RP:Delving into Her Past

Synopsis: Trent gets to know a little more about Meri and her past.

Characters: Trent, Meri

Location: Cenril, The Whaler's Bar

Date: March 11th, 2014

The Whaler's Bar

Trent was seated in the south eastern section of the bar, his attention held to the world outside that dusty old window where his table was situated. In one hand, he held a glass filled with amber fluid. The other, still encased in metal, drummed its fingers restlessly atop the table. The man seemed to be lost in thought.

Meri was passing through Cenril, traveling through the city on her way out to Rynvale. Or maybe to pay the docks a visit. Like she’d tell! The Whaler started calling her name, though, her stomach leading here there since the woman was truly doing her best to quit drinking. Blue eyes scan the room, only to come to rest on Trent. A smile curls at her lips and booted feet soon carry her over to the man, helping herself to a seat next to him, inviting herself like the charmer that she is. She opts to sit on the other side of that metal hand, just to be safe.“What are you drinking tonight, Trent?”

Trent startled from his stupor, a little surprised when the woman sat down. It took him a moment to realize who she was. "Oh, hello Meri. Nice to see you." he first offered with a smile. "Oh. I am drinking whiskey. It's been a long day and I needed a drink. Would you like anything?" The metallic clicking of fingers soon stopped. "How are you this evening, by the way?"

Meri ‘s gaze lingers on that whiskey a little bit longer than it should, obviously tempted. “I just came here for a bite to eat really. I quit drinking. Well, I am trying to quit drinking.” Meri forces her gaze away from the whiskey, flagging down a server and ordering the salmon. Once this is accomplished, her gaze settles on Trent’s face, “I am doing well enough. No complaints. A long day? What happened?”

Trent looks to the drink and then to Meri, his face showing some form of concern. "Oh? I'm sorry. I can get rid of this if you'd like." Sliding the drink toward the wall, he then addressed her latter most question. "While loading a ship on its way to Rynvale one of the workers toppled a stack of crates. Took three men out of commission. Forced extra workload on those of us that were left. It wasn't too bad I suppose, but it did take it's toll by the end f the day."

Meri shakes her head at Trent’s offer to get rid of the drink, “I appreciate you being willing...but it seems everyone around here drinks. I believe it is something that I am just going to have to get used to.” The male is offered a reassuring smile. Their conversation is briefly interrupted when that food Meri orders is set in front of her, the server lingering about until Meri pays and then shuffles off to the next customer. “Out of commission....? Like permanently? Temporarily?” It was Meri’s turn to be concerned.

Trent 's gauntlet laden hand begins to creep along the table, apparently a little restless. It was closest to the wall, and therefore out of reach of any sort of trouble. For now. Ignoring the thing, Trent leaned over a little and sniffed the scent coming off of Meri's food, the expression left was one of little interest. "I am unsure. I know one man broke his arm. The other his foot. The third was knocked unconscious. I only saw them dragging the guy out of the area. I do not know what became of him. I am certain he will be fine." A glance around the room was given, fairly briefly, before he settle the woman into his view once more. "How has your day been? Did you work by chance?"

Meri slants her gaze toward that hand briefly, watching the way it creeps about, sensing that it is perhaps restless...perhaps on the verge of causing some trouble! Who knows. After that glance, Meri tries to ignore said hand too. The plate is slid a bit closer to Trent, “Try a bite.” There is a brief pause. “You should be careful around the docks. It can be dangerous work. I’d hate to see something happen to you. And no, I didn’t have any work today. Not out at Rynvale at least. Always work at the orphanage though, not that it pays. But that’s the deal I’ve got around Gualon. Teach the kiddos skills in exchange for a room down there.”

Trent had to act swiftly. With Meri's offer, his hand snapped for the plate of grub, which would have resulted in a fairly large mess. Right hand ever ready, he takes himself by the wrist, locking the damned thing in place. Slight struggle in his voice he chuckles, "No thank you. I appreciate the offer, however." In defiance and acknowledging defeat, the middle digit of the metal gauntlet extended, a sign for Trent most likely. Crude! "That is a very nice deal, indeed. It must feel rewarding to help those less fortunate, I would think? Are there many children that you deal with?" A smile. "And yes, i will be careful. You needn't worry."

Meri never made the claim that she was a woman of class. When that armored hand extends that metal finger to Trent, Meri is kind enough to repay the favor, flipping that gauntleted hand the bird right back. “Always having to cause some sort of trouble....” The woman comments about that pesky hand. Her plate is reclaimed and a few bites of that fish are taken before she answers. “My folks both died when I was young. Just because I’ve grown up doesn’t mean they are less fortunate. But I do enjoy it, yes, and there are quite a few of them down in Gualon.”

Trent seemed a little surprised with meri's answer, not quite sure how to respond to that. "Oh.. I.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that." he finally said after a moment of awkward silence. Almost instinct, the metallic appendage wrapped itself around the almost forgotten glass of whiskey and brought it to his lips for a drink. Once gullet whetted he asked, "What sort of things do you teach?"

Meri didn’t ever understand why people always felt the need to apologize. That awkward silence set on by Trent causes her to peer at him with a lofted brow. “I’m twenty-four, permanently so. It was nearly sixteen years ago, doll. I’m over it. I’m just saying...I don’t view them as less fortunate. We’re equals.” The woman winks to Trent, hoping to ease any concern that he might have offended. “I teach them a lot of things. Trade tutor. The older ones already know how to fight but I work with the younger ones on that...sword play and hand to hand. Riding a horse. I need to catch a job on a merchant ship one of these days so that I can bring the older ones along with me as many kids grow up to find work sailing or down at the docks themselves. List could go on.”

Trent seemed confused at first. "Permanently so?" he asked. The man wasn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer. He assumed it may have been a joke, so he chuckled, then taking in the rest of what she had said. "All very useful skills to have in this world. I was fairly surprised ad how dangerous these areas happen to be. You would think there would be more presence of law around here." The man leans back in his chair and gazes out the window, examining and reflecting upon the things he has seen since his waking. "I wonder if I have ever been able to ride a horse. Perhaps something I should look into. Anyhow. I am certain there would be a ship that would hire you. I have seen plenty come and go in the last few weeks."

Meri tempted fate and reached out for that armored hand, looking to take hold of it. As she reaches for the hand, she offers“You could ride Kadence, as long as you keep that hand of your in check.” Admittedly, the woman was expecting a negative reaction, one that would bring her harm...no doubt to Trent’s dismay but the woman had a point to prove!

Trent didn't have time to say a word. The pendant that hung from his neck emitted a familiar azure aura and soon metal met flesh. His hand leapt and fell atop hers, the razor tip of the fingers planting firmly into the table and pinning the woman in place. A slight red hue cascaded along the shimmering surface, perhaps emitting a bit of heat- nothing that would burn or cause pain. "NO!" Trent yelled out, fiercely tugging at his wrist in fear. "Let go!"

Meri had admittedly expected a more violent reaction. She was hoping for injury (sorry Trent) and was displeased to find that her hand was simply pinned to the table. The heat emitted was of little consequence to Meri. The woman was far from startled with the entire event, as she was begging for trouble. “Relax, Trent. It’ll be fine,” she sounded confident enough, even if she could not be certain, and her free hand moved for Trent’s non-armored wrist, seeking to pull it out of the fray.

Trent narrowed his eyes at Meri. What exactly was she up to? He knew she was brave, but given how things have gone in the past, he still worried about harming her. It was when she began to pull his hand away that the other turn turn to react. Splinters of wood became airborne as the metallic appendage freed itself from the table and leapt straight for the woman's face. Fingers were splayed, palm flat, aimed for the right cheek. It was swift, and if contact were made, Meri may find her features marred or bloody from the tips of fingers cutting into flesh.

Meri could have made a move to defend. She was entirely sober tonight, her mind not hindered by the effects of alcohol. Yet, she didn’t. The swipe to the face is taken, the razor tips of Trent’s armored hand dragging along the flesh of her cheek, blood marking the path of where it has been and running down her cheek. To prevent Trent from leaving, Meri keeps her hold on Trent’s wrist, her grip far stronger than you would expect from a human woman. With injury sustained, the woman already began subconsciously feeding on the living around her, drawing from their energy to heal the wounds she just sustained almost before Trent’s very eyes. It wasn’t something she actually controlled, just something her body naturally did. The bleeding stopped quickly, until there was only a mark. “I don’t know -what- I am. But yes. Permanently. Like this. Until someone manages to kill me.” Meri reaches into her satchel for a rag so that she could wipe the blood away. Very reminiscent of a vampire, yet she had a pulse, she was not cold to the touch, nothing about her screamed bloodsucker.

Trent looked quite shocked. The light tan of his flesh fell into pallid depths, unbelieving of that he has just witnessed. The hand seemed to only make that first strike, the now bloodstained tips of its fingers curling in on itself to make a fist. Almost in warning it pointed the index finger at Meri before falling back to the table. Trent's eyes looked between the gauntlet and Meri, still in a state of shock. "..How?... You do not seem of the undead. Were you born with such an ability, or is it learned?" He was very confused.

Meri rolled those baby blues when that finger pointed at her to non-verbally warn. “Neither born nor learned, I guess. Gifted. Or cursed...depends on how you want to look at it. Something my now ex-fiance did to me, nearing a year ago.” Meri frowns, releasing her hold on Trent’s wrist now and letting her gaze come to rest back on Trent’s features. “A bond I wouldn’t mind breaking, much the same way you wouldn’t mind breaking your bond with...that...” She gestures toward the gauntleted hand with a toss of her chin. While the bleeding was quick to stop, the mark lingers, still angry and red.

Trent stared at the now healed wound as he spoke. "Fiance? You were engaged to be wed? What happened.. if I may ask? I apologize if I am intruding on personal information." A light nod offered soon after, 'And yes... very much understood." You thought that would have been longer.

Meri notes that the wound was not fully healed, just healing rapidly. By tomorrow there would be no trace of the little flesh wound....because it was nothing major, a warning of how it could have gone as far as she was concerned. The more extreme the injury, the longer it would take for her to heal...and if there was nothing living for her to leech on, she could not heal. “Ah,” Meri begins, “Well...Plain and simple, he asked me to marry him and then I never saw him again.”

Trent blinks. His face was one wrought in vast disbelief. "I... What?!" The man was baffled at the notion! His eyes looked down to the table, head tilting slightly to one side. "The logistics of this is so peculiar!" Finally the blonde haired male looked upon the woman. "Did he simply disappear? Or did he leave?"

Meri wasn’t entirely sure why Trent seemed to find this so hard to believe. A confused look is cast toward the male, “I mean, he didn’t vanish in thin air right before my very eyes sort of disappearing...but he also did not tell me he was leaving or anything. So...I don’t know. It’s been months upon months....upon months...I’ve long since determined that he’s not coming back.”

Trent scratches his brow. "That is very strange. I find it difficult to think that someone would make a proposal and then vanish. I suspect something foul in this. Have you tried the authorities... that is.. if any exist. or perhaps some sort of mystic?" Trent couldn't understand why even he was so interested in this. Perhaps it was some form of humanized compassion. "Perhaps if you are bonded through this gift, then maybe... he is still alive." Words of hope at least.

Meri shakes her head from side to side. His words of hope fell on deaf ears. “I’ve asked around Cenril, a few other places, but no sort of response. It’s entirely possible, you know, that there was no foul play. That he just moved on to greener pastures. I’m not the only person he has...bonded to him...if that is the word you want to use. He spoke of another....” Again the woman shrugs. “Anyway, Trent, you’ve had a long day and here I am selfishly keeping you hostage with conversation. It’s also getting late, the walk to Gualon is not a short one. I should probably start on my way.”

Trent let forth a gentle nod. "It's fine. I don't mind conversation with you, Meri. I understand, though." The corners of his lips tug, brows knit. "I apologize if the last topic of our discussion stirred up emotion. It wasn't my intent. ...Nor was that." The latter was accompanied by a glance at the healing wound. "You will be alright walking?"

Meri flashes Trent a reassuring smile at his concern that he might have stirred up some sort of negative emotion. It stung a little to smile thanks to that injury. “Nonsense. You asked a question and I gave an answer. It’s in the past now, as far as I am concerned.” She motions to her cheek, sliding out of her chair as she speaks. “And this? I know that wasn’t you. That was me provoking our little friend there. I don’t think it likes to be touched.” She makes her way to the door, leaving Trent with. “Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.” And she’s gone!