Avvercus

Clink It pealed across the comfortable, bland, and quiet restaurant, loud and distinct. A summoning bell for the nervous waitress, the sound of ice on glass. She didn't like those eyes, yellow like a wolf's and just as predatory as they followed her shuffled approach. This customer's expression was neutral, framed by the inky curtain that was her hair, giving away neither joy nor displeasure. Something about that gaze made the waitress feel like she was being judged, compared to something lowly and small, like a worm turning through dirt. Her hands did their best to remain steady, but the shaking clipboard they grasped juxtaposed her forced smile. "Yes, ma'am... er, I mean, my lady?" She corrected herself. She'd been instructed to address the small woman with no less of a formality by the 'lady' herself. She had a terrible feeling about what was to come. The poor table waiter had no idea how right she was. "Your best." A pause. Illisandra's eyes went half lidded, looking up at the meek server girl with the slightest hint of disdain in the curve of her lips. "I instructed you to bring me your best drink. I will say it once more, and only once more. Bring me your best drink," her voice, noble, commanding, and saturated with dissatisfaction, was low, almost a whisper. The hand which held the glass of iced rum, soft and adorned with amethyst painted nails, lazily tossed the drink. The sound of shattering glass was sharp, punctuated by a glare just as sharp that bored into the waitress' eyes. "Y-y-y..." the yammering of a dog that knew only how to whimper, and not properly obey. It was offensive to her ears. "Go!" she barked, no longer willing to suffer the noise. The waitress turned and ran, not wanting to be stared at like that anymore. She'd brought their most expensive rum... now what was she to do? Illisandra tapped the table top with a series of clicks, growing impatient. Her food was late, and her drink was unsatisfactory. An urge to kick her footstool, the orc slave she had on hands and knees beneath the table and thankfully out of her sight, gripped her. However, the noblewoman of house Ravenstone resisted the temptation. It would hike her scant black sundress up and give the cretins that worked here a view of something they simply weren't worthy of beholding. The contact she was to meet in this town had better be worth the peasant's treatment she'd endured thus far, or she would make sure to turn the place into an economical ghost town in the coming months... @King

I've always preferred small-scale, more personal, character to character stories myself. Actually, I suppose I just prefer stories that are character driven rather than plot driven.

Let me know if you want to use him in the near future. A fun character like that would be great to get me back in the writing grove.

If you're still looking for a writing partner of sorts, I've recently decided to return to writing myself. We could shake the rust off together, if you'd like.

If you don't do this, I will totally steal it. That sounds amazing.

Imagine being a member of a forum for 7 years and not even having 2k posts. Ah, I'm a slacker.

I've been unfortunately unemployed despite having a college certificate for over two years now, but I'll share details about my previous job. Job Title: United States Marine Description: "Every Marine is a Rifleman" is an actual true statement, but a misleading one. Marines are all trained as Rifleman and can perform those duties at a basic level, but there are hundreds of different occupations within the Marine corps. I myself was a 2847, Telephone Systems and Personal Computer Repairman. A fancy way to say I set up and fixed PCs and a variety of telephone equipment. It was a secret security job that often involved handling equipment containing sensitive information. Experience/Certs/Degrees for entry level: Highschool diploma/GED, moderate level of physical fitness, above average mental/emotional fortitude, patience and ability to swallow your pride. Best method for members to contact you with questions: Discord, tag is on my profile.

Make a separate thread. You don't necessarily need to link it to the ToL, but I suppose making a note of it in the thread title wouldn't be a bad idea. @Higuu

With lightning quick reflexes, Rainza grabbed the extended hand. It was odd, the way she took it, wrapping her palm around the girl's metallic thumb at first as her knees bent slightly and her feet spread out barely wider than a shoulder's width. Her eyes shut and she let out a sigh before slowly releasing the thumb and shaking Keira's hand normally, standing up straight, and relaxing her pose. "Rainza. Just Rainza." Amiable. Be amiable. She isn't a threat. No more misanthropy. Amiable. As she let go of Keira's hand, letting the cool metal slip from her deceptively delicate digits, a small smile graced her lips. "Stop apologizing. Relax. Here," she pushed the bottle towards her patron, letting go of it. "If you make a mess you're cleaning it. As for your task," She continued, tapping the map with one finger, "you're going here, to the Haunted Glen in Terrenus. All you need to do is locate a Luxcil tree. Easy to find, they glow. Purple flowers grow from their bark. These do not glow. I need 10 of them, intact. Simple, yes? If you have questions, ask," Rainza explained, opting to omit quite a bit of information. Part of her job was to ensure that those who came here were ready to venture out into the world. She was not gentle about it. @Higuu

@Higuu Apologies for the formatting. I wrote that reply on my phone.

Rainza's eyes narrowed, growing more and more irritated as her customer prattled on. Finally, she slammed her fist on the bar, with far more force than her tiny arm should have been able to generate. "Enough. Eat. Talk after. This tavern is special. You have as much time as you need here. Rushing is unnecessary." She commanded cooly, staring the girl down. She ducked under the bar suddenly. Things being rummaged through could be heard for a moment before her head popped back up. A map was produced, slammed down next to the bread. "The world is called Valucre. You're in the tavern of legends," She Informed gruffly. Immediately afterwards, the girl turned and and disappeared through the service doorway behind the bar. A great deal of banging, crashing, and swearing could be heard for several minutes before Rainza returned, her dress disheveled and her expression somehow more sour than before. She set the bottle, notably more gently than the other things she'd set before the girl, into the bar. Her fingers were iron-clasped around the neck of the wine. "Your name?" She practically demanded. If her customer attempted to take the bottle without giving into that demand, she'd fine the bartender's grip unyielding. @Higuu

Sorry, probably not replying tonight. I'm suddenly stressing out over figuring out how to not be homeless in a month.

I apologize. I've been getting ready to move across country and it keeps slipping my mind. I'll reply here shortly.

Rainza raised a brow, seeming to stare into her customer's very soul. The bumbling, clumsy, nervous wreck type. She clicked her tongue instead of shooting off a string of biting words. This job was going to test her patience, as it should. She was basically shoe-horned into it by that damn mage. But, she understood the reason. She was to learn better people skills. Mainly, amiability. "Stop. Deep Breath. Think. Speak when you figure out your intentions. Tripping over your own tongue makes you look weak, and weak is not something you want to be in this world," she said slowly, in a more neutral tone. Her poise and manner of speaking didn't match the child-like voice. It was like a woman much older was trapped inside. Her eyes stayed on the girl while her hands moved. A clean, heavy-duty wooden mug was filled with milk and slammed down on the bar in front of nervous-girl. This one was annoying enough to deal with sober. There was no way she'd give her alcohol unless it was specifically requested. A hunk of fresh bread joined the milk. An easy meal, soft and filling. "Show me what you have. We accept all currency here. Exchange rates vary. If you don't have enough... I have a task you can take care of that will also get you a room for the night." @Higuu