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Post by ricarditoreyes on Jul 10, 2020 7:14:49 GMT -8
[Joseph]
"Heh. Good thinkin'-" He lets out a short chuckle. He turns in the general direction of the bar. "Oi, barkeep! We'll need two more over 'ere" he barks. Joseph did not need to reach into his many pockets to know that he wasn't doing too well financially himself. However, if this expedition went well, that could easily change. Well, they would either come back alive or not anyways, so buying a few pints now did not seem to have any outstanding negatives to it. Plus it was rare for him to have any drinking company, so for a few easily replaceable gold pieces it was an easy choice in the end.
"So, since we'll be working together-" he says, as he turns back to face his new drinking buddy, "what brought you 'ere in the first place?" Upon asking this question, memories of similar situations flooded his mind. He'd always been told not to get too close to fellow fighters. That the fevered pitch of battle permitted no reliable companionship. But then again, if he had taken that advice to heart he'd likely still be fighting some pointless war in another expendable unit.
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Post by Kidney on Jul 10, 2020 16:14:24 GMT -8
[Elorit/ ? ? ?]
"Well...Don't want to be a bringer of bad news... but last time I heard anything about Byzantium, Turks came in with an army. And they came to stay."- That was the short version. He had forgotten the long one, not without reason. Too much gruesome detail for a mind of a man who found his fortune in times of peace. At least that's what he was way back then.
"Elo? Eh, fair, I guess. Then you are Darrio. Now we’re good to talk.”- he smiles, no venom in his voice or expression. He could allow himself to be...less emotional.
"Tonics? Afraid there is little market for that. Balms and such - yeah, local Sanitarium always needs more medicine. Alcohol - definitely. Tried distilling moonshine in the basement of this very building, actually. Was successful until...outside influence burned my distillery down. What else... Opioids, maybe?"- he says, as if he was talking about some daily occurrence.-"Considering how this whole place is just drowning in depression and everything beyond the walls wants you dead, there's bound to be people who want to just forget all their problems for a time. And since there isn't much of a law down in these parts... I mean, as long as someone does not actively peddle the stuff on the streets, who's there to say no? The only problem is money.”
The subject of Opiods took his attention next, a respite from the dire straights his mind had sunken into. Time was of the essence, though not entirely. One would have to procure poppyseed and a great many perilous liquids. "It could be done." He said, sly, in wait, like an asp waiting to strike. The subject of money did not bait him into combat, he simply nodded, "Aye. What exists here then, to make money?" |
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Post by Kidney on Jul 10, 2020 16:18:45 GMT -8
Kat didn't even try to leverage any of the man's weight where she didn't have to but made a big show of "oofing and ahhing" as they shambled him towards the tavern's entrance. Visibly she went red in the face steadying the injured herald-of-potential-beverages on her own showing she was evidently not begot of Atlas. As the door swung open the waif was greeted with the fondly familiar waft of stale liquor, body odour and damp wood. T'was enough to bring a tear to her eye. "Kat, like the the ratters." The lass wheezed through her teeth to answer Ezekiel, deciding to untactfully put her talons on Semyon's kidneys and give him a helpful shove through the door.
He shuffled to a nearby stool, and took a deep draft. "Friends!" He remembered, shooting Kat and Zeke a glance, "Please! For you!"
The pints slammed into the table with purpose, and Hook's expression showed very clearly that these were the only drinks he would let Semyon, specifically, be near this night. "In my country!.." trailed off Semyon, taking another drink. "One would have ale alongside tenderloin pickled in stomach acids! Or...something like that." |
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Post by speakeroftruths on Jul 10, 2020 16:21:05 GMT -8
[Borivoi]
Borivoi sits down, pushing his empty mug away from him, and leans back, relaxing. He too is interested in the answer that the woman has to give. He has his own suspicions, but then, he does not know if Joseph was here the night of fire and knives.
So, for the moment, he waits, silent.
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Post by rosallora on Jul 10, 2020 16:38:18 GMT -8
[Saoirse]
She doesn't take kindly to getting skinned alive, so naturally, she lies. "Same reason you're all here. Bit o' blood, bit o' gold. Not too hard to imagine, I'm sure. Glory - sure, why not." She knows she'll be dead within the next forty-eight hours. Why not have some fun, why not make something up? The idea of casting off her old clothes fills her with a sense of deep unease, then. No. Just evade.
"Specialize in bein' a sneakthief. Got a nice, light little crossbow that does me a bit of good. Since you two are loud about yourselves, I heard everything you told the..." her expression twists slightly. "Hlokk."
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Post by EloHim on Jul 11, 2020 5:34:44 GMT -8
[Elorit/ ? ? ?]
He decided to abandon the dire topic of captured homelands. Made for poor conversations. His other question was easier to answer.
"Expeditions. Local bounty board always has something on the side of "solve problems for money". Usually violent problems, like go and kill something that doesnt belong, find out why the water in the river turned black, etcetera. Pay is good, you have to deal with other people coming with you… Never aim to bite off more than you can chew through. Or, you know, might end up amongst the dead a little bit early on your journey.” - he smiles, content with this insanity being a part of everyday life here.
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Post by ricarditoreyes on Jul 11, 2020 6:04:57 GMT -8
[Joseph]
He nods. She was right in the fact that gold and fame drew people like Joseph to this place. In fact, it seemed like this was a promise many of the denizens received a long time ago. Her reasoning was fair, and thus it never crossed his mind that she might not be telling him the whole truth. She did stand out from his other two companions, however. It seemed like she lacked the confident, buoyant tone the other two seemed to wear with pride.
"Good. Some range could come in handy. Glad you're on our side." He says, as a warm grin crosses his face. Earning his companions' trust was important. At the very least, he'd try to reduce the uneasy tension between them.
"Speakin' of our friend Hlokk, she said you can take us to 'em bandit's camp. Know anything else about out enemy?"
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Post by Kidney on Jul 11, 2020 14:46:32 GMT -8
A moment of trepidation, and a recoiled hand. "Ah." He offered, a bit disjointed. No unmarked ruins, no caverns full of oddities. To work for someone else only, for a smidgen of a portion of a pool of money, it hurt to hear, hurt to understand. He did not like this pain, but understood that he needed to fall in line, at least for a moment, to well and truly establish himself. He assured himself that the curios within the area could be profitable. Should be profitable.
"Hmm, somewhat boring..."
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Post by EloHim on Jul 11, 2020 16:55:33 GMT -8
[Elorit/ ? ? ?]
"Boring...? Heehehehhhe"- a coughing laughter exited his lungs, as he laughed at the words that Darrio said to him. The laughter goes as quickly as it appears...and a somewhat bloodthirsty smirk appears on the alchemist's face. How wrong this man was, he couldn't even imagine. And who was Elorit to stop him? So he answers in a manner that would've left Elorit of the past unnerved.
"A man with a conscience would tell you that it is boring. And maybe you should move on to better pastures...But I lost my conscience since I came here, I hardly constitute as a man anymore and don't tend to lie, unless it brings something to my table... So I say - at least give it a try. A whirl or two, a brush with what is out there, a dance with death...and then tell me if it's boring or not, eh? If your opinion doesn't change...then you're even more mad than all of us here. Or maybe...you would feel right at home."
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Post by speakeroftruths on Jul 11, 2020 18:30:52 GMT -8
[Borivoi]
"Well, they do not fight like soldiers. Rough. Scavenged gear. Likely peasants, down on luck and deciding to prey on others down on luck. Vultures."
Borivoi shakes his head, rueful smile creeping on the edge of his scarred visage.
"I do not hate. I do not pity. They choose this life, just as we choose not to keel over when they come. Now is our turn. I do not think they will choose to keel either. Main worry is that we will corner them. Cornering bear prevents bear from escaping, but bear knows this too. Bear will jump on spear to try to kill hunter, if through hunter is only way out."
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Post by rosallora on Jul 11, 2020 19:27:46 GMT -8
[Saoirse]
"Oh yeah," she says offhand, "I know plenty."
Hook brings over two more tankards, settling them heavily on the table. Saoirse doesn't even wait a beat before taking one and slurping down another mouthful, swishing it around in her maw like she was trying to clear a bad taste from her mouth. She swallows and runs a tongue over her teeth.
"They got traps around their camp. We'll have to be wary of them. And they move often, so we'll have to be quick. They don't give up territory easily. And you're right," she says, gesturing with the cup to Borivoi. "They fight hardest when they're cornered. Makin' em run is the best strategy we have."
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Post by ricarditoreyes on Jul 11, 2020 19:49:24 GMT -8
[Joseph]
As a Tavern regular, Joseph's seen his fair share of heavy drinkers. He let out a singular chuckle as Saoirse so eagerly grabbed her drink. Her tenacity was not something any regular person would admire, but Joseph found it particularly interesting.
"Peasants, huh?" he says, as the grin slips from his face. He never thought of it that way. Borivoi was right. In the end, these so-called "bandits" were nothing more but people pushed to a life of crime seeing no other way out. Joseph would know. He'd been there before. And if they were anything like the bandits he ran with all those years back, the mission would be a breeze. There was a fine line between poor farmers and conscripted mercenaries, after all.
At the mention of bandits, however, a particular interaction came to mind. He remembered speaking to the Vestal a few days ago. This bounty came to be after a raid on the Hamlet. One which Joseph wasn't too familiar with.
"Say, would you lot know what happened here a while back? Heard talk of some sort of raid taking place here..." he says, taking a gulp out of the freshly poured ale Hook had brought over.
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Post by dewdrop on Jul 11, 2020 21:10:54 GMT -8
Cyrus rested her elbows on the hard surface of the bar top. After her meeting with Aurora, Cyrus hadn't been expecting any seasoned veteran of the place to tackle storytelling with such... enthusiasm. It was almost reaffirming. Cyrus was sure things could prove grim, Aurora's wounds had been proof enough, but a part of her still doubted the Hamlet and its neighboring locales were truly so dangerous.
However, Ellie's stories proved to be... harrowing, to say the least. They were far more harrowing than Aurora's had been. Men becoming beasts? Shambling undead riddled with fungal corruption? Cyrus' eyes widened. These purported fiends were the stuff of nightmares. To Cyrus, they only existed in scary stories shared around a cookfire, or in old wives' tales. There was nothing but sincerity in Ellie's tone. Cyrus found that perhaps the most disturbing of all, really.
It was the thought of some insectile devil leading a pack of dogs that made Cyrus' blood run cold. A pack of ravenous hounds alone was enough to turn Cyrus' veins to ice, but an insect leading them? Cyrus couldn't bear the thought. She shook her head a moment, and desperately tried to bury the memories of rabid strays tearing her friends apart in the night in the back of her mind.
Ellie pulled her from her reverie easily enough. Questions about herself? Cyrus looked back to the other woman and smiled awkwardly. She'd never caught a friend in one of her traps, but she'd been burned by her craft plenty of times. Her eyes flicked briefly to the burnt flesh of her arm.
"Ah..." Cyrus chewed her lip a moment. "I think your stories are worlds more interesting than me, if I'm to tell it true." What was there to say? How much should she share? Cyrus took a breath. "I've no place else to go, that's why I'm here. You guessed right, I tinker. Bit of an amateur, but I get by just fine. Can shoot straight enough. Mostly work on traps and the like." Reaching to her belt, Cyrus showed off the pouch full of recycled metal slag and shards of broken glass. "Twisted metal and bits of glass do the trick when it comes to the flesh. Have to cross my fingers the blast takes care of armor."
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Post by speakeroftruths on Jul 11, 2020 21:26:51 GMT -8
[Borivoi]
Broivoi shrugs, implying that the question was either a mystery or answered itself.
"What is to know? They came, nights ago. They killed some. Then they died or routed. I was here, as was Churchill, a preacher. We held six here, killed some, routed the others. I do not know the why, as they did not offer. They came, demanded gold, and we said no."
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Post by rosallora on Jul 11, 2020 21:47:29 GMT -8
[Saoirse]
"Usual fare," she mutters. "Yeah. Come in, demand gold, kill folks, get out. What else do bandits do?" She taps her fingers against the metal edge of her tankard. "Big buncha fuckers, the lot of them. Spineless cowards comin' in the middle o' the night because they know they can't face honest folk in the light of day." She has to laugh, she makes herself. She wants to see how far they'll go.
She takes another drink. "Fuck em! That's what I say. When we get there you can string em up or cut em up, but fuck the lot of em. Fuck em to Hell where they belong."
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