"H-hey Dad, isn't that the girl witho-"

"SHH! Just stay away from her, ok? She is a nuisance to our kind..."

Different.

Forsaken.

The doors of a small tavern swung open violently, attracting the curiosity of several of its patrons. The previous atmosphere of cheers and gaiety was silenced, leaving only the sounds of the howling and pounding of the storm raging just outside the only sound throughout the building. A small, cloaked figure burst through the doorway, falling to her knees just inside the entrance. "SAFE!" the girl cries in an unintended loud voice as she waves her hands through the air, reiterating her "safety". Realizing all eyes were on her, she let's out a small "eep" and gathers herself off the floor, her cheeks aflame. "A-ah, s-sorry..." She apologizes with a quick curtsy. Finally losing interest with her entrance, the room returns to its care-free, laid back state.

The girl then catches the eye of a figure leaning across the bar on the opposite side of the room, smirking at her. She bartender extends a long, tan figure and motions for the girl to come over. She girl hesitates before quickly crossing the room, avoiding the eyes of the townspeople as she passed. She finally plopped down onto one of the stools, the woman giving her a once over as she approaches. The girl was clad in a soaking wet cloak, the cloak itself nothing fancy, just a plain dark blue cloth with a dark trim.

"Hmmm, this one won't be a big buyer then," the bartender noted mentally. The girl then proceeded to lower her hood, causing a dark red flash that caught the middle-aged woman's attention. Long, wavy red hair cascaded down the girls shoulders, damp in certain places. Her skin was a striking ivory against the blood-like color. The girl's face could be mistaken for that of an adolescent, but her striking emerald eyes were window's of the girl's wisdom, putting the girl probably near or slightly older than 20. A silver glint demanded the lady's attention next- a long, one-handed sword was strapped to the girl's side, the hilt engraved with ivory and gold flowers, making the sword itself looking very rare, maybe elven made? The enigma was solved as the girl attempted to tame her wavy firestorm into a side braid, revealing a pair of pointy ears.

The elven girl shifted uncomfortably as she finally noticed the woman giving her a once over, and her cheeks pinkened slightly. The bartender blinked before her honey eyes softened, a smiled returning to her red-glazed lips. "Some entrance ya' had there..." She said in a low, non-chalant voice.

"Lady, if you ony knew..." A slightly embarrassed expression crossed the girl's pretty features. "A-ah, yes. I was almost in town when the s-sky opened up on me..." Satisfied with her loose braid, she started digging in her satchel as the bartender stifled a chuckle. "Ah, I see then..." She flipped her long, jet-black bangs. "Th' name's Tisha Stonewald...and you're...?" She trailed off as the girl, who'd been distracted counting coins out of her newly-removed coin purse, slapped 5 gold coins on the table. "HUNGRY!" She said, alittle too loud again to her own dismay. Tisha laughed out loud this time and a few other customers at the bar joined in. The poor girl's face fell as she realized why they were laughing. "Ah, uhm, s-sorry...my name is Elana...Elana Swordstriker..." She added, playing with her hair nervously. "Ah, dammit, grow a backbone Elana!" She was REALLY bad with strangers, after all.

Tisha wiped a tear out of her eye. "Elana...hmmmm a strange name for an elf...but I like it." She grinned a toothy grin, the kind of smile that everyone around you has to smile too.

Expectedly, Elana smiled cutely in return. "T-thanks! And, uhm, I'd like a mug of ale and 2 plates of boar meat and potatoes. Tisha gave a small curtsy and whipped around, causing her long red dress to blow around her ankles, to put away Elana's coins.

"Coming right up!" The bartender responded, disappearing temporarily to fetch her order. Elana took this opportunity to unwind after a 4-day long journey. "I hope I have enough from that last one to pay for a night...sleeping outside again wouldn't be ideal..." She thought nervously, counting her coins again. "Shit, maybe JUST enough for one night...but I won't have enough for breakfast or even another mug of ale tonight..." The elf groaned, knowing that one mug would never satisfy her, being as she absolutely loved liquor and food, more than a normal person. She suddenly peered over at the rather large Orc seated to her left, eyeing his plate of asparagus, stuffed steak, and sliced tomatoes enviously, making the girl's mouth water. As if detecting her hunger, Trisha reappeared with her order, causing the girl to unconsciously widen her eyes and bounce abit in her seat.

"Yay! No more dried meat toooonight!" She giggled, immediately digging her fork into the meat as soon as the plate touched the counter, carving a piece out with her knife and plopping it into her mouth eagerly, causing the woman to chuckle again at her customer. She followed the meat with a big swig of ale, sighing after she'd swallowed. "T-this is amazing! Thank you!" She cried giddily, quickly digging into her potatoes next.

Trisha walked slowly to the other side of the room, glancing back as the girl devoured her meal. "Poor thing, must not eat even THAT good very often..."

The last drop of ale slid down the mug into Elana's mouth, eliciting a small groan to her lips. "Dammit! I'm not even BUZZED yet..." The girl leaned her elbow on the counter, her lips forming a childish pout as her mind wandered elsewhere.

"-h...So have you heard? About the bandits who're hiding out at the general store?"

"Yeah, some of the guys at the mill were talking bout' it...how they were not only holding the owners hostage, but they wouldn't let anyone else buy anything either..."

" Oi, I heard the store owner's son was the one who let em' in! Helping em' torment the town...wonder how his folks' is dealing with it...poor bastards..."

Elana's ears perked as she overheard the conversation. "Bandit gang...in this little town?...that COULD definitely be a problem." Suddenly, another mug of her favorite ale slid down the counter from the bartender. After giving her a confused glance, Trisha pointed over her shoulder. "Courtesy of this un'." Elana leaned carefully forward, to look around the hulking mass of Orc. There, sitting in the next stool over, grinning slyly in her direction, sat a strange man. Long, swept chocolate-brown bangs framed his more handsome-than-real features. Elana took in his tall, slender figure. Even a black, long-sleeve, EXPENSIVE looking tunic and gray trousers could not mask his muscular body. The V-neck tunic exposed a strong contrast of pale skin, rivaling even her own. The took in his eyes last, which made her gasp softly as she was mystified with his bright red eyes that seemed slightly to...glow? After taking these few seconds to take the man in, he put his hands up in a surrender.

"Tch, guilty as charged, I suppose." His voice was smooth as silk, low and attractive in Elana's ears.

She blinked, expressionless, until she registered his words. "A-a-ah..! Um, thanks...I guess?" She was grateful, for sure, but what had caused his random act of kindness? She didn't even know his name, much less him.

The stranger chuckled softly, seeming to enjoy the girl's nervousness. "Don't worry bout it, love. Not everyday you see an elf come through this hell-of-a-town. Much less one as cute as yourself." He winked at her, making her realize he was teasing her. She huffed, and inspected the drink for a second before taking a big swig, a light pink coloring her pale features as the alcohol finally started giving her a slight buzz. The male Orc between him gave a low grunt, placing a tip on the counter before getting up and hobbling away, leaving nothing between the two. Elana straightened up her posture, feeling self-conscious as she realized he was watching her still. The man leaned toward her slightly, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "So, what brings you to town? Running away from your lover maybe...?" Elana spluttered her drink at this, her cheeks brightening from embarrassment rather than drunkenness.

"N-no! I'm just...passing through I guess. Looking for work mostly..." She replied shortly, wondering why this man persisted to tease her. He nodded abit, still grinning wolfishly.

"Ah, makes sense then. You look abittt too feisty to be settled down anyway..." he responded quietly, low enough she could hear only. She opened her mouth to retort when another conversation reached her ears.

"...think anyone will do anything bout' it?"

"Yeah, there's a pretty hefty bounty on em, so some dead-beat is sure to stop em'"

"...will the hostages hold up long enough though...?"

Elana gasped abit. They'd had her at "bounty". Her eyes twinkled, knowing what she had to do next. Before she could do as much as move an inch, however, the man was shaking his head. "Best not get involved...you might get hurt love..." She whispered, as if he'd read her mind. The girl rolled her eyes, only giving him a "Tch..." before hopping off the stool and draping the hood of her cloak back over her head. She wasn't gonna let some know-it-all keep her from a week full of meals. She opened the door to the tavern, staring out into the stormy darkness, before looking once more over her shoulder to the man at the bar-who...wasn't there anymore... "...the hell?" she whispered to herself, then disappeared into the night.

Continued in Chapter 2

Hello, so this is my first fiction and I'm very, VERY open to constructive criticism. It's kinda of slow in this chapter, but in the next there shall be more romantic situations, action, and all kinds of goodies! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing !