Trog's Tavern CLIV

[WindStruck]

"So, am I to assume you mean nothing?" Solstice asks rhetorically. She glares at the goblin indignantly.

"Unacceptable. I will not pick up that insect tonight. Leave me be," she huffs.

That was it, Solstice said she wasn't picking it up tonight, and now she was going to have to stick by her word. She quickly turns about and briskly begins walking away with her back to Larza, heading farther away to the edge of the bar, and conveniently, closer to Zee.

[zeifly]

The door swings open and a young tiefling steps into the tavern. His skin is a deep blue and his horns sweep almost straight back save for a tiny curl upwards at their ends. He wears rather plain, light colored clothing with a leather bracelet on his right wrist. He also carries a leather-bound book in his right hand. He looks a little nervous and unsure of himself. As he looks around for an open seat, he spots one at the bar and begins making his way towards it. He ducks out of the way of two brawling tavern goers as he walks and eventually takes the open seat.

Placing the book on the bar in front of him, he looks over the menu for a few moments. He makes up his mind and waits for the bartender or one of the servers to come over to him. When they do, he says politely, "If it's not too much trouble, could I please get a Celestial Soda Pop, please?" Though obviously nervous, he's also very excited by everything that's happening around him. "This place sure is big!" More to himself than to anyone in particular.

[Hattish Thing]

[Solstice]

Larza did not like being walked away from. It made her quite upset, actually.

Still, she wasn't about to draw a knife, not with this many eyes on her. But this slight could not go unanswered.

The colorful will reach for Solstice's arm, attempting to pull her somewhat closer. Her grip is surprisingly strong, and her painted claws are very sharp. "That wis a huge mistake, girlie." She snarls, her teeth bared. "You'd best learn tae kip wi' yin yak open." She'll let go of Solstice, if she managed to grab her.

Then, she'll simply go back to smoking at her table. At this point, she didn't even care about the bug.

Terrorizing people was her favorite hobby.

[Rebonack]

"Ah, well, okay?" Zee replies, puzzling over this odd giant muscular bearded guy.

He's certainly got a way of doing things, hasn't he?

"Playing straight here, I try to remain on friendly terms with everyone even if they hate me. I can still be friendly even if someone considers me an enemy. I've got lots of practice at that, actually! The Watchers hate my guts. Some of them, at best, tolerate me since they know I help protect the City from actually threatening things," Zee replies, her carefree and cheerful demeanor returning. "But if we meet again and you feel like you really have to punch me, that's fine. I won't hold it against you. Sometimes you just have to punch a kaiju in the shin. That's just the way things are. Now then~!"

She then steps out of the Moment as if absolutely nothing had happened, as if nothing had shackled her there.

And then?

The completely normal human barmaid pulls open the over and pulls out a tray of brownies, fresh and warm.

The scent of apples, cinnamon, and chocolate fills you with Determination.

"I've got a fresh batch! Just needs a little time to cool down. Anyone got a hankering for brownies?" Zee inquires of the tavern. More than a few hands go up.

And then what's this?

A new face!

Zee immediately springs to action!

"Well howdy! Welcome to Trog's Tavern! I haven't seen you around before, so you must be new! First drink is on the house!" says the archetypal human fantasy barmaid. She fetches the drink for the newcomer and places it before him. "I'm Zee. The scowly one is Cosmo. That's Nina. And Paige is over there cleaning the jukebox," the barmaid continues, pointing at each of the other members of the tavern staff in turn. "You need anything else you just let us know, okay?"

[zeifly]

The young tiefling takes the drink from Zee with a smile. "Oh, thank you!" he replies, "I'll also take a brownie or two if I may. They smell WONDERFUL!" He takes a sniff of the air, now filled with the aroma of freshly made brownies, and sighs contentedly. If Zee hands him a brownie, he happily begins nomming on it while continuing to talk with her.

"I am new around here, though, I'm not entirely sure where here is exactly. I wasn't necessarily travelling anywhere specific, so I guess that's how I wound up here. Is this your tavern?" His frost colored eyes are bright with excitement and a million other questions.

[WindStruck]

Unfortunately for the colorful punk goblin, Solstice had distanced herself far too much from the table already. And with Larza lounging in her chair all smug-like, with her boots up, there was no way she was going to be grabbing her arm without leaping off the table and bridging a gap of some feet. That would probably cause a bigger scene than pulling a knife.

Once standing at the edge of the bar, she turns a bit to cast a glance nervously at Larza.

[Hattish Thing]

Larza, the awful goblin-thing now laying claim to the other fae's old table, uses her finger to mime cutting her own throat in Solstice's direction.

She sticks her long, spiky blue tongue out afterwards. A clear threat of ill intent, yikes.

For now, she continues to lounge, lazily smoking her colorful cigarette.

...

...

...

Hm, that tiefling looked... exciting.

Later, perhaps.

[Rebonack]

The (pair!) of brownies will be supplied on plate once they've cooled off sufficiently. Perfectly cut with a little sprinkle of powdered sugar on the top.

They are exquisite.

Maybe not the best brownies ever, but Zee has got plenty of practice making them as delectable as possible.

"Oooh, just drifting, huh? Yeah that happens sometimes. People have a habit of finding their way to Trog's. I've joked before that we're the tavern at the center of the cosmos and really I kinda wonder how true that is sometimes," Zee laughs in reply. "Here is Trog's Tavern, obviously. In the City of Inside. Which, uh, is kind of a lame name? But that's okay. Inside is a pretty happening place. Lots of things to see, places to go, and adventures to... advent?"

She wrinkles her nose a bit.

Advent? No. That's more like when something is coming up. Like they're rolling toward the advent of Spooktober.

Hmm.

She shrugs.

"Anywho! It's pretty great. Lots of people to meet. And no, I don't own the tavern. I just manage it for Trog. He's... in his office?"

Zee glances back toward the troglodyte's office where unread mail is overflowing out of a little slot in the door.

"Maybe?"

Mysterious.

Then?

Solstice is provided with a exuberant wave.

"Hiya! How was your first adventure out on the town?" she asks conversationally. "Oh, and Lazra wasn't bugging you too much, was she? She's been kind of jerk and I'm contemplating whether or not I should start throwing cans of soup at her."

[Artemis97]

In walks a woman of unearthly beauty. In fact she was a mix of the most comely of demons and devils, the Succubus and Erinyes. She stood over six feet tall, even in her flat, strappy, golden sandals. Her curves were feminine, drawing soft lines beneath the layers of her white, summery dress. Her long black hair was worn in a simple braid down her back, a few wisps escaping at her forehead, from which two tiny red horns protruded. Behind her, feathered wings, nearly touching the floor, were red as blood, but each time they moved they brought the scent of roses into the air. Her ruby red eyes glittered as she looked around the room, searching for her sister in law. The same eyes she shared with Zee's husband. Her smile, too was similar, a patented grin so often seen on her drow "brother's" face.

"Zee!" She called, spotting the barmaid and waving. "It's so good to see you!"

[zeifly]

The tiefling nods at Zee's comments about the place. Then he starts and says, a little embarrassed, "Oh! I'm so rude! You gave me your name, but I never told you mine! Sorry! I'm Myzid." He smilesa warm, friendly smile that's quite infectious.

As Zee waves, Myzid looks to see who she's waving at. At the mention of adventure, he perks up considerably.

[Solstice]

"You went on an adventure!?! What was it like? Where did you go? Did you see anything interesting? Were there bad guys??? Did you fight anyone?? Wh-" The flood of questions pours out of the young tiefling at mach speed, before he realizes what's happening and stop himself. He looks properly embarrassed now and lowers his gaze to the floor. "Sorry, I'm Myzid." He holds out his hand for Solstice to shake.

[WindStruck]

Solstice had been staring back at Larza, with quite some concern on her face.

Suddenly Zee talking to her brought her attention to the barmaid. "Oh! It was an.. exciting adventure, yes. Perhaps not in a good way. But I got some kind of reward for capturing a group of criminals. I assume the reward is valuable..." Well, that would be bad. It means Solstice would have gotten scammed due to her own ignorance of how valuable the various currencies around parts of the Nexus worked. But that probably didn't happen.

"Lazra, is that the horrible goblin's name? Yes, she has vexed me greatly. Not only has she attempted to coerce me into doing something she could easily do herself, she has also threatened me more than once."

Solstice looks a bit to the side past Zee and over at the goblin again, narrowing her eyes. "She had better leave me alone, or there will be trouble."

[For Myzid]

Solstice blinks and looks over at another person she just.. hadn't exactly paid much attention to, what with evil murderous goblins harassing her and such.

"Oh yes, it was quite wild and dangerous. I found myself in someplace strange; I suppose it was part of this Nexus city. It was very dry and barren. There were notices announcing criminals that needed to be brought to justice for a reward. I went out with another woman named Jade to track them down and defeat them. All in all there were five of them. Very dangerous indeed," she nodded to the tiefling.

Solstice smiled softly at the blue-skinned man. She supposed compared to everything else she had seen so far since arriving here, he didn't look too out of the ordinary? And maybe he was extremely inquisitive but.. at least had some shred of manners. Solstice looked at his hand for a second before gingerly extending her hand to shake it. "It is nice to meet you, Myzid. You may call me Solstice."

[Hattish Thing]

When she overhears Solstice talking about her, Larza simply rolls her eyes and continues to puff at her cigarette, belching forth clouds of glittering blue smoke.

[Rebonack]

"Oh, wow, it's really cooking in here now," Zee comments to no one in particular as another good friend arrives. She waves back at the fiend. "Hey Lil'! How's it going? It love the dress, it goes great with the sandals."

Lillith doesn't come to the tavern that often. This leads Zee to wonder what the occasion is. Not that she minds at all! She's happy for any chance to see friends and family. That is, after all, why she endeavored to get back to the Nexus.

Really she can't stand the company of the other empyreans.

Most of them are awful.

As for the tiefling, he gets a head-bob in reply. "Well it's nice to meet you Myzid! As you can probably tell from the apron I'm the barmaid here at Trog's. But I'm curious what you do? Usually mysterious drifters have interesting stories. And if there's anything I love to hear it's the story of someone's travels."

Stories are great.

Best thing about working at Trog's, hands down.

At Solstice's reply, Zee can't help but frown. "Well, I'm glad the adventure went well. Or as well as capturing bandits can go I guess? You've still got all your parts so it couldn't have gone poorly. Not so glad hearing about Larza being a pain. She's already on thin ice. If she bugs you again let me know. I like to try to keep Trog's a fun, welcoming place as much as I can."

[Hattish Thing]

At this point, Larza has noticed the new lady.

Something about her seemed dangerous, which was a very exciting thing to be.

The colorful goblin leans back in 'her' chair, taking time in between hits from her cigarette to bat her eyes towards Lilith. She liked how tall this scary, devil woman seemed. Her long black hair, those great weird wings. Like something out of the terrible, awful magazines Larza collected. Or the posters. It's all awful.

If Lilith looks in her direction, Larza will simply grin. She doesn't say anything, but its clear her eyes were on her.

[zeifly]

Myzid looks up at Solstice's description of her adventure, his eyes wide with awe and excitement. "WOW! That sounds so cool!" It is only then that he notices the various weapons accompanying Solstice's outfit. His eyes go even wider still and his awe of the beautiful woman in front of him increases.

[To Zee]

"Wellll..." he begins hesitantly, "I'm travelling to try and find a way to earn some money. It's always been my dream to own a little smithy and have people come and visit from all over!" He stops at that and deflates slightly. "Most folk back home laugh when I tell them that. They say 'Myz, you're too smart by half to waste your life away with dumb labor like that. Go get yourself a proper education. Put to use that magic you've got and become a proper mage.' But I don't want to be a 'proper mage'. I just want to own a little blacksmith shop and work with my hands. It's always been my dream." A distant look enters into his eyes at the last sentence, and he seems to look far past Zee into a world all his own.

[WindStruck]

Solstice nods to Zee and says, quietly, looking down, "I will be sure to let you know right away if something happens. Unless.. unless she does something so terrible to me that I am unable to..." She then looks back up to Zee. "What if you aren't here? Is there anyone else to speak to?"

After listening to Myzid speak, Solstice comments, "That is interesting. Usually those with magic talents are rare.. and if properly honed, they can be powerful and sought-after. Far more people are capable of becoming smiths.." She then shrugs. "I suppose it is a noble profession when mastered, regardless."

[zeifly]

[Solstice]

"I like magic well enough, and I plan to learn enough to apply it in my smithing. It's just that I've always enjoyed working with my hands and creating things. Plus, all the mages I've met are stuck up, stuffy, and boring as all hell." He frowns grumpily, but then takes another bit of his brownie and smiles again as the sweet, gooey treat fills him with happiness.

[WindStruck]

[Myzid]

Solstice smiles softly, perhaps humorously. Maybe she thinks something is funny?

"I see. If it makes you happy.. Though I hope I will not bore you too much. Or that my manners will not be too.. unpleasant?"

Unfortunately, she just might qualify for all three parts of boring, stuffy, and stuck up for a mage...

[Rebonack]

"Well you know," Zee says to Myzid. "If you've got magical aptitude AND you want to get into metalworking why not learn to combine both? Figure out how to hammer enchantments into the tools you make. I'm not sure how well iron takes to magic. I guess that kind of depends on where you come from? In some places iron and magic mix like oil and water. But there are lots of other types of metal, too. Bronze, brass, copper, silver, gold. What kind of stuff do you want to make? Tools? Weapons? Armor? Jewlery? Little iron fittings for doors? Bells? Those rings people put on barrels?"

There are just all SORTS of things that people need metal for.

Wait.

That's what he's planning on doing anyway?

"Oh, haha, sounds like we're on the same page," Zee laughs as the tiefling elaborates.

To Solstice, Zee offers a reassuring smile.

"I'm nearly always around. But if I'm not, let any of the other three servers know. Nina, Paige, and Cosmo. They'll be able to help. Or at least get in contact with me."

Oh hey.

Larza is making weird looks at Zee's sister-in-law.

Thin ice, Larza.

Thin.

Ice.

[zeifly]

Myzid realizes he may have offended Solstice and says quickly, "Oh, I'm sure you're fine." He pauses for a moment as a thoughtful expression comes across his face and then adds, [Color="#40E0D0]"Though, if I'm being perfectly honest, I've only just met you, so I don't know that I have an opinion of you yet."[/COLOR]

He's a genuine lad, and his emotions show rather clearly on his face, making him very easy to read. He takes another drink from his glass and then looks to Zee

He laughs as she realizes she more or less just repeated what he said. It's a rich, warm laugh that fills the room. The kind of laugh that makes it so you can't help but smile. "Brilliant minds think alike I guess. Weapons and armor are nice enough, but I wouldn't mind trying my hand at just about anything. It's really more about the creating than the thing that is created." As he takes another bit of his brownie, he looks thoughtful once more, as though calculating something out in his head. He looks back to Zee and says, "You seem to know quite a bit about this place, and just about everyone here. Do you know somewhere I could go to make a bit of money?"

As he says this, he reaches for his book which has been kept fairly close to him despite his seeming distracted from it by the conversations.

[Artemis97]

Lillith barely gives Larza a passing glance. She was used to being stared at, and flirted with, and propositioned. It came with being as beautiful as she was and a fiend to boot. People just figured she was down for that kind of thing.


"Zee, I have some news!" She says excitedly, approaching the barmaid. "Did you know Raril's turning 150 this year?" Had Raril even mentioned his birthday to Zee before? Surely he'd mentioned his age, at some point, but with the way time moved in the Nexus it was hard to pin down. Still, "We have to do something for him." The fiend decides.

[5a Violista]

Obsidian nods, saying, "Yeah, sounds fine."

She follows Zee out of the tavern, only occasionally reaching out to play with the pig's body as she follows a little too closely.

[WindStruck]

Solstice manages a small smile and a nod to Zee. Though it fades as she gives the barmaid a more appraising look. "You will need help to get rid of her. Her claws and teeth do not look particularly pleasant, and I would be surprised if she also was not carrying a weapon. Are there guards or those.. Intersection officers nearby that can help?" Solstice could not lie, but maybe she could be wrong. Of course Zee would need help dispatching the unruly goblin. She was just a perfectly ordinary barmaid. Larza even scared Solstice.

She looks at Myzid and says, also with a small smile again, "We will see, if we come to know each other better. I wish you good fortune on your endeavors."

Solstice gets up from her stool and says, "I am weary and need to rest." After a bit of an awkward pause she looks at the two she was talking to and says, "...Good night."

Solstice got up and tried to discreetly make her to the stairs to get to her room. Unfortunately, she'd have to pass by closer to Larza to get there.

[Rebonack]

"Well, I suppose that's going to depend on what sort of things you're willing to do to earn a living," Zee replies to Myzid. "But if you're really set on smithing I think your best bet would be to check with the local smiths and find out if anyone is taking apprentices. I don't know a whole lot about smithing, but I DO know that training comes from working under someone else who's already knowledgeable in the craft. Once you've completed the apprenticeship then I guess most people work as a journeyman for a while, hiring out their skill. Then once you've done THAT for a long time and you've really mastered the craft you settle down and start your own business!"

That, of course, takes a great deal of time.

Years.

Then her attention turns to Lillith. "You know I don't think Raril has even mentioned when his birthday is," she ponders aloud. "But I think that's a great idea! Surprise parties can be fun, but Raril doesn't usually react well to people leaping out and startling him."

Those drow reactions to sneak attacks are hard to shake.

"Or maybe something a little more subdued? Hmm... You were literally in his head for a while, Lil', what do you think he would like?"

Zee's usual impulse is to GO BIG but getting the input of others can always provide a fresh perspective.

As for Solstice's concern, Zee offers a reassuring smile. "Hey, think about where we are. We got lots of unruly ruffians in here and we've got our ways to encourage them to take their rowdy behavior elsewhere. You don't serve adventurers for years without picking up a trick or two! You rest well, okay? You really look like you could use it."

And then a little wave as Solstice departs for the second floor-

-while shooting Larza a withering glare.

It's almost a challenge. Just try it buster.

[Recaiden]

You won't know how it is to lead a world known criminal Organisation and as a part time job work as a pyrotechnican.

Zefir appears a bit overwhelmed of that last one, maybe a bit suprised. "Eh .. yeah sure." He might be caught off guard here. He holds up his hand getting the bartenders attention. Befor she can reach them Zefir turns to Honeysuckle "What do you want ehhh....." I am not sure they trade names during their talk so it should be obviouse that he just got stuck by remembering her name. Should have looked on the card befor putting it away.

That's the sort of job difficulty you only understand if you go through it yourself.
Though going from a boring job to a job with lives on the line (the way Honeysuckle sometimes does) is its own sort of difficult.
"Honeysuckle. Nice to meet."
To the bartender, she'll say "Whisky & fox cola, up, no lemon."

"So who's your other friend? Anybody special? Go way back?" That is to say "is there a romance involved? Have you been friends for a long time?"

[zeifly]

Myzid nods to Zee.

"That seems reasonable enough. Thanks for the advice, and for the brownies and drink. They were DELICIOUS!" He takes two small, iron half circles that look like some form of currency from somewhere in his clothing and places them on the bar in front of Zee. "I'm not sure how much these are actually worth around here, but hopefully something."

He turns and smiles at Solstice as she leaves. "Goodnight! It was really nice meeting you!"

After she leaves, Myzid opens his book and begins scribbling something down in it. He hums softly to himself while he writes. It's a cheerful tune with an air of familiarity to it that seems to sit right on the edge of one's mind just barely out of reach. He is content.

[Rebonack]

Zee accepts the tokens without objection.

"Trog's has kind of an unusual payment policy," she explains as she drops them into the money box under the counter. "You pay whatever you think the mean is worth. You would think lots of people would just stiff us, but most of the time people are generous."

Huh.

That's certainly a policy.

"If you've got any other questions about the Nexus you just let me know, okay? I've been around for a while and I'd like to think I can answer most anything you've got to ask about Inside."

She isn't quite as knowledgeable about the other cities, though.

What?

No one's perfect.

[zeifly]

Myz finished writing in his book and closed it carefully after blowing on the ink to make sure it was dry. Then he stood up and turned to Zee again.

"Thanks again for your help! I guess I'm off to go find a master smith who will take me on. I'll make sure to pop in here from time to time when I can! See ya!" With that, he waved cheerfully, turned, and strode towards the door. Just as he began to reach for the handle, a thought struck him, and he half turned back towards the bar. He pause for but a moment as if he were about to say something else, but then decided against it and waved the thought away. With a broad grin across his face, Myzid opened the door, and stepped out to go find where fate would take him.

[Artemis97]

Lillith giggles, an infectious sound. "Yes I don't think Raril would like a surprise party. Poor drow's too jumpy as it is." The fiend thinks for a moment. "He likes good food and music. Maybe we could rent a hall somewhere? Get all his friends and... some of his family together?"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

A bell from an old door dingles as a muscular woman with hot pink sweatband a sporty duffel bag walks in out of the rain. It looks like she's been out roller skating, but her skates are conspicuously absent. Hasn't she ever heard of no shirt no shoes et cetera?

A tiny black fox friend and its human associate are right behind her.

Beth waves to the nearby bar patrons as she hunts down a booth for the party.