It was prime drinking hours down at Captain Hammer's pub in Dockside. More than a few sailors were already taking advantage of the availability of booze, and the Palliator had been amongst them for that very reason. A pair of men were going all out in an arm-wrestling match to one of the tables. There wasn't a woman to be found amongst them, which was very bad news for the very small hand of female servers. It was impossible to observe the room and not see reaches made for their backsides, so Dyarhk stopped doing so. He kept the whole of his large body within the confines of his black cloak, just now beginning to show tatters of wear and past action seen, until he had given himself to an inconspicuous stool at the bar. At least he had hoped it was inconspicuous. The only thing he wanted was to run a tab and start drowning out his aggravations, and the last thing he wanted was more trouble.
"Barkeep, I'll have whatever you just poured that guy." pointing out of his cloak to the man on down the bar.
Captain Hammer's was one of many bars in Rhydin where he was free to run up a tab, which is why Harris kept coming back, a secondary haunt when he didn't feel like swinging by the Red Dragon. Mostly because the place was completely drenched in testosterone, which made him feel right at home. Swearing, spitting, drinking, ogling, and outrageous stories were all on the menu for a trip to Captain Hammer's, and there was even a regular bartender on duty whenever the place was open. No fancy duds or drinks tonight, just a Badsider, which he proceeded to order upon arrival by bellowing over what was already a raucous crowd.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZE!!!!!" Harris announced his arrival.
Elbows on the bar, and one hand fitted with a large petrified leather mug, Dyarhk rose it to take a drink while one man some distance behind him sitting at a table stood from said table and reeled back a chair for throwing, but decided not to do so, having misunderstood what another man had said as an insult. It was a loud place, and a constant reminder to the demographic this place often served. And hearing the latest 'announcement' from the newest patron, he huffed, wondering just what this guy must look like. He pictured a grizzly unshaven and noticeably un-bathed man. Lo and behold his surprise when he turned his chin to his shoulder to spot Harris.
"..What' ..YOU!?"!" Dyarhk shouted, standing up from his seat!
A frown etches itself across Harris's features immediately, and if he was in a jovial mood it's gone in an instant upon spotting Dark. He squints, then grunts and waves a hand dismissively, opting to avoid the bar and instead beckon one of the serving girls with a snap of his fingers to make his order, seeming to have no intention of acknowledging Dark in any way, other than to mutter under his breath about him being present.
"HEY!!" Sarcastically angered and waving his fist in-front of his own collarbone. Grinding his teeth from side to side that he had been ignored. "You don't get to ignore me!! Do you know what THIS little piece of work you made has been getting me into"!!" Waving a parchment of the Post that was having the very life squeezed out of it in his iron grip. "I had an elderly woman in the market laugh at me and call me a chump! You probably think this whole thing is hilarious, don't you!!" He growled and then flung out his fist to point a sharp finger at Harris. "I oughta kick your ass!!"
A deep inhale causes his chest to rise and he lets loose an exasperated sigh as Dark goes on his tirade, almost boredly half listening while he waits for the serving girl to return with his drink. His gaze flicks back and forth at the waving of his Post article, then a slender brow slants upward at what Dark claims he oughta do, which is when laughter begins to bubble forth like the frothing of a rabid dog and he shakes his head, obviously amused enough to actually offer a response. "What you oughta do and what would happen in reality are two completely different things."
"You're a cocky bastard." tossing the article to the floor, grinning with all that energy he had been putting out. But he wasn't grinning because Harris had said anything particularly funny. He was grinning because he could already imagine the man's throat in his clutches. If that felt anywhere near as good as it felt imagining it, then he was in for some sweet revenge. But before he could make two fists again to confront the man, they would be distracted by the approaching sailors. Three of them.
"Hahah. Picking a fight in our bar. Who do you think you are?" the big one said.
"Looks like a couple of tough guys." the rogue-dressed one added behind his fellow crewman.
"Check out this guy's hair." the last and yellow-toothed of the sailors said.
Dyarhk, despite how much he didn't want to, pulled his attention from Harris, and had to smirk at his luck that two of the three had picked him as their target. "I don't wanna fight you guys! I only want him!" Pointing back to Harris, but keeping his eyes locked on the men and those onlookers that had either been standing or seated nearby, all of them potential entrants if anything broke out. His green eyes bounced around for the quick mapping.
"Ya got us now." And that would trigger the immediate business. Three attackers; one going after Dyarhk, the other going after Harris, and the third in line, as it was. Timing was everything, and as Harris lazily surveyed his surroundings and the three burly sailors that had decided in truth that *they* were the ones that wanted to pick a fight. His order arrived, and he held up a palm to halt their would be assailants, "Beer first. Fight second." If anyone could understand the importance of booze in a bar brawl, it would be sailors, who paused just long enough to allow him to clutch the neck of that newly delivered Badsider, flip it around, and smash it not over the nearest man's head, but break it on his face. The commingling of blood and booze allowed Harris to finish the fight with one swift kick to the disoriented man's groin, and just like that it seemed his part in the melee was over and a slender digit was raised toward the serving girl to order another Badsider.
No sooner than Harris had engaged his opponent, Dyarhk prepared for his own incoming attack. A fast and strong sailor's fist was fast, and strong. But not as fast as the mitts had been inside the boxing ring every morning. Seeing that fist come, he leaned his head out of the way, and then a second time with a backstep that was a little too close. He wouldn't risk that again. The third punch from the sailor got his arm grabbed and brought over into a jujitsu-style hip toss to the floor. Unharmed mostly, but the man sure was rocked. One attacker downed, but this opened his back up to the third and final brawler who had grabbed his cape. ".Tch!" Dyarhk clenched his teeth as he looked over his shoulder at the man and his dastardly tactic. The cape was more often than not a hindrance for "any" wearer, and it would be here if he didn't do something fast. A spinning backfist was the answer.
Two K.O.'s, 1 Harris, 1 Dyarhk. Standing straight once more, his eyes glared around to the large body of patrons. A tense-filled moment for a man who did not understand bar etiquette so well. But he would sigh with relief when they all broke their frightening demeanor of silent staring to clap and whistle. A good brawl was always appreciated. The two K.O.'d received large buckets of water dumped on them in the absence of smelling salts and were being brought over to tables with the third, less injured brawler for medicinal binge drinking. Dyarhk gave his back and elbows to the back of the bar and sunk a little bit with a close-eyed sigh. "You had to come to "this" place."
He smacked his lips, affording Dyarhk a rather disinterested stare before allowing his attention to be drawn to the exit, contemplating. He didn't really feel like walking anywhere else, and since his first attempt at drinking had ended up smashed on some poor, unsuspecting sailor's face, he opted to at least wait for the delivery of his second beverage before cutting his losses and hoofing it elsewhere. He sucked his teeth, Dark's presence roughly equivalent to waiting in a dentist's office for a root canal. "You know, if you're going to talk at least say something useful and/or entertaining."
"Tch..!" He scoffed in the man's direction before turning to face the bar again and reclaim a seat there, albeit a different one. He was still able to regain his leather mug, though. So that was something. After a rejuvenating swig, he exhaled yet again, keeping his eyes locked on the serving girl before him making ready Harris's drink. His mind had been elsewhere.
"I'm not going to bother anymore of my time with you. You're going to get on people's nerves, and that's just all there is to it. I'll leave your bones largely unbroken for someone like Seiri to break for me when she goes after your opal like she's always talking about. I've got too much on my plate already..." Then his hand went into his hair from his sunken head. A deadline of sorts evident on his face; one he didn't look like he was going to be able to make.
"Says the man whose testicles she owns." He snickered, fingers reaching out to clutch the fresh bottle of Badsider the serving girl had fetched for him, thumbing the cap off to take a hearty swig and immediately exhale a noisy burp.
"Yeah, yeah. It's not easy being mortal in places with people "much stronger than," but I try. At least I've got you beat in November. Hehehe." A sly grin came on his face as he looked over to the man. Again, the thought of 1-upping Harris was something that largely appealed to him. "Somebody's going to be judging a bikini contest in Adenna as they celebrate their upcoming summer. Tits, tits, and more tits." Those last few words garnered an unexpected amount of ears from the gathering.
"Uh huh. Sounds like Rhydin every day of the week." A derisive snort, upending his beer for another swig, paying very little heed to whatever Dark had to say, as though he was skeptical of the truth of anything that came out of his mouth, irregardless of what it happened to pertain to.
"Except those probably go off without a hitch. This one's facing one." More handfuls of his hair were being taken. True signs of frustration. "Contestants are flocking to the application board. That's all good and well. But the judging panel is empty. Their board can't seem to find unbiased, outside officials that are also well equipped to judge swimsuit-clad women. And the deadline's approaching. I was able to hop on-board, but I don't know what I'm going to do. It doesn't affect me, personally, unless you consider how much I want to see this happen." He went to drinking from his mug then, eyes settling on the now bar-leaning serving girl who had been listening in.
"Why don't you recruit someone here" I'm sure everyone in here is prepared to look at girls in bikinis." Rebecca said, as her bosomy bosom read on her nametag.
"Mmhm." Dyarhk replied, deciding not to humor what she had suggested.
"Boo hoo. I'm sure your plight has inspired someone somewhere to play a tiny violin for you." Mock sniffles, sucking down more booze before nodding in agreement with the serving girl. "Yeah. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to judge a bikini contest. It can't be that hard to find a judge. You're obviously not trying hard enough due to all the incompetence you ooze." Sticking around meant the opportunity to mock Dyarhk, which he apparently planned to do in spades now to properly entertain himself.
"It's not that simple, you moron. You don't know these people. They're picky. And I wouldn't let just anybody look at those fine women. Let 'em keep their pinups of Samilee, Joey Demarco, Kairee and them. Getting into the city's what I'm worried about. That's the real issue here. Bringing in someone from outside, which they hardly ever do, risks fights of all shapes and sizes breaking out. Those women are too easily riled. And what would it have been for" No nobler 'a cause than eyeballing some swimsuit girls to them." Dyarhk explained.
Rebecca tilted her head to one side and let her bangs spill in that direction. "Sounds like you're being a little bit selfish. It's a judging panel, correct' That means you won't be doing it alone. You're eventually going to have to pick somebody. Why not this guy!" She eagerly pointed to Harris.
Dyarhk looked at him and then laughed maniacally, but only for a second or two. This proved its fakeness. "You cannot be serious. I'd sooner kill myself than judge a panel with this guy. A panel onlooking my ex wife in a bathing suit' Are you mad, woman' Get me a refill." giving her his cup to send her away after that insulting suggestion.
Harris's head lolled from side to side as Dyarhk rambled on and on and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He sputtered with laughter at the suggestion and shook his head, slurping on his Badsider. "I'm not doing this guy any favors, assuming this contest even exists in the first place. Plenty of women to eyeball in Rhydin as it is. And Seirichi is always willing to remove her clothes on the slightest of whims anyway. I'd need a lot more than that to convince me." Wide, gaping yawn.
"I don't want your favors!!" That standing-up fire sparking inside of him again, but he suppressed it. That had been what Harris had wanted, and what he figured was the only reason the man still hung around, so he saved himself the trouble, and stood to leave himself. Several coins were smashed to the bar-top. "And I certainly don't want you anywhere near my home. So don't flatter yourself. You'll never see what the inside of the city walls look like, much less their women's beachwear. If I had to sit next to you again any closer than I am now, it''ll be too soon. And I hope Sarah steals your opal." Turning to leave and doing just that. The woman returned with his refilled drink but was only surprised to see his pay was all that remained to show he'd been there.
"Later. Chump.? He was all smiles as Dyarhk moved to depart, going so far as to wiggle his fingers in a wave before dissolving into snickers and gulping down a hearty portion of his Badsider. It had turned out to be a rather entertaining evening after all.
"Barkeep, I'll have whatever you just poured that guy." pointing out of his cloak to the man on down the bar.
Captain Hammer's was one of many bars in Rhydin where he was free to run up a tab, which is why Harris kept coming back, a secondary haunt when he didn't feel like swinging by the Red Dragon. Mostly because the place was completely drenched in testosterone, which made him feel right at home. Swearing, spitting, drinking, ogling, and outrageous stories were all on the menu for a trip to Captain Hammer's, and there was even a regular bartender on duty whenever the place was open. No fancy duds or drinks tonight, just a Badsider, which he proceeded to order upon arrival by bellowing over what was already a raucous crowd.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZE!!!!!" Harris announced his arrival.
Elbows on the bar, and one hand fitted with a large petrified leather mug, Dyarhk rose it to take a drink while one man some distance behind him sitting at a table stood from said table and reeled back a chair for throwing, but decided not to do so, having misunderstood what another man had said as an insult. It was a loud place, and a constant reminder to the demographic this place often served. And hearing the latest 'announcement' from the newest patron, he huffed, wondering just what this guy must look like. He pictured a grizzly unshaven and noticeably un-bathed man. Lo and behold his surprise when he turned his chin to his shoulder to spot Harris.
"..What' ..YOU!?"!" Dyarhk shouted, standing up from his seat!
A frown etches itself across Harris's features immediately, and if he was in a jovial mood it's gone in an instant upon spotting Dark. He squints, then grunts and waves a hand dismissively, opting to avoid the bar and instead beckon one of the serving girls with a snap of his fingers to make his order, seeming to have no intention of acknowledging Dark in any way, other than to mutter under his breath about him being present.
"HEY!!" Sarcastically angered and waving his fist in-front of his own collarbone. Grinding his teeth from side to side that he had been ignored. "You don't get to ignore me!! Do you know what THIS little piece of work you made has been getting me into"!!" Waving a parchment of the Post that was having the very life squeezed out of it in his iron grip. "I had an elderly woman in the market laugh at me and call me a chump! You probably think this whole thing is hilarious, don't you!!" He growled and then flung out his fist to point a sharp finger at Harris. "I oughta kick your ass!!"
A deep inhale causes his chest to rise and he lets loose an exasperated sigh as Dark goes on his tirade, almost boredly half listening while he waits for the serving girl to return with his drink. His gaze flicks back and forth at the waving of his Post article, then a slender brow slants upward at what Dark claims he oughta do, which is when laughter begins to bubble forth like the frothing of a rabid dog and he shakes his head, obviously amused enough to actually offer a response. "What you oughta do and what would happen in reality are two completely different things."
"You're a cocky bastard." tossing the article to the floor, grinning with all that energy he had been putting out. But he wasn't grinning because Harris had said anything particularly funny. He was grinning because he could already imagine the man's throat in his clutches. If that felt anywhere near as good as it felt imagining it, then he was in for some sweet revenge. But before he could make two fists again to confront the man, they would be distracted by the approaching sailors. Three of them.
"Hahah. Picking a fight in our bar. Who do you think you are?" the big one said.
"Looks like a couple of tough guys." the rogue-dressed one added behind his fellow crewman.
"Check out this guy's hair." the last and yellow-toothed of the sailors said.
Dyarhk, despite how much he didn't want to, pulled his attention from Harris, and had to smirk at his luck that two of the three had picked him as their target. "I don't wanna fight you guys! I only want him!" Pointing back to Harris, but keeping his eyes locked on the men and those onlookers that had either been standing or seated nearby, all of them potential entrants if anything broke out. His green eyes bounced around for the quick mapping.
"Ya got us now." And that would trigger the immediate business. Three attackers; one going after Dyarhk, the other going after Harris, and the third in line, as it was. Timing was everything, and as Harris lazily surveyed his surroundings and the three burly sailors that had decided in truth that *they* were the ones that wanted to pick a fight. His order arrived, and he held up a palm to halt their would be assailants, "Beer first. Fight second." If anyone could understand the importance of booze in a bar brawl, it would be sailors, who paused just long enough to allow him to clutch the neck of that newly delivered Badsider, flip it around, and smash it not over the nearest man's head, but break it on his face. The commingling of blood and booze allowed Harris to finish the fight with one swift kick to the disoriented man's groin, and just like that it seemed his part in the melee was over and a slender digit was raised toward the serving girl to order another Badsider.
No sooner than Harris had engaged his opponent, Dyarhk prepared for his own incoming attack. A fast and strong sailor's fist was fast, and strong. But not as fast as the mitts had been inside the boxing ring every morning. Seeing that fist come, he leaned his head out of the way, and then a second time with a backstep that was a little too close. He wouldn't risk that again. The third punch from the sailor got his arm grabbed and brought over into a jujitsu-style hip toss to the floor. Unharmed mostly, but the man sure was rocked. One attacker downed, but this opened his back up to the third and final brawler who had grabbed his cape. ".Tch!" Dyarhk clenched his teeth as he looked over his shoulder at the man and his dastardly tactic. The cape was more often than not a hindrance for "any" wearer, and it would be here if he didn't do something fast. A spinning backfist was the answer.
Two K.O.'s, 1 Harris, 1 Dyarhk. Standing straight once more, his eyes glared around to the large body of patrons. A tense-filled moment for a man who did not understand bar etiquette so well. But he would sigh with relief when they all broke their frightening demeanor of silent staring to clap and whistle. A good brawl was always appreciated. The two K.O.'d received large buckets of water dumped on them in the absence of smelling salts and were being brought over to tables with the third, less injured brawler for medicinal binge drinking. Dyarhk gave his back and elbows to the back of the bar and sunk a little bit with a close-eyed sigh. "You had to come to "this" place."
He smacked his lips, affording Dyarhk a rather disinterested stare before allowing his attention to be drawn to the exit, contemplating. He didn't really feel like walking anywhere else, and since his first attempt at drinking had ended up smashed on some poor, unsuspecting sailor's face, he opted to at least wait for the delivery of his second beverage before cutting his losses and hoofing it elsewhere. He sucked his teeth, Dark's presence roughly equivalent to waiting in a dentist's office for a root canal. "You know, if you're going to talk at least say something useful and/or entertaining."
"Tch..!" He scoffed in the man's direction before turning to face the bar again and reclaim a seat there, albeit a different one. He was still able to regain his leather mug, though. So that was something. After a rejuvenating swig, he exhaled yet again, keeping his eyes locked on the serving girl before him making ready Harris's drink. His mind had been elsewhere.
"I'm not going to bother anymore of my time with you. You're going to get on people's nerves, and that's just all there is to it. I'll leave your bones largely unbroken for someone like Seiri to break for me when she goes after your opal like she's always talking about. I've got too much on my plate already..." Then his hand went into his hair from his sunken head. A deadline of sorts evident on his face; one he didn't look like he was going to be able to make.
"Says the man whose testicles she owns." He snickered, fingers reaching out to clutch the fresh bottle of Badsider the serving girl had fetched for him, thumbing the cap off to take a hearty swig and immediately exhale a noisy burp.
"Yeah, yeah. It's not easy being mortal in places with people "much stronger than," but I try. At least I've got you beat in November. Hehehe." A sly grin came on his face as he looked over to the man. Again, the thought of 1-upping Harris was something that largely appealed to him. "Somebody's going to be judging a bikini contest in Adenna as they celebrate their upcoming summer. Tits, tits, and more tits." Those last few words garnered an unexpected amount of ears from the gathering.
"Uh huh. Sounds like Rhydin every day of the week." A derisive snort, upending his beer for another swig, paying very little heed to whatever Dark had to say, as though he was skeptical of the truth of anything that came out of his mouth, irregardless of what it happened to pertain to.
"Except those probably go off without a hitch. This one's facing one." More handfuls of his hair were being taken. True signs of frustration. "Contestants are flocking to the application board. That's all good and well. But the judging panel is empty. Their board can't seem to find unbiased, outside officials that are also well equipped to judge swimsuit-clad women. And the deadline's approaching. I was able to hop on-board, but I don't know what I'm going to do. It doesn't affect me, personally, unless you consider how much I want to see this happen." He went to drinking from his mug then, eyes settling on the now bar-leaning serving girl who had been listening in.
"Why don't you recruit someone here" I'm sure everyone in here is prepared to look at girls in bikinis." Rebecca said, as her bosomy bosom read on her nametag.
"Mmhm." Dyarhk replied, deciding not to humor what she had suggested.
"Boo hoo. I'm sure your plight has inspired someone somewhere to play a tiny violin for you." Mock sniffles, sucking down more booze before nodding in agreement with the serving girl. "Yeah. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to judge a bikini contest. It can't be that hard to find a judge. You're obviously not trying hard enough due to all the incompetence you ooze." Sticking around meant the opportunity to mock Dyarhk, which he apparently planned to do in spades now to properly entertain himself.
"It's not that simple, you moron. You don't know these people. They're picky. And I wouldn't let just anybody look at those fine women. Let 'em keep their pinups of Samilee, Joey Demarco, Kairee and them. Getting into the city's what I'm worried about. That's the real issue here. Bringing in someone from outside, which they hardly ever do, risks fights of all shapes and sizes breaking out. Those women are too easily riled. And what would it have been for" No nobler 'a cause than eyeballing some swimsuit girls to them." Dyarhk explained.
Rebecca tilted her head to one side and let her bangs spill in that direction. "Sounds like you're being a little bit selfish. It's a judging panel, correct' That means you won't be doing it alone. You're eventually going to have to pick somebody. Why not this guy!" She eagerly pointed to Harris.
Dyarhk looked at him and then laughed maniacally, but only for a second or two. This proved its fakeness. "You cannot be serious. I'd sooner kill myself than judge a panel with this guy. A panel onlooking my ex wife in a bathing suit' Are you mad, woman' Get me a refill." giving her his cup to send her away after that insulting suggestion.
Harris's head lolled from side to side as Dyarhk rambled on and on and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He sputtered with laughter at the suggestion and shook his head, slurping on his Badsider. "I'm not doing this guy any favors, assuming this contest even exists in the first place. Plenty of women to eyeball in Rhydin as it is. And Seirichi is always willing to remove her clothes on the slightest of whims anyway. I'd need a lot more than that to convince me." Wide, gaping yawn.
"I don't want your favors!!" That standing-up fire sparking inside of him again, but he suppressed it. That had been what Harris had wanted, and what he figured was the only reason the man still hung around, so he saved himself the trouble, and stood to leave himself. Several coins were smashed to the bar-top. "And I certainly don't want you anywhere near my home. So don't flatter yourself. You'll never see what the inside of the city walls look like, much less their women's beachwear. If I had to sit next to you again any closer than I am now, it''ll be too soon. And I hope Sarah steals your opal." Turning to leave and doing just that. The woman returned with his refilled drink but was only surprised to see his pay was all that remained to show he'd been there.
"Later. Chump.? He was all smiles as Dyarhk moved to depart, going so far as to wiggle his fingers in a wave before dissolving into snickers and gulping down a hearty portion of his Badsider. It had turned out to be a rather entertaining evening after all.