RP:The Things We Do For Rope
This is a Warrior's Guild RP.
Summary: Lionel is enjoying a nice quiet evening of arse-kicking would-be thieves when he chances upon Kaori, a newcome to this land. She's quick to assist -- and he's ever-quicker to offer her a position within the Warrior's Guild.
Kelay Tavern
Kaori is not often found in taverns. Such is not one of her favored locales, considering her upbringing. Still, the large building in Kelay stands as something of a centerpiece and she decides to venture inside for once. The young woman is bound to stand out with her choice of lamellar and the uniquely curved blade housed in a sheath on her hip, but as it turns out the crow in the establishment is quite sparse this evening. Perhaps that's for the best, she may not feel so comfortable with a larger gathering of rowdy folk.
Lionel is not one for most taverns, these days, himself, but it’s just as well -- he has to deposit these three scumbags somewhere. The door swings open with a slam against the nearby wall as two men, lanky and poorly shaven, stumble down face-first into the hardwood floor. Both of them gasp, squeal, and raise their arms in vain for mercy. Onlookers lift their faces from unsatisfactory cards or peer through mostly emptied mugs to catch a glimpse of this nonsense. Directly behind the two downtrodden men is a woman chiseled and tattooed. Lionel pushes her, too. All three of them tumble into a heap, and not a single one of the tavern’s patrons seems to mind, nor does Mesthak cease the cleaning of glasses with his damp white cloth. But the old dwarf does mumble. “Did it have to be here?” Mesthak asks, although Lionel isn’t close enough to listen. “What’d you do wrong?” The Knight-Commander and Hero of Hellfire asks his trio of beaten captives, and one of the men replies. “Pickpocketed the wrong fellow.” Lionel winces, shakes his head, steps inside the establishment and shuts the door behind him. “Nah, that isn’t quite it, bucko. See, the trouble goes back a ways. Methinks it all started when you turned to pickpocketing in the first place.” The woman spits in defiance. “Find me honest wage and I’ll take it,” she sneers, glaring at him with brilliant emerald eyes. Lionel pays her no heed. “Particularly, tonight,” he continues, his tone almost lilting, “you stole from a blind elf and kicked a dwarf who tried to stop you. Nevermind that incident with the waitress -- I won’t embarrass you by sharing it publicly.” The man bites his lip nervously. Lionel shrugs, rests his boot upon the poor sop’s chest, and glances around. “Anyone here got a rope? This is literally the one day I left home without one.”
Kaori had not expected such a commotion and scene when she stepped in here tonight. She turns and moves from the door, perhaps a touch startled when it slams open and the small group walks inside. The one man still standing naturally stands out above the beaten thugs, though Kaori does what she can not to appear as if she's eavesdropping. Hard not to considering the relative lack of noise in the tavern otherwise, however. When Lionel appeals for anyone with a bit of rope, Kaori perks up and moves to approach the man. She's a bit short looking for a warrior, five and a half feet at best. "I've some, just a moment." Always one to be prepared with a choice few tools and the like, the young woman produces a bit of rope and offers it out to Lionel. "Are you part of the law enforcement of this realm?" She asks, not having met any lawmen in her brief time here.
Lionel graciously accepts the rope, bowing in a slightly exaggeratory manner as the emerald-eyed woman scowls toward Kaori. “Now here’s a helpful woman,” Lionel notes, leaning down -- oh, that has to hurt the guy beneath him -- and beginning to tie the three thugs’ arms together as he whistles. “Mesthak, be a good gent and come over here for a sec.” The old dwarf rolls his eyes so hard he’s liable to keel over, but he lowers his glass, albeit roughly, and approaches. “Basement, right?” Lionel gives him a casual thumbs-up as he ensures the rope is suitably snug. “Yeah, ‘til morning. Let them think about what they did. I’ll have someone over here first light for questioning. If they’re good, we’ll let them off with a warning.” Mesthak rumbles and stomps off, making preparations. At last, the Knight-Commander has found occasion to give Kaori her answer. “Something like that.” He’s finished with the roping, so he hops up on a nearby table to rest himself, seemingly ignoring the perfectly reasonable chairs beside it. “Fabled hero, last prince of the Republic of Catal, Knight-Commander and Right Hand to Queen Hildegarde of Frostmaw. Tonight, though, I just strolled upon a black waltz.” He tips his chin to the strung-together ruffians. “Wouldn’t it be awkward if I weren’t, though?” His azure gaze flickers almost playfully, but he taps the vambrace on his forearm which designates much of what he’s said to be true. “If, let’s say, I happened to be a heinous lad myself, would you have stopped me? Are you archetypally good, as they say? You’re certainly handy -- that rope is a lifesaver.”
Kaori gives Lionel fair room to work in tying these troublemakers up, a small smile crossing her lips at the thought of such malconents being stored in the basement of a tavern. How odd. Finally given an answer to her questions when the apparent hero is done with his work, Kaori seems almost taken aback at the amount of titles this man has apparently acquired. "Oh, quite impressive. Chance meetings with one of your station are rare, yes? They would have been in my homeland." She bows in respect, as is her custom. "I am Kaori." Any surname isn't included in her introduction. Perhaps there's a reason for that. "As to your question, I would have certainly tried, although if I were so unfortunate as to meet someone of your stature and skill it may not end so well...but I suppose that's not the point of your question, is it?" Another smile appears on her fair features. "I now know your many titles, but perhaps you have a name as well?" A sense of humor too, maybe.
Lionel watches, almost wistfully, as Mesthak begins the laborious process of dragging three delinquents across the tavern floor and all the way down the stairs to the basement. Eventually, a slender raven-haired woman who simply cannot bear to watch the old dwarf a second longer leaps from her seat to assist, and together, the proprietor and the stranger successfully haul their load. “Damn it, I’m a person, not a carpet,” the tattooed woman complains, as she and her partners are hoisted down for questioning. “Not something you see everyday,” Lionel chuckles. “What? Oh, right. Well-met, Kaori. The name’s Lionel, and don’t let the titles fool you. I might be good with a sword -- and passable with a left hook -- but I’m terrible at introductions. Perhaps a drink is in order.” He pauses, scratching the nape of his neck. “Aw, hell with it. Drinks for everyone,” he cheers, and the tavern cheers back in the affirmative. And so it is, then, that everyone present gets a free round, and Frostmaw’s Knight-Commander has occasion to meet this Kaori in a bit finer detail. He gestures for her to sit beside him and sips his ale, smiling pleasantly.
Kaori takes a seat when offered, considering the menu when Lionel offers a drink not only to her, but the entire tavern. She seems a bit confused at some of the choices, perhaps finding them unfamiliar and strange. "Whiskey? Vodka?" They don't sound like they would suit her tastes. "I think I'll just take a glass of wine." The wine of her homeland and wine here are quite different, but it wasn't uncommon for foreign wines to be imported there; indeed, some even achieved quite a bit of popularity. "I don't drink very often as it is, I'm afraid." Now her gaze returns to Lionel. "I don't think I've heard of this Frostmaw place you mentioned, nor Catal. Are they near here, maybe?"
Lionel breathes out slightly, doing his best to mask a bit of a startle at Kaori’s latest question. “Catal’s dead and dusted, I’m afraid, but Frostmaw is part of the Lithrydelian realm, aye. That’s… where we are now, is Lithrydel, or informally ‘Hollow’, if you’re unfamiliar.” He sips some more. “Not from around here, are ya? Neither was I, originally, although 13 years sure do fly by quick. Can’t believe I’m almost 30…” That next one’s definitely more of a chug. “But I digress. What brought you to Lithrydel?”
Kaori nearly winces when Lionel mentions Catal being 'dead', not wanting to be the one to reopen old wounds. "I'm sorry to hear that, I apologize for asking." Is all she offers, moving on from that subject quickly. "Frostmaw must be one of the cities I've yet to visit. I've ventured as far north as Larket and as far east as Xalious, but no further." Lionel's question of what brings her to this realm brings a pause. There's a subtle, nervous little twitch that she tries to cover up by brushing some of her dark hair behind her ears, but one more perceptive may notice it. "A long story, I'm afraid. My home is far from here, across the sea. This land will be my new home for some time to come, I am certain of this."
Lionel doesn’t seem plussed by the inquiry; he carries on smoothly enough. Although at the conclusion of Kaori’s words, there’s a lofted brow and an easy grin. “Beyond the sea,” he repeats, contemplative. “Might be I’ve passed through it. Catal was significantly far east, really. But no matter -- for now.” He raises his mug in decent cheer. In the background, a few drunken gnomes hop back and forth between a thin circular contraption, daring one-another not to stumble. A bit closer, the raven-haired woman from earlier is reading a book and periodically glancing at Kaori. The tavern’s beginning to clear out, otherwise, and Mesthak’s sealed the basement door tightly. “If you’re looking for work,” Lionel says, leaning an arm over the edge of the chair. “I might have some for you. Either as a soldier of Frostmaw or a fellow of the Warrior’s Guild. You look like you can handle yourself in a fight, and Lithrydel’s got no shortage of ‘em. There’s always some blind elf needing protection, if you take my drift. Decent pay either way, and decent cause for what we do.”
Kaori seems intrigued that someone this far out could have possibly passed through her homeland. "It was in the east as well, many days voyage from here depending on the weather." She seems relucant to give many more details for whatever reason, raising her own wine glass as Lionel does. A sip is taken while she listens to this man's offer of work. "I don't know if I would be particularly suited to the battlefield just yet." Kaori glances aside, as if she's embarrassed to admit such a thing. "My training was never completed. I can handle myself with a weapon and I know basics, but my live experience is limited. The warrior's guild may be a good idea, however. I'd love the chance to train with others."
Lionel produces a small previously-written piece of parchment from the right chest pocket of his slick black dress shirt. “Training’s what you’ll receive, first and foremost,” he explains, uncrumpling the parchment and studying it to be sure it’s what he needs. Then he taps it, left index finger to the print, and slides it across the table to the woman. As she reads it, he’ll finish his mug in one fell swoop, and two of the nearby gnomes will dance and cackle as they fail to hop through their hoop. If Kaori can read the common script, she’ll see the following words: ‘Warrior’s Guild Headquarters: Western Frostmaw. Find the old castle. Find Queen Hildegarde the Silver or Lionel, Hero of Hellfire. Be welcome.’ As it happens, the guild is run by Frostmawian officials, too -- but it’s mere happenstance, really. Lionel rises from his seat, offering his hand for a shake. “Dwell on it. Sleep on it. You’ll reach Frostmaw by way of the Xalious Pass. Come to me for a preliminary spar if you should choose to train with us. Hot meals, steady pay, and a real difference in the realm, that’s what you’ll get out of it. Hey, Mesthak,” Lionel shouts, and the old dwarf flaps his cleaning rag at the Catalian to indicate he hears him. “Kaori over here crashes for free tonight, got it?” Mesthak nods, not raising his head from his tasks. Lionel treks toward the door, now, backwards step to keep his gaze on the newfound acquaintance. “I’ll be looking forward to a yes,” he tells her, as if it’s all a done deal, and he opens the door and heads out into the chilly night. “Good meeting you! Chat soon! Got a few more bad guys to beat up, you know how it is!” And he’s gone. Just why exactly has Lionel chosen this foreign woman for heroism? She may not have an answer just yet.
Kaori takes the parchment once it reaches her, her eyes flowing across the common script. She can read such things, even if it may not be immediately obvious. Though foreign, she learned other languages during her privileged upbringing that she has spoken little about. Once done, Kaori looks up and smiles with a nod of her dark-haired head. "I'll definitely think about it. I'd even forego the coin just to train with others and attain the level of skill I'm aspiring to reach." She bows her head to Lionel as he begins to take his leave, raising her glass to him on the way out. "Thank you, Lionel. I am sure we will meet again very soon." The only thing that brings her pause is a spar with someone so obviously skilled, but she has no intention of shying away from such a thing.