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 Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:40 am
A small woman walks in, carrying a large bulging backpack, and a wriggling sock. She looks around offhandedly, and grabs a stool. Laying claim to the entire end of the bar despite her size, she then proceeds to order a bottle of 'bru' by pointing to a mostly full bottle of murky yellow liquid.
Rummaging about a bit, she drags out a dirty silver cube and slides it towards the barkeep, who passes it to the peanut bowl for inspection. The results are good, and the new customer receives a small glass of the murky liquid to nurse.
She is dressed in a dark red cloak with the hood down, which almost covers her brown leggings and tan shirt. Her hair is white with a greenish tinge and her skin is deeply lined and tanned by weather and years. Her agile eyebrows rest like small white caterpillars above her deep grey eyes which sparkle with wisdom and mischeif. She sips her drink, and looks around, all the while maintaining a good grip on the sock.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:42 am
The barkeeper 'polishes' her glass, eyeing the new customer carefully.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:44 am
The woman prods the barkeeper with a tiny hand, and asks 'What is there for eats in this place?' The barkeeper puts down her rag and glass, pokes her head into the kitchen and hollers something in a string of unintelligable garble, that may or may not be a language. A similar sounding language (or unintelligable garble) is hollered back, and the barkeeper returns.
'We've got soup. Mutton soup. Or you can have a bit of loaf or an onion. The soup's three copper and the bread or onion is just one.'
The woman hands across three little copper triangles and smiles. 'I'd like a bowl of soup,' she pauses, and adds another copper 'and a slice and scrape.'
The barkeeper sticks her head through to the kitchen again, and hollers down the order, then returns to her glass. Peering at it for a moment, she shakes her head and replaces it on a shelf, picking up a new one from under the bar.
The sock wriggles harder, gets a thump from the woman, and then just droops tiredly.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:45 am
A fat, old woman dressed in black pushes through the kitchen door, dumping a steaming bowl and a hunk of bread unceremoniously in front of the small woman. She prods the barkeeper and whispers something in her ear before going back into the kitchen, and closing the door behind her.
The small woman tucks into her soup.
The barkeeper peers out at the inn, and occasionally glaces at the common-room bownsa.
A head that looks like an octopus and a llama gives a burbling grunt.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:56 am
Mopping up the last of her soup with her slice and scrape, the woman stands up and requests a private room.
She pays with a golden decahedron, and heads up the stairs with a cup of foaming ale and a candle.
The barkeeper sighs, and picks up a mug, proceeding to rub it with her grimy rag.
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:51 pm
The late summer's heady light filters through the doorway, the angle insisting that soon the sunlight will have faded into moonlight. Tiny motes dance in the beams, lit a brilliant gold, they weave intricate patterns in their slanted dancefloor, endlessly moving - sometimes in a slow dreamy waltz, at other times in a dizzy tango. Suddenly the dance kicks up a step, disturbed by a movement in the air by the doorway - their dance is hidden for a moment as the light blacks out, and a figure steps into the tavern.
The figure is Professor Ophelie, dressed neatly in well-cut brown trousers, a tan shirt, and a tight-fitting knitted vest. She steps directly into the tavern, not hesitating as many new patrons do, but moving directly to the bar with the well-chosen steps of an experienced customer whilst flicking her pocket open and nodding a smile warmer than that of a simple customer. As she reaches the bar, she murmurs a quiet greeting and places the coin she has retrieved from her now closed pocket onto the bartop, sliding it towards the barkeeper, whose eyes light up with an unusual reflection of pleasure.
The barkeeper sticks her head into the kitchen and calls out an order, which is quickly delivered in the form of a small jug of frothy milk. A tall, thing glass is produced and three-quarters filled with milk, an ice-cube added, and a shot of vodka to top it off. With a smile, Ophelie moves to take a table, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. Turning around with a quizzical glance, the professor takes a seat at the bar, leaning over slightly towards the barkeeper after taking a sip of the drink.
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Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:28 pm
As darkness starts to fall and day turns into night, a figure is seen approaching the tavern, somewhat unsure of what she was doing here. Professor Juri Ishida steps into the light of the front door, brushing back her long light lavender forelocks before pausing at the door. She sends the Bownsa an inquisitive look, but seeing that he is standing there with no intention of stopping her entrance, she proceeds and pushes open the door.
The air immediately catches the attention of the petite professor, who sneezes and continues on, stepping down to the floor and looking around. She was sent here on a referal, but is now having second opinions of actually coming. Juri sneezes again before shaking out of her short reverie and heading to the bar. As she does, her green cape ripples behind her, and right at her heels her pet Scorn could be seen, looking apprehensive about letting his paws touch the dark floor.
The sorceress slides onto one of the stools and lifts her pet onto the one next to her before setting her elbows on the bar, her green blue eyes lidding slightly in a contemplative manner. She is considering what she is going to order, and from the corner of her eye notices another figure at the bar, a familiar figure.
"Professor Ophelie, what a surprise meeting you here," her soft lyrical voice intones, a pleasant smile playing on her lips.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:03 am
Short auburn locks in slight disarray, Ophelie's eyes do not see the new entrant as they watch the barkeeper recount a quiet tale as she polishes a glass mug. Nodding and smiling at intervals, Ophelie occasionally interjects with a comment or response, her aspect strangely reflecting the roughness of the inn - somehow seeming not-quite proper, almost feral. She sips from her drink occasionally, keeping it nearby. As Professor Juri speaks her name, she startles slightly in mid-sip.
Ophelie coughs into her drink, whisking her gaze away from the barkeeper and over onto Juri. Wiping her mouth as she lowers the sharpmilk to the bar, she gathers her features back into those of the intelligent woman she is, rather than the strange, slightly bestial aspect she had previously accrued. "What a surprise indeed, my good colleague," she turns slightly to be facing Juri properly "and what brings you to this place, so late in the day?"
Flicking her gaze over to the barkeeper again, she mouths a few words - something, something-and-butter-bread, recieving a nod. The barkeeper wanders into the kitchen and calls something down in an unintelligably guttural language as Ophelie's gaze returns to Juri. "We aren't at the school now, so call me Phemie." She smiles warmly, brown eyes glinting in the candlelight as they regard the other professor.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 4:53 pm
Juri looks at her new companion in concern as she coughs somewhat suddenly into her mug. Was it her unexpected appearance here that caused it? She gazes on as the other woman gathers her composure and greets her. The Charms teacher chuckles a little as she neatly tucks her long legs under the bar table, placing her chin on her open palm.
"I was given a recommendation to come here. Rumor has it that this place has some of the best ale around, and I've come to see if the rumor was true. All this flurry of getting ready for the new school year is rather exhausting."
She pauses in her talk as the other professor speaks to the barkeeper, in a language that is foreign to her ears. Even if she is a learned woman, she still has a lot to discover about the vast lands of Athear. "Of course," Juri replies, another smile flitting across her face. "So long as you call me Juri." She turns back to the barkeeper and places a silver coin, engraved with intricate carvings of serpentine like creatures, on the bar table. "One ale please. So Phemie, how are you doing? Has the school gotten you under stress too? Or is it just me?" she asks the other woman, laughing a little.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:50 am
"Oh it's stressful alright," chuckles the other woman "that's precisely why I came down to see my good old friend here. And of course, to sample her liquid delights." Phemie grins, and takes a sip of her drink, placing the glass to her side as the kitchen door opens and a platter of stew and buttered bread is laid before her. Nodding to the kitchen woman, she serves herself a bowl and takes a slice of the bread. "Fancy a nibble? I ordered enough to go around. It's lamb stew, very good here so long as you know the staff." She winks at Juri and breaks off a section of breadcrust, dipping it into her bowl until the butter starts to melt and then quickly consumes it.
She licks her lips, "Perhaps we should move to a table?" she asks, as she neatly tucks the bread into a corner of the platter, her bowl balanced next to the empty one and the stew jug. She nods her head in the direction of a table near the door with a cushioned bench against the wall and two upholstered chairs lit dully by a trio of guttering candles in the center and a few in brackets about the nearby walls, and raises her eyebrows querulously.
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:59 pm
"I see. I'm starting to think I should come here more often to relax too. It seems like a quaint and quiet place." She blinks as the kitchen woman came out with the stew and bread. "Huh?"
Juri shakes her head in astonishment. She hadn't been expecting being treated to a small dinner. "Phemie, you shouldn't have..." she begins protesting, but gives up with a sigh and a smile. "Next time I treat you, alright?" she laughs. The woman peers into the stew jug and inhales the scent of the meal. "Mm...smells delicious," she breathes.
"Sure. Do you need help with that?" The sorceress slides off the bar stool and hovers near Phemie's elbow, wanting to be of assistance. She glances at the table her companion is indicating, and nods. "That one's fine." The woman heads over and sits down, smoothing out her dress as she waited for Phemie to do the same.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:17 am
Re-shuffling the bowls, jug, and bread on the now-heavy wooden platter, Phemie watches Juri seat herself before moving down from her stool. Firmly grasping the platter, she eyes her route across the inn's straw-strewn floor for a moment, gauging potential slips in spills or bumps on other customers before heading over to the table and settling the platter down next to the trio of melty, guttering candles.
As she pulls out a chair for herself, she blinks and looks over to the bar where her drink stands, forlorn in it's lonely spot on the bartop. "Mmm, forgot something," she murmurs, as she wanders back over to fetch it, dodging around a wobbly patron. Noticing her clothing is slightly rumpled from the stretching and moving as she heads back to the table, she smooths out her slightly askew vest, tucks a stray corner of her shirt back into her trousers, and pushes her spectacles tighter into her pocket. On arrival, she places the drink near her chair and sets out the bowls, placing the empty one in front of Juri with the steaming jug next to it, and her full one and hunk of bread in front of her own seat.
She seats herself and regards Juri a moment. "If you wish to treat me, it is your purse." A wink to show this is meant as a light-hearted joke is all she gives before turning her attention to her drink and thence to her bowl and bread. A few mouthfuls later, she looks up again and takes a sip of her sharpmilk. "So what brings you to Xanthian's?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:41 am
Humming a tune softly to herself, the woman makes her way in a sort of daze like way towards the tavern. Not even seeming to realise that her feet have undertaken a journey, she has her nose deep in a book while she walks. It is amazing that she does not trip but then, she is forever reading while she walks and thus, is used to not seeing her way. Shutting the book with a sudden snap, she stops outside the tavern and rearranges her glasses while she squints towards the doorway. Frowning delicately, her brown eyes scan the exterior as she reaches for her purse deep within her brown robes. "Hrm... I suppose it could do no harm" She murmurs softly to herself as she walks silently towards the door and slips inside with barely a sound. Gripping the wooden staff in her hand, she turns and closes the door with a soft snick as she rearranges her robes slightly. Not noticing the others within the dark and murky interior, Hazel heads straight for the bar and plops herself down on the seat as she sets the book beside her. Peering at the aged lables upon the shelf behind the barkeep she points to one and murmurs so softly that the others would not be able to hear her speaking. As she waits for her drink, she resumes the tuneful humming and swings her legs on the bar stool while she taps her fingers upon the desk. Realising she is causing a spectacle of herself, she clears her throat and stops as the bartender passes her across a green liquid in a glass. Paying her, she rises from the barstool and makes towards a table to seat herself.
Resting herself delicately upon the chair, Hazel props the staff up against the adjacent chair and reclines back upon her own as she sips her drink. Murmuring to herself, she blinks as she looks over and finds that her book is still on the bartop. Softly sighing, she scraps the chair back with a whining groan and pads across to the bartop to grab her book. Just as she reaches her arm down to pick it up, a small black rat scurries down her arm and runs across the bartop sniffing for crumbs. Tutting loudly, she clicks her fingers and announces in a clear voice "Briar! You come back here right now or next time I will bring your sister instead. You bad behaved little rodent" The rat stops dead in its tracks and sniffs at a tasty looking morsel before turning and scampering back to Hazel and dissappearing beneath her robes. Adjusting her glasses, Hazel blinks and finally notices the other professors sitting together. Smiling warmly at them, she wanders back to collect her drink but makes no moves to go over and join them. Instead, she pulls out the book and begins to jot down notes and the like with a small pencil she pulls out from behind her ear.
"Mmmmhmm.. thats good.. oh that one too... yes yes, mustn't forget that, they will love that one. No no.. not that one, far too dangerous. Oh no no no... definitely not" She continues to babble away to herself as she marks the book with little symbols and signs. Sighing to herself, she stops marking the book for a moment as she takes a small sip of her drink and ponders while tapping her chin with the pencil. "That is if anyone actually decides to join this year... I wonder why no one is interested in my lectures, they aren't -that- boring are they?" It would seem that she is talking to nobody but just then the rat pops its head out of her sleeve and squeaks at her. "Oh I see Briar... well that must be amended now mustn't it." Bringing the pencil down to the page, she resumes her murmuring and scribbling as she takes no notice of the other professors.
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Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:26 pm
Juri laces her fingers together and waits patiently as Phemie makes her way over to the table. She makes a note to herself to ask the barkeeper for her ale after chatting to the other professor for a while. When the other professor comes back and sets the empty bowl and the stew jug in front of her, she murmurs a quiet thank you before ladling some into her bowl.
"Of course, of course." The sorceress catches the wink and laughes melodiously. She swirls her spoon in the stew before bringing close to her lips. With a soft exhale she cooled the soup before taking a taste. "It's amazing," she smiles. "Your friends are wonderful cooks."
She takes another mouthful of the stew, considering Phemie's question. "In all honesty, it was to begin a new life. I've had some bad experiences in my homeland...It had to be done, and I can't say that I've regretted coming to Athear and becoming a teacher at Xanthian's. It's been an...interesting experience, to say the least, to teach the students."
Juri sets her spoon back into the bowl before looking at her companion. "May I ask what brought you to Xanthian's also?"
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