Gunn was ending a rather long day. She'd awoken at approximately four in the morning, going for her wake-up swim, before doing a final round of fishing and packing her large cart for the market. Once a week she made this trip from her houseboat south several miles to the Village, where she was the only merchant to sell fish and other lakewares, such as freshwater clams and crabs.
In fact, she only had about a third of her stock left and was packing it up for the night [she would stay over at the tavern, sell the rest on the morrow, and head home by midday], when she heard the sound of drunken music spilling into the night air.
A grin. Gunnwale, though she prefered her solitary houseboat on the lake, enjoyed her visits to the village and looked forward to seeing her regular customers, along with sharing several pints of ale with the latecomers to the tavern. Now she glanced up from the ropes she was tying over a leather covering to the cart and spotted Roddik. It was odd for the Jivveness. She couldn't quite place his name, though she knew she'd seen him about. It was rare for her to not remember a name.
She hailed him, nonetheless. "Ho, there, Daewl!" It was friendly, and the tall Vhaid straightened to smile gently. "Perchance you might give a stranger some company?"
Hands still shoved down in his pockets, Roddik snapped his head up and glanced at the jivviness who had shouted. He smiled at her and then did a slow circle while he stode along, looking behind him to see if she was talking to someone else. Seeing that he was the only one on the street, he walked up to her and looked over the area. "Of course. I'm good for company at any moment." This was the market area... he wondered breifly how he'd managed to get to the market stalls and quickly decided that he must have let his mind wander only to have his feet follow. He chuckled at that thought and let the music in his head die down. "selling fish? At this late hour?" He liked fish, but a quick search through his pockets turned up a wadded bar napkin and rock... no money. With a look that was half frowing, half smiling, and all teasing he said "I've got a rock in my pocket. Don't know how it got there... you need a rock?"
"Only to you, it seems." She wasn't actually selling fish, she was packing up her makeshift stall, however, that had taken awhile, as Gunn was frequently approached by other merchants for last minute trades, or to get advice, something she didn't mind in the slightest.
An odd, fellow, it seemed, and quite old, as well. Gunnwale rather liked odd company. He seemed friendly enough, and well, it was her fish. She wasn't exactly at a loss for wealth. An easy smile slid onto her dark features and she proceeded to examine the rock with her bright eyes once he'd brought it forth. "Why, yes, I do think that will do nicely." A small part of the cart was still uncovered and she gestured to it. "Take your pick, friend, you will not be disappointed."
As she had been looking over the rock, he had been looking over her. He let his mind wander as he watched her for a second and decided that she was pretty enough, if a little thin, but he liked her hair. He was smiling at her when she told him to 'take his pick'... take his pick of what, he wondered, as he looked down at his hand. In his palm was a rock about an inch around on all edges. She seemed to want it, so with a smile just for her, he turned the object over and proceded to look at her cart where she was pointing. The 'pick' that she was refering to turned out to be very fresh and good looking fish. He liked fish... but seeing as to how he was currently living alone he wouldn't need a big one at all. He selected a fish that could be measured on the small side of medium and grinned at her. "I don't get much fish, been busy and all lately." Something in the back of his brain questioned that statement, busy with what?, but the thought was banished as soon as it had come. Pointing at the fish he smiled at her again. "You fished that?"
"Fished the whole cart."
A modest shrug and Gunn nodded with a grin, accepting the rock in one hand and tousling her hair with the other. She was indeed quite good-looking, albeit weird looking, and got stared at quite often, so it was nothing to note when she glanced up to see him watching her. "Busy, eh? Aren't we all?"
A low, throaty chuckle and she picked up his chosen fish, carefully wrapping it in the sheets of paper she kept for that purpose alone. In her skilled, practiced hands it took only a moment before she handed the packaged fish to him and strapped down the leather tarp on her cart, gesturing toward the tavern. "Fancy a walk? I'm rather thirsty."
Ale, that's what she meant by that.
He watched her, fascinated, with his hands shoved down in his pockets, and seemed taken aback when she handed him the fish she'd just wrapped. He did accept the fish, however, and absently put his hand into his pocket to look for money to give her... all he found was a wadded up bar napkin, and as he was about to mention this, she asked him if he was thirsty. He brain jumped tracks and tried to answer this question for him... was he thirsty? Lips weren't parched and his throat was oiled enough. But then again who couldn't use a good drink in a tavern. He couldn't remember when he'd last been to any of the bars for a drink, and it seemed like as good a plan as any. Without thinking about the fish, he tucked it into an oversized back pocket, forgot about his lack of money and gave the young woman a heartfelt smile. "Miss, I'm a man who's thirsty in his soul. There's not a moment in my life I don't wish for the company of hearty song, pretty lasses, and a mug of the finest cask ale." And shoving his right hand down into his pocket again, he offered her his left arm as only a gentleman would.
Gunnwale had no qualms taking the, well, scrawnier Jivvin's arm, and left her cart behind her. There were patrols, even on a night like this, and they knew the merchant stalls well, besides, if someone stole a fish from the likes if Gunn, they probably truly needed it, and she had no qualms with that.
Instead they headed right back down to the tavern Roddik had been at not more than a few hours beforehand and entered. Gunnwale was greeted with a hoot or two, though she noticed that not many greeted the older Jivvin at her side, an odd thing for this village, still, perhaps he didn't frequent here as often as she. Gunn certainly couldn't place him here in her memory, which was rather sharp for her age.
"Let me buy you a round, Daewl." A friendly grin and she took a seat at the bar, immediately garnering the attention of the pretty bartender before her, who gave her a warm grin and Roddik an odd, vaguely confused glance before shaking her head.
"What'll it be, Gunn?"
"I'll take a pint of my usual, and my friend here can have anything he likes."
Roddik allowed her to lead him to the bar, content to be lead and completely unsuprised when they arrived. It must have been having her on his arm that kept him attuned to the situation, because for the first time in a long time he didn't wonder what had brought him to a place. With a smile for the patrons inside, he returned full usage of her arm to Gunn beside him and looked the place over. "Good choice." He approved. It was a well kept tavern with a nice decor to it, and as they arrived at the bar he approved even more. The barmaid was a pretty woman, in the prime of her age, not too young and not too old, with a wicked smile and just that hint of... something, he couldn't quite place it. "Cask ale please, as thick as you can get it, please."
With a smile he dusted off the barstool in front of him and had a seat... His eyes went wide as he sat down on something squishy, and he dug into his back pocket in confusion only to come out with a medium package wrapped in paper. He poked at it slightly and squeezed it before opening it a little and peering inside. It was a fish. With a laugh he wrapped the corner back down and set it on the bar. "Sat on a fish." He chuckled again as he accepted the ale placed in front of him, and looked about the room. "Can't say that I've ever been in this tavern before."
The barmaid shot him another look of confusion, and then went back about her tending.
Gunn's laugh was hearty and warm as she decided she did indeed like this odd Daewl. He seemed to be quite forgetful, indeed! Still, there were stranger about, though the odder they came, the friendlier, most times. "A fish! How strange!"
She took a deep drink from her mug, shrewd grey/blue eyes taking casual note of the barmaid's reaction. Roddik seemed to get more interesting with every second, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
Nor did she particularly care to.
A few loud songs and rounds of ale and mead later, she clasped a large hand on the older jivvin's shoulder. "You'd best walk me to my room, scallywag, afore someone puts another mug to my lips!" It would not be good if she overdid it, after all.
Roddik had been pretty good for the conversation and song at the bar, since it was much easier to remember what you were doing when you had someone talking to you. As she stood, Roddik stood behind her, and grabbed up his mug to get the last swallow from it. He smiled at her, and then tipped his head to the barmaid. Offering the pretty young woman beside him his arm, he proceded to let her lead him to the doorway of her room. Before he could get too far though, the parton next to them tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a package wrapped in paper. He looked at it curiously for a moment, but couldn't unwrap it without taking back the arm he'd offered.
Gunn chuckled again, resisting the urge to tug Roddik's facial hair, and shook her head at his puzzled expression. "It's a fish, friend." Glancing over his shoulder to give the barmaid a warm grin, her bright eyes flicked back down to his face, and she stated her case before continuing toward her room. "If you go with me in there, you won't be leaving until the 'morrow, so make your choice, Daewl, as it's high time I met my pillows this eve."
He watched her look around the room and then as she offered him a night in her bed, he let a smile cross his face. Dropping his gaze from hers, he lifted the paper package up to his nose and gave it a sniff. It certainly did smell like a fish. This girl on his arm was good at guessing package innards apparently. "Certainly smells like a fish." He glanced at the patron who had handed it to him as they walked away from the bar. "That was nice of him. I like fish." As they hit the hallway containing the stairs, he thought about the girl beisde him. She was pretty, she was happy, she was here... she was also a Vhaid. Roddik had a Daewl's preference... meaning that he usually was only attracted to Daewls. But this girl here was willing... and she had guess that the package had been a fish... that was something worth a tally on the 'go for it' side of the tally sheet. He lifted the package to his nose again and smelled the sure smell of a fish inside, causing him to chuckle. Who would have guessed fish? What were the chances?
Guessing games were easy when you'd provided the object in the first place, however, Gunn didn't point that out, finding herself just as happy as Roddik with accepting things as they were, instead she unlocked the door to the room reserved for her in the upperstory of the tavern and let him in after her. The package was removed from his hands, put on ice, and she reached for him.
Most would've considered the night a rather unforgettable romp.
Of course, both Roddik and Gunnwale forgot it, anyway.
In the wee hours of the morning Gunn awoke, her natural alarm clock telling it was time to get on with her day, and she yawned, stretching, and glancing over to see... Well, whoever that was. Tousling her short hair with one hand, Gunn proceeded to dress, mulling over the sleeping jivvin in her bed. Interesting. A little older than she usually went for, but he looked nice.
Damn, she couldn't remember him at all! Well, other than a fuzzy recollection. She must've had a lot to drink. Grinning, Gunn shook her head, raising an eyebrow at what she recognized as her own paper-wrapping job on a fish in an icebucket. Must've been for him.
Leaving it behind, she headed back down the stairs and to the market, to set up her stall.
Roddik opened his eyes slowly to the sunlight streaming though the small window and turned over in the bed to get away from it. It was too late, though, he was already awake. With a smile, and litterally not a care in the world, he stretched and yawned, sitting up in the bed. He scratched his head as he looked around the room. Unless someone had redecorated his house in the middle of the night as a joke, he was in someone else's bed. He laughed. "I must have drank my wieght last night." And then he laughed again. There wasn't anyone else in the room, so he assumed she'd left already, and that was fine by him. She had probably been drunk as well. He swung his legs sideways out of the bed and winced as his feet left the warmth of the covers and hit the floor. Leaning over, he propped his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands.
Roddik lifted his head and looked around the room. It was a nice room all in all, well set out. The bed behind him was empty, and seeing as to how he was sitting on the edge of it he had probably slept in it. "Must have drank too much." He chuckled at that, and noticed by the sheets and pillows that there had been someone else in the bed too. That meant that he'd been lucky last night. He chuckled again. "Good for me." then he pointed at the pillow absently. "And her of course." With that, Roddik stood up and pulled on his pants, which had been lying on the floor. After he was dressed he looked around the room for anything that might be his, and came across the fish in the ice bucket. Picking up the package, he unwrapped one corner to discover what the contents were and had to laugh again. "How romantic." Without wondering if the fish were his to take or not, he pocketed the damp paper wrapped fish and headed off down the stairs.
When he reached the bar, he headed over to the Oplyln behind the bar to ask the man a question... though once he was there Roddik couldn't remember what it was he had wanted ot ask the man, so he waved his thanks for... something... and headed out the door. As he hit the street he realized that he was near the market stalls, and that he could probably get some fruit for breakfast if he headed that way... so he did.
Thirteen minutes later he was looking at a stall full of leather boots and wondering why he was looking at them. Surely he'd been doing something? He took a moment to look over the boots on his feet and decided that he didn't need new ones after all, so he wandered on down the line of stalls. Near the end there was a particularly pretty young woman selling fish. "I like fish." He said to himself, before he shoved his hands down into his pockets and walked up to the stall.
Gunnwale's morning had, as usual, been quite busy, and in the small lull between rushes of villagers, she worked at keeping the stall clean and organized [Gunn had been selling fish at the village for over a hundred years, she knew how to do things properly], and therefore was almost startled to look up and see an older, friendly looking Daewl smiling at her.
She squinted at him for one long moment, trying to place his face. She knew most everyone around here, especially the older wilds, and it was odd for her to not know a name and face. Hmmm... The Vhaid was sure she'd seen him before, but where...? Perhaps it'd been a long time ago. He didn't seem to know her, after all.
"Ho, there, Daewl!" A warm grin, and she gestured to her cart. "Would you like some..." She trailed off as she spotted a familiar package. She didn't remember selling him that, but she must've during a rush. Gunn pointed at it, with a sheepish laugh. "Ach, I see you've already got a fish there, friend! I must be losing track of things! Well, it's a beautiful day, so enjoy it, and enjoy that fish, eh?"
Roddik looked down at the package in his hand and saw that he already had a fish. That was lucky, that he wanted something and there it was. He tipped his head at Gunn and smiled at her. "I will enjoy it. Thanks." And with that he turned and walked away from her stall, pocketing the package again.
A moment later down the path, he turned and glanced at the woman selling fish. She was cute in an odd sort of way. With a smile he walked off down the road and rammed his hands down into his pockets. ... most likely only to pull out a white package, later in the day, and inspect it's contents over and over again until he happened to inspect it near a frying pan.
