sir rictor cassul, korporal. (![]() ![]() @ 2013-10-28 17:15:00 |
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It was a nice, calm evening at Lan’s. That of course meant there was loud music and even louder patrons, several rounds of beer being ordered and the warmth of a place that’s just starting to fire up in the night. The only thing out of the ordinary was that the often elusive owner of the local was manning the bar, and thus the orders seemed to have spiked considerably at the night progressed. Lan was that good at making drinks, among other things, of course. But now the orders seemed to have calmed down and the waitresses were finally getting to walk all over the place with drinks and food. Sighing, Lan decided to focus on cleaning some glasses for the sake of having something to do, not to mention preparing herself for the next round of orders. On the other side of the counter, a man sat alone and nursed the dregs of his first drink. As the hubbub died down enough at Rictor’s corner of the bar, he found himself watching the blonde proprietor (the eponymous Lan himself, or at least that’s what the scuttlebutt said) as she busied herself with the endless rows of gleaming glasses. “You look like a character in a play,” the holy knight finally said, amused. “The hardbitten bartender in a murder mystery. Probably gonna get questioned by a handsome detective any moment now.” He was lounging cheerfully on his stool, elbows propped against the bar. It had been a disgusting week of combing the sewers to no avail – and so he’d finally decided to find refuge at Lan’s Lounge, in need of a stiff drink to shake off the lingering contamination of sewage and Dark alike. Lan scoffed softly as she settled a now spotless glass and grabbed another one. “Oh and I have so many things worth being interrogated about. My life would make a wonderful murder mystery.” Looking up at Rictor, Lan sauntered over towards his position, still working in the glass. “And you good sir, you need a refill, yes you do. We can’t have almost empty glasses and grumpy faces, no sir.” She didn’t even wait for a reply before disappearing under the bar for a moment, only to reemerge with a bottle of some fine looking whiskey and two shot glasses. This was the good stuff, she wasn’t going to let Rictor drink it all after all. “Will you be a darling and tell me when a handsome man sits in the bar?” She even threw a wink in the mix as she filled the glasses. “Har, har,” he said dryly. “I’ll keep my eyes peeled for one. Can’t be long now, since the room’s filling up.” He seemed too tired to argue as the pretty bartender chattered away, and instead watched as Lan smoothly filled one of the glasses and segued over to the other in one deft motion. Only a few drops of liquid splattered onto the bar, and so Rictor accepted the glass with a nod of thanks. It seemed natural, somehow, that he’d end up sharing a drink with the bartender herself — old habits died hard. “So you’d be Lan, then?” The holy knight nodded to the rest of the building, the buzz of customers filling up tables and booths. He grinned. “I feel all special, getting the personal treatment. It’s been a shitty day, so I deserve it.” Someone had once told Lan she knew how to pick them. Pick them for what, exactly, she wasn’t sure, but she had to agree her interest in people seemed to follow certain standards. “I guess you might have to do for the night. I’m not complaining, though.” The bar could get either surprisingly boring or incredibly dull, what will people thinking they would have a flirting chance with her, so chatting with someone willing to both put up with her and shoot back… it was welcomed. “The one and only. And please be free to feel as special as you want. Holy knights are always welcomed here, they have a pretty nice effect when it comes to make sure no stray drunk tries to start trouble.” Considering she didn’t have the freedom of carving their eyes out without getting too much attention, she really appreciated having law ensuring types around. Lifting her shot, Lan gave him a brief grin before downing it. “But for the sake of your shitty day, let us hope you enjoy yourself.” They drained their drinks in unison, heads tilting backwards with the confidence of experience as the shots were slammed back. Rictor then wiped his mouth with the back of one hand, scarred knuckles swiping the traces of whiskey away. “This is top shelf,” he remarked in surprise, looking at the empty glass with new eyes. “Thanks. Although who says I’d be any help with a stray drunk, anyway? I’m off-duty. Might’ve used up all my quota of doing good for the day.” He motioned for another glass, this time a mixed drink that’d take longer to savour. A familiar instinct prickled, but Rictor shook it off in favour of reaching out his hand for a handshake (strangely formal, considering the circumstances). “Sir Rictor Cassul. A pleasure.” “It is indeed. The number of people that can afford a bottle of this is...well, not for public knowledge.” That said, she put the bottle away and took a couple of others from the shelf behind her, beginning to make a mix. “Well I guess I’ll just have to hope for the better, don’t you think?” She wasn’t one for judging people right away, but maybe he was being serious with being all out of good deeds for the evening. A shame, really. Lan shook his hand professionally and briefly, eyes fixed on his and perfect smile on her lips. “Vereesa Lan, but I strongly favor my family name, if you don’t mind. And how should I call you?” Her hand free, she finished the drink and slid it over to him. “This one’s not on the house, I’m afraid.” “Good thing they pay us for being do-gooders, then.” A moment of fishing around in his wallet, and then he planted some gil on the counter, along with the customary tip for the bartender. “And you can call me Rictor. Or Ric, if the instinct strikes.” Shrugging softly, Lan took the gil and stored it away. “The city is full of chances to do good, getting paid for it sounds like a good idea.” Although she had to wonder how many members of the Fighters Guild were probably better fitted for the Thieves Guild. You could find all kinds of people anywhere, after all. “Ric it is, then.” Better find familiarity soon, she thought. It was an enjoyable conversation, Rictor’s mouth running on autopilot as he decompressed from the events of the week and settled into the usual ebb-and-flow of meeting someone new. But there was one fairly noteworthy thing about the blonde manning the counter – and after casting another assessing look over her, Rictor decided to address it (bluntly, as was his wont): “Bit young to own your own business, aren’t you? Impressive.” Looking around her as if she had just noticed where she was standing, Lan beamed at him. “What can I say, I’m a very ambitious young woman, not to mention I pride myself of having a way with people. Although the Lounge is managed and owned to me, you can be sure several outstanding personalities had a hand into making it happen.” Most of them never found out that was what their missing gil had been used for, of course. “I would offer you a free tour to make sure everything’s in order… but you’re off duty.” Ric glanced at the wide staircases leading up to the second (and ultimately, third) storeys of the building. He’d been to the Lounge a few times before — but never encountered the proprietor, and never forayed past the ground floor. If this business were a lake, he’d been wading around in the shallows until now. He had wondered what the rest of the establishment looked like for its regulars. After mulling over the option for a bit, he caved. “Can’t say I can turn down the prospect of a tour.” he said with another grin. With such a pretty tour guide, too, Rictor might have added once upon a time – and the compliment still wriggled its way to the surface, a kneejerk response like muscle memory. But he bit it back. “Don’t you need to work the bar, though?” Lan raised an eyebrow. “Well I’m making sure you feel well treated here, Ric. It’s kind of a busy night of course, so that tour will have to wait until things quiet down a bit. As for the bartending...” With a sigh, she shot him a smile before looking at the other patrons sitting there. Some were drinking, but others had turned their heads towards them. Another sigh. “I suppose this is why I usually let the guys do this, I’m just a sucker for a good conversation. I’ll be back shortly, Ric. Do enjoy yourself, and let’s continue our little chat.” And with that, she walked away. Work work work. |