A tavern in the woods [OPEN!] }{ Open!

[notthecoolest]

Xana sat heavily in a chair, exhausted from the trek through the thick underbrush to the nameless forest town and its bleak tavern. Inside there were a few local villagers, all giving her strange looks and staying on the farthest end of the mead hall. The tavern keep and his two daughters bustled to clean the leftover mess before the dinner bell was rung. She shouted loudly to the nearest, most bodacious girl, "Hello, love. I'm dying for something nice to drink. Any homemade mead around here?" She smiled and winked at the blonde, red-faced girl, who nodded and raced off. Not long after, a warm glass bottle was in her hands and the liquid halfway down her throat. She sat that way for a long while, illuminated by the scarce candlelight, the sinking sun, and the blue glow of her traveling companion by her side. Thinking of him, she turned and smiled. "Long trek today, eh? Can't wait for tomorrow. Gon' be a long one for sure!"

The townspeople stared. She smiled to herself, looking away from the unresponsive ball and meeting their looks of disapproval head on. "'Ello, nice people. How're ya?" She received a vague murmur and passing glances before they turned back to their respective drinks.

"Must not be used to visitors, I s'pose. Not like the towns we've been to recently, I'd say," she said quietly to herself. It hurt, in a way, to have no one to talk to. Even the mousy tavern girl all but ran away before she could get a word out. She looked sullenly down at her drink, swishing the amber liquid around and sighing. The tuft of fuzzy light floated about her head in interesting patterns, hoping with what little intelligence it had to cheer her up.

The door opened and closed. She turned that way to see a distressed woman holding a bonnet firmly on her head as she ran. Her eyes were wide as she adjusted tattered farm skirts about her in an attempt to compose herself. She gulped in air. "They're back! Those - those things are back again! Help, help, please!"

The tavern's interest in everything else increased as the people tried to ignore the woman. She frantically looked around at her neighbors as they shrugged her pleas off. Finally, panicked eyes fell on Xana. "Please, miss. Ya gotta help me family and me kids! They're in trouble!"

Xana stood and righted her skirts, adjusting her corset and pelts. She smiled at the woman nicely. "Be happy to do what I can, dear lady. Just tell me, what's the problem, eh?"

Before the woman could answer, the tavern door behind her opened, revealing a figure that Xana was unable to see in the dim light.

[JxSlaughter]

The silhouette of the figure suggested it had a straw hat and possible robe like clothing. Whoever it was, it stood at the entrance for a few moments, as if having a slight hesitation to enter. Then it started to walk into the candle lit tavern.

It was a tanned male with black short wavy hair. He adorned a straw hat, bandages around his left eye, robe like garments, and sandals. He seemed like a foreigner in comparison to the local villagers, at least in the way that he dressed. He kept his arms dragging at his side without swinging them as he walked, and his look was casted on the ground. He took a seat at an empty table, and took off his hat to set it on the table. He was still not saying anything, and still looking downward. The tavern girls were much too afraid to approach him, and as if he had come here before with the same orders, they gave him a pint of ale and set it down at his right hand before quickly leaving him alone.

Rather than the villagers at the tavern quietly shunning, they whispered in an exchange of words about the man. One or two of the men were trying to hide the fact that they were pointing to him and the girl in the bonnet asking for help. One older woman was staring at the pale girl who had stood up, wondering what she would do next.

[notthecoolest]

Xana stood, stunned by the strange look of the man who had just entered. The woman in the bonnet seemed overjoyed and grateful that someone had just volunteered to help in what seemed to be a bleak situation, bounding over to Xana in long strides and grabbing her arm. "Come, miss, please! They're there - they're at me farm now!"

Xana, although willing to help, hushed her. She looked at the man and his strange attire again. He stuck out sorely in comparison to everyone else, with his hat, his robes, and his tanned skin; and when the tavern wenches knew exactly what to get him without being told, her intrigue only increased. Although matters with the farm woman were surely pressing, Xana found herself sauntering over to him anyway.

She placed her hands on the table next to him, the rings adorning her fingers glittering in the low light. She smiled brightly, hoping that for once in this tiny town she wouldn't just be ignored like she had been before. "You seem a little...out of place here, love. And you look down, too. Something on your mind?"

The villagers, who Xana vaguely noticed had been pointing and whispering about the man when he entered, sat in awe as she blatantly disregarded the distressed woman in the bonnet in favor of chatting up this new man. But Xana simply had to know what lay beneath that bandage. That, and if she had a good eye, she could have sworn she'd seen a hint of a sword on him - although she could surely be wrong (wouldn't be the first time she'd hallucinated, anyway), it wouldn't hurt to double check. Who knew what she might encounter at this farm?

The orb of light buzzed around her head and floated near his, and her grin widened as she waited for an answer.

[JxSlaughter]

She was surely right that he had a sword on him. It was black, with white images of cranes on the sheath.

When the girl had her hand on the table, the previous person he was would be intrigued by the items and it would have risen curiosity in him. Questions like, 'where did they come from?' or 'How much did you pay for them?' and if they weren't of importance he would have certainly wanted to trade it. He was a merchant after all. But not now. Not any more.

"You seem a little...out of place here, love. And you look down, too. Something on your mind?"

While he was too depressed to look up, the eye behind is bandages had a blurred vision of the hazy world past the cloth that covered it. Zhijiru could feel his left eye moving, but couldn't see what his covered eye was seeing, as it had a mind of it's own. It was focused on what appeared to be her odd wispy companion.

He was sort of toying with the handle of his cup. He didn't take a drink yet. Zhijiru lifted his head a little, not really looking at her face, but rather her neck. "Aren't you supposed to be going somewhere?" His tone wasn't sharp, it was calm. He said this, noticing the girl beckoning her to hurry to her farm. He didn't give off the tone that he wanted to be left alone, rather, he didn't mind her staying, but didn't want to pressure her.

[notthecoolest]

When he shifted to look up at her - though their eyes never met, because his gaze was leveled somewhere near her neck or shoulder - Xana was able to sneak a glance and confirm to herself about the sword with the interesting birds on it. She'd seen them in the forest before, but didn't have a name to put to the exact long-legged and long-beaked creature. She snapped her eyes back to his as he finished speaking and had to focus to remember what he'd said while she'd spaced off. "Aren't you supposed to be going somewhere?"

She hesitated for a moment. The farm woman had grown silent behind her, shocked that the volunteer had suddenly blown her off, and so quickly. And yet, that sword might help against whatever they were to encounter at the farm, if he knew how to use it. She was willing to take that chance, but how could she get him to come with her without having to offer coin? What a dilemma.

Her answer to this question had been the same since she'd begun traveling - she'd flirt and see if it took her anywhere.

"Surely not all by my lonesome," she reasoned in a lower voice, more sultry. "Not without a big, strong man to help me - you wouldn't happen to know any, would you?" She smiled her best, most winning smile, hoping for a positive response. She could feel the farm girl's impatience growing behind her as the crowd murmured more enthusiastically about the spectacle before them.

[JxSlaughter]

When the girl Zhijiru was talking to hesitated to answer he started to drink his ale. But soon after the girl started to flirt with him.

Surely not all by my lonesome," she reasoned in a lower voice, more sultry.

Zhijiru put down his drink, and looked at the girl's face this time as she continued.

"Not without a big, strong man to help me - you wouldn't happen to know any, would you?"

She was smiling now. Obviously to win him over he supposed. He didn't like it when girls got too used to using their charm to get their way. At the same time, he couldn't reject a lady asking for help. But... he wasn't that much of a swordsman either... He remembered an old companion of his, and how at first he didn't want to be caught up in any mess. Then later after becoming involved, he wanted so hard to be a hero. Maybe now could be different. Maybe now he could start anew.

Unlike his past adventure, he took on this offer-- the first time around. He stood up and grabbed his straw hat. "I thank you kindly for the compliment." He said, assuming that big strong man she was saying was a reference to him. He put on his hat, as if he was leaving. "But I'm sure you're a lot stronger than me." His last companion was also a magic user. He could sense the magic on this girl too. With a slightly silly tone, as if he couldn't take the quest seriously he added, "However, since you asked so kindly I will tag along on your escapades." He said this, assuming that he would be something of a burden to her. That's what she gets for assuming I'm strong. He said this to himself, having little confidence in his skills.

[notthecoolest]

His response, although mostly positive, held an undertone to it that Xana couldn't quite figure out. He'd gotten up, joked with her a bit (had that been a joke, she wondered?), but his eyes - eye, rather - told a different story. He seemed deadpan when it came to the flirting, so she wasn't sure it was a very good route for her in this situation. Instead, there was something else about him; as if the sadness she'd detected earlier was the only thing spurring him to move. She couldn't be sure, really - she never was good at reading people, but she would take this as his motive and deal with it. She could work around a sad man. She had before.

However, she counted her blessings. She'd received eye contact, and more importantly, an agreement. She smiled as she thought over his words. "But I'm sure you're a lot stronger than me." As if that was the case! It wasn't hard to tell she was into magic - if her little glowing friend was any indication - but she couldn't brandish a weapon to save her life. All she had was her magic, but he had a sword. She had no doubts he'd be useful enough; even if he couldn't use the sword any more than she could, she'd be right there to heal him as he went. She'd even made a new spell the night before on her hike to this bleak place that she was itching to try!

Oh yes. Surely this would work out perfectly. She had herself someone who could fight, and a small quest to fill her time. Should he do a good job, she might even give him some payment for his time. And possibly make a friend, if she could break him from this shell he seemed to be cocooned in! Although his posture and presence were slumped and downtrodden, Xana eagerly accepted his words with a laugh. "Thank you very much," she replied, observing manners she often forgot about. With that, she turned to the woman, still waiting for help behind her.

"I believe we're ready!" she said, almost excitedly. She turned back to the man. "Am I correct?"

[JxSlaughter]

"Indeed." He replied, almost sarcastically happy. The thing resting in his eye socket started to rejoice, speaking in a way that only his host could here. "A quest! A quest!" Ever since the night Zhijiru's friend disappeared his eye had become a lot more chatty than usual. Not something he was used to.

The lady in the bonnet was pretty upset that the strangers were not in a hurry to help her out. In fact, her face was a little red. Zhijiru took notice of this, and in his head, he was upset because she was. The lady tugged on the young woman's arm, "Alright alright!! Now come and help me already!" She started to lead the way out of the tavern. She put both her hands to her cheeks and started shaking her head at the thought of what mayhem has taken place while she was away. She whined in despair as she quickened her pace after leaving the tavern. "My poor farm animals!!"

Farm animals... Zhijiru remembered it. When his dear friend that he wanted to save so badly. Destroyed his home town-- and his dog.

When they got to the lady's farm there was damage done. The fence gate entrance was smashed inwards towards her property. It wasn't a big farm. It mostly looked like a farm enough to feed their family and open a small family shop. Upon entering it, there was further damage to a small chicken coop. There was the smell of dead chicken carcasses that were leftover. Apparently whatever was here killed more than they needed, or could carry. Or maybe it was killing the chickens for fun? The lady started to get teary eyed in fear of whatever it was that caused this. "If they get to the cows-- my family's business is ruined!" She froze in place and started weeping. Afraid to go further into the property. Whatever killed the chickens though, left a fresh track of blood. Someone, or something must have been carrying a butchered chicken with them.