Wind Guide You (Thamir)

[EmmaliaChan]

Clearly unconvinced, she shot him an eyebrow wiggle, but dropped the subject anyway. Like he'd admit he had eyes for the resident Lady Orc; being quite young, Vivalyn knew very little of the older bounty hunter's status among those of the trade. While she'd heard of the Scarred Orc, she hadn't yet connected the information to her brief companion. As far as she knew, she was another mindless Orc (the woman's brutal actions during their mission only further cementing this stereotype in the younger girl's mind) that had decided to kill for a living. They were no different, and yet, at the same time, they were. Perhaps it would've been wise for her to study such things as those considered 'professionals', or at least those well-known in a far expanse of land, but she cared little for other names. It was her own that was going to be at the top of everyone's list someday.

She pushed open the door to the Winking Skeever and was quite grateful for the warmth that radiated from the inside. The vibrant orange, flickering glow from deeper inside the building was welcoming, and so was the smell of food and wine lingering thick in the air. Taking a deep sniff, she released it with an 'aaah' and charged over to the bar, tugging Javuh along behind her by the wrist in an excited rush. "A bottle of spiced wine and a huuuge goblet, please," Plunking herself down on one of the stools, she added, "And a plate of boiled creme treats!"

The server obliged her, a Nord woman running the counter for the owner Corpulus. She then turned her attention to Javuh as she accepted Vivalyn's gold, waiting for him to place his own request. Vivalyn, too, was watching him and eagerly waiting for his reply, her coin purse still sat on her lap in order to pay. The two made quite a pair, but the woman was too happy with her job to risk it by commenting. The rest of the bar had eyed them at first, as well, especially seeing the girl dragging him in by the wrist in what could only be seen by outsiders as an intimately familiar gesture. But in the presence of mead and good company, their interest didn't last long at all, too busy enjoying their time to bring themselves to care about relative strangers' personal lives.

[Screen Sights]

Well, Javuh certainly had enough attention to put the king to shame for a second. Okay, that was a bit of a stretch, but still, he suddenly had a lot more than he would have liked. He was half expecting someone to spring up from their seat and pull a dagger on someone else at this point, but when everyone just went back to doing what they were doing, he was a tad bit relieved. So anyone, now was the time to order what he wanted, and he was going to do that and disprove yet another stereotype in the process that was about Orc's and their eating habits that could easily rival that of a bear's on occasion. Assuming the Orc could even stomach all of that food.

"I'll just take two slices of horker meat and a bottle of mead." Did that go against the stereotype or not? I don't know and he doesn't know, but that doesn't matter. He was hungry and tired, but he was hungrier than he was tired, so it was better to eat first. Besides, why go to sleep on an empty stomach when you know that is just going to end poorly for you. If he did that, he may just wind up acting like Narth for a few hours, and everyone knew that would be like oblivion suddenly being on anyone who decided to bother him at that moment. Just imagine how badly that would go if things got worse from there. That would have been like having a pet Skeever hanging around a bunch of wolves and expecting the mutts not to eat the rat.

After making his order, he looked to Vivalyn before asking, "Tell me. What exactly do you think of everything that has happened so far? I am really just curious." An orc, curious? That's absurd! Surely there minds were to simple and narrow to questioning anything without pulling an axe out first. Man oh man, things weren't right! OR maybe people were just wrong, that could be a thing too, despite the fact that so many people followed the stereotype...

[EmmaliaChan]

As the pretty barmaid began tending the meat and placed a bottle of mead on the bar in front of him, Vivalyn first paid for his drink (then his food, because why not - her coin purse was already out, and horker meat was cheap), then nudged the plate of creme treats towards him, eyeing him expectantly. It was a large plate, and though she had an appetite, it was more than she could put away on her own; the sweet little confections were filling and rich, and even one could sometimes be enough to top off her stomach - though, not today. Today, she'd expended enough energy that she was sure she could eat an entire goat roast with nothing but her face as a utensil.

"What is 'everything'?" The Imperial asked, taking a huge bite out of one of the treats and loosing a soft 'mmm' of pleasure at its sweet taste and soft texture. "Damnnn, these are good!" The girl interrupted herself briefly, pouring some of the wine into the goblet and taking a small sip, closing her eyes to thoroughly enjoy the taste as she brought it to her lips. Spiced wine, to her, was one of the finest things the world had to offer. "Saying 'everything' could mean 'anything'. Do you mean, like, overall events? Or just us, today?"

"Because, if you mean just today," Again she interrupted her own words, quickly polishing off half of the wine in her goblet. The time for slow savoring was over; she didn't have enough patience to savor every sip - there was a whole bottle to finish! "I think we did well!" A hint of disappointment hid beneath her smile, just visible enough to be a noticeable change from the smile she usually wore. "Everything is sore, so we had to have done a good job," With an emphatic stretch, she chuckled. She suspected it was likely that most of her soreness was from the digging, rather than the fighting or the journey. "I think we made a good team. I held my own, right? I thought I'd be out of my league with you guys, but I think I did good."

[Screen Sights]

Of course, upon getting his food, he gave the maid his thanks with a simple nod before he went ahead and dug in. Javuh wasn't much of a slob either, which was probably due to him sort of growing up around his own tribe and society outside of his tribe. Basically, he had some knowledge on what was acceptable and what wasn't. Sure, there were a lot of standards to follow and such, but he had no problem with that because life would not be easy for you unless you made it easy, and one very good way to do that was doing what appeared to be the best for you. Even if the best choice isn't the easiest, it will likely be worth it in the end. Assuming you don't give up half way through of course.

After taking a small sip from the Nord Mead he had order, he wiped his mouth a little bit. The meal was decent for someone like him, not too sweet or bitter, hot or cold, dry or moist, which was just how he liked it. He had understood what Vivalyn meant and let out a small chuckle. "I actually felt the same way, believe it or not. Sure, I don't exactly look like someone that could easily be out ranked by strangers on the side of the road, but the word holds many surprises." He stated before taking one of the treats for himself. He only took one though, and it was sort of small compared to the others. Must have been a shortage on the dough with this one.

"I honestly also think that we do make a great team, however, our relation in the group seems...unstable, to say the least." Then he paused for a moment, considering what he was going to say next. "I've been thinking," He started before taking yet another sip of his mead and continuing, "you and I are a little focused on sticking with each other, so how about we go ahead and do just that? As selfish as this may sound, it's probably for the best: The others can be left to fend for themselves, it is what they want anyway."

Now Javuh wasn't exactly the kind of person to act like that too often. However, in this situation, Za'kar and Narth made it obvious that they wanted to be alone, so they would get just that. There was nothing wrong with it, at leas that was what he thought anyway, so that was why he just sort of decided to tell her that. Besides, things seemed better for Vivalyn and Javuh if they chose to stick together than be like the others and go their separate ways. The orc didn't think they had to be with each other 24/7, but he did think they they just had to be with each other from time to time. After all, they were planning on becoming sparring buddies here.

[EmmaliaChan]

Vivalyn raised a questioning eyebrow. "Focused on sticking with each other?" Where had he gotten that impression from? He'd stayed with her to bury the bodies, but she assumed that was from his own sense of honor rather than a desire for her company. The group was chosen because the job needed a group to be completed. Nothing had really implied or given any indication that they should become a permanent group, it was more of a one-off situation - or, at least, that was how it had been presented.

Giving the back of her head a awkward rub, the brunette frowned into her cup. "You know my goals..." It was a bit of a guilt trip for her, having to decline. For whatever reason, he'd seemed pleased with his idea. "Becoming the best of the best would be difficult if I was part of a team," Even though he was an Orc and as such surely wouldn't be recognized as the star of their duo by the public, it would still hamper her from fame. No longer would it be 'Vivalyn Panooche' that struck fear into the hearts of bandits, it would be... 'The Panooche Duo', or something. The caravans and tavern-goers would probably assign them a name through their gossip. Maybe 'Misfits' or 'Oddlings', something to do with how unusual it seemed for an Orc and an Imperial to be on friendly terms.

It wasn't just that, though. Having a companion to make the roads less lonely didn't seem like the worst thing in the world, but there was another huge factor: Javuh was an Orc. Notorious poor tempers, violent culture, and brutish madness. He seemed fine, but then so did most, until you made them angry. It was then that they'd gore you with their tusks and sacrifice you to whatever Daedra they'd chosen to worship. The young Imperial wasn't quite refreshed on her Orcish culture, but it was a close enough reminder from public views of that particular flavor of Mer.

Taking a bite of her creme treat to buy time between words to think, she chewed thoughtfully, still looking a tad embarrassed. "I just," Vivalyn began after swallowing. "Think it might not work," Trying to brush it off and lighten the mood, she playfully nudged his shoulder with a fist and added, "I mean, what if I was having to save you all the time? That'd be awful!" Finishing her half-hearted tease with an awkward and semi-forced laugh, she downed the rest of her wine and topped off her goblet again. Now she just hoped he wouldn't turn up the rage and kill her - or worse, make a scene in the bar and further her embarrassment.

[Screen Sights]

"You won't be saving me all the time though. Last I saw, back in that cave, you were the one having to back off from a group of bandits who could have easily killed you had I and the others not come along." Javuh pointed out. She was far more reckless than he was and truly, she could use the extra help. She kept saying that she wanted to be the best and what not, but it would be difficult to be the best if you keep making the same mistakes over and over. That's like wanting to be known for being great at magic, yet you continue to hurt yourself on occasion with it. You couldn't be the best if you couldn't pin your flaws and fix them so that you would quit making that mistake. Javuh may have not seen her fight before, but judging from the looks of it, she had been a bounty hunter for a while, yet she still had poor judgment here.

"No offense, but you cannot possibly hope to be the best when you make foolish choices. Suddenly running into a room and into a fight, thinking that you won't get overwhelmed isn't exactly the best idea. Sometimes it's better to go in as a group instead of alone. You're going to occasionally need help, like I did when fighting one of the more experienced bandits back in the cave." Sure, she could have already known that, but she certainly did not act like it. She could tell him that she knew that already or pretty much go against him on it, but his point still stands. She is going to occasionally need help or she wasn't going to last long and that title she wanted ever so desperately was going to go right down the drain. If she ever actually wanted to best a group of experienced bandits, then she was going to have to get better with her sword fighting otherwise, once again, she wouldn't last long.

And Javuh would be happy to give that sort of training to her. He hadn't taught someone before, but he knew how and he knew that it wasn't always easy. He was taught how to handle a sword and everything in his tribe, so he had proof on it not being easy. Everything else beyond that point was self taught through trial and error and other various ways of learning. All the years of learning had taught him well and shaped him into the warrior he was today. He wasn't perfect, but he certainly was above average.

Taking yet another sip of his mead, he went on. "And even if you were capable of proving yourself to be the best, make one mistake and that title that you want to be known by will come crashing down on you harder than a bolder. It would be better if you had someone else to take partial blame anyway." That was just a bit of an add on, not a true reason, but he saw it as a good one mainly because it was the true. If you were widely known, but say you made a mistake somewhere, then that is going to stick with you forever. If you have someone else with you to take the blame, then it may not be as bad and you may be left alone. Javuh was willing to be that kind of guy for an ally who seemed to be a potential friend.

[EmmaliaChan]

She ate quietly as he spoke, fairly focused on her meal. With each passing word, she found her temper flaring further and further; at what point, exactly, had she asked him for advice? Moreover, it was pretty obvious that what she'd said about saving him was a joke - only further accented by the laugh that had clearly said she'd prefer to drop the subject. Who did this Orc think he was?

Look," She said, finishing her second glass of wine in a few gulps. Not a good idea for the state of her stomach, but she could hold her liquor well enough. "I've been doing this for almost six years," Deft fingers pulled a small cheesecloth out of her pack and wrapped two of the creme treats inside of it before tucking them underneath the pouch's flap. "I don't mind a dent or a ding or a scar here and there, it comes with the job, and what I'm doing? It's working for me."

Setting a reasonable tip on the table for the pretty barmaid, she beckoned her closer. "Can I get a room?" The blonde woman offered a sympathetic look, almost seeming nervous to answer given Vivalyn's obviously miffed mentality.

"Sorry... We're full up. Last room was taken a few hours ago," Vivalyn scowled at her briefly, but signed in resignation, knowing it wasn't the girl's fault. In fact, it was exactly her luck - and perhaps her own fault for taking so long to get back to the city. There was no regret involved in burying the bodies of the unjustly dead, but perhaps she ought to have put a bit more of her back into the job. Meanwhile, the tavern worker accepted the tip with a nod of thanks as the Imperial warrior stuffed another of the treats in her mouth.

With a nod to the girl, she again spoke to Javuh. "Enjoy your meal. I'm off," Pulling her gauntlets back on, as her meal was mostly finished besides the sweet treat hanging haphazardly off of her bottom lip, she made her way towards the door.