught the light on that perfect morning.