The Woman with Strange Tattoos (Naama)

[Tao]

Evening, 38th Spring A Local Bar (Surya Plaza) Tao sipped at his drink, then put the glass back down on the table. The beer sloshed up the edges of the cup with the movement. It had been cheap for a reason: the ice cubes had more flavour to them than the alcohol itself. The drink wasn't his main focus that evening, though. Like any other time he found himself in a bar, he had only bought a drink in the first place so that he wouldn't be chased away from the little table. Normally, he would be meeting with Vendaril, to do what they usually did (talked about language and history and every other neutral topic in between). Unluckily, the Symenestra had not shown up that evening, probably called away to help at work once more. He couldn't help but wish that the man would at least find a way to let him know before he bought a drink. Now he didn't want to waste it while it was still cold, and was stuck until either he finished it or the ice melted. And considering the taste, it would probably be the latter. Wishing that he had brought a piece of paper to draw on or a book to read, he chanced the drink once more, in the vain hope that the taste had vastly improved after his last attempt. No such luck, it was as foul as ever. Oh, just forget it. I'll just poison myself if I keep drinking that. He thought, putting down the glass on the table and getting to his feet. He had no reason to stick around on his own, even if he had paid a whole kina for the privllege. Grabbing his bag from under the table, he swung it over one shoulder and began to make his way towards the exit. The tables near the doors were already crowded; some people were playing cards, and others were simply drinking and talking among themselves. The local bars and inns were usually filled more with foreigners and travellers than actual Lhavitians; at a glance, he appeared more like a local than any of the other men with his darker hair. Quite suddenly, a man moved out in front of him, carrying a large drink in each hand. He squeaked in his surprise, stopping short before he crashed into the man. The sound caught the attention of the man; he recognised him as a regular, one of the many who gave him filthy looks for sitting with Vendaril. Not many people in the area were fond of the Symenestra. He was much taller than him, with dirty blond hair and a sturdy frame, most likely a mercenary or a guard for some travelling train. With a grunt, he dumped the two drinks on the table in front of him, still blocking off Tao's way to the exit. Another couple of men were sitting at the table, ones he didn't recognise. The man turned towards him, his breath stinking of alcohol. “Y-yer that brat that hangs with the spider, ain't ya?” He drawled in Common, his accent heavily influenced from some exotic place he had never heard of. He shrunk back automatically, wondering what the man could possibly want with him. Was he going to become violent? Drunk men often were, in his experience. “Um...” He hesitated at giving an answer, not knowing what to say to make the problem go away. The man scowled, his eyes narrowing, and one large hand lashed out to grab Tao by the forearm. He cringed in fear, attempting to jerk away, but to no avail. “M'tired of coming in to hav' a drink,” The man snarled, shaking him by the arm that he held. “And puttin' up with the stench of one of those shrykes. How 'bout yer take yer friend somewhere else ta pick out his food, eh?” All Tao could do in response was gape; any response he could have given chased from his mind with fear. The man could easily crush him if he so chose, and it seemed like he was angry enough to do so. He had that kind of power over someone small and not a fighter like he was; no wonder he wouldn't risk himself with Vendaril. “I-I...” He stammered, trying to come up with something to make the man let go; no one seemed to have noticed the man grabbing him; everyone was too busy focusing on their own business. The man was getting more and more annoyed at every stutter from his mouth, and he had no way to save himself. He could only hope someone noticed before he ended up with a broken arm.

[Naama]

Naama seemed more attached to the bar than any other location in Lhavit. The scenery was spectacular, she couldn’t deny, but when it came to thick-headed mercenaries that crammed themselves into bars ready to bet a shiny coin, the halfbreed just couldn’t keep away, especially when she took that shiny coin by force. And so it was another night on the town, where Naama was effectively attached to the counter with a hand curled around a mug with a smirk on her lips.

She heard the exchange before she bothered to look. It seemed like the young boy from earlier, who’d sat so dejectedly in his seat, possibly awaiting someone, and was now in the process of being so rudely intervened by a muscle head. Naama clucked her tongue and leaned toward the bartend, Yoshi, “There’s never a boring night here is there?” She grinned at Yoshi’s light-hearted shrug.

“As long as it keeps the kina flowing.”
“That’s the spirit.”

Naama slammed her cup on the rough counter, turning to address the commotion that drew the attention of the entire establishment. Her swords conveniently attached to her belt were idly held with one hand, the other rested on her hip with somewhat of an insouciant air about her. Those black eyes never left her target.

“Now that’s no way to treat such a fragile boy, you’ll snap his bones with those meaty fists!”The halfbreed exclaimed as she approached the burly man, leaning an elbow on his particularly large shoulder. The blonde male seemed somewhat confused, but his hold on Tao was not relinquished, “If I ‘urt ‘im, that shykin’ spider ain’t comin’ back, better ta keep us protected ya see.”

The other patrons of the bar nodded and murmured in approval. A man coughed in the corner, but Naama would not be deterred from her goal.

“Let’s not get hasty, boys. You break him, and I’ll have to break you, and I really would rather not soil my brand new boots. They’re my favorite pair!” [/color]There was sudden pressure applied to the burly blonde’s lower back, specifically her hooked sword, now unattached from her belt, but the man seemed oblivious. His bloodshot eyes focused on Naama, “Ye be threatenin’ me, wench?”

“Oh, that hurt my poor promiscuous soul. I think she wants to have a word with you now,” The hooks fastened themselves around the man’s thick neck, and with a vicious jerk, she slammed his face down on the table beside them. The loud thunk and the ensuing roar that followed made Naama quite content. She grabbed the now freed young man and shoved him near the corner of the counter and the wall, “Stay out of sight, unless you plan on losing an arm or two, kitten.”

There was an even bigger commotion than before, as the burly man -- now an extremely furious burly man, knocked the table aside and shoved a chair into another patron, who subsequently knocked his pitcher of ale on his lap. It wasn’t long before a brawl broke out. But the blond mercenary had his eyes trained on the halfbreed, who smirked as he grabbed his dagger, “Come on, big boy, let’s dance.”

It wouldn’t end well, as the bull of a male charged through the maelstrom of rough and tumbling men straight at Tao in the corner.

[Tao]

OOCVery sorry about how late this is! I'm not great at writing fighting scenes. The grip on his arm squeezed tighter and tighter, making him cringe in pain as he scrambled to think of a way to placate the angry drunken man. It was as though his mind had shut itself down, and while his mouth was still working, he had nothing to say. He thought that bars were supposed to have guards to prevent things like this! At the very least, there had to be an off duty Shinya around or something, right? Quite suddenly, a woman appeared at the man's shoulder. At least, he thought it was a woman, though her face was covered in bizarre patterns that extended all the way down and throat and... beneath her clothing. Tao looked at her in confusion; he had never seen her around before, and she didn't seem like anyone of authority. Why was she helping him? Well, if she was helping him at all. She may have been telling the man to leave him be, but that didn't mean that he was safe by any stretch of the imagination. A chill ran down his spine as the man snapped back at her for interrupting, and a murmur of agreement with his words arose from the patrons. How hadn't he noticed the animosity towards him and Vendaril? Had Vendaril noticed? The woman with the strange tattoos didn't back down, an amused smile on her lips as she took hold of the man somehow and slammed him into the table, his head connecting with the wood with the loudest crack Tao had ever heard. The sound made him jump out of his skin, his aching wrist freed from the grip of the angry man as he jerked backwards. His saviour (and possibly a murderer) pulled him out of the way as the bar fell silent with shock, pushing him in a corner near the bar and warning him to stay out of sight. He wanted very much to just escape instead; the open door looked rather inviting, but the woman didn't give him a chance to protest, moving back towards his attacker. Tao shrunk back against the wall, watching in amazement as the man began to move again, first sluggishly, but quickly gaining speed, his face bright red with rage and a trick of blood from the impact wound. He crashed into a table getting up, dizzy and enraged, crashing into another man as drunk as he was. It was like a domino effect, and his eyes widened in horror as the entire bar quickly dissolved into a brawl, like something he had only though ever really happened in old storybooks. He was quick to take the woman's advice and duck out of the way, huddling in his corner, hopefully out of the danger zone. From his vantage point, he could see her, as well as his own attacker. The blond, bulky man was beyond any sort of reasoning, and if the grin on the woman's face was any indication, she was enjoying every bit of it. Suddenly, the man looked past her, and for a moment their eyes locked. Tao froze, and the man's face contorted into a rage. He had never been much of a fighter, but he knew better to stay where he was when the man turned and charged straight at him. He scrambled to his feet and bolted for cover behind the bar as the man howled like a vicious animal and charged towards him. It wasn't much of a hiding place, but he thought it might offer him some protection from the attacks. Instead, he quickly noticed that he had only managed to back himself into a corner, with no way out except through the rest of the brawl. The enraged man certainly didn't have full motor control any more; despite seeing Tao bolt for cover, he all but crashed into the corner, unable to slow himself down in time. Swaying a touch, likely from his head injury, he turned towards Tao once more. It was too late to hide, but he ducked down out of sight behind the bar. The bartender was long gone, ever a part of the fight or off to inform the guards. Frantic to get the man to leave him alone, he groped around for a weapon. Only bottles of alcohol met his clammy hands, the glass cool to the touch. It was better than nothing, so he grabbed one at random, clutching it tightly like a club as the man advanced, using the bar to support himself. Shaking, he held onto his meagre weapon tightly, backed up against the wall where the bar ended. He couldn't bring himself to look into the man's rage filled eyes, and instead found himself looking at the woman who had helped him before. As much as he wanted to cry for help, his tongue seemed to choose this moment to lock up. Settling for a desperate look, he hoped she would make it across the room in time.

[Naama]

Naama danced between the patrons, smirking. Many of them were far too intoxicated to land a correct hit, others were on the floor brawling their hearts out. The halfbreed took it to her advantage. The big guy had escaped her attention when a man came charging towards her with a brandished hand axe. When he swung down, she caught the handle in her hooked swords, jerking her arm out to knock the weapon out of the patron’s hands. In her opponent’s momentary confusion, Naama grinned and sent a vicious knee-kick to the poor man’s groin, sending him crumpled onto the filthy floor.

A smash echoed from the corner of the bar and Naama chanced a glance behind her. The brute!“Ah, there you are, big boy.”The halfbreed shoved brawling patrons aside and extended the hook on her sword until it wrapped around the meaty neck of the mercenary, twirling him around to meet her gaze, and having him stumble to catch up with the movement. “Petchin’ BITCH!” He roared, sending a punch to Naama’s jaw. It struck, and the copper-skinned woman spat blood, relinquishing her old on him.

“Oh, you got me angry now,” Her black eyes glimmered under the dusty lanterns. One touch and the mark on her thigh surged throughout her entire body, and with a silent inhale, Naama directed a punch at the mercenaries’ stomach. She barely gave him enough time to react. While he was buckled over, she elbowed his face and sent it smashing into the counter. Her Myrian heritage reared it’s ugly head when she hooked her swords around the burly man’s neck for the last time and jerked her hands viciously outwards, slicing his neck open like a gutted fish.

There were no moments wasted. Naama grabbed the young man’s wrist (along with his bottle) and dragged him outside and away from the havoc, “Best to flee before we get ourselves in a bothersome dilemma, kitten.” She was partially caked in blood, but the darkness of the night seemed to camouflage this nicely against her copper skin. She didn’t bother taking him far, since she half-expected him to flee the murderer who’d come to save his ass.

For the moment, however, her grip on his wrist loosened as she passed him a sideways glance, “Before you run off on me, though, what brought someone like you to a place like that? It’s not exactly the best place for a date.”

[Tao]

OOCOh man, this was really hard to write. Every time I attempted to get it down on paper, Tao pretty much had a blue screen of death for humans. He's very challenging to write in scenes like this. Anyway, enough excuses and a lot more apologies! Hopefully this won't happen again. The woman shoved her way through the crowds the second she spotted the blond man and Tao by the bar. It felt like it took her hours to approach, with the screams and clattering of the fight ringing in his ears. He didn't dare turn back to the man approaching him; he was fairly certain he'd wet himself if he saw the next blow coming. Silently, he willed the woman closer instead, following her advancement across the room with desperate eyes. Then she did something quite unexpected; her swords seemed to extend, like a vicious metal snake, and wrapped themselves around the neck of his attacker. And, just like that, the man's attention and entire body were hauled away from him, all but pulling him over the bar and towards the woman. Still clutching the bottle like it was a lifeline and he was drowning at sea, he couldn't bring himself to stand and see what happened next. His imagination gave him plenty of images to match the awful sounds; the man crying out in rage, a loud and awful smack and crunch, and then the quiet, fierce growl of the woman. The counter rattled violently with a resounding smash as something crashed into it; probably the man, given the roar of pain that escaped him. Tao jumped almost a foot in the air with the sound, trembling like a leaf in a rainstorm, still nowhere near brave enough to risk looking out from his hiding place. Then, the wheezing, snarling sounds that were coming from the man were abruptly cut off with a squelch, like the sound of raw meat being cut from the bone. He didn't have time to process what that sound had to mean; the woman appeared over the bar, hauling him to the feet, saying something about getting out of the bar before it got any worse. He stumbled after her, his legs protesting the idea of moving at all, the fight a blurry mess as they rushed by, the stench of blood and alcohol lingering in the air. Moments later, they were out on the street, the fresh air almost a shock. The sounds of the brawl faded away as the woman continued to pull him along. It was a good thing that she was leading, because he wasn't sure he'd be capable of running on his own. Not long after, she slowed to a halt, her firm grip loosening. His breathing was ragged and heavy, and he was grateful for a moment to process what had just happened. Is he dead? The first thought that crossed his mind as it caught up with where his body had been. He looked up at the woman, dark skinned and tattooed and looking the very opposite of merciful. He didn't want to ask. If he asked, there was a possibility she had just knocked him out. That the person that had just saved him from his own stupidity wasn't a killer. “I-I...” He made an attempt to answer her question, his mouth working before it had anything to say. Flushed with panic and exhaustion, he swallowed and tried to compose himself. The worst of it had to be over, now, and he was still whimpering like a child? He was better than that! “I... I meet a friend there sometimes. He didn't show... up tonight.” Tao managed to reply, straightening up and taking some deeper breaths, puncuating his speech. His body was shaking with adrenaline, which didn't really help his attempts to feel calmer. “We talk... about books.”

[Naama]

Something warm trickled down her lip. Naama pressed a finger to her chin and wiped away crimson. “Well look at that, the scallywag actually drew blood.” The woman seemed entirely unperturbed over the matter, except for the fact that she was clearly more concerned over whether or not the wound would produce a scar.

She glanced at the boy, chuckling, “Calm down, kitten, your heart is about to pop right out of that chest of yours. I’m not going to eat you, although I can’t say the same for the extended family. But fear not as they’re frolicking away in the deadly jungles of Falyndar.” Naama could literally smell the fear on him. She oft wondered if she had that effect on people due to her actions or due to her image.

“Books?” Naama laughed, “Now this really doesn’t make much sense in my perspective, kitten. A smart young lad such as yourself and a friend whom I’m going to assume is just as much a bookworm as yourself… talk about books… in a bar meant for all the scumbags and scoundrels of the world? You had a death sentence the first step you took in there, hun.”

She put a hand on her hips and scrutinized the young man, raising his chin up and inspecting his arms, “No debilitating injuries that I can see. Except that you might faint from shock any second now, but let’s hope you don’t for my sake. Carrying people is not my best suit.” The halfbreed winked, then glanced behind her at the sound of approaching footsteps. Two men garbed in blue, one with dark hair cropped short and the other completely shaven. They surrounded the two, their attention drawn particularly to Naama as opposed to Tao.

“You two,” The Shinya stated in the Common tongue, “Were you involved at the brawl at the Broken Casket bar?”

Naama looked aghast, “My honorable men! Why would you assume such things from a fair lady and a bookworm lad?”

Both of the Shinya stared quite blatantly on the blood smattered over her garbs. She ‘tsked’ and shook her head, as if she was chastising two young boys, “My, er…. Husband here was witness to my clumsy fall. Right over there, yes, that small bush with the gap in it? I tripped over that darling thing and fell flat on my face, ‘tis why I sport this most unflattering cut on my lip. Bars are for the uncivilized, my dear gentleman, and would you really presume that a sophisticated lady such as myself would waltz into a place full of lecherous dogs?”

The two men glanced at each other. “Our apologies for the inquiries, my lady, but we must always take precautions for the safety of the civilians.”

“Yes yes, well please, precaution somewhere else.” She waved them off, but they weren’t finished quite yet.
“However, we have reason to believe you were present there,” and they gestured to Naama, “As the men were clearly angered over a woman with ‘white markings and black eyes’. It seems to me like you’re the only one who fits that description.”

Oh, petch.

[Tao]

Tao felt his face heat up as she burst out into laughter at his reply, and attempted to hide the returning blush by wiping his face on his sleeve. Given a chance to catch his breath, he was beginning to calm down, but her teasing certainly wasn’t helping his composure, especially with his heart thumping against his chest like a frightened bird in a small cage. He didn’t really know what to say to her comment, anyhow. The situation with Vendaril had been complicated, and how was he supposed to explain that in any way that didn’t make him sound irrational? Well, you see my friend is actually a murderous Symenestra who threatened to kill me a while back. However, providing we meet up somewhere public like a bar, then he’s also quite a scholar! A hand touched his chin and lifted his eyes to her face, giving him his first real view of his saviour. Her eyes were completely black, a heavy contrast against the white, intricate tattoos on her face. He wondered what they meant; was she a part of some kind of cult? She didn’t seem to be crazy. Red blood trickled from her lip and down her chin, and now that he looked, her clothes were splattered with more of the same. There was too much for it all to be hers, unless she had another injury. If she was hurt, it didn’t concern her, instead checking him over for any damage. “I’m not hurt.” He said quietly. “I’m just... well, that’s never happened before.” He took a deep breath, one of many over the last few minutes. The effect was calming, he was coming to find. No matter what the woman had done, she had saved his life, and she wasn’t looking like she wanted to kill him now. “... Thank you.” He said, automatically bowing his head to her, because he wasn’t sure if his body could handle a full bow in the tense state it was still in. “Are... uhm, are you...” He trailed off as he saw the two Shinya guards approaching, their blue uniforms clearly marking them out from any normal travellers. His tiny moment of calm completely shattered, he glanced over at the woman to see what she was going to do. Surely she wouldn’t attack the Shinya. The two ignored him in favour of the woman splattered with blood (a fair decision, he supposed). The woman was quick to reply to their pointed questions, her voice growing higher and her words suddenly gaining an air of complete innocence. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was a believable liar; if he hadn’t known the truth, he wouldn’t have been able to tell. It took a lot of self control not to protest or simply gape at her in shock as she drew him into her little story. He didn’t want her to get in trouble for coming to his defence, but at the same time, he very much wanted to just go and find somewhere very quiet and far away from the bar and pretend this had never happened. No such luck, though, as the Shinya already had her description. Her lie wasn’t enough, and if something didn’t intervene soon, she would probably be dragged away. And that something was going to have to be him. Oh gods. I just wanted to talk about Symenos verbs. “Excuse me.” He spoke up, deciding to stick to Common so that she would understand what he was saying. “I... I can clarify the misunderstanding.” He coughed a little to clear his throat and stop his voice from faltering, lifting a hand to cover his mouth and realising that he still, in fact, had his makeshift weapon in his hand. “My... uh, wife came to the bar to see me home.” He looked at the bottle, wondering if he had really been holding it all this time. “I met with an old friend there and I had had a little too much al...al... to drink. Some of the men there saw her and were attempting to get her attention.” He paused, biting his lip. It wasn’t a good time to be forgetting words, especially when he was making up a story on the fly. “When she ignored them, I think the men became angry and it sparked a fight between them. I left before things got out of hand.” It was a decent lie, he supposed. Believable enough. He didn’t like telling it, but it was hardly different from assuring a customer that the fish he was serving them had been caught that day. He owed her his life, didn’t he? He sighed and rubbed his face again, scrambling to think of a suitable conclusion. “I guess they would mention her as an excuse for their bad behaviour.” Now it was just to see if they would believe what he had said. Fighting was not his strong point by any means, and... well, lying wasn’t either. He would just have to hope to get lucky. Really lucky. With his heart beating a panicked rhythm in his chest, he waited to see what the Shinya would say.

[Ophelia]

Experience Naama: +3 Hooked Swords, +2 Dual Wield, +2 Brawling, +1 Persuasion Lore Naama: Lhavitian Bars (Basic), Angering the Natives, Saving the Weak, Making Up Stories To Escape the Authorities Notes Oh Naama how you make my laugh. As always, a riotous scenes with two brilliantly contrasting personalities adding to the fun. Good job kidlets. <3