Ovali was the city of the arts. You'd have the shitist aim imaginable to throw a stone in Ovali and not hit a theater, musical venue or street performer.
It was mid-afternoon when the sound of music hit Effie's ears, it took a little while longer before Hamish could hear it too. It was a bubble of sound surrounding the city of mish-mash of every instrument imaginable, even some that had been just been invented that morning, they were riding right in to the throng of it.
They entered the city gates and hitched their horses with a stable master on the edge of the city who guaranteed the horses a good night's sleep and a peaceful lodging by way of his husbands revolutionary invention, horse earmuffs.
Effie paid the stable master handsomely, 'You know where the Two Bow Tavern is?'
'Tha' shite 'ole?' He furrowed his brow. 'Ai! Go ou' 'ere, lef' t'square righ' den righ' den dern snikkit, 'tairs on lef' g'den oyerigh'' They left the stable master's office knowing exactly where to go.
As they got closer to the center of the city, the streets were packed with crowds and performers. They walked passed A small gnome was playing what looked like a three tiny harps on a wheel by was hitting it with a weasel.
They walked passed an Elf woman on a tiny stage, 'Teaching is easy, I did it for three hundred years, and anyone can do it, two rules, don't punch the kids.' The audience laughed. 'and second, don't fuck the kids.' This time they clapped.
They walked past a square where a rectangular stage had been set up. A man with black hair was shouting at a bearded man '...you'll never win the heart of these people!' He yelled in his face. The beard man looked to the crowed, then to the black haired man. 'Fine speech.' He nodded before shooting harmless coloured sparks out of his hands into the black hair's chest, 'Argh!' he screamed throwing himself backwards, 'You're dead sunshine!' mellow drama oozing from his screams.
They walked passed a dwarf, a halfling and a gnome all on the others shoulders playing a sitar and a violin in perfect harmony.
A centaur girl in black lacy unmentionables performing an erotic fan dance.
A Teifling man in a suit and tie stood on an upturned crate, 'I don't why women are so messy. Any shape shifters here?' He looked out, and saw a hand raised. 'You there you handsome sod, what's your name? Ralph? How exotic. When you shape shift into a woman, and it's fine, we've all thought about it.' He squeezed his chest with one hand and made a wanking motion with the other. The crowd laughed, 'OK, when you shape shift into a woman, which is fine. Do...wardrobes become invisible?' They laughed again.
They when down a set of stone stairs which led them to right outside a ramshackle looking pub that was carved into the bottom of a small cliff.
A small sign said the place was the Two Bow Tavern, however it was hard to make out, there was a lot of damp covering the sign, it was littered with buck shots and, fittingly and few arrows.
The dingy little place was exclusively stone, save for the bar and tables. Being so close to sea level, the carpet consisted entirely of moss, the dart board had was barley visible under the layers of black and green mold, it didn't stop the patrons from playing on it anyway.
'Get the drinks in Hamish.' Effie said as she quickly sat at the table of one of the nooks against the far wall. Her size and built physique, drew attention briefly but by the time Hamish came to the table with two pints of blonde, the patrons had returned to their conversations and drinks.
'I think they're just seeing who gets a bulls-eye first, I can't see anyone taking score.' Hamish sat down, placing the pints straight on to the scorched wood table.
After a few minutes of playing cards and looking towards the drunk violinist wobbling on an upturned beer crate, keeping tune but just barely. A clocked figure passed by the table, dropping a bear mat that landed next to Effie's pint. She flipped it over, it had been scribbled on,
053-307363452175
'You want to give this a crack?' Effie asked nodding to the mat
'Target would have died of old age by the time anyone figures that out.' Hamish knew a fruitless endeavor when he saw one.
She took an uncharacteristically small sip and slammed her pint on the mat. A small volume of blonde sloshed out onto the mat and the ink began to run.
They finished their drinks, Hamish dropped the empty glasses at the bar on the way out.
The bartender raised his eyebrow, 'Tourists.' He grunted with disdain. For the first time in the history of the Two Bow Tavern someone had bothered to take their glasses back to the bar.