For whatever reason, a small group of wasteland wanderers, as they've been dubbed, have found themselves in a small unassuming town in Tennessee, USA. The locals are actually quite nice, all things considered. Judging from the general disposition of the town, a good bandit raid hasn't happened in quite a while. The town is situated immediately around a large building known by the inhabitants as 'The Supercenter' where many people make their homes and sell from what is probably meant to be shops. Because of the central location of The Supercenter with respect to the town itself, it wasn't easy locating the people who call this home.
Down the road about a block is a rundown hotel now being used as an inn with a cheap but sustaining bar. It's midsummer and the sun is just an hour or so from setting so the inn is really beginning to pick up business. The air is of alcohol, merriment, and possibly a trace amount of mold from the decaying building.
Harumi whirled around, balancing a tray on her hand as she carefully made her way through the crowd (such as it was) and brought drinks over to the table that had ordered them. Even in the worst of times, people still found ways to brew alcohol... probably because of the long tradition of people making it themselves. Hard for a disaster to totally wipe out such widespread expertise, and if there was anything you could count on, it was that plenty of people liked to get drunk. Still, today's crowd seemed a bit more interesting than usual, with some fellows who seemed a cut above the rest...
The slender elf draws more than a few looks. In a world gone mad, she strolls along the grassy median strip in sandals and a tunic, carrying a bow and arrows, of all things. Her hair is in a long braid, and she looks around her curiously, with a hint of a smile on her face.
She passes the Supercenter, stopping to ask for directions from a slightly bemused man, and he points out the hotel. She walks out of the hot sun, into the cool darkness of the bar, and lets her eyes adjust for a moment. Just then, there was a loud thud, and she was reaching over her shoulder for an arrow before she saw they were just throwing knives at a poster on the wall. She smiled a little wider and dug a ripe peach out of the bag slung across her shoulder.
"Will that buy a drink?" she asked the barmaid.
Harumi picked up the peach and spun it around for a few moments, carefully scrutinizing it. The peach looked fairly fresh, and fruits like that were very hard to come by, especially for one of the owner's special drinks... "Yeah, it'll do." she decided, heading back to the bar and returning with a glass of something reasonably decent. Elves were known for preferring something other than your basic selection, after all. By this point, it was almost certain that the elf would recognize Harumi for what she was - a half-breed between elf and human, similar to both but not quite either one. Most people were okay with that, though there were always the few strange ones who blamed people for their heritage and discriminated against them... sigh. Oh well. "So, what brings you up this way?"
Jeremiah Hawthorne (Alias not yet created):
A young man, seemingly not even out of his twenties, with a trimmed beard sat in one of the sparse corners of the bar with his back to the wall. He'd been there for some time now watching the crowd come and go in front of him while partaking of his meal of a charred burger and fries. He'd said very little to anyone beyond the barmaid since his arrival and even that consisted of a few quick words to place his order.
While the fingers of one hand tapped on the table's surface, the others brought a couple of fries to his mouth. It was clear that he spreading his attention over the entirety of the bar, however his eyes seemed to be drawn more often than not to the game of knives happening across the bar from him. His fingers itched to try his hand at the simplistic game, but none the less, something seemed to keep him from trying to join in.
Cassandra hummed quietly to herself as she climbed off Harley giving the metal behemoth a soft pat as she hooked her helmet onto one of the side bags and stuffed the keys into the breast pocket of her jacket. The trip had been a rather long one with less stops than she would have wanted and all she really wanted in this moment was a good drink and a bit of time off the roads. Drawing up her hood Cassandra began making her way to the supercenter, with any luck she'd make it to the bar without anyone picking up on what she was.
The starring did not ALWAYS bother her it just got a bit grating on the nerves after a while, in a bar though many people were there to relax and with luck were less likely to make a fuss. Finding herself at the bar Cassandra couldn't help but smirk to herself at her luck, a quick scan of the room yielded that she was not the only oddity present, at least one other patron was drawing the occasional look and perhaps that would be all that she needed to keep a low profile. Not wanting to draw the eyes off the other woman Cassandra lingered near one of the walls occupying herself by keeping an eye on the game of knife throwing for the time being.
Valeria Enters the "The Drunken Pig" the local Inn and Tavern and she ducks a bit as she pass through the 6 foot 3 door. When she's through she straightens to her full height of 6 foot 6.
Her Silver mid back length hair, blue eyes, fair human skin and feminine curves give her a beautiful appearance, though her very fit body shows she can defend herself, with her height adding another advantage should she be in a fight.
Valeria quietly says to herself after quickly checking her surroundings
"Looks like this place is better than the last one."
Valeria finds an empty table next in a corner and sits down. A few moments later she asks a passing barmaid for the menu.
"Here you go." Harumi said, passing over one of the few menus the restaurant actually had. Honestly, most people didn't really need this sort of thing, if only because they knew what sort of drink they wanted before they even strode into the door. Variety was the spice of life, though, and who was she to argue with a customer? She was planning to head out soon anyway, and this was just getting a little extra for the road. "Just let me know when you see something you like!" It wasn't often that she saw a fellow half-elf, so... "If you don't have any preferences, I suggest the apple wines."
"Thank you."
Valeria quickly looks over the menu
"I'll take a full plate of Ribs with the chicken and fries and for drinks I'll have water.
As for Payment, would you take the rings from the Z gang that I and a few others completely destroyed a few weeks back."
Harumi idly glanced over the rings to assess their value. While she'd never made a serious study of the art, she did know a little bit about most subjects, including what was valuable and what wasn't...
"Yeah, those should do." she pronounced, feeling fairly confident in her assessment of their value. If she hadn't been able to tell, the next step was letting the owner make a decision. Trade goods were just as worthwhile as money, really - sometimes more so, particularly if they had a specific use, were rare, or both. Humming, she wrote down the order and headed to the counter to deliver it. It would be a little bit before the food was actually ready, so Harumi calmly began checking on the other customers while the food got started.
The man called Saturday sat next to the desperado Durran. They'd come into town together, though it could hardly be said that they knew each other well. Neither really seemed the sort to ask or answer, so they were practically perfect company.
They were night and day, really. Where the trenchcoated Durran was the muted color of road dust from head to toe, Saturday was a study in contrasts.
He was dark of skin and wore white clothes that were once fine, but now showed the signs of wear. He looked like he was dressed for a night at the opera from his white leather shoes to his white top hat. They probably wouldn't let him in though, being as he'd decided to forego wearing a shirt beneath his coat.
He had been sitting and enjoying watching the crowd for some time now, alternating between drinking, laughing and rolling a golden coin across his knuckles with practiced and unconscious skill. By now he was nearly finished with a bottle of red wine that he'd paid for with a gold tooth. He laughed and slapped the table at Durran's impressive toss.
"A fine t'row, mah friend." he said in a thick accent that placed him from somewhere in the islands off of what used to be Florida.
He took another swig of his wine straight from the bottle, and slipped off his stool to walk into the crowd. He gave the pretty barmaid an appraising look, completely unabashed in his attraction and impulsively swept her up into a quick waltzing turn before releasing her back on her way with a wink.
His face was handsome. Quite so, really, but there was something odd about it. His face was covered in swirling delicate ridges. Light scars that gave the impression that his skin had been rumpled and then smoothed out again.
He flipped his coin in the air, the gold catching the light and everyone's attention.
"Would anyone ca' to place ah wagah dat dey can beat mah friend here in a contest of skeel? Best out of t'ree t'rows! Any takahs?"
Cassandra let out a content sigh, it appeared her arrival had as she had hoped gone unnoticed everyone was far too busy having there fun to care about the hooded stranger as she slipped in and that was just fine with her. She'd remained at her place against the wall silently taking the scene about the bar in and finding it rather enjoyable. It was nice to see people having a good time. Just as Cassandra had been about to make her way over the the bar itself to grab a drink and then perhaps find an actual seat for herself a rather amusing scene halted her.
A large dark skinned man swooped across the bar with a surprising amount of grace for someone who had likely had a bit to drink, he took up one of the barmaids in a brief dance before producing a piece of gold, the shimmer of the metal in the light was more than enough to garner Cassandra's attention and that of some of the other patrons.
He spoke with a thick accent that made his words a touch difficult to follow but his gestures made up for that rather easily, a knife throwing challenge. A small smirk spread across Cassandras face at the thought of the easy money, best out of three put the odds even better in her favor. The only problem was it put her squarely in the center of attention.
But money was money and at present her pockets were feeling a bit TOO light, and perhaps earning a bit of extra cash the 'honest way' might even be fun, pushing off the wall Cassandra would make her way across the room pulling down her hood as she did and flashing the man a grin "I cant pass up a challenge like this, especially if that lovely gold is on the line" Cassandra said as she neared, with her hood down it was plain to see that she was perhaps one of the more exotic members of the bar her as there was no way of hiding her very feline features, a coat of dull gray fur covering her from head to toe, piercing amber eyes with slitted iris', and a pair of feline ears perched atop her head twitching at every little noise.
To hide her features Cassandra wore heavier clothing, a thick leather jacket she had stolen a few years ago from another biker when the idiot tried to con her out of the gas she had needed to get Harley moving, beneath which was an rather old hooded sweat-shirt patched together haphazardly over years of use its primary purpose being it's hood, a set of similarly patchwork jeans though clearly far more effort was put into these as all of the patching was done with (mostly) like-colored black material.
Stryke snarled happily as he dug his teeth into the buck's carcass. The two of them had been tracking the large mark over five miles before they were able to catch it off-guard and bring it down.
Baird sat beside the young grizzly bear, one hand resting on the mighty beast's back, the other rotating the part of their catch that he had saved for himself on a spit over the campfire.
"Eat well, my friend, this was a meal hard earned. We probably would have lost him had it not been for that nose of yours!" Gnashing and slurping were the only response that Baird received. He laughed and patted his companion on the back. "Graceful as ever, eh? I guess I can't really blame you. You have a lot more body to fill up than I do. You'll probably be hungry once more within the hour!"
It had been a long road for the two of them since the last settlement, but Baird could finally see more lights and buildings downhill from where they were camped. He was still unaccustomed to the roads and highways that the folk of these parts used for travel, but they had served as excellent landmarks for him to occasionally keep track of where they were. Baird didn't have a particular destination in mind, he just wanted to see more of the world, as was the will of the Great Bear. It didn't take long for Stryke to finish the last of the buck, and then the two of them were on their way once more. Within minutes, they were in the settlement of Wamat.
As usual, Baird and Stryke received many strange looks as they strolled through the settlement. Some people screamed, others looked on in terror, others still ran for their lives. Baird was used to it by now, and he knew that there was no way he could permanently put a stop to the reactions save for parting ways with his companion of ten years. He himself was twenty-seven years old, and had met the bear just after it was born. He wasn't about to trade his best friend for a little peace, not for anything.
Like most travelers, Baird made his way to the local tavern. He had managed to keep the antlers of the buck intact, and was hoping to use them to barter for a few drinks. Stryke followed him into the tavern, and as expected, they were met with many strange looks. Ignoring them, Baird approached the woman at the bar and presented her with the antlers.
"Good day, miss. I come bearing a trophy from my most recent hunt. Will they be sufficient for a few mugs of your finest drink?"
"I cant pass up a challenge like this, especially if that lovely gold is on the line"
"Your wagah sets mine, pretty kitty cat." Saturday said with a smirk, the gold coin dancing across his hand. "What do you bring to tha table to say yo' skill ees bettah than his?"
He seemed momentarily surprised at the features of this woman before him, but pleasantly so. Saturday was not the sort to be easily shocked, nor did he seem to be the kind to harbor prejudice.
"What do you bring to tha table to say yo' skill ees bettah than his?"
Cassandra smirked understanding well enough what the man was trying to say, the ball was in her court to set the bet for there little competition that certainly put things in an interesting position, she'd half hoped that the man would make an overblown bet out of drunken bravado that she could take advantage of but needing to put up her own bet meant he'd probably be a bit more likely to want to SEE the money. "Alright then big guy, assuming you've got the cash for it I'll put up ten gold pieces." She said slipping a single piece out of her belt pouch and rolling it along her knuckles before returning it to the pouch. It was perhaps a bit MUCH considering her current monetary situation but if he could match it then that would double her current savings.
Cassandra paused as Durran introduced himself and explained the rules, he had no actual interest in participating himself a fact that made Cassandra rather sad considering how off his game the man appeared to be as even with a few drinks in him he'd done reasonably well, certainly better than many she'd seen try, better even than some who made attempts while sober. "Pretty reasonable, much as I'd like your money I can respect a man who knows when to stay his hand." She said giving Durran a nod before picking up a set of knives for herself twisting them around in her grip to check the balance.
Cassandra looked agape at the board as all three knives managed to hit the exact same spot now if only they had been ANYWHERE near the bullseye then she might have felt a lot more confident in her chances, she knew she still technically had a chance but not exactly the best one.
Harumi looked over the antlers, trying to estimate their overall worth.
"I'm afraid you'll have to ask the Boss on that one." she said, tilting her head to the place where the owner was. Her feeling was that they were probably at least somewhat valuable, especially among what few collectors of such things lived, but one thing she'd long since learned was to not accept trade goods unless she was very confident of their actual value. Bartering systems made things a lot tougher than the receipt system she'd read about (which wasn't to be confused with the printed note system - who had thought THAT up?), and it was probably worth making a serious study of the the value of items at some point... she did love learning, after all. "Though, for safety, I don't think we can let your... um... friend have any drinks if the bartender accepts it." At least, she was pretty sure it was his friend... but she'd seen a lot weirder, and this place had enough capable people to handle it (judging by all of their weapons).
"My friend will likely not claim any heads while he is here, if that is what you are implying. You should count yourself lucky to host one of the children of the Great Bear!"
Stryke growled lightly in approval, turning the heads of some of the nearby patrons. Baird had brought him into plenty of bars during their travels, and most of them had shown the same reaction. The barbarian usually just shrugged it off, although he was slightly disappointed at how rejecting people could be of such a noble beast.
"Well what would be a worth a drink then? I do not have much, and I would rather save what little coin I do have. My skills at the hunt are second to none, and I could happily provide your tavern with enough food from the surrounding woodlands to feed many hungry bellies. I can also provide information on hunting and lands both near and far, if knowledge is worth anything here. I would prefer to sit down and have a drink first, but I can assure you that I am good for my word; you'll not find me skipping out on a payment."
Yldarth looks over the town, and gives a sigh. I hope this settlement will be a tad more... receptive. Turning to Iolth, the sorcerer gives a wan smile and says "Sorry, Iolth. You'll have to return for now. You can come back once we get chased out of town this time." Iolth disappears in a flash of light, and Yldarth begins walking towards town.
Arriving at the tavern, Yldarth walks in. Looking at all of the folks laughing, talking, and arguing, Yldarth grins. They look friendly-and willful-enough! Hopefully, I can stay here for a bit. Maybe even some of them will listen.
Looking at the dart board where two of the patrons were competing, Yldarth fingers his three knives. He could beat them easily-with a little bit of magic, of course. Walking up to the board, he carefully lines up-whispering some words-and each of them hit the bulls eye.
Valeria thinking to herself as she watches her surroundings
"Seems a like a *shorter than average barbarian, or is he a ranger since he has a bear with him?"
"We have a catwoman, a man who knows firearms, a written on man, and now golden Boy"
Harumi nodded to Baird. "Well, like I said, you can ask the Boss if that's an acceptable item." she said, indicating the antlers. "He takes a lot of weird things, so it's not like you're already out of luck." More to the point, he was much better at evaluating strange goods than she was, considering that her studies had generally been focused in... other areas. "Just call me over when you've decided what you want to do." A small chime told her that the food was ready to be served, and she quickly made her way back over to the bar so she could deliver Valeria's food. "Here you go. Would you like anything else with this?"
Jeremiah allowed his ass to slide a bit forward as he leans back in the hard wood chair and crosses his arms over his chest. It would seem that the crowd kept getting stranger and stranger. Not long after some kind of cat folk walked through the door, an amazon came through.
Quietly Jeremiah took some time to study both. While the amazon seemed content to make her order at the comfort of a table, the cat folk seemed to wary of drawing attention. Despite this, at the hint of gold from the odd man in white, she quickly made herself the center of attention as she offered up more gold than most saw in a year as a wager.
While such a fact definitely drew Jeremiah's attention, it did not prevent him from noticing the wild man and his bear that came through the door next. While Jeremiah held little fear of animals as long as his trusty pistol was strapped to his side, he did question the mental stability of people that traveled with what most would consider wild animals.
The introduction of so many "interesting" faces made Jeremiah wary of his surroundings and as the barmaid Harumi made her way over to the amazon's table, he would raise a hand to draw her attention.
Valeria replies to Harumi
"No, this should be fine for now.
Though I would like to ask, does this place have a bath I could use a bit later."
"Sorry. Try two doors down, though - I think they're still doing that." she indicated a direction of the Supercenter with her thumb. They were a restaurant, not an Inn, so they didn't have the in-house facilities for that sort of thing. Fortunately, when you had lots of people living in close proximity, many new services started to become available. Rely on others for what you couldn't do yourself and, in the end, everyone prospered. She headed over to Jeremiah a moment later. "What can I get for you?" she asked, smiling.
Baird sat down at the bar and took a moment to strap the antlers to his pack. They were a prize earned after more than an hour of hunting, and he did not feel like troubling this "boss" with them. If anything, he might be able to get a good bargain for them in the next town. Perhaps he could even incorporate them into his armor somehow. So long as they didn't go to waste, the death of the animal that once bore them would not be in vain.
Soon Baird's thoughts drifted from his exchange with the bartender towards the small pack of people throwing daggers at a piece of paper on the wall. There was a confident looking man in a dusty billowing coat, what looked like a small woman, though he could not make out her features due to all of the baggy clothing, another hooded figure, and a strange dark-skinned man in fancy clothing capering about. He seemed to be doing most of the talking, though he wasn't participating in whatever strange activity the others were. Curious, Baird decided to give it a try and see why it appealed to so many of them. He rose from his seat and approached the man in white, Stryke following close behind.
"Excuse me, you seem to be the host of whatever this activity may be. Might I give it a try? I am unfamiliar with this custom."
While waiting for Harumi to finish with her prior patron, Jeremiah would turn his attention to those around him once more. A newcomer had made his way into the bar decided to try his luck with the daggers.
As Jeremiah watched the man nail each of the knives into the designated "bull's eye" zone, his eyes would narrow. Something was amiss. He'd seen people skilled at throwing knives, but to simply walk in out of no where and manage such a feat seemed unlikely...
Caught up by the display, Jeremiah fails to notice Harumi's approach. Upon hearing her voice, he would jump slightly while his raised hand goes for his gun. However, before making a drastic mistake, he catches himself and clears his throat as his cheeks go red.
"Yes...ahem...could I get some water please. I feel like it might help clear my head some..."
Although one knife clatters to the ground, the rest get moderately close to the bull's eye.
"I'll have it out in just a minute." Harumi said to Jeremiah, heading over to the bar and filling one of the simple cups from their basic water supply. That was healthier here than it might have been elsewhere - alcohol (even bad alcohol) was one thing, if it got you drunk enough, but nobody wanted water that would make them sick. She checked the coins in the other mugs a moment later, making a small notation on a paper behind the bad before dumping the coins into the box, filling the mugs, and delivering all three of the drinks.
Efficiency was key when you worked in places like this, even if it was just for a bit - nobody liked having to wait too long for their drinks. With the ease of years helping serve others, she calmly made her rounds through the tables, checking to see who else might need something. At least it was a lively crowd tonight... now she just had to make sure none of them started behaving in ways they shouldn't. Her outfit was rather silly, and had to have been designed by a man... sigh. Well, you did what you could to get along in this world.
Yldarth sits next to the man who offered him and the cat-woman drinks. "Thank you, friend. I have been on a long journey, and weariness soaks my bones. My pockets are rather empty at the moment, so your charity is much appreciated. Names are a powerful thing, so I feel reluctant to give out mine. But, to return the favor, I will give you it. My name is Yldarth."
Yldarth is a handsome young man, about nineteen or twenty. Yet, despite his age, Yldarth carries an unusual presence with him, and people listen to him when he speaks in his soft voice. Yldarth has a weak frame and porcelain skin, and his hair is a soft blond, bordering on white, and Yldarth's eyes are a soft, liquid gold. The boy is clad is clad in an ornate hooded tunic, highlighted with gold, and his pants are of white linen. Yldarth's boots are scuffed, and seem to have suffered much walking.
cassandra let out a low sigh as a new challenger approached taking up a set of knives himself and of course fate chose such a time to make a true fool out of her for betting the bulk of her welth as even with one knife whiffing entirely and clattering to the floor his overall score remained higher than her own. It hadnt been THAT long since shed done this sort of thing why was it that tonight of all night her luck appeared to be running dry.
a small smile rreturned to her face at Durrans words and his purchasing of a round for them, it didnt quite make up for the looming loss of coin but it certainly couldent help "it appears you might be right Durran and it appears I let my poor showing affect me enough to forget introducing myself. The names Cassandra" she said as the drinks arrived taking a drink from the mug Cassandra awaited the dark skinned mans attempt to see just how much fate wished to mock her. The drink was good enough certainly not the best but FAR from the worst she had ever had.
It was a funny thing, these surface dwellers. Oxana wasn't exactly short for her kind at 4'3", but coming up here made her wonder if her kin were so isolated because of an inferiority complex over the taller races. Orcs and elves, but especially humans, who overlooked the 'husky child' at times. Some recognized her for what she was - those were usually the humans who looked at her like she was some kind of horrid freak of nature. It was sort of annoying, to be honest.
She stepped up into the decaying bar, wondering if they had ice here. If they had a working freezer and power, maybe. Ice was just wonderful to have this time of year. The dwarf woman scratched the nape of her neck, under the messy brownish braid that kept her hair pinned back. She hoisted herself up into an available seat, dropping the survival pack down next to it. Sitting at least put her somewhat on the same levels as these treeclimbers.
"Hey, what do you have that passes for ale around here?" She pipes up in a husky voice.
Yldrath gives a wan smile. "Nice to meet you, Cassandra. I'm afraid that the majority of my victory was luck, however. I have many skills, though I daresay I am not a skilled knife-thrower." Taking out a pipe, he puts a little bit of a withered plant and it and starts puffing on it. "I suppose you could call me a teacher. Though what I teach isn't exactly welcome in most settlements."
Hearing the mention of technology, Yldrath chuckles. "Glad to know I'm not the only one to remember such things. I know I look young, but my looks belie my age."
Perhaps those who remember such technology would be willing to learn... Yldrath muses.
After eating her meal she joins the others in their knife contest,
"Mind If I give it a shot."
"And what's the wager in this contest from each contestant"
"Here's my 5 into the pot."
Valeria throws her Knives at the board
"That was fun, Maybe I should hold a different contest?
Like arm wrestling."
"Oh, a game, is it? I shall test my might then!"
"A fine throw!" Baird's dagger had sundered a corner of the poster and left a deep wound in the wall. "Now for the next one!"
The dagger left another perforation in the wall, this time close to the center, where he assumed he was supposed to be aiming.
Far from the center, but the knife looked as if it would need to be dug out by at least two men.
"There, I have inflicted the most damage upon the target!" Baird was very proud of himself, though very few others seemed impressed. At least Stryke cheered for him, albeit with a terrifying roar.
"Quite a lot." Harumi said, smiling at Oxana. "They've still got some good land in the area, so the food's actually pretty good... and it's actually a bit frightening to see how much land they put aside to grow the ingredients for alcohol..." When you got right down to it, people were pretty darn weird. She slipped a menu onto Oxana's table a moment later - while not as long as a pre-cataclysm list would have been, it was still fairly comprehensive, trying to cover most things people would want. It wasn't like they were a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, after all. "Would you like a few minutes to look it over?"
"Wow - all we had to drink in the mountains was mushroom ale," Oxana says as she takes a look at the menu. "Hey, what's a sloppy joe? Is there rat in it? Or whatever kind of meat you eat around these parts?"
The dwarf watches the knife throwing game out of the corner of her eye, thinking a bit. "Hey, so, you know where I could get like a map of the region? You know, see what's out there? You know if the highways are still useable? Is there a road to Enwaisee?"
Stuff