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Post by Tiz on Jul 31, 2015 16:15:39 GMT -6
Santaruz.
It had been a couple weeks since his ban had been lifted, and the last time he was here, it was the day after, when his ban had just been lifted and he had come to see Myscha. That night was much less happy than today was for him. Now he was free, having come out of the slump that he'd been in for a while. Dak was still on his mind, of course, but since it had been a couple weeks, the sting was beginning to die... Tiz was beginning to come to terms with what he'd done, and he was feeling lighter with each passing day.
This particular town wasn't as pretty as the capital city he had been to before, but it was still quaint and enjoyable. At present, it didn't look like any old wanted posters were still hanging... Perhaps everyone had finally decided to move on with their lives, realizing that now that his ban was officially up, there was nothing to be gained in apprehending him. He wasn't sure. But it made him glad, so Tiz decided he would celebrate. It wasn't often he went alone for a drink, but he had nothing else to do after his trip to Santaruz, so he figured a good way to end the night would be with something soft and tasty, like a fresh Santaruz ale.
Picking a tavern completely at random, Tiz decided he'd drink and then head back home for the weekend. He stepped through the door to riotous talking and laughter, and, bemused by the situation, smiled at the men that acknowledged his entrance. A few raised their glasses, clearly infused with both the alcohol and the glee that was contagious in the room. He slowly weaved his way through tables of hearty, laughing men and took a seat at the bar. Before looking to the barkeep, he searched the pouch behind his waist under his long, sleeveless coat and felt that he did still have some money on him. That was good. Best not to make a repeat of that Ilian tavern a few months ago...
Once he was finally ready, he sighed happily, and looked over to his left. There was no way. Was that... Chelsea? Tiz smiled and offered a chuckle, reaching over to get her attention from some other guys that seemed to be trying to actively woo her.
"Hey, stranger." He said with a smile, a playful tone in his voice. "Hate to say it, but I don't think I'm worth much to the Marquess of Santaruz anymore. It's good to see you."
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Jul 31, 2015 20:06:31 GMT -6
Chelsea was not having a good night. The tavern was pack and there were already a higher number of drunk people in it than she would have liked. There were at least three separate parties going on that they had to deal with, on top of everything else. She hadn't even had a chance to talk to Alison, even though they were both working. She was currently dancing her way through the crowd to deliver a round of drinks to the party that she was in charge of. When she reached the table, she set the drinks down and began to start passing them out. As she did, one of the guys tried to slip is arm around her waist. Before he could, however, she grabbed his arm and twisted it. "Try that again and it'll be broken." She said with a smile, and moved away from the table. As she made her way back to the bar, she signaled to Rob to keep an eye on the table, who gave her a nod in return.
Once she got to the bar, she waited a few seconds before picking up another round and the cycle continued. After a while, she finally had a few minutes to herself. Leaning against the bar, she was able to catch her breath for a minute. Unfortunately, another drunk guy threw himself into the chair next to her and immediately started to hit on her. She tried to ignore him, but a few of his buddies came over to join in. She looked around for Rob, but he was already dealing with the table she had warned him about earlier.
It was around this time she heard another voice join the noise, and was almost at her breaking point. She had half a mind to start throwing fists before she noticed that the voice belonged to Tiz. She gave him a weary smile as she pushed herself back to her feet. "Hey yourself. I can't really talk right now, but if you wanna sit and drink for a bit, hopefully things will settle down before long."
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Post by Tiz on Jul 31, 2015 20:27:16 GMT -6
"Mm, yeah, seems you're quite the handful in here." He said, mimicking her weary smile in an effort to sympathize with her. The poor girl. After watching the spectacle go on for far longer than it should have, Tiz felt truly bad for the woman. This was where she worked? Times must be tough, if she was willing to deal with this for a paycheck... He wondered if there was anything he could do, pressing his hand against his chin pensively. He tried to block out the noise coming from the rowdy men next to him, and he was coming closer and closer to saying something to them. He knew it would be virtually pointless to try and silence them, and of course things couldn't get violent, but as much as the guys were annoying him, he couldn't imagine how bad it must be for Chelsea.
Tiz chuckled a bit, trying to ignore the growing tension in the room. As he closed his eyes, he tried to block out the sounds.
"Hey there, hussy! Why don't you bring me another ale? I ain't had enough!"
"Fancy livin' you've got here. How about you bring us another round, and we'll share with you, lady?"
"You'd sell more drinks if you dressed a little lighter."
The Sacaean puffed air into one of his cheeks, rapping the table with his fingers rhythmically. He was doing everything he could not to lash out-- it wasn't his place, he would cause Chelsea trouble, and he could start a fight if he spoke out. He knew better than that. He certainly knew better than that. But if this kept up, Tiz wasn't sure he'd be able to.
Trying to avoid the situation, he looked back up at Chelsea. "Yeah sure, uh, you can pour me your lightest ale. And a glass of water on the side, nothing fancy. Take your time. Is there..." He awkwardly thumbed the new scar at the top of his cheekbone, looking away from her. He didn't want to be invasive, but he felt bad for the woman. "Um, is there anything I can do to help you out here?"
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Jul 31, 2015 22:26:48 GMT -6
Chelsea's tired smiled grew into a forced one, doing her best to block out the shouts of the various drunken people. She was getting better at it by this point, having put up with it for almost a year now. She reached over the bar and poured both the lightest ale they had and a glass of water, placing them on the bar in front of Tiz. She gave an exasperated shrug. "Not really. It usually calm down in about half an hour, so we'll see. Besides, if any of them get too touchy, either myself or Rob over there will take care of them." She nodded towards the hulking Rob literally threw one of the drunkard from the tavern into the street outside.
It was around that time that there were renewed shouts for drinks, drawing a sigh from Chelsea. Brushing some stray hairs from her face, she picked up a tray with the newest round on it. "Enjoy. See you in a bit." With a turn and a flourish of her ponytail, she disappeared into the crowd. Weaving her way through said crowd, she fell once again into her routine of bringing drink to those who were calling for them. Somewhat surprisingly to her, she actually got a few good tips. Granted, at least one of them was clearly the guy trying to impress her, money was money.
Things got a little exciting at one point when a fight broke out in the middle of the tavern. Rob hurtled a table to tackle one of the culprits to the ground, while Chelsea and Alison teamed up to retrain the other. Normally, it wouldn't be that big a problem, but the guy in question was much bigger than either of them. Working together, the pair of them were able to force the guy from the tavern, followed shortly by Rob dragging the other. With the men removed, the trio walked back into the building, with Rob taking up his post back by the door and the two girls disappearing back into the crowd to deliver more drinks.
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Post by Tiz on Jul 31, 2015 22:45:59 GMT -6
Tiz grinned at the woman weakly, involuntarily reflecting the same sort of disposition that Chelsea had upon her. The poor girl was probably suffering more than she wanted to let on because of this job, but he wouldn't ask. He still didn't know her that well, and he felt it would be improper to pry... Plus, this didn't seem to be the time or place to ask her if she needed more help than she was telling him she needed. But as she explained the help she had, pointing to a burly man, Tiz felt a little better about the situation. As long as there was someone acting as crowd control, he could probably sleep a little better tonight. "Hey, good luck," Tiz called after her as she turned away from him to deal with the other customers. He smiled as he swirled the ale around in his glass, then took a light sip. The taste of alcohol was slightly foreign to his lips; it had been some time since he'd spent a night in a tavern.
Before long, his peace was disturbed by shouts and general rowdiness that often preceded a fight. Tiz turned around quickly, instinctively grabbing the hilt of his slender blade at his waist. He didn't draw it, but as he turned and assessed the situation, he thought about doing so. When this "Rob" hurtled a table, it made Tiz laugh a little... What a brutish dude, he thought. He was probably good to have around a place like this. When Tiz saw Chelsea dealing with the other man, Tiz quickly stood out of his seat and began to draw his blade, but before he could do so, a hand shot out from his right and grabbed his collar.
Tiz turned to face the man with a horrified surprise in his eyes, and as soon as he met the man's gaze, Tiz got decked in the face, and then the man threw him back into a table, sending both the Sacaean and the table crashing down. Tiz tried to compose himself, and noticed that the man hadn't pounced on him, but he knelt down to drunkenly ramble in front of his face.
"Get that outta here! We don't want no nobody causin' trouble for us! Stay outta the way!"
The man turned away from Tiz and headed towards the commotion that seemed to be settling down, and Tiz held the side of his head. Tonight was turning out splendidly.
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Aug 1, 2015 15:06:30 GMT -6
The bang was a pretty good give away that something else had happened. Man, this night just would not end. Chelsea looked over just in time to see Rob forcefully ejecting yet another drunkard from the tavern. Would they never learn to control themselves. She looked around to see what the man had done to make that bang when she spotted Tiz laying on a broken table. Pushing her way through the crowd, she made her way to the man still lying on the ground. She knelt down next to him, looking his body over. She noticed his sword was partially drawn and let out a sigh. "Oh Tiz... Taking out your weapon in a tavern is basically putting a target on your back..."
Helping her friend to his feet, she pulled a chair over for him to sit on. A few seconds later, Alison appeared at her side with some ice. Thanking her, she gently placed the ice over the spot where he had been hit. She shook her head at the man. "I appreciate the thought, but I told you we had everything under control." A small smile grew on her face. "You're lucky that your bounty is gone, otherwise I'd be even more upset with you." She gave a little laugh before standing back up. "Now, hold that on your face for at least ten minutes and try to not get punched again. My shift is over soon, and if you can be a good boy, I'll be back afterwards to play nurse." She gave him a wink before disappearing back into the crowd.
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Post by Tiz on Aug 1, 2015 16:59:03 GMT -6
Despite his hurting body and face, Tiz let out a loud laugh as Chelsea chided him for his weapon. "Well, what can I say? I can't help it. Damsels and distress and all that," he joked back to her, taking her hand as she helped him up. He brushed himself off and looked around the tavern-- the numbers had thinned, no doubt, but still the groups were fearsome, and Tiz felt as though his time might be better spent elsewhere. But, in truth, it was fun to be in the presence of friends, and otherwise, he might just go home. That would be infinitely more boring, and Tiz liked having fun too much to let his sense of better judgement get in the way of that. He turned back to the orange-haired girl. "Hah, plus, I don't really... go anywhere without it, just on principle." He scratched the back of his neck nervously, flashing the girl a shy smile.
He knew it wasn't a good idea, but it didn't ever get him in too much trouble.... most of the time. Tiz sighed and closed his eyes. "Oh come on, I knew you had it under control, but it was just a reflex, you know? I don't, uh, handle confrontation well." His smile was warm and bright, despite the black eye forming under his bright green eyeball. Tiz smiled and let out another laugh as the woman joked about his bounty-- in truth, if he had still had a mark on his head, he very likely would've just been killed. Surprisingly, the tavern crowd was most often the best informed in matters that regarded money and bounty.
Tiz fiercely blushed, coughing to avoid the awkwardness, as Chelsea winked at him. He nodded and smiled, holding his hand against his beaten face. For one punch, it sure hurt pretty badly... He wasn't entirely sure why. He guessed the guy had gotten him pretty good. He tried to avoid obviously studying Chelsea's form as she walked away from him, and then he shook his head of the racy thoughts as he pressed the ice against his face.
"Hey, Chelsea, this sucks." Tiz called playfully, referring to the ice. He hated cold. He had never adjusted well to it, and even now, he was reluctant to keep anything that cold on his face. Tiz took a seat back at the bar and studied the woman at work, wondering where the guy had gone that had hit him.
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Aug 1, 2015 19:24:08 GMT -6
Chelsea slipped through the crowd to a table that had just emptied to collect their payment. Thankfully, they haven't skipped out on the bill and had indeed left money to pay for it. She picked up the money and brought it back up to the bar, along with a tray full of empty glasses. She handed the money over to the bartender to take care of before setting the glasses down on the bar. It was around then that she heard Tiz call over to her. Shaking her head, she called back, "Hey Tiz, grow a pair." She flashed him a smile before grabbing a fresh round and making her way to the table that had ordered them. To her relief, all of the big parties had filed out by this time, leaving a much more manageable group and far less of a crowd. She could actually see from one side of the tavern to the other!
A number of minutes passed, in which time Chelsea made her way around to her tables, checking in on each of them one last time. A couple of them requested more drinks, which she brought to them. Once they were all taken care of, the tired redhead made her way one last time to the bar. She conversed with the bartender once more, letting him know that she was done for the night and him promising her tips would be waiting for her when they closed, she made her way back over to Tiz. She let herself fall into the seat next to him. "Alright tough guy, take the ice off and let me see the damage."
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Post by Tiz on Aug 1, 2015 19:37:23 GMT -6
Tiz watched, confused, but thankful that the patrons were more or less clearing out. In a matter of minutes, the room had gone from absolutely crazy to relatively calm, even for a tavern on a late night. This was comfortable for him-- in addition to being a rare tavern-goer, Tiz preferred when things were quiet like this. Taverns could be messy, dangerous places, and he'd gotten a glimpse of that tonight. As he bit his lip and pressed the ice against his face, Tiz watched as the room began to clear. Either the men would find another bar to trash, or they'd tuck in for the night. It made no difference to him, but he did hope that they'd call it a night. The rowdiness was a bit much.
Tiz watched carefully as Chelsea cleaned the messes, collecting herself, finally done with her work. It seemed that perhaps she was off the clock by this point, but he didn't know. When she called back to him, he laughed quietly to himself, and a goofy smile broke out across his injured face as he called back out to her. "Hey, cut me some slack! This is really cold!" He couldn't help but laugh, and some of the patrons that remained gave a few chuckles, probably making fun of him, but he didn't mind. Ice was cold. He wasn't ashamed of it. But his face probably appreciated the attention from the cold compress.
When Chelsea sat down beside him, Tiz finally sighed and gave in. "Fine, wanna play nurse? I don't know, Chelsea. This is pretty darn gruesome. Grade A stuff, here. You don't want to see this." He smiled still, his jokes being really the only thing that could come out of his mouth. It wasn't often that TIz was serious about anything. As he removed the cold compress, he moved his face closer to Chelsea's and met her eyes. His wound was pretty minor-- the swelling had gone down considerably, and the blackness around his eye really wasn't that bad. It still hurt him, of course, but being dramatic for effect was something that Tiz quite loved.
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Aug 1, 2015 20:10:05 GMT -6
As Tiz took away the ice, she played into Tiz's over dramatic nature and gasped with widen eyes. However, she couldn't keep it up for long before breaking into a laugh. He might be the most dramatic person she's ever met, and that was saying something. But, he was also very easy to tease and she just couldn't resist. Composing herself, she tilted her head as she took in his face. In all honestly, it really wasn't bad and he'd be fine. But she wasn't going to pass up the chance to tease him more. She put on a serious face before speaking. "You know... I think you actually look better now. I mean, he really messed up your face but it actually seems like an improvement over the old one."
Once again, she there was only so long she could keep a straight face for after that before bursting out into laughter again. This time, it took much longer for her to compose herself before she was able to speak again. "In all seriousness, you look fine, you big baby." She reached over and gently ran a finger down his nose. "Your nose isn't even broken. You should have been my face the last time I got clocked. That was not pretty. But that's a story for another time." That had been a fun day. She still wasn't convinced her nose was straight despite Alison telling her many times over that it was. "You'll live. And if you keep icing it, you might even still be the prettiest girl at the ball."
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Post by Tiz on Aug 1, 2015 20:27:50 GMT -6
"Pfft," Tiz's eyes scanned the room before rolling once back into his head, then fixing themselves back on her eyes, his mouth still turned upwards in a childish, goofy, incredibly happy smile. More than he appreciated anything else, Tiz appreciated a good sense of humor. And here, with Chelsea, he had it. It was a nice reprieve from the seriousness that he'd been troubled with the past few weeks, and he decided that it was just his good luck that had brought him here. He wasn't even sure he'd see Chelsea again, and yet here he was, somehow happening to stumble into the very bar at which she worked. And what was more, it couldn't have been an easy encounter, oh no-- he had to get hit in the face and caught at the worst possible time, too. As Tiz considered the fact that the gods must have great senses of humor, his mood improved even more. "What can I say? I guess it was time for a makeover." He winked at Chelsea.
As Chelsea ran her finger down his nose, Tiz thought about licking it like a small child in an attempt to get it away from him playfully, but he didn't. His childish tendencies did seem to surface in situations like these, but he kept himself composed for the time being. He laughed right along as she did, his own laughter becoming augmented with hers. Her glee was clearly contagious, and it was especially effective on one such as Tiz, who was happy by nature. "Oh no no no," he joked, leaning in a bit, a mischievous grin spread across his lips. "That's a story for now."
Tiz yawned, puffing air into one of his cheeks. "Yeah, don't know about the ice..." he said dismissively, setting the rag that the ice had been wrapped in to the side, on the bar. "Little cold for me. But you know, my mom did always say that natural beauty shines the brightest-- so maybe the prettiest girl at the ball should come bursting forth, full of pride for the new tinge of color upon her face!" He laughed heartily again, showcasing the purple shadow above his cheek.
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Aug 1, 2015 21:11:42 GMT -6
Chelsea shook her head. "Oooooh no, that is most definitely a story for another time." Plus it wasn't a story she felt like getting into, tonight had been rough enough. Speaking of enough, she had had enough of her hair being up by this point. She reached up and took out her hair tie, letting her hair fall down onto her shoulders. With a relieved sigh, she turned back to Tiz in time to see him puff out his cheeks. He really was like a child sometimes. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was certainly a thing. She put on a of mock pity at his story. "That sounds like something a mother would say if her child wasn't exactly good looking." She rested a hand comfortingly on his shoulder before bursting out laughing again. She needed a good laugh after a night like this.
She slowly got to her feet and stretched a bit. She looked down at Tiz. "I need to get out of here for a bit, I've had my fill tonight. I'm gonna head up to my room, change, and the go for a walk, if you'd like to join. The walk part, not the going to my room part." She smirked a little at that. If he tried to peak on her as she changed, things would not work out to well for him. "Then again, if you need your beauty sleep, don't feel like you have to join."
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Post by Tiz on Aug 1, 2015 21:18:56 GMT -6
"Aw, come on!" Tiz lightly slapped his knees, mock-angry that he wouldn't get to hear the story that he was authentically interested in. If she'd gotten punched before, he HAD to know the context. The mystery was killing him. Then again, most of Chelsea was a mystery to him... He really didn't know much about her. "Not done with you yet, Chelsea. Not done. I'll hear that story, one way or another." He smiled at her, leaning back in his chair.
He couldn't stifle the laugh that came out as she made the joke about his looks-- sure, she was right. And it was worth playing along for. It was funny. "Well, maybe my mom just wanted me to feel even more special than she already thought I was!" He said, a lurid, slippery tone in his voice that mocked the entire situation. He giggled again, almost like a kid, and rapped his fingers on the table. He hadn't had enough ale to really shake him up, but between sips, he'd started to feel the tinge of the drink across his body. It wasn't enough to cause a stir, but it made him feel a bit lighter.
"Hahaha!" He laughed, standing up, presenting his hands out with a bowed head, as if beckoning her to walk past him. "Of course. I can walk you to the ball. Go ahead, get changed. I might still be here when you get done." He smiled at her again, and leaned against the wall next to the stairs. He teased the idea of following her, but he knew better than that. He wasn't to make himself out as all the other patrons of the tavern. Plus, it didn't matter. Not really.
Tiz whistled a quiet tune as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He'd wait, then go on a nice nighttime stroll.
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Post by Chelsea Dagger on Aug 1, 2015 22:05:00 GMT -6
Chelsea made her way up to her room, pushing open her door and almost immediately falling onto her bed. She had the urge to just fall asleep right then, but she also knew she wouldn't sleep through the night as is. So instead, she pushed herself back up to her feet and began to change out of her work attire. She rifled through her clothes, trying to find something decent to wear. She was never one who was very fashion conscious, so she didn't spend a whole lot of time picking an outfit. Unlike Alison, who could spend an hour and still not have anything picked out, Chelsea was changed into a simple pair of pants and blue shirt in a matter of minutes. She also slipped on her old boots instead of her work shoes, which had been hurting her feet.
Making her way back down the stairs, she spotted Tiz waiting for her. She had never actually thought he was going to bail on her, mostly because he didn't seem like that type of guy. She gave him a smile as she stepped off the stairs. "I'm glad to see I didn't waste too much of your time. Let's head out." Chelsea lead the way across the tavern, giving Rob a smile as they passed him and stepped out into the town. She took a deep breath. It didn't smell as clean as Sacae, but it also wasn't too bad. With no real plan in mind, she turned to her left and started to walk.
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Post by Tiz on Aug 2, 2015 8:14:53 GMT -6
Tiz stopped whistling to himself when he saw Chelsea headed back down the stairs. He pushed himself up and away from the wall, pulled his hands out of his pockets, and readjusted his cloak. He chuckled again as she spoke, thankful for the lightheartedness in her tone-- it had been that way all night, somehow, and Tiz was surprised that she could endure a long night of work and still be as chipper as she seemed. It took a more resilient will than most, the kind of will Tiz admired, and the kind of will he hoped that he himself had. He rolled his eyes back into his head with a smile as she spoke, and then, following behind her, addressed her with just as much lightness in his voice. "I'm a busy man, Chelsea. That was a five minute period I could have spent doing anything else," he joked, the smile unable to fade from his face.
As he followed her out the door, Tiz also gave a nod to the burly man, who gave him a suggestive smile as he walked out the door. Tiz almost giggled, but kept it within himself this time. As Chelsea turned to the side to begin walking, Tiz kept pace, quickening his step to be in line with her. He put his hands back in his pockets after pulling up the collar of his sleeveless coat to block the gentle wind from making his neck feel cold. He looked around the quiet, dark city. It was a pleasant night when no bright sights or loud sounds interrupted the peace of the evening. In truth, this was probably Tiz's favorite time of day, and he was happy to spend it in good company before turning in for the night.
"So Chelsea," Tiz offered a playful, airy drawl. "Do you always get to have so much fun at work?"
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