RP:Steamy Rhythm

Part of the Restoration of Lithrydel Arc

This is a Healer's Guild RP.

Summary: Emilia and Thamalys are negotiating some water supplies with reference to a Guild stronghold in Cenril, possibly to be built right next to the Baths. The not really pleasant conversation, featuring a truly unpleasant representative of the establishment, takes an unexpected turn when Tallehall decides to honour the onlookers with a rather peculiar tune, which in turn earns him some gold as well as an interesting connection to be exploited likely in the near future…

Cenril: Public Baths

Thamalys thought he made himself clear the very first time, but the never-ending water bubbling must have prevented the impossibly fat man in front of him to hear the Blue’s words. Avian, human, and most likely Genasi, were presently occupying the fanciest and largest of the tubs within the whole of the Cenrilian baths, one actually featuring a sort of marbly bench running below the foamy liquid filling the space, where as many as a dozen people could have easily found a seat. Needless to say, the Spellblade wasn’t necessarily happy with that particular accommodation: yes, he managed to squeeze his towering features within bench, water, and marble, but those silvery wings of his were rather difficult to accommodate. In fact, the Healer was basically perched upon said bench, his eyes nailed on he who called himself Fregot. “Well, everything has a price after all…” went the latter, placidly rummaging with his right hand through the foam. The man was a wonder, occupying the space of at least three regular humans. A necklace of solid gold represented his clothing, short grey hair on top of a fat face that exhumed comfort, small eyes bouncing back and forth from Avian to Genasi in a rather annoying pattern. As per the Blue, the bit that would have stood out would have been the cumbersome pattern of ivy-shaped tattoos covering almost the whole of his skin - these things were actually lazily moving around, at that very moment circling around the neck of the Avian up to the very bony face of him, framed within an awfully knotty mass of ivory dreadlocks, half the length of which casually floating around on top of the balmy waters - was it mint, that faint hint of a scent? Well, he loved mint, that much was a hard fact. “Of course. What we are asking, here, is whether you think the Baths could consider the possibility not only to allow a Guild building to be erected somewhere nearby, but also to lend - at a price, obviously… - their water and their piping to said construction? That would be an excellent advantage from our point of view…” answered the Blue, perfectly aware of the fact that negotiating was not a strength of his. He glanced over to the Wintry Lady soon after, as if seeking for help… and perhaps spotted a few more onlookers approaching in the distance? Hard to tell within those bloody vapours…

Emilia unlike her partner in crime…er healing was not seated within the warm waters of the bath. Instead, she stood at a safe distance where she could lean back against the wall with her arms dangling down at her sides. Her gown had been exchanged for a two piece black bikini, as if she was to bath, that revealed almost the entire bony underweight body of the snow white woman, fresh bruises and healing wound running the length of her right side from armpit to mid thigh. Her tattoo of a dark blue sky running up from foot to knee standing out from the rest of the pale woman. The dark ink was not oddest bit of the ice woman. The missing hand perhaps was or that said black hand was perched atop the head of Thamalys over in the bath as if enjoying the warmth without being in it. Around the Genasi a steady fog rolled out from about her feet with the contact of warmer steam off the bath. One too many times the healer had accidently frozen the bath along with people within it. She was allowed in for this business meeting, yet not into the water itself. Too costly to go through thawing out the bath and reheating it for customers again. Running her only hand through those floor length tangle of white curls the woman listened as Tham took the lead in this bargain, a smile faint on blue lips as she watched. It was a tad amusing to see him stumble once in awhile. As his eyes caught her attention for help she smiled wider and picked up where he had paused, “It would be mutual business if we could share the water that flows here to the bath house if we built a location near enough. Not only would you be getting a small fee from us for being allowed the use, but when our injured are in need of a bath after services this will be the closest location to for them to freshen up.” Finishing offering a more money for you speech the lady went silent and eyes landed back on Tham.

Tallehall sauntered into the misty bath house, a loose white shirt upon his slim torso and simple black trousers rolled up at the bottoms, so as not to get wet whilst his bare feet tread swiftly over the slippery floors. In his hands a simple silvery flute trills a catchy, tinny tune; a skill which the bath house pays quite leanly for, in his humble opinion. His angular face is unremarkable and human, with a fairly prominent nose and high cheek bones, though a few may consider him somewhat handsome. His eyes are a light leafy green and gently waving, well-treated black hair flows down to his shoulders. What is more noticeable is his short stature, as he reaches only a little over 5 feet and 3 inches tall. Despite this vertical challenge he seems to walk with great confidence, as if he were much taller than he is. A playful and almost rascally look adorns his face as he skitters around, providing an airy melody for the patrons. His ears were instinctively drawn to the conversation between the almost unbearably large man who partly owned the bath house, the very grand and fantastical Avian (the species of which he had yet to encounter first-hand) and the... well, he couldn't tell precisely what she was at this distance, but my word she had simply intriguing ivory skin and was certainly a muse upon the casual observers' eyes. The notes naturally slowed and became softer as his interest was peaked at the mention of a guild hall appearing nearby and the apparent requirement for subtle dialogue; something that he may have tried his hand at in the past, with a touch of assistance of course. Having no particular love for the bulbous man, Tallehall made his way around close to where his bulk floated and made an 'accidental' splash. “A thousand pardons, sir.” the nimble human said apologetically as he carried on moving around. The music hadn't noticeably stopped, strangely, however as the flute reached his lips again a more sombre and soft sound was emitted. The air was filled with a momentary chill, after which everything seemed to be more... agreeable and relaxed. Tallehall's gaze remained fixed on the back of the humongous man's head as he continued to stalk around, all but for a knowing wink in the Avian's direction, as he played his somewhat eerie tune.

|| Fregot || The enormous patron brought both hands beyond his cranium, obviously pretending to give it a good thinking to Avian’s and Genasi’s words alike - liar, and a sucking one at that. In his defence, he was probably still trying to make sense of the severed, blackened limb presently nested within the Spellblade’s braids. “At this stage, I would be inclined not to discard any possibility… you realise, though, that ultimately you would need the blessing of the City Council to build anything at all, right? I am mentioning this as it just so happens I might know a few people that could help with… great Sven!” he yelled, causing meanwhile a way more consistent splash than the one he was complaining about. “Would you be careful, sort-of-a-bard? We pay you way too much already without the need for you to meddle in a private conversation, am I right?” spatted fatty, seeking some further support from the Blue by plainly glancing at him with malevolent eyes.

|| Thamalys || And yet, negotiations or not, the Spellblade was not one to be tempted into unnecessary blame. “To be perfectly honest with you, it - is - rather tricky to navigate this hall… in fact, it is almost a miracle nobody plunged into the pool already…” flatly commented the Healer, a faint aura of liquid blue gently oozing from his tattoos, his gratitude for the Icy One’s help already overshadow by that silly display of the monumental piece of human meat. “Now then, flute-bearer… perhaps a merry tune of yours will lighten up this rather humid atmosphere? Let’s see whether my purse can match the Baths’… Emi, what do you reckon?” finished the Winged Beast turning around to face the Wintry Lady once more, something only she would have recognised as a playful grin - to the rest of the onlookers, a horrid mask of cruelty, most likely - painted clearly enough on that bony face.

Emilia cast bright icy eyes that could almost pierce the soul upon the human music player after the splash. Once upon a time the Genasi was considered a pretty thing before the cold settled into her bones and the loss of her hand. There was a odd gentle falling of a few flakes of snow about the curly haired woman, melting as soon as they landed on the floor of the bath. The Genasi moved to take a step closer to the winged man, yet the glare from the fat man had the healer setting her foot back down again. Turning eyes on Thamalys she matched his look with a most amused smile before turning to look again at the musicman, “Oh can you play a tone of darkness mixed with a under hold of light hope?” Her words traveled on a whisper of icy cold air to his ear. Then her gaze was back upon the fat man in the bath not allowing her close to it for fear she would freeze him in it, “Never worry about the city council…I already have that voted yes upon. I just need to find a location now.”

Tallehall wordlessly carried on playing. Ignoring the portly man's rebuke, his eyes glanced up to catch the Avian's gaze, giving him and his fascinating lady companion both a nod and a knowing smile. A lightened mood he could certainly do, which is what everyone would hear. A tone of darkness? Not here and certainly not for everyone. Far too dangerous; especially for one of them. But a change of tone was definitely needed from the mammoth of a man, who all so often soured the mood for all concerned. Perhaps just a subtle tone of darkness for him. Deftly taking a few more backward steps, a more intense look now crossed the bard's face as his gaze locked fiercely to the large human and his hands began to dance a more cheery tune, as if a summer's day had floated through on the musical notes themselves. Whilst Tallehall played out this vibrant melody, the warmer tone of the music almost began to hum with energy and those who were looking at the fat man would almost swear that they could see his skin pale slightly, his eyes glaze very slightly and his demeanour begin to lighten uncharacteristically. The bard was now stock still, except for his rapidly moving fingers and subtly drawn breaths.

|| Fregot || The bewildered idiot was just too taken aback by the combined irreverence of Avian and Genasi to dare uttering anything proper at all. He - did - tried, in that his squishy lips move as if they were putting something together, but the melody of the bard, or better the shadowy taint into it, put an end to that swiftly enough. He stuttered instead, nervously clutching his massive necklace with both puffy hands.

Thamalys nodded his agreement to the Wintry Lady’s request, the mass of his dreadlocks swaying gently in the water as a net result. One careful flick of his right hand, then, and a gush of liquid blue fire would have materialised from the ink covering his skin, in a split second condensing into a flaming jaybird which immediately started to circle around the flute and human alike - the Healer could not make it sing, though, so he thought about taking that burden upon himself, humming a subtle counterpoint while trying to assume a mildly more comfortable position upon the underwater bench. The music’s effect on Fregot, though, would not go amiss, to which the Blue would have swiftly turned his attention to the flute first, and to the human soon after, solid blue eyes probing the whole picture in more detail indeed. Possibly more than a regular bard, then? - seems to silently inquiry the Avian toward the Genasi, while that severed hand of her threatened to break into an impromptu dance right on top of the Blue’s head. All around, colourful, scented fumes arose from the tubs nearby, carving their watery way through the vast hall as if looking for something - or somebody?

Emilia watched the change in fat man as the bard changed his playing, interesting. Her gaze met the questioning gaze of the Blue and returned a simple nod that she agreed something was different about this bard. Turning to face the fat man in the tub, “I look forward to future businesses with you but for now I feel like it is time for you to return to your office and finish up with your business there. I believe the bath house will survive without you taking up most of the tub from the other patrons.” It was sound advice that seemed more sound with the music playing as he started to get himself up from the waters to take leave. Emi would wait until the overly large owner had vanished before turning to look at Tham as she exhaled, “I honestly do not like that man at all.” The words spoken aloud by the Genasi were soft with a wintery note and chill that snaked through the warm air. Pushing off the wall Em could not help but laugh at Righty dancing away some strange hand jig atop her friends head. Walking along the with slow steps the fog about her feet traveled with her while she moved closer to the bard, “And who might you be?” She asked with a half smile, half smirk. The air around this woman was as frigid as winter even in the middle of a bathing house.

Tallehall remained still for some time as the warm music continued to play out, visibly amusing and cheering some of the other bathers who contented themselves to believe that the music and its conductor were simply pleasant background pieces. The truth was considerably further from this. Beads of sweat had grown on the bard's brow and a faint shake could be detected from him now. His staunch gaze broke now upon hearing the conclusion of their business. Tallehall's eyes closed all of a sudden and his whole posture shifted slightly to one that was very slightly more relaxed, his chest now heaving heavily with exertion. Though the flute was held close to his lips, his fingers barely moved and yet the music continued unabated. The flute from which the music emanated was almost effervescent with its silvery shine now, not content to simply reflect the sunbeams all around, but now giving off its own tinge of light. The grotesquely large man's skin continued to pale and colour seemed to be steadily draining from him. Blue veins were soon visible under pale folds of skin, which looked visibly clammy and strangely cold despite the warm water surrounding them. Surreptitiously moving around and away from the fat beast, Tallehall now met with deeply intense blue eyes, the like of which he had heard in song but never seen in the flesh. Her ice-cold demeanour and elegant poise was matched by a chilling and strangely compelling voice; uttering as if the frosty gale of winter called to him herself. “Ahem, I, uh...” the bard stuttered momentarily before finding composure, “My name is Tallehall. A bard in the service of Cenril's great bath house.” he gave a slight curtsy and a broad smile, “And anyone with coin, for that matter.” he added as he stood again. “Might I have the pleasure of your acquaintances?” Tallehall motioned to them both.

Thamalys especially appreciated the Wintry Lady’s suggestion - well, order - which resulted in having the bulky man removed from the area. The level of water and foam in the tub went down noticeably as a consequence, and even further down when the Blue raised and hauled himself out of the liquid mass, a silky towel, black as the night in winter, allowing for a decent appearance. Emi’s lonely hand took the opportunity to climb off the Avian’s head before the latter was to be found a couple of meters above the ground, the odd thing skittering on the wet tiles of the bath in the strangest of the fashions. Meanwhile, and showing no hurry at all, the Spellblade stretched to a tiny extent his colossal wings, happily probing the newly found freedom from that marbly seat. “Indeed…” he only added on top of the Icy One’s words, he himself trudging carefully across the treacherous pavement - winged beings the like of him were not meant to be constrained in that sort of environment, after all. Two steps only toward a neatly arranged set of shelves pinned on the perfectly white wall not far away, and the Blue would have retrieved his clothes - and satchel, and more. Pointless to put them on in there - way too humid! - but he promised a reward to the bard, notwithstanding his obvious magic and the dark shade he brought within it. “A bard…” sort of pondered aloud the Spellblade while positioning himself - if allowed - at the very side of the Wintry Lady, snapping his fingers a moment after. With a last pirouette, the flaming jaybird would have then vanished into thin air. “It would seem that tune of yours costed you some effort, aye?” prodded the Healer tilting his head a tad bit, curious, one would have thought. “ In any case, I go by the name of Thamalys, and I take pride in keeping my word. Speaking of which…” went on the Blue, producing from a blackish leathery satchel a small purse of red velvet, plainly filled with coins, and offering the latter to the musician. One eyebrow would have arched in noticing the flute keep playing by itself - he could definitely think of one or two people willing to employ the services of that bard for sums most likely well above the average pay of the Baths…

Emilia remained close to the bard allowing her ever chilled aura radiate off her and over him carrying with it a calming sensation after his performance moments ago. Standing next to the Blue it was a sight to see as the pair were vastly different from one another yet alike in many ways too. Where he stood tall with bulky wings she barely (with the added height of the curls atop her head) reached five feet with a frame of a frail lass that might break if the wind blew too hard. One could never miss these two in a crowd of people even if they tried. Offering a hand the Genasi gave a polite greeting after Thamalys spoke, “And I am Emilia, but if you prefer to keep your tongue it is simply Emi. Pleasure to meet you, Tallehall. I am the co-leader of the Healer's Guild and once we get this newest addition into the city I believe that we would be most graced with your musical performance at the opening celebration.” Not only an introduction, but a future job offering as well.

Tallehall listened carefully and noted the interest of both parties to the skills he had shown, whilst quietly pleased and relieved that they had both noted and appreciated the effort. He could not help but notice the weighty purse that the great winged one offered him and cautiously approached. “Why yes, a little effort taken on my part, sir, though not nearly as much as that fat oaf. Certainly it is a pleasure to meet those who appreciate the musical arts.” The bard stopped just short of reaching for the coin-filled bag and turned to greet the Genasi. “I am charmed to make your acquaintance, Emi, leader of the healer's guild.” he gave what could almost be considered a salute with the now dimly glowing instrument and looked again at her oddly captivating eyes, which he would consider in his future melodies. “I am certain the city would benefit greatly from your guild's influence and I would be deeply honoured to be of any service to you.” A loud clanging gong sounded in the near-distance and Tallehall rolled his eyes. “Alas, I must be brief, for I have been summoned elsewhere. I can be found here or in the city, singing or playing here and there, as you please.”

Thamalys could not help but admire the effectiveness of the Genasi - always and constantly thinking ahead. There was so much work to be done… food for thoughts, surely, but later on. At the moment, the Blue would have just listened in perfect silence to the brief - if rather polite - exchange unraveling before his eyes, basically letting the purse fall into the Bard’s hand in the meantime. “We shall keep that in mind, then…” simply acknowledged the Spellblade, a step back taking soon after to allow the man room to manoeuvre properly.

Emilia dipped her head in acknowledgement of the lads need to depart at the sound of the gong ringing, “I am sure we shall meet again Musical one.” The Genasi spoke lightly in her goodbye to the lad also moving so that she was not blocking his path to hurrying off. Righty had by now climbed up her long curls and taken to resting atop her head. As the bard left the black finger of the animated hand waved toward him as if saying goodbye itself. It was then her attention landed on the Blue, “I too had best get going. The humid air in this building hurts my lungs and I have some business to attend myself. Dinner later?” Those blue eyes almost sparkled as she gave a pleading look for him to join her for eating later. Once he would agree or not the Genasi would be hurrying herself out into the fresh air beyond the bathing house. A pause to regain normal breathing again before departing further to tend to her own business needs.

Tallehall nodded his deep appreciation for the unexpectedly large donation received from Thamalys and deftly tucked the purse away, very aware that these were possibly his future employers and a potential way out from this menial job under such hideous management. Turning towards the snow-white lady, he had to catch himself from staring and nervously biting his lip. He painfully tore his eyes from hers, “Thank you. I shall await word from you with the greatest anticipation.” The bard then gave a slight bow and a flourish of his free hand in parting, before darting off swiftly through the gap very graciously made by Thamalys and into the swirling mists of the bath house.

This RP is linked to: RP:Oh My Cod!