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Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:46 pm
The dangerous part, upon reflection, was that Siobhan was probably right. But Rob wasn't in the mood to stick his neck out just to spite her. He lifted his brow and shrugged noncommittally before taking a slower, more controlled drink.
The atmosphere was infectious, and more ales went down as the crowd cheered heartily for their native beer. Even some of the foreign sailors joined in and yelled as loud as the rest of them, downing drink after drink with reckless abandon.
By the time Siobhan had finished, cries of "Encore!" sprang up around the room, now conveniently engrossed in the spectacle at hand. Ollie joined in with equal gusto and tilted back another mug as Rob joined in with his nth cup of ale. It was hard to keep track by now, with all the voices clamoring at once.
"Time t'let loose, Ol?" Rob said with a shrug, shoving the now-empty mug away.
"Maybe not all the way," Ollie replied with a grin, before being swept up by a resounding chant that became a low and throaty homage to the country. "SUNDERLAND, SUUU-UUUUNDERLAND, SO FAIR YOUR GREENS AND BLUE YOUR SKIES. TOWARD HOME, TO-WAAAARD HOME, 'NEATH THIS FAIR EARTH TO DIE."
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Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2013 6:07 pm
Bowing to the crowd, Soibhan leapt down from the table as the room lit up into another song without her, one she found eerily beautiful for all it was being sung by drunken sailors. Ollie was swept into the crowd, but she sat down and noticed Rob staring at his empty mug. As quickly as the crowd had loved her, they just as quickly forgot about her as she set down her violin. She would play for them again before the night was done, but the ale was making her head fuzzy and she had become entirely too warm. Slipping off her thicker outer shirt, she set it next to her instrument, glad for the cooler air on her now bare shoulders. This top was lined with fur but still less stifling than the other. "More ale fer ya, Rob?" she asked loudly to be heard over the din, her accent growing thicker as she grew more intoxicated. Bold as can be with some liquor in her belly, she slid her chair over to sit next to him and prod his side with her elbow. "I got 'nother mug here fer ya. Gotta loosen ya up some!" Pointing to Ollie, Soibhan added, "See, he's 'avin' fun. Let's 'ave some fun, Rob!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 2:48 pm
Out of spite, Rob might have replied that he was plenty loosened enough. Something still irked him about her, something that rubbed him the wrong way. Ollie would have told him that it was simply leftover bitterness from being interrupted earlier. Rob had a good memory for things both good and bad, and letting go had never been his strong suit.
But the offer of ale, in this instance, seemed good enough for him. And that accent of hers, coming from her wee person, made for a sweet enough song. He supposed.
"If y'match me mug for mug, maybe," he said, half daring her to do it. It was much easier to have fun - all manner of fun - when all the parties involved were thoroughly intoxicated, and from the looks of it they were both on the way.
Ollie, meanwhile, had leaped to his feet and proceeded to pretend to play an invisible violin. It was never easy to tell exactly how drunk he was; some days, the ale got to him and others, he simply used it as an excuse to lose his head completely. Drunk or not, it was something Rob could imagine him doing.
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:35 pm
"Shall we make this a competition, lad?" She grabbed the last two mugs on the table and slid one in front of Rob, taking her own in hand. Holding it out to him, she waited to clink the mugs. "I'll be havin' that information from yer brother, but from you I be wantin' a smile. If I need ta drink ya under the table ta get it, I will!" Winking at him, she clinked her mug to his and tipped her head back to drink.
The roar of the crowd singing around her should have made her head pound, but she was already well on her way to under-the-table drunk. All she had to do was outlast Rob, than she could get her tale from Ollie. And maybe she would remember it come morning.
Was it safe to be so drunk surrounded by these drunken sailors? The thought came to her, but it was a mere whisper in her head as she swallowed the thick drink, the bitter taste dancing on her tongue. Will that a** from earlier come back and try to get his revenge? What if her captors really did come looking and found her here? She wouldn't be able to defend herself if she couldn't stand up straight.
But the whispers were quickly getting drowned out and she paid them no heed as she finished the mug, slamming it down to the table just like every other she'd had so far.
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:10 pm
She was reward with a look of amusement, something close enough to a smile that ought to let her know she was headed in the right direction. "Y'should know better'n to take bets y'can't win, miss Siobhan," he warned before tilting his mug to clink it with hers. If there was anything that being a sailor had taught him, it was how to drink, not to mention that she looked about half his size. Still, she looked game and he gave her credit for that.
From the looks of it though, Siobhan would have to wait until tomorrow for her story.
Despite his promise to not let loose completely, Ollie was well on his way to being completely drunk, and his perch upon the chair he had requisitioned from a fellow sailor seemed precarious at best. In a minute or two, he would lead the merry band of drunks on another widely popular song and perhaps even forget that he entered the inn with two companions.
"You'll not be gettin' no sort o' story out've that one tonight," he said, a hand at Siobhan's elbow to gently pull her closer - presumably so she could hear him better over the raucous laughter in the room. For whatever reason, it all seemed quite amusing to Rob, who allowed himself a chuckle before downing the rest of his ale. "I reckon you n' me could write a sweeter story afore the night's out. Give you all the smiles y'want, I will." He wanted her closer, preferably somewhere in or pretty damn near his lap so he could... do stuff to her with his hands. Or whatever. He reached for more drinks for the both of them. "I've a real nice smile, I have. You probably don't want t'miss out none."
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:31 pm
((This is getting quite tantalizing xD)) "Who's sayin' I can't win 'em?" she growled, giving him a challenging look and baring her teeth in a playful grin. At the mention of Ollie, she turned in her seat to look at the drunken man singing his lungs out, nearly falling off her chair if it hadn't been for Rob's hand on her elbow. Whipping back around, she leaned over him to grab the mug on his other side. "If I didna know better, I'd say ya were flirtin' with me, Rob." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before downing another mug, pushing a matching one into his hand to remind him to drink his share. "I can only imagine what kinda tales we might sing..."Offhandedly, she lifted her gaze and noticed a group of men watching them from across the room. Something seemed familiar about them, but her vision had become more blurry than she wanted to admit to herself. She couldn't let Rob win the drinking match. Blinking furiously, she looked towards the corner again, but the men were gone. Turning back to Rob, she scooted herself up onto the tabletop in front of him, the better to focus on his blurry face. She really did want to see his smile, and missing it would be a travesty.
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:52 pm
((SAILORS HAVE NEEDS OKAY XDD)) "Well, says the fact that you look almost as drunk as me brother," he countered, hardly registering the new mug as a new one and taking a drink. If he was to be honest, they were all well on the way to a nasty headache in the morning - had probably already reached and passed that point, in fact - but the ale was talking and no drunk Tiller had ever admitted to being drunk.
"S'just sailor's sport." If he wasn't willing to admit to being drunk, then he most certainly would not admit to flirting, even if that was precisely what he was doing. Wasn't it? At some point, decisions had gone out the window and actions, plain and simple, had taken over. He couldn't pinpoint when, but he figured it was sometime right around when the alleged flirting had begun. Mug number whatever.
"No need to imagine," Rob shrugged, leaning back contentedly in his seat to finish his drink. Admittedly, though, his imagination was running wild. Not that he could really tell what was going through his mind at this point, other than the fact that something quite passionate was happening in a dark room somewhere. Probably one of the rooms in this very inn. They had rooms. "Real pretty songs they'd be, takin' after you and not me." Her and her sweet songs and her soft lips.
He had been too busy drinking to notice her glance toward the corner, but when she hopped onto the table, he shook his head. "But don't you know, y'has to trade something better'n a kiss on the cheek for a smile."
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:50 pm
((LOL yes, yes they do XD))Smiling suspiciously, she leaned forward and touched his cheek, turning him into her sudden kiss. It had been a drunken whim, but she enjoyed it, tasting the ale and salt on his lips. She liked to flirt, and whether he wanted to admit to flirting or not, she would take advantage of his advances, drunken or otherwise. When she pulled away, a smile tugged the corners of her mouth. He was a very good kisser. "Now how 'bout that smile, sweet Rob? Or do I have ta give even more for a turn o' that pretty mouth o' yours?"
If she wanted to be completely honest with herself, she wouldn't be opposed to a drunken tumble upstairs with Rob. In her land, people enjoyed life and all its pleasures without worry that someone would label them something cruel or look down on them. Already, she knew Sunderland was vastly different. Would Rob think less of her for her carnal thoughts? There's was a commotion on the other side of the room, but her fuzzy head didn't register it as anything important, though her sober self would have. "Don't make me beg for that smile," she said as she touched a finger to his lips. ((Would you be opposed to her captors showing up and causing problems?))
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:37 pm
((Pahaha, just mention the word "tumble," Siobhan, just mention it. YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF UPSTAIRS BEFORE YOU CAN SAY CHEESE))
The kiss was what he had been hoping for, but he hadn't pinned too many hopes on it. The surprise had been pleasant, to say the least, and when she pulled away, he almost leaned forward to follow her, wanting it to continue.
Oh, but hadn't she earned it?
Even if she hadn't kissed him, he would have given her that smile in another mug or two of ale. He glanced down at the finger she touched to his lips, wondering how much longer he could hold the smile from his face.
As it turned out, not long. A broad grin crept across his lips, a little lop-sided like his brother's but wider, brighter, happier even. It made sense somehow, for Rob didn't grin unless he was well and truly satisfied. For him, that was it, the ultimate expression of joy. A smile was all he had ever needed to show Ollie he was pleased. "Just this time," he said. "Beggin' will be required next time."
The next moment, he pushed his chair back to stand up, placing one hand on either side of her on the table and leaning in to kiss her again. Still smiling. One hand went to the small of her back, drawing her closer. He had not the time nor the attention for the ruckus on the other side of the room. He assumed it was the other men, but he needn't involve himself. He was plenty involved in this already.
((And, no, not at all XD Her captors are very welcome!))
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:49 pm
His smile lit up the room, though she seemed to be the only one that noticed it, which felt quite alright to her. She didn't even have a chance to respond before he was out of his chair and returning her kiss, surrounding her with his arms and filling her nose with his heady scent. Soibhan made a small, happy noise, putting her hands around his neck, not realizing how much taller he stood than her until now. That tumble looked far more appealing the longer he kissed her and when they finally broke apart for air, she murmured, "Take me upstairs, Rob. I be wantin' that song now." The look she gave him was all hunger and couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Though she felt lost in her own little, hazy world, something tickled the back of her mind an instant before the sound of breaking glass met her ears. Men started shouting, chairs getting flung aside as the bar erupted into a fight. But that wasn't what stole her attention from sweet Rob and his smile. Whiskey eyes narrowed as a growl escaped her; there stood her captors, each one sporting a painful injury to their face(and other areas), staring at her from the corner of the room behind Rob's back. A string of curses passed her lips and she wished she hadn't gone so overboard with the ale. She felt a sense of loss and regret. So much for that song...((UGH, I'M SORRY, SOIBHAN OTL ))
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:19 pm
A devilish light danced into his eyes when he saw that look, the light of desire and pure wanting and if his smile could have widened then, it would have. "Took y'long enough," he breathed, straightening to lift her up the way she was, her arms tangled around his neck.
But upstairs and a sweaty, dark room did not seem to be in their cards tonight. He turned and saw the men and stopped, his hands dropping to let her slide gently back onto the ground. It didn't take a sober man to realize this meant trouble.
"Gentlemen..."
The next moment, Ollie conveniently danced back into their lives, already breathless from what Rob could only assume was a foray into the fight. He gave Rob and Siobhan a cursory glance, and shrugged. "M'glad you two lovebirds noticed the fray," he said with a drunken cackle, obviously taking the situation far too lightly. Then again, that was Ollie on a good day.
Rob shot his brother a half horrified glance. This was certainly not a joking matter! He would have to shove Ollie for it later on. He turned back to the menacing men. "You don't want no trouble, m'telling you."
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:15 pm
"Oh, but we do, lad. That little wench in yer arms is ours, and we've a mind to take her back. You see, she slipped her lead and ran away from us." The dirty, shoddy looking man touched a finger to the horrid bruise nearly swelling one eye shut. "I gotta make her pay fer this." Another man, his face twisted in anger, stepped forward with a bloody bandage wrapped half-hazardly around his temple. "The b***h knocked me out cold! Dirty like, when I wasn't even lookin'. That's not fair." His gaze traveled up and down her as he licked his lips. "I've got a different way fer her to make amends though." The vagabonds all joined into a chorus of agreement. Soibhan sneered. "Ya stole me from my homeland. Ya planned ta sell me ta the highest bidder. I'm not yer horse, and ya can all go bugger yourselves til those pretty bruises I gave ya go away." She bared her teeth in a wolfish smile. "Unless ya be wantin' some more." "I'll give you some bruises, foul woman!" The first man lunged, his four cronies following suit close behind. Soibhan reacted on instinct, pushing swiftly away from Rob, albeit reluctantly, and kicking upright with all her strength. Her booted foot connected with the underside of the man's jaw with a loud, wet crack. He dropped like a stone as another rushed her. She jumped up onto the bar with a hiss and threw a heavy glass tankard at him. It startled him but he was larger than his fallen companion and as the mug thunked harmlessly to the floor, he reached out and grabbed Soibhan's foot and yanked her viciously off the bar. Her head cracked against the tough wood, stars exploding in her vision, even as her hand went to the small of her back where a dagger lay hidden in her belt.
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:37 pm
The second man had him riled. Rob was bristling by the time the man's gaze had traveled halfway down Siobhan's body and only Ollie's quiet touch on his arm stopped him from charging toward the men. "Seems t'me she shouldn't have t'pay for your incompetence," Ollie said with a chuckle, as if thoroughly amused by the idea that five men working together had failed to keep one hostage safe.
The next moment, everything went south as the five men lunged forward. "Ah, f--" Ollie managed to spit in disgust a moment before the action came crushing in and he ducked low to avoid a swinging fist and charged forward into the attacker, driving his shoulder into the man's diaphragm. He was rewarded with a satisfying oof as the wind cleared the man's lungs and he shoved the man bodily into the bar counter.
Behind Ollie, Rob was taking advantage of his height and size. He grabbed one of the smaller men by the collar and all but threw him into the bar, hauling the man back to drive a knee up into his chest. He was poised to do more damage when he heard Siobhan's head crack against the wood, and suddenly he had let go and was behind the big man, throwing an arm around the attacker's neck to forcibly drag him backward.
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:34 pm
Her attacker ripped from her, she took a fraction of a second to try and shake the stars from her vision, but they stubbornly persisted even as she caught a double vision of a man, the leader of the group, sneaking up behind Rob with both hands folded into a double fist. With a war cry that rattled the bar, Soibhan launched herself at the lowlife, slamming her shoulder into his chest until his back hit the wall with a crash of falling mugs and decorative plates. Her dagger pressed deeply into his throat, not breaking the skin, but if he swallowed too hard, blood would spill. The bar had grown eerily quiet; either they had captured everyone's attention, or the men all groaning and spread out on the floor had initially instigated the bar fight to cause a distraction. "Doona be tryin' that again, scum, or ya won't be gettin' a warnin' next time," she growled, pressing the tip of the dagger deep enough to draw a small pinprick of blood. It trickled slowly down his quivering throat. Other men gathered around them, but these had eyes only for the miscreants on the floor. It seemed that no one had any pity for the doubly wounded men, and in fact, a few dove in to drag them bodily up from the floor. "If ya come fer me again, or fer either of these men, hell hath no fury compared to a Breanainn threatened. I'll be givin' ya a big, red smile." She clicked her teeth together before pushing him into the wall a second time, stepping back from him with a curl of her lip. Men swarmed in and grabbed him. She turned to Ollie and Rob, grateful that they were unhurt and that the brothers had come to her rescue, even though they had only met. A smile replaced her snarl, but it was sheepish. "I'm sorry, boys. I didna think they would follow me. Guess I'm worth more then I thought."
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 4:32 pm
In the silence that descended over the bar, Ollie let out a low whistle of appreciation. "Whooo-eee, don't cross this'un the wrong way," he told one of the fallen men, prodding at him with a foot. There was a quiet groan as the man rolled onto his side.
"Ah, don't you say none," he said as he turned to Soibhan. Neither she nor Rob looked none the worse for wear, but for some dishevelment that was inevitable in any fight. "Y'saved me brother from a bad hit, so yer even, an' one of us now, we brothers o'the sea. Y'aren't a sailor, but come mornin' there's not a stretch o' dock in all Northport your enemies'll visit lightly. I'll see to that myself." His words were met with murmurs of approval as the men were escorted roughly out.
Rob, meanwhile, had been standing, watching Soibhan with unreadable silence. Every sound the fallen men made seemed to make him angrier, as if he would have liked nothing more than to pound them into the ground, but he said nothing and neither did he object when they were pulled to their feet and brought away. By the time they were gone, so was his smile.
He brushed some of the gathered men aside as they hardly existed and went to her. One hand went to brush an out-of-place piece of hair from her face, the other to circle her wait to her lower back and draw her close. Their bodies pressed together felt... right. He kissed her again, all hunger and urgency in the way he touched and held her. Yes.
He barely even heard when Ollie said softly, "Rob. Rob, time to go. Them guardsmen'll be here in a tick."
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