The stairs creek as I make my way down the stairs, double checking that I have everything on me mid way though it, I look over the present patrons, the only ones that seem to be present are those that have stayed at the Inn overnight, the majority of them seated at tables while others are near the bar itself, chugging at their mugs. The place still has the same atmosphere as last night, though it's still early morning, and the staff themselves seem positive enough, the waitresses and waiters moving between the customers, they seem to be taking orders with that professional retail smile on their mugs. As I reach the base of the stairs, I get a look at the bar itself, and to my surprise there's a different bartender this morning, though they look awkwardly similar visually, his lips aren't as cracked as the previous one, his hair is.. green? Not quite the hair colour I'd expect from him, and its a very deep forest green type of colour, is that normal here, or a dye of some kind? It's a very distinctive feature from him, and looking at the rest of his face he looks a fair bit younger than the other one, his face a lot smoother and pointier, how'd that escape me? I guess I just expecting the previous one, old bastard. The clothes I can see from this angle, at least, is a simple apron and a short sleeved shirt.
The bartender notices my lingering gaze, an eyebrow raised as his equally green eyes looks over my face, even as he leaves the customers at the counter their alcoholic mugs in front of him. Oh wait, I'm just staring at this dude, that's pretty awkward. I smile awkwardly myself and give him a small wave, taking a seat on the end of the counter, while I don't imagine the people next to me would care about me being not quite human, I don't want to risk it, just in case. The bartender briskly moves himself towards myself, picking up an empty mug on the way, rubbing away the remaining drops with a swift wipe of his cloth, I scratch at the back of my neck.
"Er, sorry about that Sir, I lost track of myse-"
"I don't swing that way." His voice is low and monotone, it fits his gaze as he looks over me, despite his swiftness in body, his blinking is slow and relaxed. I blink myself, head tilting, what does he mean by that? I feel the cogs turning in my head, it's far too early to be trying to think honestly, but it eventually clicks in my mind, I feel my face burn as I raise my hands to him.
"W-wait a second, that's not what I was thinking of! You're just not who I expected is all, I met someone very different last night." I explain myself to him, resting my hands on the counter to stop myself from fiddling my fingers together, Jesus Christ I'm feeling very.. unbalanced today, at least emotionally, is that cause of the dream? I can't see beyond the neutral face of the bartender, but he at least gives me a small nod, dipping his chin slightly.
"You met Father, then. Doesn't really like animals, let alone strangers, and you're both." My ears twitch as he says 'animal', frowning at him slightly. I can't tell, but I don't think he means it maliciously? There's no malice underneath his monotone voice, as far as I can tell, but it rubs me the wrong way.
"Well, sorry for being a basitin then I guess. Everyone kind of figures I'm not from around here, anyways." I don't mean to sound so huffy and resentful when I reply to him, my ears flattening. It's, odd, now that I think about my ears, it's as if I can feel them a little bit more than before as the hair rubs against my neck, and I can't exactly control what they do it seems, the twitching is irksome to say the least too. I really wish I wasn't a bloody basitin if it was going to come with so much bloody baggage. The bartender himself shrugs nonchalantly, half lidded eyes looking down to his cup.
"Basitin, then. No idea what that is, Father likely think's you're a keidran. Even if you were a human, no one would think you a local, no one calls a bartender 'Sir' here." It's incredibly hard to judge what the mans thinking, his eyes lack a spark behind it and his voice is incredibly monotone, it doesn't leave much to decipher. At least he's being polite, whether it be because I'm a paying customer or because it's who he is. I do wonder, should I stop calling people 'Sir' and such? It kind of seems to put people off, especially in a non noble type area, maybe I should reserve it solely to them?
"..are you ordering anything?" The bartenders voice knocks me out of my thoughts, I scratched the back of my neck once again.
"Er, sorry again, just a little scatterbrained at the moment. Do you have anything meaty, like steak? Is steak a thing here? And, I dunno, mug of milk I guess." The man raises an eyebrow, but doesn't object, instead he nods and walks away, barking an order to whoever's behind the counter. I feel quite pleased with myself, actually, my fingers tapping against the wood, even despite being more absent minded than usual with the thoughts and what-not, I still feel quite.. happy I think? Maybe it's just a feeling that'll come and go, but I like to imagine that part of it is from remembering who I am, or was, even if I was a bit of an ass, something to remember is nice. The stool next to me screeches lightly as it's pulled back, the sudden noise pulling me out of my thoughts again as I look up, I know that blonde hair anywhere! I smile wide as Edward takes a seat next to me, placing his already half empty cup of alcohol on the counter, why does he drink so early of all people? His face is that professional neutral, but I can tell he's at least a little happy underneath it! I wrap an arm around his shoulder and give him a friendly side hug, ignoring his voice of protest.
"Eddy boy! Here I was missing ya, how've you been holding up?" Edward grumbles under his breath, raising his mug to his lips and taking a gulp down.
"I've been alright Fuzz, I'm just here to make sure you don't somehow start a bar brawl because you opened your mouth." His voice is a faux scathing, and I can hear the smile behind it, sounds like it's just in good sport. I roll my eyes and poke my tongue out to him, grinning slyly.
"Come on Edward, I haven't done anything wrong just yet, don't you have faith in me?" I feel an itching feeling in the back of my head, even as I smile at him-
His eyes dart left and right, each orb filled with fear as he gurgles in my hands, the grip around his neck tightens further and further as the roar of the crowd around us reaches a new height.
I shake my heard away from those thoughts, feeling my smile fall as I put my attention onto the counter, it was a mistake, a fucking massive mistake but a mistake nonetheless, I'll take whatever the repercussions could be on the chin and deal with it as best as I can. Closing my eyes, I try to mask it with eye rubbing and a yawn, resting my head on my hands. Edward doesn't make any further comment, instead choosing to tend to his remaining grog, the others in the bar continuing their regular business, some of them roaring with laughter over an unheard joke. I would normally be able to hear whatever they're talking about, but lowering my ears against my neck tends to help with the sound, or at least not hear everything specifically and simultaneously, hurts my head, at least I don't have to use my hood. I wonder, where would Gerome and Vector be? Must be doing merchant related stuff, maybe they're selling off and restocking products?
I refocus my thoughts as the bartender places a wooden plate in front of me, the smell of well cooked meat wafting upwards and filling my sense of smell with it, it's a great smell, especially when compared to the rest of the Inn, simple metal knife and fork placed on either side. There's another clattering, this one is from the glass placed next to it, the milk swirling on the inside. I'm not sure why there's a spark of glee from inside me as I grasp at the cup and take a quick swig from it, it's nice and refreshing at least. I place it down, I'll finish the rest after I finish the steak. Cutting into it is only a little bit difficult, as if its slightly overcooked, but it tastes good enough. Overall it's a nice meal, and it's definitely a welcome change over rations and such, god I miss Annas cooking though..
"-eal with the milk?" I hear the petering end of a question from Edward, I turn to him with a mouthful of steak still locked away in my mouth, still munching away at it.
"Shay ahen?" I ask him with a stuffed mouth, I'd imagine it to look a little bit comedic, but Edwards face morphs into a confused but slightly disgusted face, nose crinkling as he pulls back a little.
"Eaugh, please don't talk with your mouth full, or at least keep it shut. I get the steak there, but most people buy alcohol at an Inn, so what's the deal with the milk?" He questions me, face turning stoic once again. I, for one, think he can bite my ass, this steak actually tastes fantastic the more I bite into it, but I at least get why hes so taken aback by it. I swallow down the rest of the steak before replying to him.
"Nyeh nyeh, I'll talk as much as I want. And I'm not sure really, I didn't want to drink so early in the morning and milk seemed okay, is there an issue with that?" He doesn't reply immediately, he seems in some thought, but he does hand his now empty mug to a passing waitress.
"..I suppose not, it's just odd is all. If anything it's something that a kid or teenager would get, assuming their parents would care if they drank." His voice peters off towards the end of his reply, eyes unfocusing as if in thought or distracted, he shuts his eyes for a few moments before reopening them. I tilt my head as he decides that his pockets are very interesting, running his hands through them, I wonder why he's reacting so.. strangely.
"Hey, milk is absolutely fantastic and whoever thinks otherwise can bite me, it's good for your bones." I puff out my chest, downing the rest of the milk afterwards. God this milk tastes great, maybe its just basitin biology? How would keidrans react to milk then? Would the more feline looking keidran like to drink it like the stereotypical cats from back home? Edward himself looks a little bewildered.
"Good for the bo- what? Well, whatever you say, just be sure to pay for the food, I don't think the owners here would like you taking their food and leaving. I do require you for a moment though, so finish yourself up quickly, I'll be waiting outside." He leaves as quickly as he comes, moving himself out of the Inn with a quick pace. I raise an eyebrow, what the hell would he need me for? Shrugging, I raise a hand and call out to the bartender, who abruptly stops his cleaning duties and appears in front of me. It's incredibly jarring to see him do that, I guess he's been working here for a long time.
"Anything else, or are you finished?" He asks in that flat voice of his, hands pressing against the counter top. I shake my head, putting the cuttlery on the plate as well as the glass and gently push it towards him, I preemptively reach around and dig into my bag, grabbing the sack of coins in it. I wonder, maybe I should get a small hip-bag to put my coins in? That makes it a little too easy for someone to nick cash off of me, though.
"Seven silver." I nod and grab the amount from the bag, placing the coins onto the mans awaiting hand and dashing off, stuffing the bag back into my bag mid stride. I push the door open, the morning wind rushing over my fur and through my hair as I step outside, I take a small moment to appreciate it, it's nice and cool, better than the stuffy warm that's the inn, at least to me. Edwards idling near the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the walls of the Inn, it's odd to see the man in more casual clothes, a simple brown t-shirt and baggy pants really doesn't suit him, and given how zealous he is with his guard duties... maybe he really wants to enjoy this day off? He looks up from the ground as I approach him, he seemed to have been deep in thought.
"I'm surprised you came out so quickly, I expected you to be distracted with some nonsense in there." He says jokingly, a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes and wave my hand, giving him a friendly nudge for his jabbing, it's only fair.
"Where we going, Eddy boy? I didn't expect you to ask for me to come anywhere, to be honest." I ask him, he doesn't answer immediately though, instead he walks off, gesturing with a hand to follow him. I don't have much else to do, and it'll be nice to spend some time with him, so I follow after his foot steps. He doesn't speak up as we continue to walk, instead I pass the time by looking at the town area itself, as well as the inhabitants, most of them are either too focused on themselves to notice us, or doesn't care, but there's the minority few who side eye and glare. I resist the urge to cover up my head with my hood, as much as my fists shake as they stare, I try to focus on the walking itself, I wish I was just human, it'd be so much easier...
"We're here." Edward speaks as abruptly as he stops, barely managing to stop myself from running into him. I face where he's looking, the building itself is... mostly unremarkable, much like the houses around it, albeit a lot larger and box like. I raise an eyebrow, opening my mouth to ask him what's going on, but he quickly moves himself inside of the place, the door opening and closing without a peep from him. Alright, I guess I gotta follow him then.
The area inside of the building is mostly clear of other people, multiple doors opened wide with a scarce few guards filtering in and out of them in various states of uniform dress, their boots thudding against the floor. Each of them look different from another, with different glints and gleams behind their eyes and bodies, but all of them just human. I'm not sure why that's so disheartening, but at least Edwards around. Speaking of him, he's currently mid conversation with another guard, his back straight and voice is crisp and clear, the ornate markings in the other mans armour is similar to his Uncles, and he is wearing that over the top helmet, maybe this is this guard posts captain? I approach the two of them, giving who I assume is the captain a lazy salute.
"'Eyo, you're the captain of this place I'm guessing?" I ask the man, snickering to myself as Edward looks taken aback by the casual greeting, I feel his elbow dig into my rib cage, it can't stop the laughter though. The captain himself looks like he's either used to such greetings, or plainly doesn't care enough, eyes covered by his black hair and helmet, he still looks youngish though, clean shaven face and a lack of scars would do that to someone.
"Aye, you'd be right. I've heard a wee bit bout ya from Edward here, Lad, I'd no fecking clue what you're meant ta be otherwise." His voice is thickly laced with a very interesting accent, his breath has the hint of some heavy alcoholic scent latched to it too, but he seems stable on his feet, so he's not drunk, hopefully anyways. Thankfully he does seem very lax about the casualness, a far cry from Edwards stiff stance and less than sublte side eyeing.
"Well, I might know nothing about you, but it's an honour to meet another captain guard regardless." The mans grin is one full of mirth and amusement, reaching his arm around me and bringing me into him. I trip into him with a yelp, his arms squeezing around my skull and forcing my face into his chest plate, by god it's uncomfortable, and tapping at the mans arm to try to get him to let go proves fruitless.
"Gah, there ain't a need to be like that Laddy, erryone round here knows that I don't care bout that shite till someone else comes round." His voice is loud and boisterous, but very welcoming, even as he digs his knuckles into my skull. Oh god he's giving me a bloody noogie. I whine aloud and try my best to pull away from the laughing mans grip, finally he lets go though, I reach up and ruffle my messed up hair back into what feels like an acceptable mess, giving Edward a small jab into his ribs as he chuckles, rubbing at the sore spot on my head. "Gus's me name by the by, none o' this captain nonesense otherwise."
"Ich, glad ya say so Gus, still an honour to meet you. Why'd you bring me here though Eddy? You don't seem the type to wanna just chat in a barracks." I ask Edward, who then clears his throat before standing up straight, chest puffed out and hands behind his back. Why's he trying to look for formal here?
"I spoke to the Captain previously yesterday, I believe that it could be beneficial for you and the other guards present, as well as myself, to spar against each other with the guard standard practising swords available, to help keep the other on their toes and their skills sharp, it's not something that's done as often as I wish for it to happen, but I believe this to be an exceptional chance to learn for the others." I nod along with him as he speaks, I guess it makes sense, personally I think Eddy boy here just really likes to spar, but he does bring a good point. I shrug, I'm not one to argue with a friendly fight, buuut... I nudge my elbow into his sides, interrupting his prideful moment of glory with a teasing grin.
"Is it cause I beat you the first time we met? If you win in one of these I ain't gonna take you out on a date, for the record." His hands meet his face as he groans aloud, Gus himself guffawing as he does so. My ears twitch as I hear snickering from the other guards in the room, my grin turning into a more genuine smile, even as Edward removes his hands to reveal his flustered face, at least these people seem pretty nice.
"Edward you eejit, you didn't tell me bout that! You're bang on bout it being a good time to practise though, I'll be tellin the others that weren't ear wigging bout it, take the Lad here to the courtyard out tha back and we'll come out soon." Gus marches off, barking to the guards still present who in their haste to get their asses moving stumble over each other, running through the doorways. Gus's voice carries itself throughout the room, with enough volume that I'd reckon that those in the other rooms would be able to hear his commands. Edward beckons me to follow him with his hand, it's a short walk from the main room to the court yard, even as we have to push past other people.
The courtyard is generally a large empty dirt field, wooden pews up near the back hold up straw dummies, and further to the right stands some archery targets. The walls around the entrance door is lined with weapon racks, wooden mock weapons and iron ones alike, from swords to spears to flails, there's even a haldberd in there too, I don't think I've seen anyone use one of those. Despite the area being a training courtyard, it's a lot cleaner than I expected even though the floor is just dirt, it's free of stray cluttering, the only things left on the floor being rocks, placed in a circle.
"And now, we'll wait. They shouldn't be too long." I hear Edward say from behind me, the man leaning back against a wooden column. I mimic him and lean against the one next to me, eyes closing for a moment as the wind brushes over my face once more.
"So, how do you know Gus here? Friend of yours or something?" I ask him quizzically, I didn't expect him to have gotten out of the village very much other than doing guard duty jobs. Edwards silent for a few moments, as if he's just enjoying the windy air himself.
"Captain Gus is a friend of my fathers, they weren't extremely close by any stretch, but Father did speak of him highly for the moments he wished to speak of his past jobs, I haven't seen him myself very much before yesterday, it was nice to catch up with him I suppose." His lips twitch upwards as he speaks, thudding the back of his head against the pole. I snicker myself and stick a digit towards him.
"Awh, you've made a friend! Proud of ya Eddy boy." I verbally jab at him, snickering louder as he groans. The next while is spent in a friendly silence, which is disrupted by the sound of marching. My eyes and ears flickers up and towards the door, the bursting of it and the hurried line of guards catching me by surprise, yelping and back peddling away from the crowd. I overhear the snickering of Edward, flipping him off just as Gus finally steps from the building, his chest puffed up and armour gleaming in the sun, Edward saluting the man as he walks pass. He looks every bit of a captain that he is, minus his goofy ass grin, stepping between his guards who also salutes as he steps through them, turning around and addressing them when he reaches the front.
"Aright boyos, yous likely already know why you're 'ere, but just as a formality, we got some visitors from Dartwood here, including the previous captains son, and yous know how big of a deal he is." Edward rolls his eyes and sinks himself into the pole, the other guards snickering, I guess Edwards fathers a bit of a big deal. Also, Dartwood huh? At least I have a name for the place now. "And he has given the fantastic idea of you all sparring against each other to stay fresh, it'll be a great time, ain't expecting you all to fight, but it'll be a friendly spar, so don't go and tear each others heads off."
The guards give a final salute and a thunderous reply of approval, some of them choosing to head back inside, either to relax or go back to patrolling I'd imagine, others rushing to the racks and grabbing the dulled iron weapons laying around, rather than the wooden ones. I look towards Edward, he's already moved to grab his, so I follow after him. The hilt feels.. off in my hand, it feels smaller than what it looks like, the iron itself is smooth with the tip ending in a blunt point instead of a sharp one, and it's very dulled around the edges, but otherwise it looks like a very basic straight sword. I swing it around a little bit as I step away from the racks, it's light at least, but I can't imagine it leaving much of an impact, then again using sharp weapons would lead to injuries, and the wooden ones would feel hollow-hearted for an actual spar.
The guards crowd around the rock pit, Gus himself seems to be the ring leader of the group there, cheering on the two fighters in the pit. I decide to stand with them, alongside Edward and watch the brawl, the two guards seem to be evenly matched for the most part, the larger one having longer reach and strength to his blows while his comparatively smaller counterpart bobs and weaves away from the mans strikes, a colder more calculated look in his eye as he takes a small stab towards the mans chest, feinting backwards, a coy grin smears his face as his opponent steps back and attempts to block the non existent attack. The larger man 'tsks' aloud, his brow furrowed, barely revealed underneath his helmet, his body is tense as he rushes himself forward, lunging forward and swinging downwards. Out of the corner of the eye I see Edward shake his head, the smaller man dodges to the right as the sword hits the dirt, a cloud puffing up from the force of the strike itself, he raises his sword to the mans unprotected neck before he recovers, his smug face looking down on the defeated mans sneer. The crowd cheers and claps at the show as the two seperate, the larger man giving the other a reluctant handshake, the large one disappearing into the crowd while the other takes his sweet time to bow towards the audience, finally leaving the ring after a few moments longer. I look towards Edward, his face is a flat mask as he brews in his own musings, I nudge him with an elbow, his face reinvigorating with motion afterwards.
"So, what'd you think of the fight?" I ask him plainly, he seemed pretty interested in the fight, and was somewhat disappointed in the big dude.
"It was sloppy, especially at the end, against a lithe opponent, a guard shouldn't over extend so much for a strike when there's no certainty that they'd be hit by it, especially when he's shown that they have the knowledge to feint out an enemy." He seems very intent on examining and tearing at the dudes mistakes, though it did seem pretty obvious that the strike wasn't going to land, but I do nod along with him, I agree and don't have much to tack onto it.
"Why don't you get in the ring, Fuzz? Give the people a show." I don't really try to hide my surprised face at his suggestion, his face has a small smile on it.
"Eh? Me? Why don't you get your ass in there?" I counter back, his only answer is a shrug and continuing with that small smile. I weigh the sword in my hand, still not exactly used to it, but why do I got to lose?
"Stuff it, hey Gus! Can I get a round in?" I try my best to shout above the rumbling of the crowd, thankfully he seems to have heard me, his smile widening as he motions towards the ring.
"O' course Lad! Get in here." He shouts back, the crowd cheers as I walk forward, I can't help but feel energetic, like theres electricity in the air. I feel like I shoul dbe worried or scared with how many people, how many humans are watching, but my heart beats for the thrill of the fight rather than out of anxiety. I stretch my sword arm, rolling my shoulder around as the crowd cheers, a man finally stepping out into the ring. He's not large like the former fighter, though his shoulders are broad, his face is pale and young with a determined expression on it, wearing the typical guard armour as the rest of them. He holds his sword in two hands, the point directed forward towards my chest, I hold my own at my side and bend my knees, my spare hand held up away from my chest. Maybe I should get a shield if I'm gonna fight like this..
As if an unsung signal was raised, the man rushes forward, large lunches crossing the arena quickly and leads the fight with a swipe from the right. I raise my sword to block it, the flat of my blade pushes against my skin as it connects, this damn sword feels so off, but I push forward myself into the man, his body is broad but he seems unstable on his feet, he stumble backwards to recover. I rush forward once more, barging my chest into his while my arm loops around a leg, his plate armour is heavy but I lift him upwards and plant him onto his back. There's a small thud from beside me as his arms hit the dirt, trying his best to get back onto his two feet, but a sword tip to his neck forces his movements to stop, looking up to me and breathing heavily. The crowd roars, both with excitement and distaste, it was a pretty short fight, maybe they wanted it to last longer?
"My fucking money!" One man screams out, which is followed up by laughter from the people around him, arms linked around his neck as his face looks a fair bit miffed, his lips contorted into a frown, though it doesn't look too angry at least, Gus seems to have heard him too, judging from his howl of laughter. I feel my own lips twitch upwards, a sense of pride swelling in my chest. I pull my sword away from the man and reach down with a hand, he eyes it for a moment before gripping it, I lift him up and onto his feet. He doesn't look too hurt from the fall, his pale face lost its determined look, but he doesn't seem unhappy, he reaches down and grabs his sword and wanders off into the crowd, I guess that explains the thud. I follow suite, giving the crowd a wave and walking back towards Edward, nodding with a small smile on his face.
"So, what'd you think of that?" I ask him, matching his smile with my own. His face looks pensive for a few moments.
"I have no idea why you fight like that, but it worked in this case, it seems very dangerous, but it's effective and ends the fight quickly." I puff out my chest proudly as I grin, Edward responding in kind with a roll of his eyes. "I don't think I know any other who'd resort to such close physical measures, just be wary is all."
"Gah, I'll be fine, hopefully at least. Anyways, what's this about money? Were people bloody betting on me? Were you betting on me?" I poke at him with a finger as I stand next to him, another duo already in the ring to fight each other, Edward shrugs as a response.
"I'm not a betting man, it's never been a part of me." He says plainly. I guess that's fair, I don't think I'd be betting very soon either. It's nice to watch the sparring though, and with the cheers of the guards around me, it feels... almost homely, they don't care that I'm not human, it doesn't affect them, it's a welcome surprise. A soft smile falls on my face, it's very nice here, especially with Edward. I think we'll spend the next while watching, and laughing at the ones who lose bets, that seems fun. Looking at Edward out of the corner of my eye, his normally flat face does have a smile on it.
"Thanks for showing me here, Edward." I say to him as I continue to look, this fight's lasting a lot longer than the one I had that's for sure. He doesn't respond verbally, but I feel a friendly grip on my shoulder, and I can still see him smile. Thanks, Edward.
Authors note: Truthfully, this chapter was meant to come out a while ago, but due to illness I took a few days break from writing, I'm more or less fixed up now though. Speaking of writing, I'm currently re-writing chapter 1 on the side, just whenever I feel like it. It's around 1/5th completed or so, but it's already better than the original. Stay safe, especially in these times