It's a true miracle that they all squeeze into the booth. "Do you offer a brandywine?" Salom asks, stuffing a napkin into his doublet. "It has been a lifetime since I've had a good brandywine."
Audria let's out a squeak as she gets a noseful of Rigo. The smell was strong enough to make her sneeze, though she does manage to cover her nose and mouth. On the other hand, the cloying stench of the place was drowned out by his scent.
*sniff* "Thanks," she mutters, "what did you do?"
Rigo chuffs in amusement. "Claimed you as property, no Tabaxi mess with without talking to me first." He rumbles in amusement. "Humans nose blind, so won't notice unless rub nose in it." Which was pretty much what he'd done.
Aishe doesn't think Rigo should be claiming anyone as property, certainly not without their prior approval, but he says nothing. Perhaps it'll help her... he wonders.
The woman who followed the group to the booth, her forearms patterned with watercolour-like tattoos of clowns and dancing animals, shakes her head at Salom, "No brandywine here son... nothing 'cept gin in the Sugar-Plum house... Green Gimble... the Devil's Left Hand... Mother's Ruin... many names and so many adventures". Standing taller than everyone bar Rigo, the woman - improbably named Miss Butterfly - shouts towards the halfling at the bar, "A bottle of Juniper dreams for the table if you would!!!"
"Now... you folks are looking for someone? See, I'm not sure I've seen your faces around Festival", the woman stands whilst everyone else is seated, "You folks ain't Queen's Men are you?"
Rigo snarls. "I am not a man of any kind, Queen's or otherwise! I am a Tabaxi." He spits out, the corner of his lip curling up, showing fangs.
"Property?"
Audria only has a moment to look Rigo with a horrified and hurt expression before the barmaid comes to take their orders, and ask her apparently explosive question.
After Rigo draws everyone's attention to them, she sighs and hopes Moira can diffuse the situation.
Moira, worried about trying to lie, decides to tell the truth (or part of it, at least). She tips her hat back on her head and says, "Forgive our feline friend, growling's just his way. Hear that Alexis? Can you believe they are worried that the likes of us are law?" The streetwise, side-buzzed, red-dyed urchin is about as far from resembling a cop as they come--or so Moira hopes. We aren't the law, nor are we fond of lawmen. Had our tangles with such folks. Thought we were all going to swing from a rope not long ago. We're lookin' for a working woman named Grace, heard she might be around. Just want to talk with her, we won't cause any trouble. Not even him." She jerks her thumb at Rigo.
Remembering that sometimes, a quid-pro-quo can smooth things out, she offers to play a song.
"Some of us are musicians, this joint could use some uplifting. Got a spare flute around, by any chance?"
Aishe nods, "Yeah, we're not the man. No, that's not what we do. But you should consider Moira's offer here. They're ever so good!"
vs DC 10
He tries to help where he can, though perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut...
"Я не думаю, што мы пайшлі куды-небудзь разам без выклікае праблемы. Я не думаю, што людзі здольныя не выклікаюць праблемы ў групах." Rigo grumbles in a rumbling snarling hissing tongue.
"I do not think we have gone anywhere together without causing trouble. I do not think humans are capable of not causing trouble in groups.
"Juniper dreams--that doesn't sound all bad!" Salom offers hopefully to the others. "Queen's men? No, I haven't had the pleasure of being introduced."
Groaning at Rigo's claim and growling back at him, "Next time ask someone first!" Anything else she would add is cut off by the arrival of a Butterfly.
Grinning widely over at Moira, "Never cared for the law also I'm not a man last time I checked. Kind of feel like I'm bein' insulted."
Shifting so she is facing Miss Butterfly, "We just wanna talk with Grace is all."
Rigo huffs. "Not see any other Tabaxi here. If she throws up, will mark her as weak link while wolves abound." He hisses back at Alexis, looking around the gin joint, full of people who sense the weak link almost instinctively.
Pouring the faintly green spirits into seven small glasses, Miss Butterfly considers the group - she pushes the measures of 'Juniper Dreams', each with a red berry bobbing around near the bottom, towards her patrons. Taking one of the glasses for herself, she half-raises it and smiles, "To good health... and to the fun of the Fayre"
Watching to see whether the others take their drinks, the tattooed woman ponders their request, "Grace you say? Working girl? Maybe I do remember her... and you're sure you ain't the law? Indulge me then, enjoy your drinks and tell me exactly what Grace is to you?"
...at some point during the chat, a flute has appeared on the table - silver and engraved with gothic patterns, it is passed towards Moira.
Rigo shakes his head. "No understand how humans drink that stuff, tastes nasty." He wrinkles his nose to avoid a sneeze. "Not smell much better." He hands his glass to the woman. "May have, my pleasure get rid of." He pushes Audria's away from her. "Cub too young. Someone else can drink paint remover for her." He says firmly. "As to woman, no care about her one damn bit. Others think need find, so go along. But personally not care at all."
Aishe knows a setup when he sees it, but this woman may have what they want, and what could one shot hurt? He eyes the berry and downs his drink. ”Don’t mind him, he thinks he’s better than us." he grins at Rigo and turns back to the woman. "That and he's gotten some bad news, and without liquor to console himself, he's got nothing.”
”The woman’s in a jam, and she may not even know it. We want to talk to her and get to the bottom of a little disagreement she’s having with our employer. Hmmmm, that’s a tasty drink I must admit. Anyway, her, ah, life may be in danger, and we’d like to avoid that.” he says honestly.
Audria's shoulders relax by bare fractions of an inch as she breathes a silent word of thanks for getting her out of having to drink the stuff making this place smell so bad.
She eyes the flute, wondering what Moira was planning as she gladly let's Aishe handle the questions.
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…after giving the flute a cursory glance, Moira passes it to Audria. She says, “It’s showtime, sunshine! Swig a gin if you're nervous, this is no time to be prudish..."
Moira then leans over and whispers to Alexis “You have your fiddle in your bag? I know you don’t like the limelight but we gotta prove to these folks that we are good law-avoiding people and I happen to know a sweet jam about a noblewoman of the night. A little rhythm fiddle would go a long way to make this piece work out, I won’t ask you to solo or anything! Just scrape-a-scrape-a-scrape-a…”
She turns to Audria— “Fire up that flute, sunshine! Here’s the melody:" Moira hums a few bars of “Fancy.” Then she turns to the crowd and introduces her band (or just herself, if the girls aren't willing to give her a roll-to-assist):
"How d'ye do, good patrons and practitioners of the Sugar Plum! I, Moira Keening and these lovely young women are going to be performing tonight. Here's the classic ballad of a woman finding her own way in the world!"
[dice=Perform the Song "Fancy" w/Voice and Drum] d20+7 [/dice]
Fancy by Bobby Gentry, Youtube
Well, I remember it all very well lookin' back
It was the summer that I turned eighteen.
We lived in a one-room, run down shack
On the outskirts of New Orleans.
We didn't have money for food or rent
To say the least we was hard-pressed
When Momma spent every last penny we had
To buy me a dancin' dress.
Well, Momma washed and combed and curled my hair,
Then she painted my eyes and lips.
Then I stepped into the satin dancin' dress.
It had a split in the side clean up to my hips.
It was red, velvet-trimmed, and it fit me good
And standin' back from the lookin' glass
Was a woman
Where a half grown kid had stood.
She said, "Here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down!
Here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down."
Momma dabbed a little bit of perfume
On my neck and she kissed my cheek
Then I saw the tears welling up
In her troubled eyes as she started to speak
She looked at our pitiful shack and then
She looked at me and took a ragged breath
She said, Your Pa's runned off, and I'm real sick
And the baby's gonna starve to death.
She handed me a heart-shaped locket that said
"To thine own self be true"
And I shivered as I watched a roach crawl across
The toe of my high-healed shoe
It sounded like somebody else was talkin'
Askin', "Momma what do I do?"
She said, "Just be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy.
They'll be nice to you."
She said, "Here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down!
Here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down.
God forgive me for what I do,
But if you want out girl it's up to you
Now don't let me down,
Now get on out, you better start sleepin' uptown."
That was the last time I saw my momma
When I left that rickety shack
The welfare people came and took the baby.
Momma died and I ain't been back.
But the wheels of fate had started to turn
And for me there was no other way out.
It wasn't very long after that I knew exactly
What my momma was talkin' 'bout.
I knew what I had to do.
Then I made myself this solemn vow:
I's gonna to be a lady someday
Though I didn't know when or how.
But I couldn't see spendin' the rest of my life
With my head hung down in shame.
You know I mighta been born just plain white trash.
But Fancy was my name.
"Here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down!
Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down.
Wasn't long after that a benevolent man
Took me in off the streets
One week later I was pourin' his tea
In a five roomed penthouse suite.
Charmed a king, a congressman
And an occasional aristocrat
And I got me an elegant Georgia mansion
And a New York townhouse flat.
Now I ain't done bad
Now in this world there's a lot of self-righteous
Hypocrites who call me bad.
They criticize Momma for turning me out
No matter how little we had.
Though haven't had to worry 'bout nothin'
Now for nigh on fifteen years
But I can still hear the desperation
In my poor mommas voice ringin' in my ears.
"Here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down!
Oh, here's your last chance, Fancy, don't let me down.
God forgive me for what I do,
But if you want out well it's up to you.
Now your mama's helping you move uptown.
Rigo huffs. "Вы з'яўляецеся чалавекам, вядома, я лепш, чым вы."
"You are a human, of course I'm better than you."
Rigo listens to the song, and represses a growl of disgust. What putrid things humans are, that they like such a tale. Such a song should be a warning, not entertainment.
Why me?
Audria knows that Moira isn't going to take no for an answer. Without any other recourse, she lines up with the dirge singer and Alexis.
"Moira, I could punch you right now," she grumbles before taking up the flute and playing.
Taking a small sip of the offered drink, kind of regretting buying her own. The the flute shows up on the table. Oh no.. Trying to focus on the conversation around the growing dread souring her belly. Aishe is a good man. I like him. Closing her eyes for moment. I don't like Moira..
Grabbing her first barely touched drink and downing it before chasing it with the Juniper Dreams. Sighing and digging unto her backpack. Digging out a bundle of cloth and uncovering a violin that looks like it has seen better days and those better days were clearly a long time ago.
Standing up and glaring at Moira, "Do not expect this to work."
Having reached an internal accord, Salom picks up his shot and downs it without a grimace (though his left eye does twitch).
"Вы з'яўляецеся чалавекам, вядома, я лепш, чым вы." Salom slowly meows and howls after hearing Rigo speak, replicating the sounds pretty well. "Fascinating! What does it mean? And how's my accent?"
Salom taps his boot on the floor as the song progresses, as Thea takes to the floor, jerking and ratcheting to the music in an unnatural but fascinating rhythm.
"I think I like the Fayre. Another Juniper Dream?"
Rigo huffs. "It mean you prove my point. And you sound like housecats fighting in bag in river."
For just a brief moment, Audria has an image of a spark, just one, lighting the place up like a tinderbox.
That's it, I'm getting Moira back for this. Wonder if Alexis will help me?
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Moira's song draws quite an amount of attention from the other customers here in the Sugar-Plum... the atmosphere remains relatively mellow - the song is, after all, hardly a joyful affair - but there are mutterings of appreciation through the building... that is, until Audria and Alexis join in with their accompaniment. In a little less than a minute, the vibe in the bar has changed... worsened even... "Okay... Okay", miss Butterfly draws the discordant song to a close, "Please - no more... the Sugar Plum has a reputation to keep after all".
It seems that the proprietor is finally convinced that the group are not part of the establishment and, just possibly, they have Grace's interests at heart, "Okay, I'll help... anything to end that noise. I ain't never been introduced to Grace but I've heard the name around the place... she ain't exactly the kind of clientele I'd encourage but I'm not going to judge what floats other people's boats. You want to track Grace down then get yourselves over to the pig races and ask for Asa".
From somewhere over near the bar, another voice has started to sing - filling the quietness left by the abrupt ending of Moira's song... and soon it is joined by other singers, a tune that is apparently quite familiar to the drinkers here...
"Stay away from me everybody, 'cause I'm in my sin
I said, stay away from me everybody, 'cause I'm in my sin
You know I'm beggin' you, somebody give me my gin.
Stay away from me, unless you wanta big fight
Stay away from me everybody, unless you wanta get involved in a fight
I'll fight the army and the Queen's navy if I don't get some gin tonight..."
[ooc]Best of luck getting us to form a band now. I wasn't sure which I wanted to happen more. Really good rolls or really bad rolls.
Moving past Moira and bumbling the older woman with her thin shoulder while mumbling, "Told ya."
Returning to her seat and quickly packing her battered violin away before looking at Butterfly, "Thank you. Promise I won't do that again."
Tilting her head at the new song and reaching out for Audria's lonely drink and claiming it as her own.
Miss Butterfly nods in acknowledgement at Alexis, "Practise makes perfect young lady... in the right hands, the violin is a thing of unparalleled beauty...". The woman's words hang in the air alongside the inference that Alexis' playing has a long way yet to go. Pouring another round of 'Juniper Dreams' into the emptied glasses, "These ones are on the house", the tattooed lady takes her leave after wishing the group the best of luck in tracking down Grace... "and her sisters..."
Rigo sits in relative silence, waiting for his ears to quit hurting from the violin rendition of cat torture.
Aishe winces at the music, but then he never really understood poetry either, and many songs were just poetry to music. He liked music, just never made sense of the words.
He shrugs and accepts the new drink, though he drinks it with more care than the first. After a suitable delay, he suggests, "We should be going. Can't stay here and drink all day, we've work to do. Let's seek out this Asa and see what we can learn, shall we?"
When the group is ready, he pries himself out of the booth and stretches a bit before heading out the door and back out into the crowded streets.
Moira appears utterly crestfallen. “I’m… I’m sorry.”
But she brightens up quickly: “For what it’s worth, I think both of you have pretty good technique. Just bad luck and a bad frontwoman. I shouldn’t have asked you to play a song you didn’t know in public… Ms. Butterfly is right, practice is the key! We just need to work on a few numbers… but I’ll give the band a few days off before we really get started. Anywho, let’s be ramblin’ where the pigs be scramblin’. Anyone ever heard of a pig race before? Sounds BOAR-ing!”
As Moira hears the new tune gradually take hold of the bar, she whispers to herself, “Animals!”
"Now, now, ladies... It wasn't that bad," Salom lies half-heartedly.
"Pig races! Now, there's a productive use for livestock. I was never much of a farmer myself you know, children, but doesn't this sound like fun? Perhaps we'll chance a pilaster on a favored swine?"
"Best use of pigs is roasted."
Nodding to the Butterfly lady, "Yep, that's true. And thanks."
Watching the woman leave before turning to stare at Moira. Irritation clear on her face while finishing Audria's abandoned drink, "You know I think you mean that but no."
Finishing her borrowed drink and snagging her own newly refilled drink and downing that. Standing up and wobbling a little, "Well Audria's an my shame earned us a new person to talk to."
Snatching up her bag and finishing her drink, "Ah.. I vote its is someone else turn to force the new one to talk."
"No," Audria says as Moira mentions really getting started. She looks at the older woman with a glare.
With that she turns to Alexis and helps the younger girl out of the gin house. Out of everyone in their group, only Alexis and Aishe hadn't managed to annoy or upset her during their visit, Moira most of all.
After they leave the gin house, she whirls on Rigo and pokes the big tigerman in his chest, punctuating every word.
"I. Am. Not. Your. Property!"
With that, she whirls back and continues along her way looking for the pig races.
"stupid jerk."
Rigo stares after the girl for a moment, and then chuffs in amusement. "Can always rub pig s#@% on it to change smell..." He calls after the girl, and then chuffs again.
Content to let Audria lead her out. Mumbling quietly to herself in a way that she probably does not realize she it speaking aloud, [smaller]"S+&%.. shouldn't ah done that.. Stupid people and their devil drink.. Dumb music and nice peoples bein' mean.."
Twisting around and staring at Aurdia with wide eyes, "What the hell?"
Sucking in a breath and stepping into Rigo's space to poke the Tabaxi in the chest, "What did you do?"
Rigo looks down at the finger poking him in the chest, and then dips his head until they are eye to eye. Or rather, teeth to eye, and then smiles, and shows all of his pearly whites. "Marked her upper lip with scent, so she would not puke in gin joint and mark herself as week in front of all those wolves. Next time, if you prefer, will let her make self obvious target." He says politely, before roaring in her face.
The proximity gives her an excellent view of the teeth in the back of his mouth, and the pink flesh of the back of his throat.
Moira hesitates for a second before intervening, feeling sheepish after the fiasco of "Fancy." Her reluctance is quickly overpowered by her protective instincts, and she leaps in to haul Rigo and the girls apart (as best she can).
"Hey there! Alexis, Audria, why don't you walk over here with Aishe, Salom and Thea? And Rigo, please save the roars for someone other than our fuddled allies. And let's all try to be more mindful of each others' personal space?"
Is 'personal space' even a concept in this foul city? she thinks to herself.
Aishe moves between, or tries to anyway, Alexis and Rigo. He is facing Rigo. "You've been looking for a reason to beat someone up for a while now. It will not be one of us. If it is, you face us all."
"Now back down Rigo. Ain't none of us happy about the situation we're in. But this is no time for violence." he stands there quietly, though a thin line of sweat is clearly seen dripping from his temple in his nervousness.
Rigo glowers at Aishe. "I am not the one who put paws on her, Human. If you want to deride someone, try telling your drunken human to not put her hands on others for helping. The hells with all of you." Rigo stalks off, using his nose to follow the smell of pigs and undead.
Aishe collapses like a bad flan as Rigo storms off, "Whew..."
"Best not to poke the tiger Alexis. He has a temper." Aishe walks on with the others in Rigo's wake.
Grinning as Rigo gets on her level and narrowing her eyes as he roars in her face. Opening her mouth to offer her reply only to be torn from the argument.
Rubbing her face, "I had that. Now the dumb cat thinks I am weak. That helps. And yeah he has a temper but he is poorly socialized. You ever dealt with a stray who had only ever been kicked?"
Pointing at Rigo, "That him. A piss and vinegar. He weren't socialized with people so he doesn't know how to act around us."
Groaning loudly and looking for Audria, who is ahead of Rigo, and groaning again "Ya'll coulda let me roar back at him. Never got to do that before."
Out into the lights and noise of the Fayre, the group - at least some of them - start to feel the strangely disorienting effect of drinking reasonable quantities of moderate strength spirits in a short period of time... the lights seem that much more vivid, the music more emotive, and the sight of the Great Wheel towards the peak of the hill - rather disorientating...
...if the group had previously struggled with the crowds that built up during their ascent to the Fayre then they have no such problems now - the Fayre is no less crowded than it was before but Rigo's presence, and then his roar echoing along the alleyways, seems to have found the group a little more space in which to walk - although maybe at the cost of a few more prying eyes? Moving quickly through the 'Honeycomb', the group eventually stumble across a sign for 'Festival's Greatest Show - Famed throughout the Empire - Starling's Pig Racing Extravaganza!!!'
Following the signs, the group soon enough find themselves in an area relatively clear of stalls and tents... instead, rows upon rows of benches are banked up opposite slopes - and, in between an obstacle course of sorts - jumps, hoops, tunnels, ditches leading to a great banner proclaiming 'Finish'. The activity here is quite frenetic, people calling bets to one another, wandering vendors selling drinks and snacks, one enterprising fellow actually selling bowler hats with names emblazoned upon them - 'Thistleweed' seems to be the one garnering most interest.
There is little time to take this in before a bell rings out followed by a garrulous voice, Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Take your seats please!!! Five Minutes until our first race of the night!!!"