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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 14:50:25 GMT -5
Okay, basically, it's open to anyone. Please stick to a posting order and after two days of waiting, we'll skip you. Other than that, whatever. xD
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Draven had been at the Mountain Goat for some hours. After getting cleaned up, dressing in something a little more normal, and retrieving his harness of weapons, he had headed into Tiaelde and to the tavern, buying himself a room for the night and stashing all his things on the second floor. Now, with little interest from other tavern-going patrons, he sat at a table close to the bar, staring down at a small glass of some strong, piney tasting liquor. If he remembered right, it was gin. He'd only had two shots of it after a mug of plain ale, but he could already feel the warm buzz fogging his mind and relaxing him. For the most part, he was enjoying himself in the near silence of the tavern with the lack of company to talk to. Thinking to himself, he shifted the glass, then lifted it and took his third shot, wincing at the flavor and setting the little glass back down. Bright bronze eyes blinked once or twice before he, took a gaze around the tavern common, inspecting those around him. Not much to look at. The bar-maid was serving a table with three men across the room. There was someone, cloaked, to his other side at the table next to his. And there were a couple of gabbing women by the door. Other than that, he'd found the place rather empty. He turned his eyes back to his empty glass, debating on if he wanted more or wanted sleep.
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 20:19:40 GMT -5
Markus tried to keep his steps quiet on his way to the bar. There were so few people around, he didn’t dare risk it; between the werewolf and the vampire and the bounty-hunter, he felt he should be a little on his toes. Sure, the three of them had been nice, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Not to mention he didn’t know who had already turned in for the night. (He had turned in for the night, but he hadn’t had much success in sleeping.)
As expected, the bar was nearly empty. There were a couple groups chatting and two silent loners at tables near the bar, but aside from that the tables stood looking bare and forlorn. Markus glanced between the three areas and decided that, rather then accidently seem like he was eavesdropping, he would sit at the bar a short ways from the quiet ones. He wouldn’t be completely on his own in a corner, but he wouldn’t have to worry about interrupting either of the other conversations.
He hopped onto a bar stool, ordered an apple cider, and turned to his good friend the mirror. The one loner wore a cloak (generally a sign of someone either mysterious or introverted) but the other seemed just about normal; a pleasant bout of peace from the interesting characters he’d met before.
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 20:29:10 GMT -5
Draven noticed the youngster, who seemed to be without supervision, as he came and sat at the bar nearby. He didn't really want the company, but he also caught the look from the mirror that the boy gave him, as if judging whether he were worth a conversation or something. With a small smile, he raised a brow and waved the child closer. He was close enough that speaking wouldn't really be all that loud. "You don't have to watch me, you can come sit at the table with me," he said, calling out to the bar-maid right after and asking for another drink. He instructed her he wanted something strong, and a lot of it, and she scurried off to get his order while Draven turned back to watch the boy with a smile.
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 20:36:51 GMT -5
Mark jumped and nearly fell off the chair; the mirror hadn’t been as inconspicious as he’d hoped. He turned to the wave to the man, face to face, using the silent greeting as a chance to consider if he wanted to chat right now. The man seemed amiable enough, and a calm discussion might be enough to put down whatever jitters had kept him up. It was worth a shot.
He nodded, both for himself and to the stranger, before sliding off his seat, picking up the cider (dropped in front of him while he’d been distracted by the mirror), and relocating to the stranger’s table. “Thank you,” he said, putting on the most polite smile he could. “I’m Markus.”
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 20:42:09 GMT -5
Well that was one way to start a conversation. Instantly, Draven's buzz deflated and he blinked his bronze eyes at Markus in slight shock. Was this really who Malcolm had been looking for? There was no way! He tilted his head slightly, ignoring the fact that the bar-maid had returned with his drink. He waved her off without thinking about it, muttering something about paying later, and she left again. "I'm Draven," he replied, leaning in slightly. "Are you Markus Selder, by any chance?"
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 20:53:05 GMT -5
Markus froze. He hadn’t said his last name, had he? He rewound his memories a moment; no, not he had not. It definitely didn’t bode well. But...he could just lie, right? He hadn’t bothered lying in a while (dodging the subject had worked wonders before), but it wasn’t tough. You just pretended you weren’t lying.
“Uhm...n-no.” It felt like guilt and curiosity teamed up to punch him in the face. Mark flinched, and hastily corrected himself: “I-I mean yes. I am. Markus Selder. That’s me.” He glanced around the room; none of the other people looked old enough to have known him (or, more importantly, Malcolm) as a child. “How do you know my last name?” he asked, leaning back until the chair stopped him.
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 21:04:05 GMT -5
Draven smiled wider, exposing all of his teeth without a care. What an unexpected turn in events. He'd run into this boy before, he thought to himself, but he hadn't paid much mind to him, seeing as he wasn't getting paid to find him. But since the mention of 'Markus Selder' by Malcolm in Cados (when he spent almost every last bit of his gold to pull Travis's ass out of a hole...), he had been keeping an ear out for the mention of Markus. And now he had found the name's owner. "Malcolm was asking if I'd seen you," he answered, chuckling, smile fading back to where it had been before. "Your older brother, I assume, though how much older, I can't even imagine. You look like you're around nine or ten. Rather young to be alone in a tavern this late." With another chuckle, he took a drink of whatever alcohol he'd been given. He almost got through the strong flavor without sign of its taste but was forced into a slight wince at the after bite. "So, Markus," he continued, letting his buzz grab hold of his mind and muffling it again. "Why are you in Tiaelde?"
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 21:25:27 GMT -5
Had Markus not met a vampire in the very same town in the very same bar, he might not have paid enough attention to notice the teeth. However, he was in that same town in the same bar with a man who knew a last name that had just about died with the three other Selders, and so he noticed the teeth. They were abnormally sharp. And to throw wood on the fire...
“Malcolm was asking if I’d seen you.”
Mark turned just as pale as Draven. He could think of quite a few explanations, and none of them were good. (Certainly nothing that would help him get to sleep tonight. He could already see nightmares in the back of his mind.) Obviously, Draven was a vampire. So it was very possible that, before dying, Malcolm had asked Draven to murder his brother. Or, worse yet, Malcolm himself could be a vampire. (And had asked Draven to murder his brother.)
The ‘too young to be alone’ comment flew right over his head. “Oh,” Mark said, staring blankly over Draven’s shoulder at the wall behind him. “T-that’s...I...” Something kicked his brain back into gear, but it also kicked him ahead a question. “I’m...visiting. Graves. My parents and Malcolm’s.” He paused, taking in the last word. “...He’s dead. Malcolm’s dead,” he said, assuring both himself and Draven.
Numbly, he realized he should probably leave before Draven had a chance to kill him. With the greatest attempt at subtlety he could manage while so shocked, he tried to move his chair back. When it didn’t budge, he frowned, and tried again, to no avail. Fearing it was stuck, he grabbed the seat and hopped, remembering to breathe again only after the chair legs left the ground for a moment. He glanced back at Draven and stared, trying to erase the guilt and escape-plans from his face (though not from his mind).
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 21:37:01 GMT -5
Draven looked confused. What the hell? Malcolm wasn't dead. What was the kid talking about...? He stared at Markus for a moment, feeling he'd said something wrong. "Why are you leaving?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly. "Malcolm's a jackass, I wasn't going to tell him I found you. I was just curious to know if you were really who he was looking for..." Now that he felt horrible for scaring a child away, he drained his mug and glared down at the wood grain of the table, barely noticing the taste of whatever he'd been drinking as it burned his throat, much as his frustration burned his chest. Hands balled into fists in his lap, he glared down and frowned, unwilling to move and unwilling to follow the youngster. That'd just cause more problems. So much for relaxing...
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 21:51:55 GMT -5
Mark felt faint. Draven looked so, so confused. That meant that he either didn’t know Malcolm was out to kill a nine-year-old (by appearance) child, or he knew Malcolm wasn’t dead. The next comment sealed it; Malcolm couldn’t be dead if Draven spoke of him in present tense (and knew that the other Selder twin was a jackass, pardon his language).
But...Draven really wasn’t going to tell him? Mark could only hope that was true. He abandoned his escape for the moment. “Please don’t tell him,” he pleaded, eyes wide. He didn’t even have to look down to know that he was still gripping the seat of his chair with white, bloodless knuckles. “I mean...If he’s not dead, he’s probably a vampire, right?” He sat up straight, still attached to the chair. “I-I won’t tell anyone, just don’t tell him you saw me!”
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 21:57:52 GMT -5
"He practically robbed me of my money because I'm too kind to you humans," Draven answered, lifting his dark stare to Markus, though the look lightened a bit. "If he didn't treat that ranger like shit I probably wouldn't have even bothered paying for his damn tavern repairs. Money hungry bastard..." He growled, ignoring the fact that Markus was going to hide his secret. Like he cared... If someone wanted him dead, so be it. It'd be a kindness. Well, it would be as such when he'd gotten rid of Marrus. With a heaving sigh, he called over the bar-maid and ordered another mug of what he'd had before. "I'm not going to tell him I saw you," he said. "I promise. He didn't give me any information so he doesn't get any back. So forget I told you about him. He's not getting a word out of me."
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 22:11:04 GMT -5
Robbery, maltreatment, owning a tavern, a money-hungry bastard...Markus shuddered. It matched his brother eerily well. That only spelled trouble. He would need a new last name, and some serious lying practice for the future. But for now...
Fortunately Malcolm’s horrible personality hadn’t gone over well with Draven. For now, Mark could consider himself safe. The once-amiable stranger was a little less friendly now, but probably not dangerous. Mark worked on loosening his grip on the chair, the first step of relaxation that he hoped would keep him from passing out or throwing up. “Um...T-thank you,” he said, leaning back in his chair again (and putting a little bit of safety-distance between himself and the second vampire he’d met in one visit to Tiaelde).
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 22:16:27 GMT -5
"You could always take my last name if you wanted an alias." As if he could read Markus's mind, Draven brought up the suggestion of a name change. His gaze relaxed and a smile returned to his face, bronze eyes slightly dulled with the growing effects of alcohol. Obviously, he couldn't take a lot. The lightweight... He chuckled to himself, leaning back against his seat and taking another drink from his mug, blinking dazedly at Markus. At least he wasn't acting stupid. Yet... "You're perfectly welcome, by the way," he added, words just barely slurred.
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Post by Markus Selder on Dec 24, 2010 22:27:56 GMT -5
Markus blinked. Huh. Ashemir hadn’t mentioned vampires having mind-reading capabilities. (Then again, Mark hadn’t thought to ask.) “I don’t know your last name,” he said, taking care with his words. He still felt a bit on thin-ice; any time Draven wanted, he could race back to whatever tavern Malcolm worked at and send the other Selder on an assassination quest. Tough as it was to believe of someone with such unfocused eyes, it was very much possible.
The mug went up, then down, and with it dropped Draven’s eloquence. Sure, he still had courtesy, but the words dragged together just the slightest bit. Mark, in his state of heightened paranoia, caught it almost immediately. He opened his mouth, then reconsidered. Did he have any right to tell a vampire (who could be seven times his age, or older!) to hold back on the drinks? Maybe if he was polite about it... “Um, Mister Draven?” he said. “Maybe...Maybe you’ve had enough to drink?”
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Post by Draven Hunter on Dec 24, 2010 22:34:03 GMT -5
Draven looked at his mug, then at Markus. Was it bothering the boy that he'd come here to drink and that he was doing as such? On one hand, he could stop, and still remember all the shit he'd done recently. On the other, he could drive the boy off (and feel bad about it until he was completely wasted) and continue drinking. He made a face, slowly, one that showed he was considering and not too happy about either option he was being given. With a sigh, he released the container and pushed it to the center of the table, eyeing it with unfocused bronze eyes and wishing he hadn't invited the youngster over to sit with him. Oh well, at least he'd gotten enough into him that he'd have a good night's sleep... "There you go, happy?" he muttered, making another disgruntled face as he lifted his gaze from the mug. "And the last name is Hunter. I'm Draven Hunter."
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