Reinald looks over at the newcomer to the table, "I missed your name. I'm Reinald Malcoms. What brings you to Port Peril? Oh hey grab some goat, its a little dry but the curry is in the right mix." He slides a clean plate to Thorn.
Grasping the plate gently, Thorn takes a single serving of the goat. He also takes another mouthful of ale before answering.
"Ah, where are my manners? Name's Thorn. Journeys far from home bring me 'ere, along with th' pursuit o' some men who took somethin' dear from me. Somethin' that can't be returned. But that's a tale for another time! From where do you 'ail?
Reginald smiles, "I'm from Taldor. When not on ship I lived in Cassomir."
Ajani, looking at the others with a playful grin, moves his cloak to one side to maneuver his tail out from under it, the tip of it snaking upward until it is at the back of Eloise's neck, where he lightly wiggles the furry tip back and forth against her skin.
Tickled by Ajani's tail Eloise starts.
"I do not care if you call it crimson or scarlet, I am not wearing it!"
Her head slams back against the waterskin she was using as a pillow. The stopper pops out and the sudden pressure of her head against the skin sends water out, spraying everyone on that side of her with water.
Eloise's wakes up completely, looks at the scene in horror and total mortification.
"I am so sorry. Barkeep, we need towels!"
Reynolds laughs mostly fueled by rum, "I bet its safe to say water is the least of this floors worry"
" From where do you 'ail?
Sunny smiles as she replies,
"I be from tha' islands, waaay ta' tha' west of here." (^_^)
Then, as the water-skin 'pops' and sprays its contents all over her, Sunny 'Eeeks' and laughs brightly. Seeming to find the affair far more amusing than mortifying.
(^_^)
With a simian cry of surprise, Ajani only just manages to dodge the explosion of water from the burst waterskin. He breathes a sigh of relief after avoiding it, wiping a few minor droplets off of his fur.
"You should all be thankful, too. Wet Vanara fur is not the pleasant of odors...without proper care, at least." he says to the group, then looks to Eloise with a smile.
"It is no worry. It is my own fault. I did say the Vanara are noted for playing pranks. We just can't help ourselves."
To Thorn, "I am from the Elven kingdom, but glad to be here at least for now."
Alina jumps slightly at the *pop* of Eloise's pillow and giggles at Sunny's mouse scream.
"It's ok, Ajani, I am sure we have more surprises from Port Peril than either water spray or tails of pranks"
Still laughing a little Sunny nods, "We'll, things seem ta' be steerin' true. T'other day t'were a tankard of rum all over m'self." (^_^)
As Bramzit gets sprayed with water, there seems to be no reaction from the Halfling, he just stares at Eloise while the water drips off his face. About 30 seconds later, he lurches to a side, in a very delayed attempt to dodge the incoming water.
The barkeeper throws a bar towel at Eloise which she completely fails to catch. Picking it up, she mops up the water.
"It's a funny joke." she says through a smile to Ajani. Eloise re-stoppers the waterskin and places it on the table, away from her. She then picks up the towel and attempts to throw it back to the barkeep. It falls well short of the bar.
"Oh dear..."
With that it becomes apparent how drunk she really is as she staggers and weaves her way across the floor to retrieve the towel. Picking it up with elaborate care she puts it gently on the bar. She then retraces her steps, ever erratic, stumbling one, back to her chair where she sits slumping and holds on to the sides with both hands.
"Phew. If I remember this, I'm sure I'll laugh about it in the morning. After the hangover goes away."
Not hearing anything from the big man in a while you all hear a loud noise.. Looking over you notice that his head has fell back into his food, his mouth is open and a loud snore is beginning to echo across the room.. "Zzzzzz!"
"If you don't remember it, I'll be sure to remind you about it so we can both laugh." Ajani says to Eloise, a slight grin on his face as he looks around the table.
"It seems you aren't the only one who may have a hard time remembering the events of tonight come morning..."
Reinald chuckles, he flags a barmaid, "I think many of us need water bring a pitcher." If we are not careful we are gonna get rolled. He looks about a little dazed but trying to see if the antics of the table have drawn the interests of opportunists. Safety in numbrrs I guess and this group can like take care of the selves.
With Krul asleep, Bramzit decides to use a bit of prestidigitation to give him clown make up and a big red nose. Giggling insanely, he falls off his chair with a thump.
"ZZzzzz.."
Alina sees Reinald scanning the room. "Good thinking, Reinie. I'll be right back." Alina stands up, and makes her way to what passes for a privy in this depraved place. She doesn't enter, rather she turns around and makes her way back to the table, by way of the bar. The whole time she is keeping her eye on the crowd, looking for anyone that may wish the eager drinkers harm.
Reinald is at first unsure what Alina means then notices her searching the room. He watches her walk away. Reinald your staring, perhaps you should look away.
Sunny continues to natter away with those at the table, as she dabs herself dryer using an offered towel in one hand and occasionally sipping from the tankard she holds in the other.
Having met most of those here now, and learned more than he may have originally intended, Thorn just smiles. The fact that the devilish woman not only was drunk, but burst his waterskin, made life that much more interesting - mostly because he barely had any water hit him, and it caused so much laughter.
Laughter among kind faces. Now that's something I haven't had in quite a while. It's almost...
"Golden," Thorn said suddenly, as she returned. He would smile there, and just chuckle.
"You said somethin' about not wearin' somethin' 'cause o' color. If the color's wrong, I'd recommend gold. Would go swell with your appearance, I'd wager."
He does, at this juncture, take back his waterskin and re-tie it to his belt, smirking to himself.
Reinald fails contain a playful grin, "I think Thorn has a point. For ladies as lovely as you it should be fine dresses or nothing at all. I am sure Thorn or I have no dress in our respective rooms."
"You gentlemen have the finest dresses of all." A rich, sultry voice at the door gives way to a tall slender woman, looking slightly out of place with her silken Kelish garb. Her oversized Captain's hat seems to be more costume than true attire.
"Cover me in gold and I'll be yours for life." After a quick survey of the room, she walks to the table and slips beside Thorn, meeting his gaze. "Looks like you've gotten these ladies all wet."
Reinald cough mid sip of water at the new lady's comment, he looks up offering the weak explination, "Wrong pipe." He conginues to clear his throat.
As Yasmin invites herself to the table, Bramzit's eyes go wide as the wheels in his head turn. Still having Prestidigitation active, he colors Yasmin the color of gold. Gold skin, cloths, hair, everything he can see. Giggling he leaps upon the table, wobbling slightly "I win! She's mine for life!"
"Gold, gold would be pretty. Ooooh pretty lady in a nice hat!" Eloise smiles genially at the latest arrival.
"I'm so sorry you're all wet!" Eloise puts her head down and sobs. After a minute or two her shoulders continue to shake, but you are all reasonably certain she's passed out again.
With a friendly push, Alina nudges the brazen Halfling towards the golden girl. "Go claim your prize, little cap'n!" Her mirthful chuckle follows her gesture.
His grin growing wider, Bramzit saunters over to Yasmin, or at least he thinks he's sauntering, it's actually more of an imbalanced fall forward while staying on his feet. "Hello shexshy!" she says, bushy eyebrows waggling with delight. "Show what should wesh do now." he asks, clearly undressing her with his eyes.
Yasmin chuckles as she finds herself all golden. She bends over the table and, taking off her captain's hat, puts it over the little halfing, humming softly as she does so. The golden shimmer runs up her body and down into the hat like sand, revealing her true form again underneath. Only the hat remains golden. "Now you're a real captain, little one. But you'll have to get me a longer lasting dress than that. How about you buy me a drink first?"
Bramzit lifts the brim of the oversized hat, grin never leaving his face, "How about I jusht give you one of the pitshers we have at thish table? You getsh a drink, I shave shome coinsh. We can then shee who comesh out on top."
"Looks like you've gotten these ladies all wet."
With a snicker to himself, and easily matching her eyes, he'd have stood had he seen her coming. However, the gnome's antics are more than what some might call 'trying too hard.' It brings a grin to his face.
"The lady there decided to spray the others around 'er. Not my fault, really - jus' supplied the gal with the means to drench th' others, I suppose."
It took him a moment to note the origin of the new arrival's attire, but he placed it eventually. It made him lose a part of his grin, quickly replaced. I remember a ship with those colors. Raided her dry... and all I could do was watch as they took what they wanted. Never again.
"Personally, I think he's too small t'be captain. You have to 'ave some semblance of stature, some skill with words - and a sword too, now that I think about it - and the grit to bear the worst with th' best. But hey, maybe he's got the stuff. Who knows, eh?" he says with jest, taking another small drink of his portion. Seems that, at the very least, he can hold his liquor in comparison to the halfling.
Sunny giggles at every one's antics, even as she casually flops an arm over the sleeping Eloise. Her sipping of rum during the evening's past has brought quite the rosy glow to Sunny's cheeks.
(^_^)
"I always come out on top," says Yasmin with a smirk. The halfling was cute, but a little too cheap. Yasmin waves toward a serving girl. "Give me whatever he had," she says, gesturing over the felled Shonati. "I could use a stiff drink." She pulls up a chair.
Sunny waves to the new lass who's joined in the high jinx of the group,
"Hey-YA there!" (^_^) She says brightly, "M'name be 'Suny' in'a speakin' of tha' peoples." She introduces herself.
Reginald chuckles at the exchange, "If there was a time to part with coin Bramz that was it." I hope things remain cordial last time I was drinking with Kellish sailors . . . of course that was when I proudly wore the flag. He looks unconsciously to his bear tattooed arm that once bore the emblem of Taldor. Taldor is not my home. Reginald motions to the food some what picked over at this point. "Please feel free to enjoy we still have some curry goat left, cooks specialty I'm told."
Ajani quirks his head to one side at Eloise's newest journey to the land of Nod. This time he decided to let the jokes be and let the girl sleep off her drunkenness.
Turning his eyes to the newest arrival, the top of his tail flicked side to side. "You are nearly top late for the party I'm afraid. It seems most of us are at our limit. Then again,maybe that means you're just in time. "
Bramzit looks at Reinald, confusion apparent on his inebriated face. "Huh?" He does about a triple take between Reinald and Yasmin before shrugging and hoping down onto an empty chair.
A young man with a messy mat of black hair enters the Formidably Maid, his steps are neither hurried nor slow, his grey eyes shift from left to right, beholding the varied customers of the bar Port Peril Hasn't changed Making his way to an empty table near a shadowy corner, he plops down in the chair that creaks against his relatively light weight, which made him slightly worried for its stability No, it hasn't changed at all Thought Radval before he scanned the bar once more, which to him was easier than trying to figure out why he decided to come here to begin with...it seemed like a good place to learn of what changed in his Home town since last he's been here and to possibly meet some new people; as he doubted any of his old friends from childhood were around or still remembered him, but now that he was here, second thoughts and doubts plagued him like locust plagued a farmer.
Maybe I should just leave...no I am sticking to my decision Radval gave the table he sat at a very grim stare, which appeared quite awkward when delivered to an inanimate object.
"A splendid name for you, Sunny," replies Yasmin to the cheerful elf. "I'm Yasmin." She takes a sip of the Baijiu that's delivered, and puckers her face as she swallows. "I may be late, but I'll catch up with you soon enough!" Yasmin takes another look at the person addressing her... before realizing it was a monkey. Surely she hadn't gotten drunk of a single sip, had she? "Where do you hail from? I've been to every bar and shanty in the seven seas, but never seen your type."
Yasmin recognizes the Taldor colors that Reinald sports, but notices that the Taldane Lion is mysteriously absent. "And you there. Your crisp outfit seems to have lost its sleeve. There's a tale behind it, I'm sure." Her voice conveys genuine curiosity, but also some wariness - she never knew quite how a Taldane would react to her.
Reginald deep in his cups responds, he looks down at the torn sleeve,"I learned that dedication to nation and family sometimes only flows one way. Particularly when money and pride at stake."
With Reinald's comment, Alina raises her mug in a salute, "To our own seas." She smiles at the Taldan and the Kelishite, waiting to see if there is a story. Maybe I will have to wait to hear it?
Reinald continues to look at his arm. His eyes are dazed as if he sees something other than what is before him. "There is a cove on the Mwangi coast. It is called 'Firefly Cove,' in the late summers it is lit in the evening with lightning bugs, hence the name. At the time I was first mate of 'The Cheeky Fellow.' We were to serve as escort to a small group of ships. They were headed back to Taldor loaded with profits from the Company's dealings, the 'West Garumdi Trading Company'. They had a good year apparently at the expense of the Aspis Consortium. The Consortium sent a few ships likely pirates after the small fleet. They blockaded the cove, we were pinned for a few days. One night the Consortium sent a raiding party. It was a small raid but it left me with my first command, as the captain fell in the fight. We moved around what we could putting the most valuable items on one of the smaller lighter ships. The pirates growing restless gave us the opportunity we needed. The spread out enough we could make a break. 'The Cheeky Fellow' took the brunt of it the other ships made a break for it. Rather than leave them a war ship as prize I ordered the 'The Cheeky Fellow' scuttled. The took myself and the surviving crew hostage. Sadly only one of the ships got away. It was the prize ship. For the first few weeks I was treated well, I was an officer, my family was known to have money. " He shakes his head. "Then it got worse. I don't have all the details but we were disavowed by the Company, some sort of political scuttlebutt, involving the church of Abadar's money. Not sure if was my brother or my father that made the decision. Needless to say without ransom coming I was put with the other survivors and we were destined for the Bloodcove slave market. They had to move us over land when they did we had opportunity to make a break for it. That was a few years ago now." He realizes he just shared quite a bit and stiffens up, "Been hopping from ship to ship for a few years now."
Unsure when exactly he began listening to the tale of the man in the disheveled maroon coat, he was nonetheless sure of his interest in it. This man seemed to have undergone many a trial during his life To what end did he try so hard? Wondered the young sorcerer, as he shifted his eyes from Reinald and into a window that was to his right Here he was in a bar in a pirate infested port Radval brought his right hand to his forehead and began rubbing his temple, then shifted his light grey eyes to the former officer.
"Was it all worth it?" Asked the younger man, his voice slightly raised to capture the attention of Reinald.
Reginald turns toward the voice, "Serving king, country and family? Well . . . not for me, but that might be more the king, country and family than the service." He thinks a moment, "Still our efforts saved lives, and I am happier free than sold into slavery in Bloodcove."
Sensing Reinald's hard truths, Alina leans close and whispers in his ear,
The elf girl sets her chair a touch closer to the Taldan sailor and says, You were right about the curry. But I am still not sure it was goat."
As Reinald tells his tale, Bramzit's eyes droop and close as he finally succumbs to the alcohol. Soon after, tiny snores can be heard emanating from under the hat borrowed from Yasmin.
Conflict reared its head within the soul of troubled young man. Reinald spoke of saving lives but also easily talked of leaving his family behind But they abandoned him first...at least he seems to think so Radval placed the hand that was at his temple on the table, his eyes still fixed on the older man, their stare blank; withholding any emotion he felt "You are lucky to have regained your freedom" Replied the sorcerer, his tone of speech nonchalant and lower in volume than before.
Sunny smiles in return at Yasmin's compliment, though something about the exchange does bring a slight 'mue' on consternation to Sunny's features.
This, however, quickly fades as Mister Malcoms opens up and gives his tale. During the telling Sunny makes herself a little more comfortable by snuggling onto/upto the sleeping Eloise.
Oblivious to the consternation caused by her comments on Sunny's name, Yasmin instead focuses intently on Reinald's story. As he details his family's betrayal, Yasmin can't help but compare it to her own. Of course, unlike her, Reinald had done nothing to lose the favor of his family, but Yasmin is too self-absorbed to realize that.
"Family, who needs them? So many rules, obligations. Then you make one mistake and it's out the door with you! Be happy that you're free from their grasp!" Yasmin takes a big gulp of the alcohol before her. "Enough of that - how about we dance? That should help you feel better."
Yasmin comes over and pulls Reinald to his feet. She seems intent on making the both of them cheer up, and dances to a tune of her own devise.