Minding my head and hat, I walk into the pub with my man-shaped handle barrel. While it's noisy enough outside, entering the building, it's smashing into my ears a whole lot differently. Groups sing back and forth while others bang on tables like drums. Revelry is everywhere to be found. It's even making a mess of the floors. Ew.
Letting my mood perk up at the sights and smells worth focusing on, I do my best to make my way around. It's hard enough being as large as I am now, never mind the luggage I now possess. All this dodging and weaving around the dozens of oblivious drunks. I might as well be a one man choir with how many apologies keep leaving me.
Finding some freedom from the crowd, I pop out with my man in hand, hitting his head on a barstool. Tutting at the groan coming from him, a girl laughs in my immediacy. My head turns to meet a tall, petite woman with long blonde hair. Well, sort of, there're a lot of clearly brown patches even in this well-secured candlelight.
"Well, hello there. Ain't see you around here before." she greets, her smile settling down into a smirk with a bite on the bottom. Her eyes quickly dance from my feet and up to my hat's top. She rests a hand on her hip, letting what remains of her body lean on the nearby wall. Blocking off my ascent upstairs.
Great... Well, maybe that wicker-looking wall decoration will give her enough of a splinter to give me a chance.
"First time here, first time in the town, too." I say to her, setting my luggage down on top of an empty, decorative barrel. I jab his falling head towards the wall. Eh, if it's bruised in the morning, he'll blame the earlier drop or some other one. Putting my focus back on the rather unremarkable woman, I scoff mentally.
I guess being around the aelenvari has had some effect on me. This girl ahead isn't ugly per se, but having so much experience now with proper women. Comparatively, she is. Not even just the aelenvari, either. Iishar's quite the looker, I've seen goddesses too, Vadei and Einervaene.
Even Vapooliar has her own charm, despite the history her body has.
"Beak and cloak and lots of wrapping? Oh, I wonder... Ah, you that one who came in dragging a sadroobell?" she asks, her expression lighting up more than it already was. If I could blush, I feel like I would be right now. It feels so odd to know that my name has gone through the town. Or, at least, the idea of me has.
To have this happen in Tobaballe would've been a miracle, but I will accept the boon here too. Yet, still, it does not feel right to hear this. The sadroobell was an easy kill, really. The ryphurgok incident was mostly Brewbrt's handling, too. I guess I've yet to grow out of my rusty anklets...
I suppose I need to get used to this kind of talk, anyway. Everyone so far has been really impressed with how powerful I am. Whatever happened to me in the osibindah hive, it seems to be a good thing. I'm not the strongest, but, I'm sure being near Vapooliar again will turn many eyes in this Suhurlodst place.
"Y-Yes, that would be me." I tell the unknown girl, remembering I still have a conversation to be involved in.
"Certainly made a reputation for yourself...?" she remarks, her voice trailing off as she stares at me.
"Nin. My name is Nin." I answer, flipping that switch in her head so she can carry on.
"Nin, huh? Well, I am Neeameth. Nice to meet you." she introduces herself as and my eyes widen. Though not because of the finger she's temptressing over the tip of my beak.
"Neeameth? Well, I can say I've heard a lot about you, too. Quite recently, in fact." I remark, this meeting feeling all too much alike destiny at the moment.
"Perhaps about my good looks?" she confidently questions and a flurry of images go across my mind. I snort over the noise of the pub and its partying and it shatters her. Freezing up with the laughter carrying on in my head, I stare back at her fouling expression.
"I'm sorry..." I say, minding my manners, "It's... It's just I've got a bit of involvement with nicer women. Especially given my current company."
"Current company? He doesn't look like much to me," she snorts back, her nose turning up at the drunk I am travelling with. Looking back at him, I shrug, as it means she's at least willing to brush it somewhat off. Either way, she seems to enjoy trying to get her eyes around me. Which, I guess, makes Futhans' complaint all the more clear.
Neeameth is quite the tall lass, compared to everyone here, anyway. And, well, here I am, taller than her by a good head and more. Wider, too, and not because I have a belly ready to jiggle. Futhans wasn't kidding when he said she likes taller men. Neeameth must like the idea of being the small one for once.
"Oh, him? No, no, no, no, no... He is not the one I speak of. The one I am speaking of is quite the darling, I am willing to admit out of earshot. Rose-haired beauty that likes to dress as if the world's her bedroom."
"Rose hair... Aelenvari?" Neeameth asks, her voice breaking out into laughter, "I know it's fairly obvious from the clothing remark, but still!"
"Yep, she is... She most certainly is." I answer, trying to go along with the tall girl's humour.
"A strong one?" she then asks, a finger on her lips as she likely considers a chance to rid me of my companion. Well, much as I find her annoying, Neeameth, I cannot allow that. She's my guide out of here!
"She's a former ivy-mother." I answer quick and simple and Neeameth's face crinkles and burns. A harsh swear barks out of her and some drunks tell her off. She snaps at them, putting the quiet into them when it comes to us. Her face calms down when she looks to me again, though her eyes are strained.
"So what you doing in this town, anyway? Would have thought a foreign boy like you would go somewhere with better sights than this town. It's a lovely place, mind you, but surely a little boring, no?"
My eyes dart to the corner of my lenses so I can catch some of the alcoholic joy, "Seems rather lively to me."
"Bah, ryphurgoks getting out has always been an issue. S'why you got a few pieces of work needing a roll down the mountain in this town." she says, shrugging her shoulders and flapping a hand dismissively. Getting over her misinterpretation of my words, I focus on the oddity of her response. It's common..?
"It's common?" I go, repeating my lingering thought.
"Not as much as it used to be, but they get out quite often. Though, admittedly, to be truthful... They tend to just be small cases. Big ones barely happen. Think what happened not that long ago was a first for many here. The ranches always hire extra hands when new cattle come in and the gates tend to be barred for extra safety. Whatever happened recently wasn't normal."
"What a time for me to arrive here, then." I comment, looking in the general direction of where all the animals got returned. I try to not let the osibindah cross my thoughts, but, in trying to avoid, I run right into a head full of them.
I sigh out my frustrations into the cover of the pub's ambience. A few nights of sleep and aimless wandering has not got it off my mind. Most certainly not the repeated mentions of the topic. Never mind my back, it's been acting up since the pecking during the ryphurgok incident.
Bloody cracks!
"I guess you could say that... The Founding-Lord, bless his heart, honest! But he's been sending us out so much that it has been exhausting. First drinking period since then! Even then... I am giving up on some needed sleep just so I can get a good drink!"
"You are a valley-rider?" I ask, connecting comments from the spoken of man and her together.
"And a part-time barmaid. Dealing with this rabble is quite the excuse to exercise, you know? Not quite the same as going to a gym. Works the muscles better, in my opinion."
"Feel like you need to pick one or the other." I comment, on about her jobs specifically. Seriously, working more than one, it's a nightmare to consider for a Tobaballian like me. One alone was a daunting climb up the social ladder. Two? No, no, no, no!
"Well, then it is a good thing it is none of your business," she says back, smiling.
"You say that, but I have it in good confidence that. That if I make it my business, you'll bend pretty hard to my demands." I joke, nearly stalling on the punchline. She giggles at me, her eyelids coming half down. She retreats back a bit, her back going into the corner as she bites her lip again.
"I most certainly wouldn't mind that at all. Especially the being bent bit. Ideally, over something!" she lets out, giggling even more as she takes the moment as an excuse to put a hand on me.
"Well, get drunk enough and I might just drag you around like this prick." I say, moving back to pick up my drunkard so I can get going. Really should be getting him back to his lot before a problem comes out of nowhere. Going ahead, she trails me.
"So, you going to be in town long?" she puts forward and I answer truthfully in my head alone. No, I want to be out of here. Now!
"I got some work to do. But, no, I don't think I am likely to be in town long." I answer as we spiral up the stairs. Keeping my drunk man above my head, I manipulate his limp body carefully as other drunks also use the stairs. A bang echoes up after us and Neeameth giggles quite evilly. She didn't... No...
"I suppose that is a shame. Anything likely to keep you around?"
"The job going to shit." I gruff with a hidden snarl.
"What is the job, anyway?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"You coming back with more sadroobell? Showing off how toned you are under that strange dress of yours?"
"No, and no," I answer quickly, breaking out of the first floor's crowd.
"What about-"
"Neeameth! Marry me!" Futhans interrupts as I dump his friend on an empty balcony chair. His group comes to life with shoves and cheers, egging the heartbroken man on. Even out on the street, Shraymeaus is rearing onto his back legs to join in!
"No." Neeameth is quick to stab into Futhans' soul.
"But why!?" the drunk cries, falling onto his knees and grabbing her put forward leg. In fact, she seems to have anticipated it. She's looking at him almost like a little brother.
"Too small, you know this. Come back when you are more like Nin over here. He has it all." she answers, bringing me into this with way too a suggestive tone in her voice. Suddenly moving away, I ensure her hands find no purchase on my back. Both to keep my identity safe and to subtract myself from any brewing problems.
I can look over Einervaene's interactions with me. She's not from this land. But Neeameth is. Not only that, she's one of the valley-riders I will be going out with soon. She's the kind of person I need to be avoiding the eyes of.
Besides, personal reasons up and over the balcony... I don't think Futhans would let me get any form of interaction with Neeameth. He's already upright, chest puffed and shoulders squared. Last thing I want to be involved in now is a drunken pub brawl.
Especially when I know I can handle being -shot by a gun- and this lot probably can't...
"Let me steal your height. Give it to me!" Futhans demands, his hand jabbing at my cloak-covered chest with all it has. He stops, his eyes lingering on his injured finger a little too long.
"Find a smaller person and steal it off of them. They won't be needing it." I sarcastically snort, leaving him stupefied.
"But... Short people have no height...?" Futhans baffles himself over.
"Not much, but they do have it," I tell him with little nods here and there, "But, I won't be here or there to see any of it because I best be going now. It is getting rather late and I have issues I must attend to."
"Aw, really? Can't you stay a little longer?" Neeameth playfully moans as I take the express route down into the dark street. Shraymeaus rears with a reptilian neigh and goes off on one at me for spooking him. Turning my eyes up, I watch Futhans fail to get his crush.
"No, don't particularly want to either!" I answer loudly, shifting around and speeding off into the darkness. Slowing down, I let my thoughts catch up with me and think of what I am currently calling 'home' for the moment. I don't want to think of it like that, but I don't know how else to comprehend it.
Brewbrt's?
The room?
Just a plain old simple 'going to bed?'
Questions of the century alright.