05/12/2000


Alindrelle Square, Tar Valon

The fancy shops have their home here -- the flower shops, the
well-manicured knick knack shops, the dressmakers and the places to find
fancy antiques. No hawkers marr the street corners and the refugees are
chased away by tired guards, who repeat, over and over again,"You can
complain to the City Council." This place is not so uptown as it appears at
first, however. Several of the shops have had "Closed" signs on them for
weeks. Others are the victim of peeling paint. Doors and steps every now
and then are in poor repair. Those who try to keep up outward appearances
find their ability to keep merchandise inside the store shrinking --
rearranging to hide this takes up the bulk of morning work.

Here and there a woman sweeping steps or a man stepping out with his
purchases will glance to the gleaming spire in the center of the city.
Whispers fly about. Will they truly be able to save us? When will they fix
the shortages? Where is our miracle? When will it come? The Darkness at our
very doorstep,and no answers from our source of strength? Other whispers
are lower,nastier, as a feeling of unrest and tension stretches its noose
tighter about the city each day.


Zaidah strolls along the street down from the plaze, swaggering with all
her usual arrogance. She doesn't have her quarterstaff today, but she's got
her knives. A guy looks at her cross eyed and narrows her gaze at him,
fingering the hilt of her dagger. She knows it won't turn into anything.
These.. Tar Valoners are hardly her type of people. "Yeah, keep walking,"
she mutters as he hurries on.

Oh, happy day!! Even if Neelkan did meet the Amyrlin Seat, and a few other
weird things happened... including one incident he -really- would rather
not think about... he's just happy to have a few silver coins secured in
his sash at his waist and -out- of the Tower. Aaaaaaah. What more could he
ask for? Well, besides having his earrings and fan back, but one can't have
everything! He looks around for a Tavern. Yup. Gets out of teh Tower with
money and that's his first thought. He was a bandit after all. While
looking at the places around he isn't exactly paying very close attention
to where he's going, which means he might very well collide with someone
swaggering down the street. Hint. Hint.

Zaidah is not about to get out of anyone's way at this point so she puts
her hand up to push Neel's out of the way. "Excuse you. Didn't you mother
teach you to make way for a lady?" Her? A lady? Snort! It's a comment
thrown over her shoulder as she just continues on her way. These Tar
Valoner's are such pushovers. He probably won't even start anything.

Push over? Ye'h. Right. Neelkan gets pushed away and stumbles a little,
then looks up to see the source of the hand that pushed him. A woman! Why
isn't he surprised!? Grrrr. Blink. Uh. Could her shirt -get- any
tighter...? And is it just him, or does she tug on his memory a little? Oh
well, he'll ponder it later, for now he just stands up fully and yells
back, "Yer no lady, ya bloody pig-sucker!" He starts to wipe off the area
she touched as if she contaminated it with her filthy female hands! Glare.

Zaidah stops in mid-stride and pauses for a moment before slowly turning
around. A slow grin starts to spread over her face and she fingers the hilt
of her knife, her wickedly curved Eharonian knife. She actually seems
pleased as she takes a few steps back towards him. "We-ell, looks like you
northerners have some spunk after all. Care to back that up with some
action.. little man?"

Wyntere walks out of the Tower gate. Brightly colored woman she is. Maybe a
little short but beautiful smokey blue eyes full of life and caring. She is
embraced if you can tell, but who knows why but her. She glances around the
plaza, trying to decide where to go first in her list of errands.

"Who said nothin' 'bout bein' a Northerner, woman?" Neelkan growls back,
then glances down to see the woman's knife. Eharon at that. Wonderful. "I'd
love t', but I ain't got any weapons right now, so unless ya'd not draw yer
knife ya'd have an unfair advantage!" And she has an unfair advantage
anyway... He may not like women, but hit one...? Intentionally hurt one...?
He -was- raised by six women, after all. That was practically pounded (and
somewhat literally) into him since birth...

Zaidah doesn't notice the Aes Sedai as her attention is rather focused on
Neelkan. She reaches down into her boot and pulls out another knife tossing
it to him. "I have plenty to go around." She pauses peering at him. He
seems rather familiar as well, but she can't quite place it. She might even
say he was from Eharon if it wasn't for the red hair... Then she shrugs and
draws her knife. "Ready? Or are you afraid of being beaten by a woman?" She
has an annoyingly smug smirk on her face.

Twitch. Twitch. But at least he catches the knife. There's a slight pause
and Neelkan glances down at it, then he looks back up at the women. Damn.
The no knife excuse won't work now, and she's insulting him even! "No! I'm
not 'fraid'a nothin'!" He just... doesn't want to hurt a woman... Arg.
Stupid mother and big sisters raising him as a sort of gentleman. And even
two years with a bunch of bandits didn't change that about him. Completely
at least. At least he holds the knife like he's held one before... He
doesn't notice Wyn either. He's got a firecracker of a young woman kind of
stealing his attention. And not in a good way.

Blue eyes gaze upon the young boy. Hmm... knives? Outside the gates to the
tower? She only has to yell for the gaurds. Instead, she calls out in a
friendly voice. "Neelkan, may I see you for a minute? I have some errands
to run and need an escort." What's her gaidin doing? Who knows? 

Zaidah doesn't know that Neelkan happens to be the young man she is facing
off with so she ignores the shout. After all if she turns now he could get
the drop on her and we can't have that. She darts in, feinting a slash for
his stomach. Not trying to hurt him yet, just giving him a little scare.
"Sure you're not pumpkin. Everyone's afraid of something.. and I bet you're
afraid of plenty." Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
Actually.. she'll probably taunt him a second time anyway.

Or a third.. or a fourth...

Someone's calling his name? Neelkan's head whips towards the voice, his
hair bouncing a little in the poofy fashion it does whenever he moves, then
he sees who it is. Wyn. Saved by Wyn! But... But she's taunting him! She's
an evil woman! He looks back towards the women who's name he doesn't know
and glares, his eyes narrowing. "'en what're ya 'fraid of, apple-dumplin'?"
Ye'h. Call him pumpkin. He'll call ya something right back. Sorry Wyn, his
pride's being injured. But one more shout and he'll listen. He needs an
excuse to get away from the impending fight after all.

Zaidah grins, and replies simply, "Boredom."

Wyntere steps up to complete the triangle between Neel and Zai. "Neither of
you really want to fight. This is not the place for such things, unless you
both want to end up behind bars for a night or two. So.. put the knives
away and let's work through this." She is ever patient and truth rings in
her voice. Blue eyes are full of wisdom beyond the years she looks.

Zaidah eyes the woman and frowns. She's not too keen on being told what to
do, but on the other hand jail isn't fun either, though they'd have to
catch her first, and yes she's arrogant enough to think she could get away.
She shrugs and slides the blade back into it's sheat. "You're lucky
pumpkin," since he doesn't seem to like she of course is going to use it
with impunity. "Next time you may not be."

Bright blue-green eyes blink slightly, and Neelkan settles back on his heel
a little. Boredom? Well that's better then his fears! (Deep Water and Milk
of all things... And he is NOT afraid of women!! Grrrr.) When Wyn gets
closer, he starts to raise his hand to scratch at his hair, then realizes
he's holding the knife still. Don't want to scratch at hair with a knife in
hand... Nope. Lowering his hand down, he shrugs and keeps the knife. Hey,
never know when he might need it! (Unless she specifically asks for it
back...) "Whae'er ya say, Wyn!" He didn't want to hurt her after all. And
he really didn't want to spend any time in a prison. The Infirmary is
practically like that! And anyway, she's got spunk. If she was a guy, he
might actually want to be friends with her. But she's not. So she's evil.
Glare. "Yer the lucky one, girl-y." Oh yeah. So lucky. She wouldn't have
had to watch herself beat him to a bloody pulp because he wouldn't fight
back. How fun is that...?

Wyntere nods to both of them with approval. "Now then, what's the problem
here?" She looks between them both. Yes, a ture Grey right to the core. The
mediator. Hmm.. did I also mention she deals with children all day?

"Oh yeah? Well at least I don't have to shout at everyone like I'm deaf.
Could you make my ears ring a little more please?" Zai puts her hand out
and looks at him expectantly. "The problem," why is this woman butting in
anyway? "is that he doesn't know how to get out of the way when someone's
coming through."

Neelkan just raises his eyebrows at her as she throws more fuel on his
already blazing temper. Tsktsk. Then Wyn suddenly has to leave, taking away
most of the calming force he had keeping the fire down, even if only a
little. Once Wyn is out of earshot he says in a little softer of a voice,
but still rather loud, "Oh, why dontcha just go bite int' a lemon. Yer
a'ready sour 'nough t' make m' think ya got one perminantly stuck in yer
throat." For some reason he feels really childish right now... and he
actually sticks his tongue out at the young woman briefly.

Zaidah laughs and reaches up to tweak his tongue, trying even if he pulls
it back before she can get there. Um.. eeeww anyone? "How would you know
how sour I am? You haven't even had a taste yet." She winks at him. He
looks pretty young.. not that that's ever stopped her before. Besides,
she's just teasing him, right? "So are you gonna give me my knife back, or
am I going to have to take it back?"

Eh... She is teasing... Right? Suddenly he feels like he wants to take a
bath. (And he hates water.) Neelkan instantly keeps his tongue in his
mouth. Ew. Evil woman! Waitamoment! "Ya were at the Parade!! Yer the one
'at was kissin' on 'at married man 'n makin' a big scene!!" Well, before
the other stuff happened at least, but he SO does not want to think about
that. "'n ye'h, take yer flamin' knife back ya lil' firefly. Not half as
good as m' fan anyway." His... fan...? He flips the knife so he's holding
the blade and holds it forward.

Zaidah can of course see his agitation, and it just makes her grin. She
plucks her knife out of his hand and puts it back in her boot. "Yeah, I was
at the parade. It's not -my- fault, he was asking for it, and so was that
chit he had for a wife. Wives are nothing but trouble, and you can quote me
on that. If you know what's good for you don't ever get one." Hmmm.
Firefly? That actually has a kind of ring to it, though it might be more
appropriate for him and his red hair. She snorts a little "Fan? I knew you
were a pretty boy, but I didn't think it was like -that-"

Snort! Get a wife!? Ye'h. Right. The Wheel would stop! "M'!? Married!?
Hah!" Neelkan actually laughs for a minute, then choaks at the remark
towards his fan. Grrrrrrr. His eyes instantly narrow and his lips curl up
from his teeth slightly, "'ere ain't nothin' wrong with m' bloody fan!!
Once I get it back, I'll prove it t' ya! It's better 'en any knife ya could
e'er pull on m'!" No one makes fun of his fan! Grrrr. Well, honestly it
doesn't take much to make him yell at a woman. But the fan is a soft spot.

"Done. I look forward to it." Yup. She always loves a good challenge. "And
I do hope you're not just talk." That would be boring. Speaking of boring,
she's starting to suffer from it. Zai looks around and hmmms before
glancing back at him. "Since knives are no good... do you drink? Oh, what
am I saying? You're probably not even old enough to." Could she be any more
obnoxious? She certainly does have plenty of bravado, if not a lot of
brains.

Erk. He just challanged her! Neelkan scratches at his hair now that his
hand is free to do it and tries to think of a way to back out without
sounding like he's scared or a wimp. Why doesn't the old 'I just don't
wanna hurt a woman' line work in this case? Because it doesn't. Bleh. Give
'im a minute... He'll think of something... Blink. Did she say something
about getting a drink? Oh he's there! Challange? What challange!? "'at's
'ere I was headed actually, and 'course I'm ol' 'nough t' DRINK! I could
prolly out drink YA easy!" Looks like the Amyrlin's silver is definately
going to be spent on ale...

Zaidah grins and leans forward to poke his chest, "You're on." Oh this
should be fun. She could probably make a comment that would make him blush
in response to the easy remark, but for some reason she holds back. Maybe
she has some sense of when enough is enough after all. She starts to walk
back the way she came, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he's not
chickening out or anything, "how confident of that are you? Perhaps you'd
care to make a small... wager?" When she grins it crinkles the scar on her
face a little.

Bwah. Neelkan reaches up to brush off where she poked him. Kooties. Then he
follows right behind her, not letting her get too far ahead, then moving up
beside her after she looks over her shoulder. He's not gonna let her think
he's following her around like a puppy! Grrrr. "A wager? Like what? Coin ya
mean?" Cause he only has a few silvers that the Amyrlin gave him. For
clothes. Or at least it was -supposed- to be for clothes... He honestly had
no intention of spending it on clothes...

Zaidah hmmmms and scratches her chin a little. "We could make it for coin
if you like, though I can think of far more interesting things to bet...
goods... services... a laugh or two." She grins, getting an idea. "Like if
I win, you have to insult someone of my chosing, and deal with the
consequences afterwards. And it's gotta be a -good- insult, none of this,
oh your mother is a donkey, or something like that."


The Plaza, Tar Valon

A babble of different dialects combines into a swirling cacophany of sound.
Hawkers in faded, patched clothes cry out their wares, some of which
decrease in quality daily. Refugees huddle in doorways and allyways,
cradling their babies on street corners and begging quietly for food. Here
and there a well dressed merchant changes a window display in a shop -- for
some, who have known nothing but war all of their life, it is merely
business as usual.

This business district is beautiful, however. Most buildings show the touch
of Ogier stonemasonry, rising up side by side as if holding hands against
the encroaching ugliness of the outside world. These walls remain white,
truly shining, as if an Aes Sedai descends from the dominating spire at the
north end of the city daily to scrub the walls clean with their grand
Power. Only the newest of the city notice, however, most striding down the
cobblestones with eyes straight ahead or cast down, with business to attend
to or dreams to pursue.


"'at'll do!" Insulting. He can do insults! The problem would of course be
whoever she picked for him to insult. He kind of doesn't want to end up
spending even longer in the Infirmary after all... Neelkan continues along
beside her, not letting her get too far ahead. And the insluting thing is
probably tons nicer then... say... anything crude the shameless little
firefly could come up with. "'n if I win... ya have t' apologize f'r
yellin' at m' and insultin' m'fan. 'n ya gotta mean it!"

Zaidah stops and arches an eyebrow slightly. "I have to mean it?" How do
you make someone mean it? Well.. it should be interesting trying at least.
Besides, apologies can be interesting. "Done then." She pushes open the
door and actually holds it for him, gesturing him in with a wave of her
hand. "After you pumpkin."

"If ya insist, firefly." Yup. Found a nickname for the evil woman he likes,
well, that isn't a curse word or something. And also since he has no idea
what her name is so he can't butcher it up. Zai? Zaidi? Za? Z? Oh well.
Firefly'll have t' do! Neelkan moves into the tavern, his eyes going a
little squinty at the smell coming from inside! Ah! Bliss!


The Shadow's Demise Tavern, The Plaza, Tar Valon

A sleek wooden bar stretches across the back of the room, with giant kegs
full of all manner of drink here. The proprieter of the Shadow's Demise
does his own distilling, as such, there is never a shortage of ale to be
found here. Slightly greasy smelling potatos and sausage dishes find their
way out of the kitchens by way of plump serving maids and onto the tables
of the patrons, most of whom look tired and worried. Dripping white candles
sit within old green wine bottles, casting a soft lambent light about the
area.

A dais is here, where a performer of some variety usually sits, keeping the
patronage entertained. Songs of battle and war are generally discouraged
unless there has been a recent victory, and so slow, romantic ballads float
around the room. Perhaps this is why The Shadow's Demise tends to have an
equal number of male and female patrons. Circular tables, generally kept
clean, are arranged about the room in such a way that people can easily
hold conversations with one another and keep them private.


Zaidah laughs softly. "The name is Zaidah, Zaidah Queldyn if you must know,
but you can call me firefly if you like." She would laugh if he called her
an evil woman too. She is a little on the evil side, but in a good way of
course. She walks into the common room and surveys it like a lady surveying
her estates, then she heads over towards a table and grabs a chair, turning
it around to straddle it, resting her arms on the back. "Hey Leigh, bring
us a bottle of the usual. Whiskey isn't too strong for you is it?" She
winks to show she's just teasing. Yup, she's definately warming up to him.

Neelkan sit down in the chair nearby -properly- at least, but he does rest
his elbows on the table and slouch a little. Well, more then a little. "'n
I'm Neelkan, but ya can call m' Neel if ya want. 'r 'at pumpkin bit,
whate'er!" He doesn't care as long as he isn't called Shun'u. He hates that
name with a passion! Arg. "'n whiskey ain't too strong, no." He may not be
warming up to her. She's still -evil-, but he's not yelling anymore at
least. He's warming up to the -tavern-.

Dairen comes limping into the bar, getting ready for the late half of his
shift. He's got a quirck smile on his face, and his leg's working more or
less normal again.

Zaidah peers at him curiously for a moment, trying to pick out what exactly
he said. His accent is a little.. thick. "Good." She taps her fingers on
the table, waiting for the server to return with their bottle. "Oh and 10
glasses," she calls after, having forgotten. This of course disturbs a few
patrons who are trying to enjoy a little peace and quiet. She pays them no
mind though.

Stepping lightly down the stairs, Juzriel moves quickly to catch up with
Dairen as he moves to the bar. "Hello Dairen. That leg's looking better,"
she greets with a warm smile. "Been to Akamo?" She casts a quick glance to
Lisanne who gathers up the bottles and glasses for the table.

Ten!? Yikes. Well, Neelkan isn't going to protest. He said he would out
drink her after all! And he intends to! He wants his apology! He does
furrow his brow for a moment at her though, then covers it up with a wide
smile. Happy smile. Happy whiskey..? He'd rather have ale, but whiskey'll
do... He rubs his hands through his white-streaked red hair, then leans
patiently back on the chair. He can be patient, long as he knows that the
drink is coming!

Dairen smiles when Juzriel catches up with him. He nods. "Of course. It
gets to where it's pulling real bad and I don't have a choice." he winks.
"And you? How are you this fine evening?"

"you don't have to explain," Juzriel murmers quietly to Dairen. "I know all
about that leg and how it works now. And I'm glad its better." She leans to
place s quick kiss on his cheek. "I'm fine. Ready for work as usual."

5 for each of them adds up to 10 of course, but Firefl- I mean Zai just
grins at the look on his face. Lisanne brings it over and sets out the
glasses and the bottle. "Thank you dearie." She lines the glasses up 5 in a
row in front of each of them and then starts to pour. "Now, we can do it on
this one round... or we can do best 2 out of 3.. or we can just keep
drinking and whoever hits the floor first loses... I'll let you chose since
you're so confident in your drinking ability." Not that she isn't but...

Dairen smiles a little brighter when she kisse his cheek. He wonders if
they could jsut make their romance known and drop the pretences? He shrugs
to himself. Does it matter? He looks over at the woman setting up the
drinks. He doesn't approve of drinking contests, not that he'll stop it.
BUt still. And a woman besides. He shakes his head. Don't have to have
chest hair to be an idiot it seems.

Juzriel looks over that way too, a little grin as she sees Neelkan. Judging
by the way he was after a couple of ales the other day... well, she hopes
he takes his whiskey a little better. "Hmm, this should be interesting,"
she remarks lightly to Dairen, as she reaches to fill a glass of water for
herself, casting a quick look over the rest of the room.

"I'm completely confident, firefly!" Neelkan says with a smirk, looking at
the ten glasses of whiskey. He is completely confident. He's a man. She's a
woman. Everyone knows men can outdrink women! ... Right? ... And the other
day he was still recovering from the Healing, so he wasn't exactly at his
peek... But then again he's going to be drinking on a fairly empty
stomach... Arg, well. Now would be a good time for him to remember how...
er... friendly he can get when he's drunk too much... but he doesn't. "I
say we go 'til one'a us - YA - drop!" So much for going back to the Tower
tonight...

Dairen snorts. "Interesting." he shakes his head. "I'll let Tym and Jerod
know they'll have a package to take to the Tower tonight." he grumbles as
he heads for the bar.

Zaidah laughs and nods, "Alright then. Until I drop, though that does mean
you'll have to wait until I wake up for your apology." Of course she says
this all with a smirk that says she doesn't believe a word of it. She fills
up all 10 glasses to the top and sets the bottle down. She grins at him and
lets her hand hover over the first one. "Ready? Go!" Ok, so she doesn't
give him much of a chance to respond, but if he's -that- good it shouldn't
be a problem should it? She knocks back the first one and turns the glass
upside down before slaming it down on the table and reaching for the next.

Juzriel chuckles as she watches Dairen. "Its all profit," she reminds him.
"And at least that one isn't the obnoxious sort when he's had a few." As if
on cue, a slightly slurred voice calls across from the table by the dais.
"Oy, serving wench. More ale." With a little sigh, she grabs a mug and
heads to fill it.

Dairen looks at Juzriel then back to the man. He begins to limp in that
direction. "Good fellow, unless you really want to find yourself out front,
do try to be respectful to the serving /women/. Or barmaids, if you inset.
But here, they are /not/ serving wenches. Understand?" Dairen's voice is
cold and hard. And he's also begining to walk without the use of the cain
in his hands.

Eh? Well, he's a little slower then the firefly over there, but after he
realizes it's time to start, Neelkan downs the glass rather quickly. He has
been a bandit for the last two years. Drinking was one of the things they
did best. After insulting, and brawling, and stealing. He perfered the
drinking and the brawling and the insulting most, personally. The stealing
was just something to pass the time. And it was what made them 'bandit's
after all. His flass is slammed down a second later. Ah. He wipes his mouth
a little and comments, "Not bad!"

"Dairen, leave it..." Juzriel begins, but too late as Dairen is already
heading around the bar to the man. She continues to fill up the mug with
that requested ale. She really could have handled this herself.. men aren't
that quick witted at the best of times, and one that's had a few drinks..
She straightens up, eyes following Dairen's progress.

The man at the table just laughs at Dairen, his friend grinning inanely.
"Well, she sure looks like a wench to me!" he calls, nudging his friend who
nods in agreement. "Now where's that ale.. /wench/?" he calls, looking over
to the bar.

Zaidah pauses and laughs softly. Pretty good, actually it's impressive if
it's really his first time drinking whiskey. Heh. She's not about to admit
that he might actually be a better drinker than she though. She knocks back
the second shot and turns that glass upside down again and sets it down.
"You could say that." She ignores the commotion in the room. She's used to
taverns, her mother owned one after all. Then again if this'd been her
mother's the guy already would be out on his ass, probably courtesy of
yours truly. There are advantages to having a tomboy for a daughter.

Not often a threatening figure, Dairen is now approaching it. Perhaps it's
simply because he's ignoring the leg he's usually favoring and the fact
that his eyes go cold and stern. "Either strenten yourself, good sir, or
leave." he says darkly. His voice is cold, like ice. Completly devoid of
emotion or feeling. A void of thought and emotion. Except perhaps anger.

Juzriel watches Dairen intently, an eyebrow arching slightly at the change
in his manner. She remains with the ale behind the bar, wanting to see just
what happens next.

Probably not his first time with whiskey. Though he might not -remember-.
But it's likely not his first time. Probably wasn't as good of quality
though. Bandits don't usually focus on getting the best of everything after
all. Neelkan gives his head a small shake, ruffling his hair a little more,
then downs the second one a little after her. Oooooo. He's starting to
enjoy this. Firefly ain't lookin' too bad over 'ere... No no. Hate girls!
Still need to down a few glasses to make that look nice. (No offense!)

"Light man! Ain't we allowed to speak no more?" the one man mutters to
Dairen, though he refrains from calling out for the wench again. "Well,
we'll go somewhere as the wenches are more friendly," he adds, staggering
up out of his chair, grinning to his friend. He wobbles a little as he
starts to step about the table.

Dairen steps back to give them men plenty of room. He may know how to use
the cain in his hand, he certainly is holding it like he knows how, but
he's not interested in a fight all the same. "Feel free to do so after
paying for the ales you've drunk along with the one you had my servering
woman pull for you." he says, still in that level, emotionaless voice.

Zaidah downs the third and squeezes her eyes shut, sucking air through her
teeth. Ow, ow, ow, ow, aaaaah. That's good stuff. She smiles happily at the
empty glass before setting it down again and waiting for Neel to take his.
"Ok..." she leans forward a little and rests her elbow on the table,
"correct me with I'm wrong... but you remind me an awful lot of home..."
She can't place it though, just.. something. "You wouldn't have spent any
time in Eharon would you?" Hey! This is a drinking contest! This is no time
for idle chatter. Ah well.

The man looks to Dairen then across to Juzriel with a leering grin. Swaying
slightly, he crosses to the bar. "For the ale," he says, placing coin down
on the counter. "Not that I wouldn't pay for more than that, wench," he
adds, his voice low, but probably loud enough in his drunkeness to be
overheard. The other fellow makes for the door, seeming not so keen to
cause any trouble now the fun is over.

Coughing a little, Neelkan shakes his head again before, moving to lift up
the thirt cup. Yes, he likes his ale better, but this stuff isn't...
well... too awful. Huh? She's talking not drinking? He blinks a few times,
then shakes his head again. Not in denial, but the fact that he should have
realizes she was from Eharon! She's an evil woman! All women from Eharon
are evil! Bwah. (No offense!!) "'ere I's born!" he says, his accent only
slightly thicker. So they 'hail' from the same home. Bwah. He glances over
at the loud drunk and glares for a moment. Or at least until he remembers
the glass in his hand. Once he does, it's downed with a small wince.

Dairen narrows his eyes. "Once more, good sir, and I'll see you thrown
out." he hand tightens on the cain, the knuckles poping from too little
use. /Now/ he's angry.

Juzriel smiles pleasantly at the man, leaning over the bar and taking a
hold of his shirtfront. "You should always get what you pay for.. and you
did pay for this ale," she remarks, as she tips the contents of the mug
down his shirt. Lifting her hand, she pats his cheek, a rather sharp pat.
"Now, just remember, there are no wenches in this inn." Her gaze is stony
cold momentarily as she looks at him, before she lets go.

The man, brain too fogged by the drink to move quickly enough, finds
himself suddenly dripping ale. He seems a little startled to say the least.
Clearly that wasn't the reaction he was expecting from the woman. Turning
about, he casts a quick frowning glance to Dairen, as he heads as quickly
as his legs will carry him to the door. Seems he has the sense to say no
more though.

Zaidah blinkblinks at him a little swaying a little as she reaches for her
4th. She's -going- to finish the 5 though. Sheesh, how embarassing would
that be. It takes her a moment to pick through his accent again. Something
about being born. "Oh! You were born there!" For some reason.. she finds
that highly amusing and she starts to giggle, and then the giggle turns
into a full blow laugh, pausing only to slurp down the next shot. "What a
coincidence." She sticks her tongue into the glass to make sure she gets
all the alcohol out of it before setting it back down. She swings her gaze
around to see what Neel's looking at and bursts out laughing at Juz's
little move, and sticks her fingers in her mouth whistling loudly. At least
she's not talking about wenches.

Dairen turns and watches the man leave with cold, dead eyes. He keeps his
eyes on the man until both him and his friend have left the building.

Ye'h. Then Neelkan would have to point at Zaidah and say ''ere's one right
'ere!!' if she made a comment on wenches. But he's kind of starting to fuzz
here, so he doesn't think of that right now. Instead he has a huge smile on
his face, his eyes all squinty in slight arches, then he's back to normal
and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table to look at the scarred
woman, "Re'ly!? 'at's niiiiiiice." Wait. No it's not. Eharon women are
evil. Right... Right... Self-Smack. Arg. Stupid whiskey going straight to
his brain. He glances over towards Juz and the drunk again as she starts
whistling, but doesn't say anything.

Juzriel watches too, flickering a smile at Zaidah, then turns her attention
back to Dairen, looking at him with a new admiration. Despite his bad leg,
he was willing to stand up to that man, something that seems to impress
her. And that is rare indeed. "Well, another mug for you to clean," she
remarks, holding that mug out to him, a warm smile on her lips.

Dairen smiles at Juzriel as the void breaks away. Then his eyes go wide and
he falls against the bar, baerly abel to support himself now that the
strength of the Void is gone. He breaths deaply and gasps.

Zaidah blinks at him again and laughs some more, lifting her 5th shot to
him almost in salute to him. Then she says, as if it's a suprirse to
anyone, "You're drunk! You know that?" Look who's talking. She takes a deep
breath and then polishes off the 5th one, shaking her head as if that might
actually help clear it as she sets the glass back down. "But, I'm still...
going to win," she slurrs sticking her finger in his face as though
pointing will help her make her point. Nevermind that she almost takes his
nose off.

Heeeeeey! My nose! Glare. Neelkan's eyes narrow, but it's forgotten an
instant later when he grabs the fifth glass and downs it with a slight
wince. It takes a tiny bit longer then the last couple, but it gets downed
and he rubs the back of his hand across his mouth again, then flicks his
fingers slightly in front of her face. "'at's what ya 'ink, firefly."
Pbbbbbbbbbt. Yes. He sticks out his tongue again. Some would think he'd
have learned from what happened the last time.

"Dairen!" Juzriel cries, dropping the mug on the bar and quickly heading
around to grab hold of him. Not very strong physically, she can lend him
little actual support, but she wraps her arm about his back and steers him
along to a stool. "Sit down, and get your strength back," she murmers to
him, her voice filled with a tender concern. "Shall I get you a drink or
something?"

Dairen sits and shakes his head, taking a deep breath. "No... that's not
necessary. I'm... I was surprised, is all, Juzriel. I've not used the void
in years. I'm surprised it came so easily. I'll be okay as soon as the pain
cools a little."

Juzriel keeps that arm about him, her other hand lifting to brush gently
across his cheek. "I've never seen you look like that," she remarks softly.
"You were quite wonderful," she adds with a little smile, as her arm
tightens about him and her dark eyes fix on his. Keep their romance secret?
Seems that might not last long at this rate.

Zaidah laughs and makes a grab for his tongue again. "I have no idea, what
you just said, pumpkin." That just makes her laugh more though. She reaches
for the bottle with the other hand and makes as if to fill up the glasses
again, except there's no way they're going to get through another round of
this. That doesn't stop her though. This is far more interesting than even
dueling, if perhaps not quite as much of a rush.

Dairen smiles at her and then winces. Light that hurts. "Thank you, my
love." he whispers softly. Its good to know he's still got what it takes.
even if it does do this to him. But... his leg worked. He blinked. That's
something else!

"I hope you've not done any more damage to that leg," Juzriel says gently,
concern still in her eyes. "Perhaps you should have someone cover this
shift, then you can go home and rest awhile," she suggests, her fingers
still caressing his face.

Bwah. Grabbing his tongue isn't very nice, but oddly enough, Neelkan's
response is sticking it out again. But only for a short moment. Let's hope
the girl's hands aren't dirty. His mind is now too muddled to even bother
with remembering the fact that he hates girls. And he just leans his chin
on one of his hands and looks at her a minute, then comments, even if she
still can't understand him, "Ya'd be almost pretty if it waddn't f'r 'at
scar." Which is weird, since most Eharon's would consider that a beauty
mark.

Dairen smiles up at her and winks. "Only if you'll come with me." he says
softly. "You could work on my leg a little. It will need that much." he
says softly. He reaches up and begins to stroke her cheek as well. "And I
want you too."

"My scar?? What's wrong with my scar?" Zai stick out that side of her
cheek. She's quite proud of that scar thank you very much! Wait, wait, did
he just-? She grins, in spite of his insulting her beautiful scar.
"Really?" Having gotten caught up in this little interchange she's
forgetting that she was still pouring and is wasting good whiskey. She
yelps and sets the bottle upright again. "Ooops." Which of course just
produces more laughter.

"Of course I'll come with you," Juzriel murmers softly, as she leans
towards him, finding his lips briefly with hers. "Hmm, you want me to work
on your leg," she smiles. "Well, perhaps just this once. I'll see what I
can do." The sly little smile on her lips suggests that she's likely to
enjoy that as much as he is.

Neelkan chuckles softly at her wasting of good whiskey. Tsktsk. Are ya sure
that isn't a giggle!? NO NO NO! It's not a giggle! Neel does not GIGGLE!
Grrrrr. Well, it sounds kind of like one. Bwah. Boys... no! -MEN- don't
giggle. He reaches over and picks up one of the refilled cups and sploshes
it in her direction slightly, a little flooding over the top of the cup and
dripping down to his hand a little, "Ye'h. 'specially with 'at tight dress
'n all!" Uh... did he just say that? No, he didn't! Forget he did. Arg.
Stupid teenage male hormones!

Dairen smiles after the little kiss. "Can you tell Tym to go and get
Chentral for his shift. Just have the boy explain what happened, I'm sure
Chentral will understand." he begins to ease himself back up. "I'm going to
need to take my time heading for my apartment."

Juzriel nods and places another quick kiss on his lips, before she releases
her arm from about him. "I'll speak to him now and then grab my things. You
can wait for me and I'll help you back," she tells him, as she makes her
way across to Tym.

Sariave comes walking into the Tavern with a wide smile, turning to take
his hat off and place it on a rack by the door before moving further in.
His eyes flicker about the room, catching sight of people and nodding to
people he passes whether he knows them or not. They may be friends later
after all... He makes his way towards the bar, pulling up a seat next to
another man and striking up a conversation with him.

Dairen carefully pulls himself to his feet and makes sure that he can lean
against the cain and not on his leg. And of course he'll want to be sure
that he won't just faint from a wave of pain again. He came too close the
last time.

Zaidah giggles at his giggling and puts up and arm to fend off the
splooshing alcohol. Then it just gets on her coatsleeve though. Arg. She..
uh.. pouts... yeah... it's not a pretty sight and tries to brush it off,
unsuccessfully. Well.. it is getting kind of hot in here, or maybe it's
just the whiskey, either way she slips the coat off. Normally it would
settled against the back of her chair.. except she's sitting in the darn
thing backwards so it falls to the floor. She doesn't notice though despite
this being an attempt to keep it from getting dirty. There. That's better,
now where were we. Not about to be outdone, even if she is almost ready to
join her coat on the floor she picks up another glass of her own and after
a moment of making sure she still knows where her lips are she takes a sip.
"Dress? Who's wearing a dress? These are pants pumpkin, but I'm glad you
like 'em." She leans to the side a little and props up her booted foot on
the table to prove it to him. "See? Pants. Far more comfortable than
skirts, and much easier to get out of too."

Sariave and the other man talk for a few momments before they both begin
chuckling and Sariave turns to look about the room. His eyes fall on
Zaidah, hard to miss a woman acting so, and an eyebrow raises.. Curious...

Quickly talking to Tym and giving him his instructions, Juzriel shoots a
quick wink back to Dairen, before she heads up the stairs to her room,
retrieving the few items she needs to treat that leg of his. Only gone a
few minutes, she soon returns to the common room, looking across to where
she left him.

Dairen hasn't moved, but begins to as soon as he sees Juzriel return. He's
heading for the door, but with a smile for her knowing that she'll catch up
right quick. He moves carefully, however.

Oooh. Well, Neelkan really must be out of things. He gives his head a firm
shake, trying to clear all the whiskey the "evil woman" made him drink!
Bwah. Doesn't work though! He's sitting in the chair right, or more
slouching into it, and leaning against the table with one elbow resting
there. And if his head got clear at all, it doesn't help when he takes a
godo sized gulp of the cup in his hand. He tilts his head and looks at 'er.
"I see!! Well, ya look bloody good 'n tight pants 'en, firefly!" Wait. he
didn't mean to say that. Arg. Stupid whiskey.

Ack! He's drinking more than she is! We can't have that. Zai picks up the
bottle and takes a couple swigs. She's already had enough that she can
hardly taste it at this point. "Thank you. I do try you know. Though I have
been told... I look better with them off." She's just making an
observation, honest! She leans across the table, half climbing up onto it,
the bottle still in hand and holds it upside down over his head. Well,
there goes more perfectly good whiskey, whether she gets it on him or not.
"Are you going to drop yet or what?" Maybe if she pushes him onto the floor
that'll count and she'll win... hmmm.... Now the question is does she have
the coordination for it at the moment.

This is the whiskey talking, honest, but Neelkan murmurs in a rather soft
voice (soft for anyone, not just for him), "Well I wuddn't know 'at, wud I?
Hmmm?" His eyes are starting to get a little... starry in expression, and
he doesn't quite look like he's about to drop, but... He puts down the cup
and lays his hands down on the table and pushes himself into a standing
position. "I 'ink we shud call 'is a tie 'n go get some sleep." He's
actually wanting to lay down. And sleep. Despite the fact he never sleeps
well... He fumbles at his sash and tries to find those coins the Amyrlin
gave him... coins... coins... bwah. Stupid coins are hiding. He fumbles
around even more.

Zaidah climbs up the rest of the way onto the table, her the knee of her
pants getting soaked in the puddle of whiskey she made. She doesn't notice
though. Ok, now they're starting to draw stares though and someone shouts
something about dancing. "Oh no you don't. I'm gonna win, even if I have to
cheat." So there! And with that she puts her hands on his shoulder and
gives him a good.. uh.. for a drunk lady.. shove. Ok.. good for a drunk
isn't all that good. It's more of a whimpy little push.

Well, it doesn't take much to knock him off his feet right now, so with a
soft protest, Neelkan falls backwards and hits the ground with a soft
thump. Eh? Well, at least he didn't slam his head into the floor and die,
right? But on the way down he reaches out and tries to grab onto her to
catch himself, but since he continued to fall down... well, he might take
her with him! But he hit the ground first, so technically, he did -lose-.
Whine! Women are evil! They're cheaters! They don't play fair! Whine!!

Zaidah bursts out laughing as he starts to falls on his butt and then meeps
again, a very un Zaiish sound that meep, as she goes tumbling off the
table. Fortunately there's this nice young man already down there to break
her fall. Of course women don't play fair. What fun would that be. She
blinks a little, trying to figure out just what happened. And now they're
-really- drawing stares, but Zai just giggles. "I win I win! Um... I forgot
what the bet was though. Oh yeah! I won, so I have to apologize." This is
falling down drunk logic mind you. "And the best way I know to apologize
is..." She grins and decides to just show him again. The woman hater might
just find himself being kissed squarely on the lips, if he doesn't do
something to prevent it.

Erk! Well, normally he would kick and scream and yell and curse and make a
big fuss, but first of all, he's -more- then a little drunk. Second of all,
he just fell on his butt and got landed on... so Neelkan doesn't really
have much to fight with here. Dazed, in more ways then one, and this
doesn't do anything to help that. Eeeep! His eyes widen a little... Ok, a
lot. At least he doesn't open his mouth in protest. That might be taken the
wrong way! Instead he just stares with wide eyes. Hope there's no one from
the Tower here...... His reputation would be ruined! And since he's drunk,
this kissing thing isn't all bad.. so after that staring with wide eyes he
leans his head up to return the kiss a little. Egags. Sure hopes he forgets
this in the morning... Uh-huh. And her too!

Zaidah isn't exactly a... uh.. tame woman.. so it really doesn't take all
that much to encourage her. She certainly doesn't seem to be in a hurry to
go anywhere, though after a moment she does break off the 'apology' and
grin down at him. "Better?" Not that she even really remembers what she's
supposed to be apologizing for though...

"Uh... ye'h..." Neelkan says just as softly as before, then his lips quirk
into a small smirk. If this is what happens when he loses, maybe he should
lose more often... Uh. Maybe it's best if he lay -off- the whiskey from now
on... Uh-huh. "Dontcha 'ink we shud play..er..pay f'r what we drank, at
least...?" He's just rambling here. Don't pay attention to him. And he's
slurring a little too. Bwah. Uh. This would be an instinctive to stop
coming to Taverns with girls. If he can remember this in the morning. Not
that he wants to! Arg.

Zaidah grins even more cattily. "I've got a room here. They'll just charge
it to my bill." And she doesn't seem to mind paying either, so she can't be
-that- bad of a drinking partner ;) She still doesn't seem to be in a hurry
to get up though. In fact she leans down to rub her nose against his and
purrs softly, "I wouldn't mind sharing.. if you promise to behave." Er..
misbehave as the case may be.

Wrinkling his nose a little as the contact is made, Neelkan would normally
have yelled something akin to 'get offa me' somewhere within this area. But
alas, he's a little fluffy on top. And that's not talking about his hair
either. "I promise t' behave..." he says again in that same soft voice,
even blinking a few times in an almost innocent fashion. Shesh, he looks
like a ten year old when he's drunk sometimes! Arg. Someone just ping him
with a blunt object now!? If he remembers even a blurry image of this he's
going to be kicking himself for a week. "Don't rely wanna g'back an'way..."
That's the truth. Least he didn't say -where- he was going to go back to.
Right?

Oh yes, -that's- a good thing, though at this point Zai might not care
either. She giggles and steals another kiss before rolling... ok so it's
more like falling... off him and grabbing onto the side of the table to
give herself a boost up. Oh! Almost forgot coat! And bottle! She grabs
both, without even realizing the bottle is pretty much empty at this point,
half of it on the table and floor and the other half coursing through their
veins.

Ah. Isn't it going to be fun for those on cleanup tonight, hmm? He doesn't
mind her stealing the kiss, and he watches as she... half-rolls half-falls
off of him. Neelkan gets his arms under him and pushes himself into a
sitting position, and has to rest there for a few moments before he can
grab onto a nearby chair and use that as support to push himself into a
standing position. Ah. Happy whiskey. He'd rather have ale though...
Doesn't make him fall down as quickly... He doesn't have to find anything
he misplaced, so he just tries to work himself over towards... wherever it
is exactly she plans on taking him. His fluffy head has forgotten already.
"'ere we goin' 'gain...?" No. He doesn't get smarter with whiskey. But then
most don't.

Zaidah puts her hands, awkwardly at that considering one is full with an
empty bottle and the other with the collar of a coat, on his shoulders and
stumblingly steers him towards the stairs and then up. "Thata way,
pumpkin." She glances down as she guides him along. After all, she might as
well admire the goods before she gets them home, so to speak. Too bad she
doesn't have an extra hand or she might be tempted to pinch him. Oh yeah,
it is definately going to be better if he just forgets tonight ever
happened.

Well, while he may not be the most perfect man to ever grace the Wheel,
he's not someone ya'd want to toss away too quickly. Neelkan has no idea
what's in store for him. He's thinking sleep. Really. That's it. Sleep and
hopefully no dreams. Though the part of him that's a teenage male isn't
exactly against uh... not sleeping. Fadeing into black is a very good
thing.... fade.... fade... black... Oi. Hope his memory does the same
thing...