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 Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 7:31 am
 He’d been working at the bakery for near a month now -- and the work wasn’t getting any easier. Well, in a sense, perhaps it was; he’d gotten better at many things, and was able to do them faster with less stress than before. But the moment he got the hang of one thing, the owners would throw some new task at him, and he’d be starting right up from the beginning again. He didn’t mind that, of course. There was lots interesting to learn about managing a business like that, and he was getting some ideas out of it that he’d never have learned from someone like his father. It was a whole different matter, roaming the world and trading goods, and keeping an establishment like the bakery running day in and day out.
Still, a man needed a break from time to time, and the bakery did give him a few days off. There was to be a big festival soon, and the owners wanted the staff rested fror the craziness that was about to take hold as they prepared.
Juno wasn’t complaining. He had found Tamim in the stable where he was boarded, given the Quhar a thorough brushing and cleaning, and set off with his trusty companion to explore Oba a little. He was going to have to know the land better if he was going to end up doing deliveries for the brewery, after all!
He chose to travel to Kalv because of it’s reputation as a trading town -- it seemed a good place to learn a thing or two without drawing too much attention to himself. It was also a place with several good drinking-holes, and after paying for Tamim’s board in a roomy paddock, he found himself wandering into one of these -- a place called ‘Medina’s’, he had gathered. It seemed rather rowdy this evening, with lots of shouting going on at the bar. Actually, on closer observation, it seemed like most of the rowdiness was stemming from his one particular argument between two Obans. They were yelling, as far as he was able to make out, about xaraan racing, and the staff’s attempts to quiet them down seemed to be mostly in vain.
Rolling his eyes, Juno sat on the barstool between them with an exaggerated sigh. “Hot day, ain’t it? I’m so dry I think I’m gonna shrivel up any moment now. Won’t someone be so kind as to pour a man a drink?”Painted Moose hope this works for an intro! o wo
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Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 6:57 pm
Close to a year of living in Oba, and Ujana still hadn't gotten used to he crowds. Obans seemed to prefer packing themselves into tiny buildings, one on top of the other, to the point where she had wondered if earthlings had ever been used as building material. It wouldn't have been the worst offense the earth tribe had been convicted of, and one that would have made living here infinitely more interesting.
Cramped or not, Ujana wasn't given much time to muse over the architecture. Medina's stayed busy from sun up to sun down, which was good for busy and bad for her social life. The proprietress' children were a pair of lay about bums too worried about their own bottom lines to help out, and so Ujana had been forced to pull double shifts for two weeks now. As soon as she saw those two again Ujana was going to ring them up by their toes, and beat them like old rugs.
It didn't help that two of the regulars were going on about xaraan racing - again - despite several attempts to quite them down. Ujana flicked strands of sweat curled hair away from her eyes, and tucked the longer ones behind her ears. Medina could handle that; she had patrons to tend to.
At least, that had been the plan, before a cool drink of water slipped into the tavern. Ujana gave a not so subtle whistle, blatantly checking out the hybrid as he made himself at home between the arguing Obans.
One of the men didn't seem too keen on having a new friend. He curled his lip, exposing several missing teeth and two more that were close to making a get away. He was close enough to making a fool out of himself before he noticed Ujana coming closer, and wisely chose to focus on his drink.
The rather hefty gal leaned against the bar, and flashed a pretty smile Juno's way. "Can't have someone as nice as you wilting away at my bar. Name your drink, stranger."
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 7:43 pm
The drunken local didn’t seem to be taking all that kindly to him, and looked to be on the verge of saying something about it -- but he went quiet before the words could slip past his rather unflattering lips. At first, Juno half-believed that his own confidence had silenced the man (as it had done in the past, on some rare occasions), but the sound of an unfamiliar voice proved him wrong. Apparently, there were others here who held much more sway than he did.
The owner of this voice -- female, although not entirely feminine -- was a young woman with a handsome smile and a… uh, well, a very shapely figure. So much so, in fact, that for a second Juno had trouble focusing on her words… and to be entirely honest, Juno was not the sort of guy to go all starry-eyed, not usually. But this woman -- the barmaid at this place, it looked like -- was not only (noticeably) buxom but also quite solidly-built, to the point where it came as absolutely no surprise that the ugly fellow beside him had fallen silent. No doubt this young lady could throw him out of the bar without breaking a sweat.
After this particular moment, though, Juno cracked an easy smile.
“No more stranger than you are, Miss. My name’s Juno. And I’ll take… whatever’s your favorite. I’m new in town, so you’ll have to help me get acquainted with the local offerings.”
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 4:26 pm
Stereochrome No apologies needed. c: It's all good
"I'm no Miss, that's for sure. You'd best call me Ujana; everyone else does." Miss was reserved for those pretty little nobles with the high collared dresses made of silks from some far off island spun by some God or another. "No kidding. You're new here? So you're staying and not just passing through? Where are you boarded up? Hang on to those answers and I'll get your drink."
Ujana pushed off the well worn bar, unintentionally giving the normally sturdy service a hearty tremor. It seemed that even when she wasn't trying she could shake the world. The young barmaid turned away from Juno and moved to the other end of the bar, where she brought out a rather large metallic tankard. She filled it to the brim with a dark amber liquid, one with an aroma strong enough to peel paint.
When she returned to him, Ujana brought a stool with her; obviously keen on ignoring her other patrons in favor of the one she deemed more interesting. She sat his drink before him and grinned, "You said you wanted my favorite, so if you wake up in an alley buck naked that's on you. This stuff can do weird things to anyone without a strong tolerance."
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 6:50 pm
Although he had (clearly) been caught staring, he certainly wasn’t about to be caught blushing. Anyhow, there wasn’t anything to blush about. Surely this little lady (well, not-so-little, in places) knew exactly how striking she looked? Juno himself had grown fairly used to ‘interesting’ stares aimed in his direction, although he supposed in his case they probably weren’t all admiring gazes. He did hope that at least some of them were, though. You know, one or two, here or there.
“Ujana.” He nodded as she pushed off the bar. She certainly left an impression, the liquid in everyone’s glasses rippling in her passing -- but she wasn’t clumsy, nothing like that. Yes, in fact, she did very much remind him of a Quhar, although not in any potentially insulting way.
Juno liked quhars, anyhow. They were sensible animals, hard-working and to the point.
“Neither, really. I’m… visiting. On vacation, I guess. I’ve got a job in Sulburi -- just saving up ‘till I can get kitted out to do trading, you know, buy another quhar to make a team, and a wagon for the team to pull, and all that -- but for now I just lug sacks of flour around at this big bakery they’ve got there. But I’m not the sort to work myself to the bone. Thought I’d get out a bit, see more of Oba… I was sort of in a hurry when I travelled this way before, and didn’t really take the time to… enjoy the sights. And the drinks. Especially the drinks.”
Speaking of which… he picked up the tankard with a blue-hued hand, and took a good swig of the draft -- coming away coughing and tearing at the eyes.
“This… this is excellent.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:16 pm
"So you're working...on your vacation." Ujana gave him a droll stare. "Doesn't sound very relaxing to me. Sounds more like travelers work, which is all well and good, but definitely not a vacation." If she were going to be caught in a foreign land without any plans on sticking around for a particularly long period of time Ujana would have been living it up. Checking out the local sights, eating strange foods, talking to strange men and women; typical foreigner stuff.
"Makes sense to me though, if you're saving up. If you want a deal on quhar, though, you need to go a little further south. There's this old guy named Bertrand who keeps 'em as a hobby and sells the beasties dirt cheap." She wasn't sure just how much of a quality animal this one was looking for, but Bertrand's stock never seemed to disappoint. He often traveled through with a vertiable armor of the large, lumbering beasts, and she'd thought of purchasing one a time or two. It always inevitably came back to what she'd do with the thing, especially since she was no traveler. Let it roam free in the city? Now that would have been a sight. Or maybe she could keep it on a jeweled chain like those nobles with their perzi...
His reaction to the drink was beyond amusing to Ujana. She barked out a loud 'hah!' and slapped the bar top. "Isn't it, though? Medina thinks I'm half mad for peddling the stuff, but I say if you can't drink it then you're better off suckling on your mama's breast instead. That'll put the hair on your chest faster than anything else." Ujana's grin couldn't possibly get any bigger.
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Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 4:38 pm
“Well, it’s Sulburi where I’m working,” He lifted his hands defensively at her accusation of working on vacation. “Here, I’m on vacation. And I don’t intent to lift, carry or load up anything that isn’t a fork, a beer, or some other stiff drink, swear that on my life.”
In fact, his whole vacation seemed to be getting off to a good start already, as was quickly confirmed with the intensity of her pour. He’d had strong drinks before, sure -- but nothing quite like this. And so despite his initial sputter he took another few drags, soon getting accustomed to the sensation of the stuff sliding down his throat. Or, well, half-accustomed, at least. Maybe that was the best you could muster with something like this.
“This is good,” He nodded. “I mean, it’s not just strong, it’s got real flavour, I’d say! Like tree-bark and smoke, a whole bonfire of it. Not just something for any tasteless drunk to knock himself out with, but… no doubt it’s good for that too.”
He noticed now that she had brought a stool over to his side of the bar, and smiled at this -- he certainly wasn’t complaining, it was good to have company and she was by far the most interesting person in this bar. Plus, she had good taste in drink, and that would have drawn his attention even if she wasn’t boisterous… and buxom… and, uh, charismatic
“I’ll see if I can track down this Bertrand fellow. I should have near enough saved up, but… then there’s the matter of the wagon. How’s about you, have you got any big plans?”
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Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:58 am
"Sulburi's vacationing too unless you plan on livin' there." Ujana pointed out tersely. Granted, in her eyes most places were vacation spots; even Medina's and she had been hustling drinks here for the past five years. "I'm watchin' you. If I see you go back on your word while you're here I'll have to punish you." Her words spoke of future torments, but that grin- it was more than a little teasing. Ujana may punish him alright, but only in the way that left them both contented by the end of the night.
"I can ask around about a wagon, but you'd best talk to him when you catch him. I'm sure he can tell you where to go." There wasn't enough nomadic blood in Ujana to make her interested in wagons. Those were only good for big trips, trips like this guy was taking, but Ujana had all she needed right there. Food, drinks, plenty of jerks to toss out, a pouch full of coins and -
Well, now she was stumped.
Everything seemed to line up in her mind until she was actually asked about it, and now there was a glaring flaw. "Someday I'm going to go back to Tale. My father and sister live there, and I'd...I'd really like to see them again, even if they're not real keen on seeing me. Kind of stuffy, you know? Then I guess I'll settle down, open a tavern, and hope to sell enough of this piss to pay my debts." Ujana reached for her stein, and knocked back a lungful. For a breath afterward she seemed entirely fine, until a burning took up in her nose and she was forced to pinch it. "Cripes-!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:18 pm
“So if I don’t really plan on living anywhere for too long, am I always on vacation?” He laughed, liking this idea. He’d take that description over the idea that a nomadic merchant was always working, no matter how far they wandered. Permanent vacation -- he could get behind that. Just him and his wagon and two big strong quhars, winding down the roads and forests and shorelines of Tendaji.
And, you know. Making a bit of money from time to time.
He nodded at her advice to find her friend to ask about wagons. “I’ll do that. But shopping for carts and quhar would technically be work, so… you might find yourself having to dole out some of that ‘punishment’.”
He winked teasingly, then leaned in as she told him her plans. Going home, to Tale… and opening a tavern there. That sounded like a cozy idea, now that she said it. He’d never really thought about anything like that -- opening a business that stayed in one place, rather than the roving merchant-work he was so used to on account of his father’s influence. But why stop at that? He wasn’t his father. He could go for owning a tavern too. Or, wait -- a brewery. His own brewery!
“I can see you owning your own place.” He laughed as she sputtered at the drink. “I bet it’ll be a great bar. And now you’ve got me thinking, with your scheme… maybe I’m setting my goals a little too low.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 12:22 pm
Ujana clicked her tongue and passed him a wink. "Now you've got it." Making it all out like a business just made the whole thing drag on, and Ujana would have dropped it in an instant. By saying the whole thing was a 'vacation' he would make sure to have just as much fun as he would business.
Ujana playfully popped him on the bicep with a snorting kind of laugh. "Watch that tongue of yours. I'm a strict momma, and my punishments are rough." She wagged her eyebrows, letting whatever subtly might have accidentally found it's way into her speech know that it was far from welcome. The more obvious the better.
She leaned back against the counter leisurely and contemplated it all. "You'll have to stop by and have a drink. I'm sure by then you'll have plenty of stories to tell. Not like you don't already. And what's this about having your dreams set low? Go big or go home!"
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 2:00 pm
“Call me a professional vacationer, then.” He grinned “I’ve never stuck around anywhere for long. Back home we just moved around all the time anywhere, and now… we’ll, I guess I’m only hanging around Sulburi just long enough to get things set up and arranged properly for the next leg of my trip.”
Despite her straightforward nature, Ujana’s playful slap against his arm left some ambiguity as to what exactly was the ‘roughness’ she was referring to -- purely because she was evidently strong enough to be rough in any sense of the world. He wondered if she got that way just from lifting barrels of drink, but figured she looked more like the sort who would practice some martial skills in her off time. Unless pushing around drunks constituted practice enough.
“You can be sure I’ll come visit.” He leaned in as she leaned back herself, propping up his chin against the palm of his hand. “You thought of a name for your tavern yet? And I guess I don’t quite know what other dreams to have yet. It’s the nomad thing, I guess. We tend not to plan too far ahead. Who knows which way the wind will blow? Set up your expectations too strictly and you might find yourself confusing fate with failure.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 12:21 pm
"I...actually, I haven't gotten that far. Been a little too worried about the other stuff." Like finding her family and seeing if her father would even want a tavern owned by his daughter that close to home. It seemed as if he wouldn't, at least from what she remembered of him, but maybe Uquin had changed over the years.
"I think I'll follow your way of thinking. I think it better than most; so I guess that means I've got a little bit of nomad in me." It certainly wouldn't have been a stretch. After all, she had never really stayed in one place for very long, but Ujana hoped to change that soon. She liked travel, but she liked being in one area a heck of a lot more.
"What do you think I should name it? The tavern, I mean. What kind of name would bring you in?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:30 pm
“That was an easy conversion.” Juno quirked an eyebrow when the girl decided to go along with his whole ‘avoid-expectations’ philosophy. He didn’t mean it condescendingly -- most people were stuck in their ways and wouldn’t change for the world. It was nice to meet someone who was willing to consider this, that and the other thing without dragging her feet the whole time. “Maybe you really are right about that little bit of nomad. You don’t have to physically travel, I guess, to really be one at heart. Easy come, easy go.”
He shrugged, then pursed his lips on the matter of tavern names.
“Me? Well, I’d go to any tavern of yours, no matter what you called it. And I’d go to any tavern that’s known for good drink, too. But I guess a good name oughta stick in people’s minds. Kind of give you something to think about, you know? There’s a tavern back in Sulburi just called ‘Another One’, and that always makes newcomers laugh a little. But then again, down at the docks, there’s one called ‘The Thirsty Sailor’ that really is a very straightforward description of the sorts of people who go there. There’s an odd little one in my neighbourhood called ‘The Wandering Prophet’, and I’ve always liked that, although I can’t think of why.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2016 12:05 pm
She supposed in that sense she really was a nomad. Ujana had never really had one set place to call her own, and unlike her father she didn't have strong ties to Tale. The world simply was what it was; a big area to explore, and move through to follow the next best thing.
Of course, when she settled down and constructed her tavern that would be the next best thing forever. The forever best thing.
”...how about Three Sheets? Because if I keep serving this rot gut-" She lifted her stein and knocked back a drink. "-they'll be three sheets to the wind before they've even finished their first glass." It was simple, not entirely creative, but something a drunk could remember in a pinch.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 7:37 pm
“Three Sheets?”
He laughed into his drink upon hearing her explanation, then noticed that his glass was practically empty. He tipped it back to finish the rest of the liquid, then slid the vessel back towards her.
“Good thinking… maybe a little over-ambitious. There’s my first glass, and I’m maybe only one sheet in. But you know what, don’t worry about it. Soon as I’ve got my brewing operation set up, I’ll help you put together something with a kick like no one’s ever seen. And I’m telling you now, you can have exclusive rights to selling it. Folks will flock to your place for miles around! Maybe they’ll even swim over from Yael. ‘s not the strangest thing I’ve heard of a drunk doing.”
He gave his tankard another little nudge, clearly indicating that she should fill it back up. He certainly didn’t intend on leaving until he proved to her that he could hold his liquor, potent as this stuff was.
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