wrong side of the tracks

The bright-eyed girl had found herself rather bored. She didn't really know what to do, or how to keep herself occupied. She could visit her family, but after a while - they too got boring. Her father was all talk and no action. He had a way with words though. But when you hear the same words over and over, sputtered in a different kind of eloquence each time, it wears one out. Quinn had heard rumors of a place where the worst in the nation went to go have drinks and fights. Now she knew she was not allowed to drink, her parents would be mortified if she ever did that... But maybe she could trick someone into getting her a drink to try? That was exciting, just thinking about the possibilities of getting her first adult beverage. With a new found skip in her step, she made her way to the mainlands.

The fall of night acted as a cover for her, only the few streetlights and glow of the moon showed the way. Keeping her eyes on anything that moved too quickly, or made too much of a ruckus. Soon, she started to stumble upon many drunks that were socializing in the street. Some of them were rowdy and wild. Some of them were singing to themselves out loud in very terrible and ear-wrecking tones. They must have thought they sounded perfect the way their bodies swayed under the moonlight. Soon, she found the entrance to the bar. Excitement stirred in her bones, and she could feel it in her toes. Knowing full well that if she were attempting to trick some patron, she would need to act as though she belonged there.

Composing her posture, Quinn pulled her front paws together and puffed up her chest. She gently shook her head from side to side, airing out her fur that might have gotten stuck to her body from her travels. Her tail was not held high, and not lingering behind her legs, but straight out - another show that she was meant to be here. Carefully, she placed one paw in front of the other and with each step she exaggerated her hips and her sway. As she pushed open the saloon's door, she emerged into the entrance. She could tell that eyes were on her, and she took this as an invitation to move closer to her target. Strutting herself up to the counter, she batted her eyes at anyone that would make eye contact at her. When she finally was at the bar, she hopped up elegantly onto the chair, and hailed over the barkeep. "What kind of wine do you carry here?" she asked as she made sure to bat her beautiful eyes in his direction - hoping this would work.

@Odysseus

code by claerie

my demons come to play

It had been awhile since he had been back here. Summer had its claws firmly in Rionnach, making them all miserable. The air was hot and humid, even near the coast, even under the cover of night. When he stepped into the bar, it was loud, the air was thick with the smell of booze and criminals. Amethyst eyes swept the room, his head inclining in greeting to familiar faces.

It didn't go unnoticed the way stares were drawn to the scarring that now adorned his foreleg. It had long healed since his run in with the Imperial soldier, but the marks were still there, a reminder of that night.

Shaking his head, he cleared the thoughts from his mind. His attention would settle on the bartender, a charming smile curling his lips as he gave her his drink order. Haunches folded beneath him as he took a seat, settling in for the duration of the evening.

When the saloon door opened, he didn't look up. He didn't look up until a young voice filled the air beside him. Amusement crossed his inky lips as he turned his gaze towards her. What kind of wine do you carrying here? A low chuckle formed in his throat. His gaze would lazily roll over the female beside him. She was immaculately kept, not an earthen hair out of place. Of average height, her sparkling blue gaze more than made up for it. But there was something youthful about her, it was evident in the planes of her face and the soft curve of her hip. She wasn't old enough to be here, let alone drink.

A knowing smile curled his lips. "Give her your best, darlin." He would call to the bartender.

Isolde

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The male beside her had not been noticed until his sultry voice told the barkeep to give the pup the very best they had to offer in her choice of beverage. "Thank you, sir." She said with a soft voice as she turned her eyes to the behemoth seated beside her. She was not inspecting the length or complete features of his form, but the eyes. Those purple hues struck her something fierce inside of her soul. As a glass was placed before the young wolf, she gave a gentle nod of her head to the barkeep, "thank you." She watched as the bartender went to go assist another customer before she pulled the glass closer to her with her paws. Peering inside the glass, she could see the wine had a very dark color to it, almost like that of what blood would look like in such a chalice. Slowly, she moved her nose to the rim of the glass and took a sniff - as she had seen "wine snobs" do before her. She even swirled the liquid around in the glass, not really sure why she was doing it, and some did spill out of the top. Quinn played it off as though she had meant to do such a thing. This was the norm, of course.

Finally taking her tongue to the liquid, the taste was bitter and harsh - like nothing she had ever tested before. The amount of displeasure that struck her face was something that would be worthy of catching on film. Her nose crinkled up as close to her eyes as it could, her eyes shut tighter than a wolf's grasp on a kill, and the actual jerk of her body almost sent her to the floor. Luckily, she was able to catch herself before she fell, and tried her best to reclaim her calm and composed disposition. Giving a few soft coughs, she tried a verbal recovery as well, "you don't get that kind of good stuff regularly. Must be something in the grapes..." She turned to the purple-eyed male, hoping that he had not even noticed the disgust that graced her features for only seconds (in her mind, but honestly it could have been a few minutes).

@Odysseus

code by claerie

my demons come to play

The bartender did as he asked with only a lingering glance at the girl. While she busiest herself making the newest guest a drink, the girl would turn towards him, looking up and holding his stare. When she spoke, her voice was soft, even her gestures were gentle. It hinted to her youth. A cup was placed before her and while he sipped from his own cup, he gaze lingered on her. He felt the slow burn of booze as it slipped down his throat, but he was accustomed to the taste. She certainly would not disappoint with her act.

Leaning forward to peer into her cup, she sniffed the liquid, as if she could decipher all the different smells that blended together to make her drink. When she swirled her glass, no doubt like she had seen others do, she would spill some. Diligently she ignored her sloppiness, carrying on with her charade. Dark lips lifted in a smirk, amusement thawing some of the chill in his stare.

When she finally pressed her lips to the cup and let the first taste of alcohol kiss her tongue, her reaction was priceless. Warm and rich laughter parted his lips. The bitter taste almost sent her tumbling backwards.He would make no effort to move to stabilize her. Righting herself, she could cough delicately a few times before she attempted to brush off her reactions. "Your first taste of alcohol is always disappointing." He said with a chuckle. "You shouldn't be here, little girl." Though a warning fell from his lips, he didn't lift a finger to do anything about her presence here.

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Did he know? Could he tell the truth? It would not be obvious until he spoke, his dark lips giving her a soft warning. There was no threat following his words, or even the tone was not that of something that could be from danger. He was just going to let her live in this space right now, and continue to have this experience. He could have easily alerted other adults and let them know that she did not belong there. Quinn believed the reason he did not rat her out was for her charmingly good looks she was given from birth. Often compared to a rose in her youth, she knew she was a radiant being, dripping with breath-taking beauty. He was rough looking, hard around the edges, not soft and serene as she was. It could have been that he was just that way his whole life, or life had forced him to become like this. It was hard to say what the truth was and it really was not her place to ask him something so personal. Maybe he was protective of the way he looked? Maybe it would trigger a not very nice response to her being there. She didn't want any of that.

"This is not my first time, sir." She said, lying through her teeth. "It is just different from the wine I usually drink. It must be the way the grapes are or how they contain it." She surmised that must have been the thing that made it so intolerable to drink. Now that she had gotten a taste of it, she knew the bitter taste she was about to consume again. This time, she still choked it down, but at least it was not like the first time. "Just takes a little getting used to," she said with a sneer smile. As though she was proving him wrong with each time the liquid touched her lips. "So do you have a name or do others just call you 'tall, dark, and handsome.?" Now she was shamelessly flirting with a male who was much older than she. He was probably around six or seven years old if she had to guess.

@Odysseus

code by claerie

Her lies rolled easily off her tongue. Amusement continued to hang from the corners of his lips. He was keeping her secret, for now anyways, but she was far too pretty of a face to belong here. There was a softness to her that suggested she would be eaten alive by the lesser wolves that called this place home. One she would learn, as most did when they tempted fate by walking in and out of dark without any true knowledge of the monsters that lingered there. It was a shame really, that such a pretty face would be ruined.

She prattled on about this drink being different from what she was accustomed to. A dark brow arched, silently claiming that he didn't believe her one bit. {"Maybe so."} He said dryly.

Choking down her beverage, she managed to keep a straighter face than the first time the bitter booze touched her lips. He gave a slow shake of his head, smirking as he picked up his own drink, letting the burn slide down his throat with practiced ease. The bitterness was an acquired taste that led to preferences.

He would cast her a sidelong glance when she began flirting with him. {"Odysseus."} He would answer, considering whether or not he wanted to continue to entertain her antics. She was a girl, not even old to consume alcohol in public. She was too young, even by his standards. {"And what about you?"} He wondered - would she give him her real name or an alias?

It didn't seem like the tall and dark stranger really believed the bullshit she was pumping to his onyx ears. He was definitely a male of many life experiences. But still, he wasn't outing her, and that seemed like a very gentlemanly thing to do. Odysseus. What an interesting name he had given her. She had to wonder if it were his actual name. She even wondered if she should offer her real name or give him something else. "It is a pleasure to meet you then, sir.." she said as she gently placed a paw on his arm. Her smile was wide and warm. Possibly from the effects of the alcohol hitting her system. She could tell that her body was warming, but that could have been from embarrassment, the amount of patrons who encompassed this small space, or yeah - the alcohol doing its thing. She had never tasted anything like it and as she consumed more, it got easier and easier to drink. "Quinn," she finally gave him a response back. There was no point in lying to him. She would probably never see him again, well, she probably shouldn't. As this area was not really a place where someone like her should visit on a regular basis.

She got the attention of the barkeep and ordered another round, "another for me and my friend, Odysseus here." She said with a giggle. "So... what do you do for a livin', Odysseus?" she asked as she looked to him and waited for their drinks to arrive.

@Odysseus

code by claerie
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my demons come to play

She laid it on thick. Her voice was warm and sweet as she laid a paw on his arm. Amethyst eyes dropped to her paw before lifting to her face. A smile stretched across her youthful features as she peered up at him. One side of his mouth would lift with a mixture of acknowledgement and amusement. Quinn. A name for a face. She was unique enough that he probably wouldn't forget her the moment he walked away from the bar, but she wasn't old enough to leave a lasting impression amongst his silken sheets. Oh well, she was at least a source of amusement tonight.

Ordering another round on their behalf, he smiled and shook his head slowly. Meeting the barkeeps stare, his head inclined just slightly, enough that he would have another drink placed in front of him when the time came. With practiced ease, he would toss back was remained of his drink, letting the booze warming his stomach before it seeped into his veins.

"I do a lot of things." Was his vague answer to her question. Still, no matter how vague his answers, his voice was warm and rich, flowing easily from his lips in a manner that suggested he was more than just brawn. "What about you, little one?" He turned the question on her, curious to see if she would keep up her charade or if she'd cave as the alcohol loosened her lips.

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Mystery oozed from the onyx male beside her. It only enthralled her more to him. What was he all about? What had he done in his life to be so much this way? She was captivated in this mostly stranger male. She wasn't even one hundred percent sure that his name was what he told her. He could have been lying. But she wasn't going to press the issue. "What kinds of things?" she whispered as she leaned in. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it around so many others. She looked around at the other patrons, making sure they weren't focused on the pair. "I can keep a secret..." She assured him, in case he had any doubts. Part of her wondered if he knew she was underage, even through her spectacular performance of being much older than she actually was.

"I haven't done much of anything yet. I don't really feel a calling to do anything. My father was a soldier and that is just so lame. They wanted me to go into medicine, but that is boring. I just..." she stopped herself. Was she really going to unload all this on Odysseus? She just met the guy. "I want to live, I want to experience. I want to see what the whole world has for me, you know? Being tied down to one thing seems silly. Why stop yourself to just one thing?" She smiled to him. "So.... what do you do?"

@Odysseus

code by claerie

my demons come to play

Her naivety continued to give away her age, her youth. She leaned her, her tone lowered, as if they were dear friends exchanging secrets. While she leaned in, he remained unmoving, thous amethyst eyes would settle on her, a dark warning swirling in the edges of his stare. She pressed him for information, but she had not even the slightest clue of the price of that knowledge. I can keep a secret. A smirk lifted one side of his mouth.

"I'm sure you can..." He drawled. "Considering you aren't even old enough to be here." He would take control, shifting the spotlight with just a few targeted words. A dark brow lifted in challenge. She was no one, she didn't get to go prodding around in his life, that would get most wolves killed. The fact that she was a child was what spared her from a far more gruesome fate.

The words flowed easily from her. She painted a picture of her youth with her lack of direction and the uncertainties she had about her place in the world. Maybe on a different night, he'd give her more credit for the act she put on. Some might fall for it, if they had had one too many drinks or if they simply didn't care enough about her age. Neither were true for Odysseus, so he'd blow out a quiet breath, no longer interested in her game. Especially when she was repeatedly pressing him for answers about what he did.

"A word of advice?" Not that he was going to give her any other option other than to listen. "Next time you come here," Because she would. "Don't go asking strangers what they do for a living." His stare bore into her, unwavering and just as unfeeling. "It'll get you killed." Rising to his paws, he nodded to the bartender, paying both their tabs. "And as for your lack of direction in life. Find one before that also gets you killed." Shaking his head, he stepped away from his seat. "Everyone has to find their place in the world eventually." Without another word, he would leave her there to finish her drink alone.

exit

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