[Plot PRP] Firewater on Ice (Cosworth and Mojo)

[Doof]

The great tree stood dark and foreboding, an enormous mountain-sized black silhouette against the stars and moon, since most of the outside lights were by now dimmed or dark. Only a warm glow at the entrance, hidden amongst the mammoth roots, hinted at the hospitability of the place. It occurred to Cosworth, as he drew close the home of the Faun, that Laisidhiel, without light, might look ominous to a stranger approaching it by night.

There was barely a nod to the Guard, a younger fellow that Cosworth didn’t recognize. Judging from the suspicious gaze now fixed on him, the guard didn’t recognize him either. Most of the Laisidhiel’s vast chambers and halls were by now silent, lamps burning low and somberly as the scraggly faun shuffled through the great arch, into his once-familiar former home. Here, a tired hunter pulling in for the night, later than usual- there, a night-owl moving a stack of weapons. Weapons? What was that all about? Cosworth shook his head. He probably didn’t want to know.

Turning the corner into Mojo’s bar, the engineer faun noted a very subdued atmosphere in the hollow. The lights were low and conversation was at a murmur. It seemed like the evening crowd had already shoved off for the night, prompting him to wonder just how close to closing time it was. Mojo himself was behind the bar as always, and had his attention on another of his customers.

Cosworth shrugged and wandered on in, pulling back the hood on his travel cloak. He didn’t regret setting off late. Perhaps he’d have less time to indulge in his favorite vice, but he could do without the extra company, and Mojo always had a tolerant ear, even if Cosworth didn’t really believe he was always listening intently. He took a stool behind the bar, within Mojo’s line of sight and raised a finger to get his attention, wearing that same, sad smile he always did after a day’s travel to the great Tree.
 

[Antidia]

It was a slow night, following a slow day in the bar today. Either Faun were focused and busy, or they were dead. Considering the latter was unlikely, Mojo figured Faun were busy. Likely with the new arrivals and helping them get settled.

With a gentle pat on the back of her hand, and a wink, Mojo excused himself from the pretty little yellow fauny newcomer and made his way towards the tap. He filled the wooden stein to the brim, letting the foam spill over the edge as he set it down in front of Cosworth. "What brings ya ta the Tree this evening, friend? Special occasion?" he quipped with a chuckle and set to fill a stein for himself.  

[Doof]

Cosworth's wan smile grew a little wider at the sight of the rich, frothy brew before him. "Mojo." Cosworth said as he nodded appreciatively, wrapping his right hand around the amply-sized mug. He had a light sip of the drink, running the flavours over his tongue. It was the bartender's standard brew, but even his standard was exceptional in comparison to anyone else. The brown faun leaned his elbow on the bar and rested his cheek in his free palm, sighing as he looked back at Mojo. "It's that time of year again, you know." He turned his face away for a moment to scratch the back of his neck before taking a fuller swig of the brew.

"Mmm." Cosworth's expression became one of genuine contentment as he began to relax. "Hard to believe it's been another whole year. Sorry I haven't been around much." He looked around the nearly empty bar, the lack of patronage a stark contrast to the last time he'd been in. "It looks like you're having a quiet night. Don't tell me this is how it is all the time these days."

It was then that Cosworth's lazy gaze fell upon the fauny girl down the bar from him. He blinked a couple of times and turned back to Mojo. "I've got to say, mate, I don't recognize a lot of the faces around here anymore, and that's nothing new, but, uh, this lass over here, and a couple of the gents in the back..." He cleared his throat. "Um, are they faun? Like us? Or are they a different kind of pae. I don't recognize their kind."  

[Antidia]

Setting a bowl of freshly poured mixed nuts on the counter beside Cosworth, Mojo settled in and leaned on the counter with a stein of his own. Shaking his head, he muttered a response to the comment about it being another year. "Aye, time's flying these days. Consequence of getting older." He took a drink of his brew and watched his friend. He knew what he was referring to, and reached out to pat Cosworth's shoulder.

"Eh, e'rypae's been busy cuz o' the newcomers." Mojo motioned towards the fauny girl he'd been chatting with when Cosworth came in. "They're Faun like us, but from another land. I think I heard Chief call 'em 'Fauny' or sommat. They had some trouble, and had to flee. Got the call to come home." He spoke as if that was a normal occurrence for lost Faun. He himself didn't fully understand Laisidhiel's pull to Faun in particular, but he wasn't going to question nor judge it. "Lots of lovely new tail in the Tree now," he added with a nudge and wink to his friend.

"They showed up with some Princesses on a fancy boat," he said before taking another swig off his stein. "Should see it, it's a work of art itself." He'd escaped away after they arrived just to see the boat. It made his own boat look like nothing but a dinghy. Though, his own boat really is a dinghy.  

[Doof]

Cosworth raised an eyebrow at Mojo as the barkeep patted his shoulder. "Older? Who, us? Surely not." Yet the brown faun let a self-deprecating grin edge onto his face; Mojo was right, after all. The two of them were likely the oldest individuals in the bar at that moment, and by now the vast majority of the Faun living in the tree would likely be younger. In the back of his mind, Cosworth mused over how his old friend looked almost as young, spry and able-bodied as the first time they'd met, a fact that he couldn't honestly apply to himself.

With a sip of his drink, Cosworth cast a glance over some of the Fauny hindquarters that Mojo had just mentioned. Sure, the hermit wasn't exactly on the prowl, but he did appreciate a well put-together piece of equipment. And he had to admit, having met other races before, the 'Faunies' certainly had those assets in common with their tree-dwelling cousins.

Cosworth listened with interest regarding the talk about the fancy boat, since constructs of all kinds fascinated him to some extent. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind if I ever feel like reliving the old days and spending time on hoof and away." The scruffy engineer finished off his stein and slid it back towards Mojo, nodding at it to indicate he wanted a refill, tossing a couple of what he figured might be salted almonds into his mouth in the meantime. "I know I don't come back to the tree very often, but every time I've been lately, it feels like more and more is changed. Sometimes for the better..." He paused, inclining his head towards the sweet, young yellow thing that Mojo had been with before. "And sometimes for the worse." He leaned in. "I've heard that Chief Rais' wife has been assaulted, that a brigand was threatening the seer, and I've heard some foolish rumblings about preparing for battle." He poked a finger down at the bar for emphasis. "Rumblings, my friend. You have ears on more matters than many here. Am I speaking rumours, or is there some truth to them?"  

[Antidia]

Mojo chuckled as he moved away from Cosworth only long enough to refill the stein and place it back on the wooden counter top. The yellow fauny had motioned for a refill on her drink, so Mojo excused himself for a moment to accommodate his patron. Another young faun had joined her, so Mojo filled a glass for her as well.

Returning to his friend, Mojo wiped a bit of the counter to clean up the little spills. "They're not rumors." He'd taken the time filling brew steins to think about what Cosworth had brought up. "Indeed there's something going on out there. I was out gathering some herbs when I overhead some talk of the Naiad. They are all on defense because their Queen was attacked in the marsh. Some bad juju 'round the island these days." With a clean towel, he started cleaning some of the empty steins as he talked with his friend. "Things been okay out at your place?"  

[Doof]

The engineer raised an eyebrow at Mojo's assertion that the rumours were true, but nodded all the same. The confirmation was somewhat disturbing, but not altogether unexpected. Not even Cosworth was completely blind to the rest of the world.

"At mine? Things have been the same as always. Day in, day out, a cup of tea, another explosion or two. You know how it is. Though that Faroth chap found the place. Is it me, or do things just... break around him?" Cosworth shrugged with a smirk and took a long swig, commenting as he set his stein down, "Least there was some company during the storm we had."

He helped himself to some nuts, which went a long way towards clearing the perpetual hunger he always found himself in. Living away from the tree with no appreciable hunting skill and little foraging ability meant lean meals most of the time. This snack of nuts would be pretty similar to dinner fare for the tall(ish) faun.

"So things are getting tense out there, hm?" Cosworth's green eyes turned away from Mojo and took on a distant look. "Er, you don't think the hunters or the rangers are going to need anything from a worn out sod like me, do you?" He glanced back towards the bartender. "I mean, they haven't asked anything of you, have they?"