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Stay a While [Memory]

Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 3:16 am
by Moon Jae-Seong
TIMESTAMP: 3rd Solace, Glade 122
NOTES: -
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The sun had reached its peak hours ago and was slowly beginning to dip lower, down towards the horizon. Moon Jae-Seong was not one to ever have set plans. It was cold as Frost had waned and Glade had only just begun, the Rathari kept insulated mostly by his coat of feathers as opposed to the clothes he wore. He walked languidly along an old forest path, one that, from his perception, did not appear to be very well traveled at all. Overgrowth from the dense forests around him was encroaching on the dirt of the path, weeds and other plant matter scattered all over it. In no rush, the crow was happy to see where this road would take him.

Surrounded by lush evergreens, the muddy path was shrouded in shadow and blanketed in early evening fog. Eerie and perhaps foreboding to some, Jae-Seong found this atmosphere to be peaceful, almost soothing. He liked being surrounded by nature and, with his blades hilted on either hip, he was not worried about the prospect of having to defend himself against a beast or a man; perhaps, even, a mix of both. There was an undeniable thrill to bloodshed, so he thought.

Clad in loose robes and ebony feathers, the crow-shaped Rathari, presently in Lycan form, walked this path in silence aside from his own footsteps, the whistle of the wind, and the occasional odd movement of an animal through the woods. With him, he had his rucksack containing everything he normally traveled with. Despite his noble heritage, this was the life he preferred. No gods, no masters, and only a long, vague fetter that tied him back home.

The mercenary was well aware of the privileges he held from the circumstances of his birth, of the security that the gilded fetter he wore provided him. While he did, far more often than not, choose to remain discreet about this aspect of himself, should he ever want to flex that power? He could. Almost everyone else he came across in his travels, however? They did not have such a coruscant lifeline. This was something he couldn't ever deny, even despite the rather humble circumstances under which he normally lived. Regardless, he preferred to walk through life outside of the spotlight.

As such, he was happy to wander the wilds with little other than his blades and some few choice supplies. And after wandering for what felt like an almost dream-like age, the feathered Rathari found himself standing at a fork in the road. A fork that wasn't very mysterious, mind. On one hand, he had the option to continue forward into the unknown. On the other, the fork led to a tavern of sorts. Such establishments were not that uncommon when one traveled, settled along roads and the like meant to offer rest and succor to the weary traveler. And while he was not one afraid of sleeping in the wilderness, he always liked to peek into buildings like this to see if he could catch wind of work or something else that intrigued him.

The establishment was constructed with a cozy combination of wood and smooth, gray stone with an interior lit by a mysterious sort of lamplight, very likely some sort of magical enchantment, perhaps runeforging? It was a greenish sort of blue and gave the interior an odd atmosphere, though it was not one unfriendly or foreboding. Such a thing was markedly rare out in the wilderness. It made him wonder about the whomever currently ran it– were they the crafter? Perhaps particularly wealthy? Well connected? Further, it was accoutred with a lot of finely crafted wooden furniture, deep in color and with myriad plants decorating the walls and hanging from the ceiling. The overall aesthetic was certainly a pretty one on top of being surprisingly well kept for something like this out in the middle of nowhere.

All of this and more did Jae-Seong wonder as he stepped through the threshold and out of the night, curious thing that he was. He wondered, however, if it would be difficult to glean much about the proprietor in one evening. Would they even allow themselves to be distinct from any other client wandering the floor?

Businesses like this had a tendency to vary wildly regarding their success, their quality, their clientele, what they served and so on…this one, at least on the surface, appeared to be one of the more successful of this type he'd come across. It was busier than he expected; the road he was on must connect to a more primary path up ahead. Such a thing would surprise him, really, what with the fact that he had a tendency to wander without a map, without rhyme or reason.

Those within were, as one might expect, mostly human. Given what he had come to expect of the general area, this was of no surprise. Aside from that, the rest were an eclectic mix of different things. With lazy, languid steps, the crow meandered through the dimly lit building and over to the primary bar, choosing to sit a few seats away from others yet not far enough to be deaf to the conversations that swam around him. His goal, for now, was to stay awhile and listen.

The barkeep was elven in appearance with pearl toned hair in a single, long braid and gray skin, deep in color and cool in tone. His eyes were dark and cold, a shade similar to an evergreen forest, though faded in vibrancy. He had Siltori witch marks that wound up both of his arms like snaking vines, beautiful and intricate in their patterns. The way Cardinal runes adorned these lunar elves was always fascinating to look at and Jae-Seong found himself curious as to which magics these labyrinthine ordonnances corresponded to. He figured he might ask if the man proves amenable to curiosity, though he did imagine the other might find that line of questioning to be rather…tiresome.

And while his face when resting was stony and austere, the elven man's visage warmed and features emoted rather charmingly when he spoke. His voice, too, was lovely to hear– smooth as silk with an alluring sort of depth and just the right amount of emotion and theatrics to the way he spoke. One of his runes was made obvious: that of Masquerade. When he didn't need to serve anyone, he took on a secondary role. A rather bewitching sort of storyteller, this man was, illustrating his words with detailed, enchanting images that moved and danced just like life. His stories ranged from myth to things he claimed to have heard and others he'd claimed to have lived, though it was ultimately incredulous as to how much of anything he said was true. Nevertheless, it was incredibly difficult to look away while this strange elf talked, talented as he was at doing this.

Jae-Seong found himself rather entranced by this beguiling magician, though he imagined that was entirely the point. Many of his fellow patrons offered the rather arresting storyteller additional coin for regaling them with his tales. A smart choice, really– the barkeep had a great talent for what he did, so why not make use of it in this fashion?

The elf claimed to himself be a wanderer, using his magic to survive in a myriad of ways, some ethical, some not. He claimed to have walked the path of a thief, a performer, a seducer, a fortune teller, and so on. It was impossible to tell how much of this man's claims regarding his apparently rather storied life were even true. If his words were to be believed, the other witch marks that snaked across the surface of frame corresponded to two marks total, though he played quite coy as to which the other was aside from masquerade. If even a few things he said were indeed true, his existence was an incredibly fascinating one, to say the least.

But as the evening waned into night and the patrons thinned in number, the mercenary and this fanciful figure had more time and space to speak with one another. Almost as if spellbound by the stranger, Jae-Seong found himself inquiring about potential work he could take on in the area, if only as an excuse to stay a few days within the walls of this strange, enchanting little inn. And, luckily for the Rathari, the barkeep who called himself Iaphos did offer him a few different options.
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