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Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:52 pm
by Jane Farraway
Searing 53rd, 121. The Hobbled Gobbler, Zaichaer
Voices speaking Rivach filled the Hobbled Gobbler, along with the soothing, intoxicating aroma of exotic smoke and the lazy, dulcet tones of a dulcimer-like instrument. Jane had dreaded “Dratori Night”, fully expecting to see the rumored berserker rage that swam in their blood spring forth, but had instead been caught off guard by the relaxed atmosphere the crowd encouraged. It was one of the few nights were strong alcohol was not heavily consumed, many refraining lest it “inflame” their temper. Modest ciders and teas were more popular, making it a rare night were Jane did not have to clean around passed out drunks. The tables had been moved for a more open arrangement to allow large groups to sit in circles, a traditional custom for parties. Dratori and non-Dratori patrons still used the tables and bar, but the former seemed to reserve this for more personal conversations and Dalquian card and board games. Other races, likely friends, could be found among them, but there was no question that Dusk Elves made up most in attendance.
They mainly spoke in their native tongue, but Jane could still sense the presence of the mystical and arcane in their words. Strange cards were drawn, bones were cast, and meditative chants could be heard throughout the bar. Those that talked did so softly and thoughtfully, a note of reverence in their voices. Jane didn't know what faith, if any, the Dratori might hold, but it seemed too bold to express it in public. A few times she had been stopped and asked her opinion on the Aetherium and Land of Nod, but her overly scientific answers had earned her head shakes and derisive laughter. She decided it was better to play stupid.
While many sought to quell their passions, other Dratori seemed more keen into channeling them into feats of strength or amorous pursuits. Arm wrestling was popular, but occasionally bouts of full contact grappling would break out, though these matches did not last long before one party decided to tap out. It was generally good natured, but considered a risk nonetheless, though the many understood that sometimes the best way to quench aggression is through sport.
This was the second Dratori night that Jane had worked and already she recognized several faces, both regulars and those who had attended the last event. There was one face, however, that was familiar yet she was sure she had never seen him at the bar. It was puzzling, but she brushed this off, deciding that she must have forgotten his face. After all, so many of them looked alike.
“Salud'khamra!”, Jane exclaimed as she approached the young man. It was a Dalquian phrase she had learned from her first Dratori night, a contraction used to greet a friend to a party. It was the only bit of Rivach she knew, but its use seemed to delight and entertain the guests.
“Welcome to the Hobbled Gobbler! I'm Millie! What can--”, Recognition struck Jane suddenly and palpably. Her heart dropped and she broke out in a cold sweat.
“W-what can I get for you?”
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:51 pm
by Eitan Angevin
After the gala, Eitan had gone back home with the Dornkirk boys; Brenner had big news to share or, rather, a fuller explanation of news he had been hinting at to Eitan and Stefan for weeks. They hadn't had enough time to discuss that and the happenings at the gala, which was all well and good. But there had been a few things he wanted to follow up on. Miss Farraway was one of them.
Brenner had been awfully chummy with her, and everyone was at an age now where being unwed in their circle made any connection with the opposite sex something to talk about. Of course, even with the same sex, romantic entanglements could lead to social and political alliances. His experiences with Jane Farraway were not new; that was to say, they hadn't interacted in years until seeing each other at the gala. They were also mixed. She had seemed a bit out of sorts when he and Stefan joined the conversation, but he hadn't sussed out the cause.
In any case, he spent the majority of his life working for the Corps. It didn't hurt to occasionally use the skills he had learned in his training with the Order and put them to good use. It had taken nearly a month to gather information and figure out that she had taken a job down in the Knob, a neighborhood unfortunately named after a phallic nickname. He didn't actually care about all that. It made him snigger. He didn't care if she had to work; nobility was anachronistic. The only reason he was proud of his family name was that generations of Angevins had served the High City, not that they had once been Gods-fearing royalty. But if she was angling to marry his friend, he wanted his friend to be able to make an informed decision.
And so he found himself at the Hobbled Gobbler, which he hoped wasn't a euphemism for oral sex with someone chained to the floor... in this neighborhood named after certain anatomy. Dratori Night. He wrinkled his nose, but if their blood ran through his veins, at least he didn't look like them. His ears had been cropped long ago by an expert surgeon and he was quite happy with his passing privilege.
If anything, his brief time in the dive bar mollified him somewhat. Knowing firsthand the dangers of Dratori rage, the drinks were not heavy and if their theistic mummery was magic-friendly, he didn't detect any actual magic being cast, in which case, he would be obliged to incur a roomful of rage.
"Hello, Millie," he replied. He supposed it wasn't too terrible for a scholar to speak an elven tongue. Anyway, he assumed it was elven; he knew nary a word of the barbarian speech. "I'm Eitan. Join me in a shot of Gelerian schnapps or is that prohibited tonight?" His smile was amused.
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:30 pm
by Jane Farraway
Searing 53rd, 121. The Hobbled Gobbler, Zaichaer
Jane felt like a fool for not realizing that the face she saw was Eitan's. Seeing a familiar face in an unexpected place has a tendency of making someone a stranger, though she reasoned that this was also the first time she had seen him in civilian's attire. Whatever was in the pipes that the Dratori were smoking must have been getting to her.
She knew he recognized her, the smile on his lips giving an edge to his greeting. If he was going to play along, so was she.
Jane giggled, “Nice to meet you, Eitan! By no means, the Hobbled Gobbler has a full bar that's always available, Gelerian Schnapps included! I'm afraid I can't share one with you but a little juice won't hurt! I'll be right back with your drink!”
She briskly wove through the circles of Dratori patrons on ground, accidentally knocking one in the head with her rear as she rushed by. The man held the back of his head and looked around in confusion, his group laughing merrily at the accident. Jane forced laughter between apologies, secretly mortified. She was not used to navigating the crowd in this manner, finding it miserably awkward. Why couldn't they all sit at tables like normal people?
She returned with two shot glasses, one containing Gelerian Schnapps, the other grape juice. Placing the drink in front of him, she raised her juice in a jovial toast.
“To Wealth and Good Health!”, Jane said, knocking back her shot. Secretly she had spiked it with a small amount of Moratallen wine, but he didn't need to know that.
“I haven't seen you here before, Eitan, are you new?”, she asked. As she spoke, she scanned the room to check on the condition of her guests. They appeared content for the moment and Franky was helping the rest. She decided she had time to humor Eitan, but she wasn't about to let this surprise visit compromise her service.
There was no way he was here due to pure happenstance. The Bulge was not the place for military men or aristocrats to spend their nights, much less the Hobbled Gobbler. No one outside of the Knob knew she worked here, or at least that's what she thought. Then again, Eitan was a Reconciliator. They had ways of finding the most unfortunate bits of information.
As Jane mulled over her thoughts, she noticed that a nearby group was looking Eitan over. They did not appear hostile, but were definitely curious. They looked at and away from him, motioning towards their own face and ears while they talked as though they were discerning his features. She couldn't have him drawing any attention, lest attention be drawn to her. Afterall, Bluebloods were almost as scorned as officers in the Bulge. She sat down in the chair next to him, blocking their line of sight.
“Are you here for our special?”, Jane asked, feigning innocence.
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2021 3:19 am
by Eitan Angevin
Eitan hadn't come to ruin her evening, but rather to see what she was up to. Now he knew: she had a job. He didn't know if it was merely for money or dovetailed into her research or something else. If she told him to back off, he likely would. Sometimes he was a professional creeper, but he hadn't come out of malice. He would play along with her and hopefully assuage that flash of fear that she hadn't been able to hide before resuming her role. He wonder if her mother called her Millie when she was small.
He watched her go. He watched how a little clumsiness left chaos in her wake, though the drunken Dratori didn't take issue with it, which was lucky. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle up. It wasn't unusual to be looked at when at a bar. Even in his civilian weeds, he probably didn't belong here. His clothes weren't fit for high society tonight, but they marked him of a higher society than this one.
"To wealth and good health," he agreed, raising his glass, then shooting it back. "Thank you. Ah, no. Never to this particular establishment, but my friend Brenner and I drink in the neighborhood." It wasn't a threat; rather, a warning. If she didn't want people she knew to find her here, she would have to think of something. Zaichaer was a big city, but it was a small world sometimes.
He thought perhaps her eyes flicked over his shoulder before she sat beside him. Perhaps someone was really looking at him. If so, it seemed as though she was trying to prevent something from happening, whether out of the goodness of her heart or because she just didn't want to deal with that sort of thing in her place of employment.
Eitan smiled. He would have rather just spoken plainly with her, but that wasn't entirely up to him unless he wanted to call her out.
"What is the special this evening?"
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:41 pm
by Jane Farraway
Searing 53rd, 121. The Hobbled Gobbler, Zaichaer
How horribly disappointing, and worrisome, Jane thought, that Eitan, but especially Brenner, choose to spend their nights in the Knob instead of more reputable ends of the city. It was almost baffling. Air Commanders and Reconciliators were paid generously so it was hardly a matter of price. There had to have been some thrill, some kind of deviance that urged them to explore this forsaken neighborhood. These were all thoughts, however, that she could not express. Millie the Barmaid would never speak ill of the Hobbled Gobbler and she would especially not shame a guest for visiting. She swallowed her disdain, humbled by their mutual discovery of the lives they lived beyond the galas and gathering of high society.
“Perhaps we have the same friend,”Jane admitted, dropping her voice, “I'm—sure he'd be worried for me—as would other friends we might share, if word spread”. By this she meant he'd be disgusted, horrified, as would the rest of any who knew her as Jane Farraway. She was sure her mother would die at the very thought of it, much less the reality. Millie was not at liberty to share her feelings about the position she had found herself in, but Jane pleaded with her eyes, hoping that Eitan would understand.
She forced a smile and resumed her chipper tone to assuage any concerns from eavesdroppers, “Well, if it's your first time here, please let me know if you have any questions about the menu! As for the special, tonight we're serving a whole roasted Fungithal, prepared by our owner and based on an old Dalquian recipe! For the price of 5 silver pieces, you're welcome to share in however much you like!”
Just then, a tanned hand slapped down on her shoulder and Jane looked up. It belonged to a tall, muscular male Dratori. He was a regular who, while friendly, was a little too passionate for the comfort of his peers. Next to him stood a shorter, more slender man, a relative perhaps based on the resemblance.
“Hey, hey, Millie! Now what's so special about this newcomer that you'll let us all go dry, huh?”, he laughed and gestured over to his group. They looked back and raised empty glasses.
“Oh, apologies! I—just wanted him to feel welcome!”, Jane said, quickly standing and picking up her tray.
“Leave that to us, eh?”, the Dratori smirked. Jane curtsied and went off to collect their glasses, but not before giving a quick nod to Eitan as if to say she would return.
The muscular Dratori smiled and began to address Eitan in Rivach, sweeping his arms wide as he spoke in an exuberant tone. He pointed over at his circle of friends and family and they looked at him with interest. Two of them scooted over, seeming to make a place for him to sit, and waited expectantly.
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:56 am
by Eitan Angevin
The young Watcher felt a little guilty, sensing a bit of panic in the woman. He hadn't come here to out her or ruin her reputation; he was just curious. Perhaps when he and Millie parted ways, he'd send a note to a Miss Jane Farraway asking her to tea or something, and they could discuss their mutual friend Millie.
He was halfway to deciding he would have a drink and then leave when a couple of Dratori intervened. Eitan Angevin might not be anything close to a professional actor, but his intelligence training had given him some strategies for defusing a situation. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then smiled in embarrassment.
To Millie, "I will have the special."
To her friends, "I'm sorry I don't have much of an ear for languages, but I'll get your next round if you can find it in your hearts to forgive me my ignorance."
His hands spread wide, an entirely human gesture of helplessness, though he didn't know if that would translate into Rivach. From what he understood, those wild elves gesticulated as a part of their language. He didn't know if it was just because they were so expressive or if it was a vital part of the actual language.
"Would you mind refilling them and putting them on my tab, Millie? I don't want my first step into this place to be on the wrong foot."
To her friends, in a mock conspiratorial gone, "I already tried to get her to have a drink, but she's too professional or just has good taste in men."
He spread his hands again, shrugging with self-deprecating humor.
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 1:17 pm
by Jane Farraway
Searing 53rd, 121. The Hobbled Gobbler, Zaichaer
It seemed to Jane that Eitan understood her concerns, his face softening as she indirectly asked for his confidence. The stoic man was difficult to read, but it was clear that he still had a heart. Jane relaxed, sighing softly, and was surprised when Eitan agreed to the special. Fungithal was—an acquired taste, especially for upper class Zaichaeri palates. She had learned that the hard way, but had since come to enjoy the mushroom-like taste and texture of the meat.
“Excellent!”, Jane exclaimed. She took out a pencil and a sheet of parchment, quickly writing something down, and then withdrew another sheet that was folded into a grid of what appeared to be tickets. They were all marked with “MO”, written in a hasty cursive scrawl, along with a number on the back. She tore one off and handed it to Eitan.
“Just hand this back to me when you come up for your serving! It's just to help me keep track of what to put on the bill.”
As she left, she looked back at Eitan as he spoke with the Dratori. She had an inkling that he was not exactly at peace about his heritage, but they seemed to respond to him well.
At Eitan's offer he gave a hearty laugh that dominated all others in the bar, “That sounds like an offer I can't refuse! It's a good thing drinks are all half-priced for us tonight, eh? And no need for apologies, most here can speak Common, except for my cousin, but we're working on that, “He roughly slapped the back of the slender man at his side, who smiled sheepishly in return.
“I'm Ravok and this is Solm. What is your name? I was just welcoming you and saying how great it was to see a new Brother joining us tonight. None of us had seen you around before and we wanted to invite you to sit with us.” He again gestured to his circle of companions.
The floor was covered with a brightly dyed, woven rug made with a rough material, laid over with softer blankets that were sat upon. The majority of the individuals that made up the circle were Dratori, but there were a couple members of other races as well. There also seemed to a few who might have been half-blooded, sharing the same human heartiness in their features as Eitan. They began to smooth out the blanket that laid in the empty space of the circle.
The group chuckled in response to Eitan's joke. A few men gave each other sly looks and commented in Rivach while a few of the young ladies giggled and whispered among themselves between flashing intrigued eyes at the Watcher. Again, Ravok's laugh rang out.
“Trust me, friend, it's not personal”, Ravok said with wink, roughly patting Eitan on the shoulder, “Now, please, join us. We'd be rude now not to include someone who just bought us drinks”
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:36 pm
by Eitan Angevin
Eitan took the scrap of paper, glanced at it, and tucked it into a pocket.
"Thanks, Millie."
She left, and then he was struck momentarily dumb by the response he got from the Dratori. Ravok—he had a name. And Solm—the other who didn't speak a civilized tongue had a name as well. They thought he was one of them! The thought turned his stomach, made it clench in a way that warned him he might rage uncontrollably if he wasn't careful. But he made himself smile.
They were being polite; he could be polite. But he was definitely going to find out why Jane was here among the dregs. And he definitely didn't like the idea that after all he had gone through, a Dratori could still clock him for the pollution of his mother's blood.
"And it would be rude not to join you," he agreed. "I'm Eitan," he said. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you Ravok." He nodded to Solm, who seemed to be able to understand a polite greeting in any language.
And that was how Eitan Angevin found himself sitting on the floor amongst the dusk elves on a day dedicated to them at this strange establishment. He didn't see why they needed a Dratori Day. Nobody was asking for a Human Day, after all.
It was quite rustic, this tradition. Quaint, his grandmother would have called it, and he would have agreed. He nodded agreeably to anyone in the circle who made eye contact with him, and tried to relax. A Watcher had to be able to blend in or there would be nothing to watch. If Millie didn't come sit in the drinking circle, though, he wasn't certain how much he would learn here.
Perhaps he ought to play up his interest and let the overly friendly Dratori think what they would and offer what they knew. Otherwise, he would just have to sit and suss out whether all this was some ruse for recruiting non-human malcontents.
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2021 1:45 pm
by Jane Farraway
Searing 53rd, 121. The Hobbled Gobbler, Zaichaer
"Of course! I'll be back shortly!"
Jane went to work in preparing drinks, going as fast as she could as to not leave Eitan alone with the Dratori for too long. The juices were simple, requiring her to only memorize who had received which, but the teas were a different matter. There was an art to tea brewing that she had not quite mastered. Her mother mostly brewed their tea at home and outside of that, the attendants at garden parties and servants of estates. The pots of various blends she had prepared were passable, but the unsolicited advice she often received was taxing on her time and patience. Customers with such discerning tastes were quickly becoming a pet peeve of hers. Despite the risk of violence, she almost wished they'd stick to ale. For Eitan, she decided to bring him a double schnapps. She felt like he would appreciate it.
The Dratori and their half-blood companions ranged from young to old, many of them appearing to be related. A half-Dratori woman opened an censer in the middle of their circle and placed a block of incense onto the coals within. A plume of fresh smoke rose out of the grated brass lid, filling the air with an intoxicating, floral haze. A pair of Grackles among them played very heated games of X's and O's on a chalkboard. They were being watched a few elderly Dratori who exchanged money between each other at the end of each game, amused with their insistence to continue playing and their overreactions at victory and defeat. The sole human in the mix was a long haired musician with sunken eyes. He fiddled with the dulcimer-like instrument that was popular about the Dusk Elves, seemingly unmoved by the romantic attentions of the women around him.
As Eitan joined them, one of the older women offered him a plate of dumpling like pastries. The outside glistened, as though steamed, and they exuded a spicy aroma. She set it in front of him to eat at his own leisure. Ravok sat next to Eitan, his arm around his shoulder. He appeared to be a very affection man to say the least.
The muscular man took a rolled cigarette from one of his friends and took a long, deep, drag,. He then offered it to Eitan.
“So, where are you from, Eitan? You sound like you were raised in Zaichaer, but I am guessing you don't live in the Knob?”, he remarked.
Jane soon returned, carrying a tray in hand filled with glasses and cups. She balanced them perciously on her shoulders and carefully knelt down to place them on the floor. The Dratori took them from her hands and they began to pass the drinks down the circle. Jane handed Eitan the glass with his double serving of Gelerian Schnapps to him personally.
“Is there anything else I can get you?”, she asked sweetly.
Re: Blending In (Eitan)
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 12:23 am
by Eitan Angevin
Watching Jane go back about her business, it seemed to him that she was flustered but trying desperately not to show it. He could be wrong, though; he knew her, but did not know her well. If anything, this whole scenario made him the more curious. That she was working here under a version of her name, that she was connected to Brenner Dornkirk, that she was connected to Dreyfus Monteliyet—for one so unassuming, she was quite the conundrum.
But he found himself now on the ground where the unwashed masses were trying to hide that fact by burning equally pungent incense. He hated that Ravok was proving so familiar, but he had to blend in. He also had to not think about how easily these people were accepting him into their circle when it had been so difficult to be accepted into his own circles. But he supposed that made sense; humans weren't stumbling over themselves trying to be accepted by Dratori nomads.
At least the one human in the mix—other than Jane—was getting the adulation he deserved.
"Thank you," he said for the pastry. He could at least be polite.
"Thank you," he said for the cigarette. He didn't smoke often, so he didn't pull as long or as hard as Ravok, but he smoked enough to be polite and then looked from Ravok to the other side and back, not certain whether he ought to pass it back or pass it along. He did as Ravok bade him.
"Oh," he said. Thinking quickly, he knew he would have an easier time and be more believable if he used the truth than try to construct some elaborate lie from whole cloth. "Well, I'm a bastard, but a bastard from the other side of the tracks." He shrugged. It truthfully explained why they hadn't seen him before, anyway.
"Oh, thank you," he said for the schnapps, smiling at her, though his eyebrows rose like he was out of his element. He could manage, but she was making him work for his curiosity. He took a heart sip, hoping the alcohol would kill any Dratori germs from sharing the cigarette, and then took a bite of the dumpling as it would probably taste better before it was allowed to grow cold.