video, action

[the_queen_of_thieves]

video, noon

[ For the second time Eleanor Guthrie’s face shows up on the network, looking a lot healthier than two weeks ago. Yet she is looking ruffled for a different reason. Her braid is a little messy, a smear of grime on her cheek.

You can see her standing in a run-down inn, only a few patrons sitting at the bar so early in the day. There’s a stuffed monkey sitting on the counter, it wears a tiny pirate hat. ]

If you're looking for a strong drink or a hearty meal in Fayren, drop by the Drunken Monkey tonight! We've been hard at work cleaning up after that spirit mess, and it's as good as new now! We have vacant rooms, too, if you'd rather not stagger home, or would like a livelier home than most. Starting today, we'll be serving rum along with ale and mead as the specialties of the house.


action, in the evening

[ When Eleanor called The Drunken Monkey as good as new she had been very generous, for the inn has only been restored to the ramshackle state it'd been in before the attacks. Manager Eleanor may be, but the owner wasn't going to pay for full renovations.

Yet it's a lively place, crowded and filled with boisterous laughter and the sounds of playful scuffles here and there, while barmaids weave skillfully through the crowd serving huge tankards of ale and bowls of savory stew. A trio of musicians takes to the raised stage every now and then, playing songs about valiant princes and fearsome dragons.

Eleanor Guthrie can be found behind the bar or waiting tables, but more often directing the other staff, or every now and then deep in conversation with one of the more fearsome-looking patrons.]

Comments

Action

[k2so]

[Kay isn't as interested in drinking as he is in learning more about the place. The Velvet Lust has its own special brand of clients but it never hurts to see what your competitors in the business are doing.

And so, Eleanor might eventually spot the 7ft metal droid in her tavern, sitting on a table and listening to the curious songs the musicians are playing.]

Re: Action

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ ...

Okay.

She really really tries to ignore the fact that it's a misshaped metal man with glowing eyes sitting at one of her tables. If she pretends he's just a knight in bizarre armor... But her smile is frozen. ]

What can I bring you? Rum, maybe, or our homemade stew?

Action

[k2so]

[If it's of any consolation, he's trying to be stealthy. Too bad he wasn't built for that. Even sitting, Kay doesn't have to look too far up to be at the same eye level as the blond woman.

Right, clients drink things. Kay was hoping no one would actually ask him.]

I can't actually drink anything, miss. I saw your post on the network and you got me curious. [But he doesn't want to be kicked out and he knows that bar owners usually have a temper.]

I won't waste your alcohol but I'll pay for a drink regardless. If you don't mind me staying for a while? I've never heard songs like those before.

Action

[blindpuppet]

[Enis arrives wearing all black. Her top is made from well worn leather with a few silvery and brass adornments decorating it's sides. She had a leather jacket pulled over her shoulders with black jean pants to match. Enis feels significantly more comfortable in black and despite the heat. She might not have worn her jacket but it offers her a level of protection as well as shielding her guns from view.

She takes a seat at the bar, looking over at the woman that she saw on video feed earlier that day. Only when Eleanor is close does she speak.]

It's nice to see you in person. I'm looking for a strong drink. Do you have any dark rum?

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ She eyes the woman's style of dress, not disapprovingly but certainly curious. It's very different from most women in Nassau.

Her asking after rum earns her a small grin. It's nice to see people are buying the new drink on the menu. ]

The best you'll find in Fayren, for sure, and I'd say the best in any of these cities. Would you like a glass, or a bottle?

[blindpuppet]

[Enis laughs softly.]

A glass is fine for now.

[She isn't planning to have company and a bottle would be wasted on her. Enis isn't able to get drunk but she does enjoy the taste of alcohol.]

How are you liking Fayren?

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ Eleanor grabs the arm of a barmaid, telling her to bring the lady her drink, before turning back to Enis. ]

I'm liking Fayren well enough, I think? It's different from everything I've known before, but I'm starting to get used to it.

[ The magic guild, the security dolls, the dragon deputy flying patrol... It's a lot to take in for a regular 18th century woman. ]

[blindpuppet]

[Enis might like it more if not for the Chucky-eqsue feeling she got from those dolls.]

This is a nice place. I like it better than Fayren as a whole. [She's at least honest.] Maybe even worth visiting again. [Who knew where Enis's boredom took her.]

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ Hey, they can agree on inanimate-things-coming-alive being creepy.

But so much honesty intrigues Eleanor, and she sits down across from Enis. ]

It's a little more normal than most places in Fayren, I'd think. I'm from someplace... normal. No magic or dragons or people with pointy ears where I'm from, just regular pirates.

[ Despite all talk of getting used to it, a lot of the magical things still frighten her. But can't admit to that. ]

[blindpuppet]

[Enis laughs softly.]

Can't say that my home is so normal, maybe on the surface.

[She's happy to talk about anything that isn't her past. Otherwise Enis sees no reason to keep secrets, they can't be used against her.]

A lot of people prefer to be blind.

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ She gives an amused snort. ]

Of course they do, people are frightened they don't understand and can't control. And if they're frightened they either get angry, or they pretend it doesn't exist. Where I'm from these things are more mundane, though. What's your home like, beneath the surface?

[blindpuppet]

[Enis doesn't bother to stop the smile that tugs across her lips.]

It sounds like people are the same no matter where you go.

[At the woman's question Enis shrugs and takes a sip of her drink.]

Monsters, mages, creatures of legend coming to life.

[the_queen_of_thieves]

That is...

[ She grimaces. Right, now she really needs a drink, or more like a bottle. ]

Sounds like you're going to fit right in here, or in Everglade.

[ And she's rather envious of that. Being out of your depth isn't fun for a control freak. ]

Action

[chasingroses]

[Gaston arrived to work on time. He was little apprehensive of working at the bar especially when he learned his boss was a young woman. That didn't settle to well. For now, it was a job and something to do.

It was a familiar setting he was used to being in. The music, clients, and boisterous air that filled the bar reminded him of home. This also allowed him to get to know people and form more connections.

He keeps an eye out for any scuffles, breaking up any if necessary and interacting with the clients.]

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ Eleanor's busy herself that night, and it's still a change of pace to be back to pouring drinks and scrubbing tables and doing basically whatever is necessary, when before she had been focused on running her merchant business, with the inn mostly in the hands of her staff. Starting over here in Fayren, that's a luxury she can't afford.

She finally finds a moment to approach the new bouncer the owner had hired. ]

So you're the new lad. [ She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear that had come loose from her braid, sizing him up. You look strong, at least. ] What's your name?

[action]

[chicken_kun]

[There's only one thing Bartolomeo seems interested in: the monkey wearing the pirate hat.

Sure, he has some rum (it's about damn time) and is there to be a noisy nuisance and party, but dude. Monkey pirate. It reminds him of a certain someone.]

Oi, is this yours? What, is he the captain of his own ship or something?

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ Eleanor stops beside him, holding four mugs of frothy ale, shooting him an amused look at what has drawn his attention. ]

The monkey's always been here. The hat's new.

[ She totally didn't buy it. ]

It suits him, doesn't it? And of course he's a captain. Finest pirate in this bay.

[chicken_kun]

Ohh? What I can I say, I don't come in here often. But if he's gonna make the claim of being the finest pirate here, then he and I are gonna have to fight for that title.

[he is genuinely threatening the monkey, holding up a fist and shaking it.]

The finest pirate who ever graced these shores is Monkey D. Luffy, but since he's not here anymore then I'll have to stand in his place.

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ Eleanor raises her brows. Well... ]

I'll let you figure that out between you and the monkey, if you want to pick a fight with it. But if you're going to pick fights with the decoration you're going to buy a drink first. A bottle of rum? Some hearty stew maybe? The cook's cooked it fresh just earlier today.

[chicken_kun]

Rum's good, that'll do. The good shit, nothing watered-down. Thanks.

[half asshole, half polite, that's how Bartolomeo rolls. He gulps down what he has and slams his mug on the counter for a refill]

[the_queen_of_thieves]

[ Eleanor's eyes narrow at him, and she leans forward. ]

We serve only the good shit here, and if you again speak of my bar and watered rum in the same sentence I'll have you cool your heels in all the water you could want. Understood?

[chicken_kun]

Oooh, sassy. I like it! [entirely undaunted, but now Eleanor has his attention rather than the pirate monkey] Don't get your pants in a bunch, lady, I ain't gonna make fun of your bar.

[the_queen_of_thieves]

It's not mine. [ Not yet, goes unsaid. ] But I'm the manager, so damn right you won't be making fun of it. As long as you don't... You're welcome to drink, and enjoy the sights. Even the monkey.

[ But who would ogle a stuffed monkey when you could be ogling the barmaids? ]

[chicken_kun]

[a complete weirdo, that's who. Or someone who wants everyone to believe he's weird.]

You don't get a lot of pirates in here, do you? I mean, kinda hard to since half of 'em ain't here anymore...I bet Zoro-senpai was in here all the time when he was here...

[the_queen_of_thieves]

And you don't come here a lot, do you? I only just got hired, the place didn't have a proper manager for a while, and with the spirit attack making a mess of everything in Fayren...

[ She heaves a disgruntled sigh. It's been a lot of work, and more to come. ]

I hope we'll be getting more pirates now that I'm here. At home all my patrons were pirates.