A Love Game

[Rickter]

A Love Game

Searing 55th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

Life within the cabaret never seemed to change at all, bouncers minded the doorways as they watched patrons who fondled merchandise perhaps too aggressively, courtesans sauntered about in their skimpy outfits as the served drinks and even drugs to those within the den of inequity. The Cabaret once felt like a place close to home for Rickter, even so, now he felt completely like a foreigner treading what should've been familiar territory. Regardless when he entered the front entrance of the establishment, he arrived in only the fur vest he often wore during 'warmer' parts of the year here, along with the beige leather slacks that he donned with them. It was certainly warmer in this place than he remembered, though, that tended to happen when bodies gathered en mass for the rituals that took place in these halls.

Already the scent of rose and dragonfruit incense filtered through his nostrils, as the greeters welcomed him with bows before they actually noticed who he was. It wasn't typical for Rickter to walk in here anymore, though not unusual given his prior profession also. Thus when he walked in through the lobby he passed groups of every type, men and women of different races with different vices, as they all were gathered to socialize and celebrate their vices in life. Not that he wouldn't have minded joining in, but the wolf had his sights set on a particular person, if he could just locate where she'd been hiding to say the least.

When he mosied his way past the crowd in the main lobby the wolf entered the auditorium next, his blue eyes falling immediately upon the bar to his right as a band performed on the stage. Intercession hour it would seem. Usually, the performers would go on break to socialize with their patrons, earning favors while the band kept the mood alive within the atmosphere. The beat of the tune they played was jovial and evocative, to say the least, as the main floor of the auditorium was filled with party-goers swinging and dancing around lively to the tune. At the center of the bar he saw his quarry, the brunette dressed in only her blouse and leather brown pants as she'd sipped on a glass of something brown. Hannah also took a drag off a cigarette as he approached before Rickter reached her to lean in close and murmur in her ear over the crowd.

"Enjoying yourself?" He pulled back to gauge her reaction when the brunette slowly spun around, a mildly aggravated look on her face already as she folded her arms in front of him.

Though with the cigarette still posed near her face, she let out a smokey sigh before her brown eyes moved from him to the crowd behind him. "What do you want?" So it was going to be that kind of meeting then. Well...

"To apologize?" He offered to her which warranted a brief glare. "You and I we've... we've had a lot going on the past few months. I'd hoped we could address that, if you'd have me that is." Rickter looked uncertain toward her as he knew Hannah had been especially distant of late, unless it came to Rickter's immediate family such as Telion or the twins.

"So you, what, wanna shoot the shit and talk about old times?" The lady leaned her back against the bar now as she rested her elbows, a very brief bout of amusement seen in her lips as she nearly shook her head in disbelief. "Fine. But I'm already two drinks in, so you better catch up."

"Well alright," the wolf agreed with a modest smile tucking at the corner of his lips, "Tony!" He barked above the crowd as the bartender responded to him, a surprised grin on his face when he turned around to greet the wolf. "Gimme three glasses of whiskey on the rocks." Hannah's eyebrows rose in response to that order as Tony quickly nodded, never forgetting just how much Rickter could truly drink in one night, though that was way back in his heyday here at the cabaret.

"You're gonna be so fucked up, you won't know how to stand when you're done." She remarked casually as she peered down into her cup, admittedly debating if she should have a third for the night as well.

"So?" The wolf shrugged his shoulders with a playful smirk cast at her. "Try me."

It was within fifteen minutes of downing his drinks that he soon felt the burn of whiskey fill his core. Hannah sipped on her third round as she watched him get caught up with her, before the pair of them shared another cigarette on his final glass of whiskey. Once they were both visibly loose and clearly drunk from their beverage intake, Hannah finished her cigarette before she'd grabbed Rickter by the elbow, and then pulled him out onto the main floor of the auditorium. He had little to no real experience when it came to dancing but, honestly, he was too buzzed and too hot to even care at that point.

Thus the pair were seen bouncing and twirling around one another, the wolf actually keeping up with the rogue as the stress between them seemed to just melt away.

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Hannah"

[Aurin]

After supper and all, Aurin had been restless. His life had been a long series of seeing things and this Searing had only brought more things to trouble his mind. When his feet brought him back to the plaza, he looked at the three sisters; he had already spent the day working in the Golden Peacock, and while a massage at the Jade Crane might have been relaxing, there was more to distract him at the Velvet Cabaret and so he ducked into it. One of the bouncers didn't know him, but the other did, and put the back of his hand to the other's chest to forestall him asking for any sort of anything at all. The one greeted Aurin gruffly and the other just shrugged. They let him in.

Over the years, many people had come and gone through here. He had been there longer than most, making himself indispensible to Lunaria. At least, he had her believing he was until he made a career move and left her in perfectly good hands. There were little things here and there that bothered him, things that he would have taken care of, but no more—not his circus, not his monkeys. It took little to no effort to case the joint as he moved through a knot of dancers, bending his knees and making his walk a nonchalant sort of dance as he moved toward the bar. Tony always knew a thing or two that made an information broker's visit worthwhile, especially given the odd favors he had done for the man that made him keen to share.

"Fuck," he muttered, as Rickter's aura flared through his Rune, and that of his friend. There weren't always such powerful folk here, but it wasn't unheard of. They had been co-workers once. He had thought the man had moved on, but there was a woman involved, so he supposed it oughtn't to surprise him. There was a fire to his aura, though, that made Aurin think of Talon. Curious, but he supposed that made some sort of sense. The prince had given him a Rune to protect the cursed key; perhaps he had given Rickter a spark of the divine to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Then he wondered if that spark could be used to track down the bonfire Himself.

"What'll you have, boss?" Tony asked, wiping down the pair's glasses and dumping out the ash tray into the rubbish bin behind the bar.

"Still calling me boss, Tony?" he asked, a smirk for him, though it seemed directed toward the dance floor.

"Once a boss, always a boss, hey?"

"Hey," he agreed, and passed a nondescript pouch across the bar.

The bartender made it disappear as if by sleight of hand, poured him a drink, and began to converse with him in low tones. He had a ration of information and Aurin bought it, thinking later, after Rickter got his rocks off, Aurin might be able to plumb his brain for reliable intelligence on the search for the missing Shinsei.

[Rickter]

A Love Game

Searing 55th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

The jive of the music held such a tempo that it was rather easy to bounce to, Rickter never officially being much of a dancer at all prior to this newly developed experience. It was probably easier to follow Hannah's lead anyway, given that he was half drunk and halfway through this bender his companion had gone on. Patrick certainly missed out on it tonight, then again, it wasn't like he wouldn't be going off on his own drunken fits when he returned.

The blare of trumpets sounded before the notes they arranged went erratic, arranged from a low to high tune before they carried kept it alive to accent the beats Rickter felt banging over his skin. There were so many smells all around him and yet he didn't care, he was too drunk to for once, while Hannah danced awfully close to him in suggestive ways. Admittedly it had grown warmer than usual for Rickter, though, the alcohol in his blood likely made the capacity to Deference his body temperature irregular now. All around there were men and women alike that twirled, bounced, and even grinded with the groove of the band.

The rogue finally laughed after she had had her fun, her form twisted so that she wrapped her arms around Rickter's neck, and her body pressed into his as he slowed his bounces to embrace her. "See! This is what I missed! Why can't things just be like this anymore?!" Her first actual words of conversation now, admittedly at a time where he had to pay vivid attention to her, only because the booze had made it difficult to focus. The wolf looked down at her with sympathy in his gaze, knowing well the sentiments she shared with him just now. "Well, things changed. We've changed... Hannah."

"I knooow," she about cooed before her arms held him tighter, "we used to just have fun. Trade favors for favors with one another, poke around in the Midden like a couple of ratty bitches." Now to that he chuckled given that it was Hannah who'd roped into that, having not forgotten the short amount of he spent helping into the Pinnacle Games. The look in her eyes looked more sorry than before now, and he could tell she was missing the way things used to be. "What happened to us, Rickter?"

He didn't rightly know the best answer to that question. Life had a way of both getting in the way and then getting away from people. What he wanted felt almost like a lifetime ago, even though he still struggled to keep the hope of that dream alive. Even now. "We've grown. Evolved some would say. Our characters aren't what they used to be anymore." Though he had to admit he'd missed the fun and revelry that his stray wolf brought, and how often her personality shone through when she was around too. Rickter had barely acknowledged just how strong and resilient Hannah was in Zaichaer, and he'd been thankful that they were reunited even at the last damn second.

Just before he caused everything to spiral out of control.

The brunette's dark eyes shone alcoholism in her gaze but she nonetheless grinned at him, probably a little pleased to see that he was more open and reflective with her than before. "I know things have been difficult between us, for us especially, within the past few months."

"Keep it up old man, then you and I are both gonna need another cigarette!" To that he chuffed before his eyes moved over from the lady in his arms toward the bar, where the sight of a memory clearly lingered there for him to recognize. Only that memory stuck around even after a few blinks, enough for the wolf to realize that he had undoubtedly not fallen drunk enough to hallucinate old times just yet. Aurin. He'd not actively seen the man for a while, not since he had left the cabaret to live the life of an Argent Knight. Times sure did change. Hannah noticed the drop of 'fun' in his expression and looked over, noticing the gingerly man at the bar before her eyes panned back up to the wolf once more. "He's cute..."

"He used to work here, when I did, was one of my handlers Zirnomei liked to rotate me with." He explained plainly with a grin still present on his face, an eyebrow raised at the suggestive hints the rogue had started to give.

"So? You're both free agents now, aren't you? Let's have a bit of fun!" There wasn't much of a question to it really, as Hannah brought her hands down to grapple Rickter by his vest, and tug him along until the wolf finally gave in to the suggestion. Admittedly, he couldn't help but chuckle at her insistence, but when it came to Hannah well, Rickter couldn't find it in himself to say no to her as of late. Not after everything they'd been through. Thus, the pair strolled back from the wild mob of dancers near the stage, and returned to the bar where the rogue would request another pair of cigarettes from Tony.

While she did, Rickter approached Aurin rather casually, probably unlike himself at all compared to the Rickter that Aurin once knew. "I thought you had plans for a different business venture?" He teased as he half-remembered the jokes that Aurin made to him before, some of them wolf was unsure as true or not.

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Hannah"

[Aurin]

Aurin didn't bother pretending he hadn't known Rickter was there. People had thought he had eyes on the back of his head back when he managed the place, and old habits died hard. He was surprised to see him here, though, having expected him to follow his nose and whatever else he had at his disposal after Talon and Aoren. Then again, information out of the palace had slowed down quite a bit during the reign of the Iron Queen-Regent, so for all he knew, Rickter was in the know. The man had never been a reliable source, however. He kept his cards too close to his chest, but then Aurin's trade in information hadn't bloomed by that point so he hadn't put undue effort into it.

"What, I'm not allowed a drink in here?" he scoffed, then smirked. He was only nextdoor when plying his reputable trade, keeping the theater's funds and investments in the black. And he came by with some regularity, whether to relax or to gather information from tried and true sources.

Aurin nodded to Rickter's companion.

"Hardly expected to see you in Kalzasi anymore. Sorry for your loss." He wasn't good at being compassionate, but Arry was gone to Solunarium and even if they weren't banging anymore, the golden pain in the ass was one of his people. Having him gone was not sitting well with Aurin. Far worse if the young actor had been kidnapped. For a moment, he imagined traveling all the way to Solunarium to enact his revenge if anyone fucked with him.

But that was a faraway, merely possible future.

Rickter was here now.

"I suppose times are different for you now, as well. Dancing vertically and all."

Aurin was the last person to deride sex work or sex workers, but he did like to tease.

[Rickter]

A Love Game

Searing 55th, 122nd Year, A.o.S.

The wolf admittedly grinned maybe a little smugly, probably with more confidence than what the man was used to. Aurin looked to have changed from his own experiences as well, a bit of an understanding look in Rickter's eyes when he chuckled in return at the retort he'd been given. "Hard to imagine either of us comin' here for an easy drink, innit?" He rather liked be able to let loose around Aurin, before the wolf always held that code of conduct more than anything. Plus as solitary as he were, he hardly made for enlightening conversation at the time anyhow.

Hannah definitely eyed him with playful intrigue as she clearly appreciated every angle of him, as she inched closer to the bar to ask for another pair of cigarettes from Tony. The nod he gave, in turn, earned a flash of teeth when she smiled at him in response. Yup. The wolf knew she was going to try for it now, then again, he was drunk to where he probably would too as it were. Though he didn't suspect Aurin really capable of doing such things, not when he looked back upon their shared history of employment here, to say the least.

He didn't expect the sympathy from the ginger until he'd heard the apology, admittedly a little dumbfounded before he nodded melancholic toward the old handler. "It's been... a wild one." He casually remarked without even realizing how cryptic that might've sounded, as Rickter honestly still couldn't fathom the best way to describe what a year it has been. Having started his recuperation from the constant grind he'd set himself upon, the wolf found it easier to actually be a little more forthcoming than he expected to before. "But thank you. Believe it or not, I still haven't given up on him yet." It then occurred to him that Aurin probably hadn't caught wind yet, at least, not the entirety of what had likely passed around town.

Now that Aoren had returned and Rickter was no longer exiled, the wolf had a lot to think about as he reflected on that, which led him to lose the minor beat he nodded his head to from the music. "Mm, yes, it's been a very long journey." Hannah agreed as she twirled around with a cigarette in each hand, til she offered one for the wolf to take as he smirked in response. "Well, we could be dancing other ways." She started to suggest before lifting the joint to her lips, before the wolf laughed with a brief flush into his cheeks.

"Why don't we all find a lounge to actually smoke in first?" He proposed before the brunette nearly lit the tip of her cig with magic, her eyebrows raised as she looked from the wolf to his friend expectantly. By that point Rickter felt pretty confident she was going to make a move on him, probably whenever she found the timing most convenient for her as usual. Still, Rickter hadn't enjoyed smoking recreationally in a long while, and not just tobacco joints either, the Velvet Cabaret always had the good shit that could elevate even the religiously enlightened.

"Something tells me we got a bit of catchin' up to do." The wolf finally admitted with a humble nod to Aurin, as he tucked the cigarette behind an ear before folding his arms to see if their friend wanted to accompany them elsewhere; or stay at the bar and converse there instead.

"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."

"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Hannah"

[Aurin]

Aurin didn't need a Rune to smell the woman's pheremones. Perhaps she didn't think Rickter was man enough for her, though Aurin remembered several of Rickter's old clients limping happily out of a back room. Some people were just gluttons for punishment. But there were deeper issues afoot, and he didn't know what it meant that Rickter was here now.

"You aren't the only one," he admitted begrudgingly. Aurin wasn't the sort who believed in anyone, divine or not, but he would have placed his bets on Talon Shinsei if someone was taking odds. Demigods were known for defying them, after all. "If you see him, tell him I still have his key." It wasn't his key, not really, but the draegir had empowered him to protect it all the same. Aurin didn't know how well they could counter the Mad King without him, but that was, apparently, going to be his job—in part.

Yes, the woman was definitely angling for something, and Rickter seemed as though he would defer to her. Aurin just wanted to know what was going on and Rickter had always been a vault of privileged information.

"Something tells me she wants to do more than catch up with you," he said with a smirk, but he caught Tony's attention and signaled for a smoke of his own. When it was provided, he pushed off the bar. "I could smoke and catch up. Doesn't seem to be a night I'm going to get much sleep anyway. Lead on."

The both of them got several greetings from those who worked there. This line of work could be dangerous and they had all been looking out for one another; that did lead to some quiet bonding—even if Aurin would have scoffed if someone tried to say as much in his presence.

[Finn]

Review

Experience: 10 xp, available for magic.

Lore: 6

Injuries: N/A

Loot: N/A

Note: Sorry this one petered out!