One Drink Won't Hurt...

”A pleasant night to you, sir.”

The butler opened the door, allowing Jonathan a way through. The latter smiled, a slight nod of the head as he passed out, away from this thick atmosphere of rose petals and oil. Certainly, money was no sign of good taste…Jonathan sniffed as he left the door, placing his hat firmly on his head, stroking the long white feather for a moment. An unpleasant place to be, not in the least because it smelled like a common brothel, but it had been very profitable to spend a few hours in the presence of the countess. She was an older lady, not extremely bright or comely, but she was one of the most well-connected ladies in the city. A feigned interest and some subtle coaching of the conversation could make her overextend herself, blurt out secrets that she heard from other vapid, bored noblewomen…Often incorrect, but valuable nonetheless…

Still, her conversation left something to be desired, as did her taste in refreshments. The taste of her sweet iced-tea was definitely one too tainted by sugar and left a sticky feeling in his throat, just like the toffees she placed before her guests were quite on the clingy side…Jonathan felt himself wish for a cold glass of something else, preferably a chilled cider or a glass of whisky…Maybe, maybe he could stop on the way home? Yes, there was a tavern not far from here, one he hadn’t visited before. Legion smiled, turning left where he should’ve gone straight ahead, a slight swagger in his step….One drink couldn’t hurt…

The place was quite full already, even so early in the evening and he took this as a good sign. A full tavern could mean many things, from a pleasant atmosphere to good drinks. Both of those sounded inviting enough…The sabre on Jonathan’s hip melted most men out of his way, though he had a pleasant smile on his face as he passed, nodding when people gave precedence. It was better this way…He found a table near the bar that was yet unclaimed and slowly lowered himself on one of the benches, waving for the servant…

”A cold cider, if you would…Ice-cold if possible…Thank you”

Standing behind the bar the deep elf sighs. It was going to be a busy night. Tonight she wore her long white hair tied back with a leather strap. The place been growing since she opened. Nicole was happy that her tavern was doing so well. She was even getting more comfortable with men as she worked around them each night. She smiles to herself as she watches the door open again. Hearing him call for an ale as he sits at a table she nods. "It will be as cold as I can make it." She says softly as she pours him a glass. Walking around the bar she moves easily through the crowd and sets the glass on his table. "Welcome to my tavern I do hope you enjoy your ale." She says as she stands next to his table.

"My name is Nicole and if you need anything else just ask." She says with a wink before turning on her heel and heading for the bar again.

Jonathan watched the bar, his eyes staring from beneath his dark brows and watching events unfold there, the same dance played again, the drink, the merriment, the laughter…He had seen it before, he knew how it would end for a few of these men. In tears or not at all…But for some reason, that never stopped others…And neither it should. If mankind ever fully learn from its every mistake there would be nothing driving left to the species…

The Demonhost pulled out his box of tobacco and started stopping his pipe, filling the bowl with imported tobacco and lighting it from one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling, sitting back down with a loud, content sigh. Jonathan might have not gone many of these bars, only to make trouble for the people here, back in the day, but Legion remembered. He remembered the hard, wooden benches, the big, metal tankards of beer, of singing and dancing with peasant girls and showing off your uniform, your strength in armwrestling or just throwing the dice for money that now looked like spare change…Legion knew all about relativity though…He’d be more than willing to play with them, for whatever money they laid down and he wouldn’t raise…But they’d take it as an insult. Jonathan blew out the smoke with a small smile, laying his head back. And he’d be able to force them to accept him, by just a cold look, yet they wouldn’t really accept him. The perverse manner of power, the more you had, the more you needed to do what you actually wanted…

The man called Jonathan grinned as the barkeep walked over to his table, taking off his hat and nodding slightly. She was, different…Not from around here. He focused on her, the brows, the form of the eye, pigmentation, colouration.Flashes of insight flooded his vision for a moment, he was down deep, darkness, alone, chased by something, but he was laughing at it, taunting it Jonathan shook his head, clearing the vision away. A headache was rising, but he fought it down. Deep elf…With a touch of something else…It didn’t matter. The association had come unbidden. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, then smiled again.

”Thank you ma’am.”

He took the glass and raised it, as if toasting, before setting it to his lips. Cider was not his favourite drink, this body wasn’t really used to its simple tastes. But still, it was good, far better than any whisky they were likely to get here…Besides, sometimes, letting the drink call upon pleasant emotions, old, buried memories was fun. Kind of like a drug, only far sweeter, far more…Envelloping. It weren’t dreams, it were things that had really happened…Jonathan looked over at the lady behind the bar, speaking softly, a small smile on his lips..

”Pardon me if I’m being too forward, but am I right to think you’re not from around here?” Jonathan smiled. ”My name’s Jonathan, Miss Nicole. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He took another sip, letting the taste flow along his tongue, letting memories and thoughts awake. A grin appeared on his face, looking back to the bar. ”I don’t suppose you have a batch of Krupuk for sale?”

Nicole stops when he speaks to her again. Turning back to him she raises a brow. "Not to forward at all. You are correct I am not from around here. Just opened the tavern in fact. I have been in the city only two months while waiting for the space to open." She says softly. She walks back to his table and smiles. "Are you from around here?" She asks.

It couldn't hurt to stay and chat for awhile. Nicole needed to get comfortable with talking to people if she was going to have a chance at this. Biting her lip she looks at the man before her. Her violet eyes blink as she stands there. She really was not good at this small talk stuff. People always wanted to know the sins of your past but she needed to get returning customers. And the way to do that was to be friendly and willing to talk about yourself. Taking a deep breath she sighs as she lets it out.

Jonathan sipped his drink, closing his eyes again for a moment as another torrent of association and memory swept through him again. He didn’t stop it, let it flow into him. Life was nothing more than a collection of impressions, ordered arbitrarily along bounds of association and a filing system that almost nobody understood. Legion understood more than most, having lived hundreds of life, having those memories still there…He enjoyed it, he loved it…He sighed, placing the glass before him as he looked to the lady behind the bar again. She seemed uncomfortable in her role still, slightly, not used to the small talk that usually went on between a bartender and his client. Usually the latter listened, the former prattled on as he ordered more and more drinks. It was a trick that separated the great bartender from just the good ones. But she had promise, Jonathan smiled…

”Oh, I’m as old as the stones here, miss Nicole…” He grinned. ”I’ve lived here most of my life, only been away occasionally…Mostly during military service.”

He took another sip, Jonathan watched her walk towards his table, smiling broadly. It wasn’t that full yet, and he was quite honoured by her attention. Not in that way, of course, but it was always nice to have a beautiful lady talk to you. He tipped his hat slightly, pointing towards the seat across from him with a slight flourish.

”Please miss, take a seat. I feel impolite to sit as you are forced to stand.” He smiled. ”If you want, I could tell you a few stories about this place…The town, the people…The gossip.”

Legion knew quite a lot, of old things and of things just happening. He wouldn’t mind spilling some beans. Not if he had a polite, willing audience…And a beer. He had been an iterant storyteller once, long ago…Some things remained.

Nikki sits at his table and smiles at him again. Crossing her legs she cocks her head to the side as she watches him. "I would like to know more about the city I lived. Do you have many stories about the area?" She asks in a whisper soft voice. Nicole hadn't been in the city long enough to meet many people. The fact that most were asleep when she was awake was one reason. Also her own shyness was another.

~I really need to meet people.~ She thinks to herself as she bites the inside of her cheek. It had been years time to move on from what happened. Her eyes darken slightly before she blinks it away. Tonight was not the night for remembering. It was the night for making a new friend and helping her business grow.

(SORRY ABE!!! I am back now.)