It had been a rainy day, not a very good condition to scout anything outdoors. She was bored, a bored Gwen is never a good thing. Her intention had been to pass through the Inn and down to the arena below, maybe practice a few new moves. When she entered the Inn and found it relatively empty she decided to stay for a bit, maybe grab a bottle of Badsider.
Approaching the bar she nearly performed the half-turn hop onto the bar that was her normal mode of lurking in the arena but she stopped before she hopped. Sliding onto one of the bar stools she was greeted by an unfamiliar woman behind the bar, and an unfamiliar man sitting a few seats down.
"Evening." Was how he opened, it was an expression she'd heard before but she was feeling a little cheeky and the response reflected that. "It is indeed. Though I've yet to figure out why people insist on telling me. I rarely lose track of whether it's day or night. Pretty rarely."
The woman, soon introducing herself as Jax, laughed at that. That encouraged Gwen to continue. "The other night a man asked me what was up. Everyone should have that information so I gladly provided him with the definition of the opposite of down. Oh, nice to meet you both, I'm Gwen."
Jax had an easy smile and added, "Some of the folks I've run into perhaps don't have the brain power to keep such things in their heads."
David chuckled. "Could be worse. Some of those people could be here right now. Those or the crazy people."
While it was probably true that David was not speaking about her, Katt or Trist the automatic denial was pouring forth from her lips before she could think, "It's totally not true what they say about Minxes!" Thankfully she got no further and then attempted to just sit and look innocent.
David looked at her a long moment before asking. "You're a minx?"
"Oh, Minx as in that's my surname, not the animal or the adjective." She provided with a grin, it was good they didn't think she was crazy yet.
The conversation was pleasant, harmless, shirtless" Gwen wasn't sure how they had gotten to the point where David removed his shirt, but he had. She was pretty sure she didn't actually purr aloud, no that was the tiny dragon hatchling that managed to tear the shirt in an effort to keep David from putting it back on. Good and bad....good the purr wasn't her, bad she couldn't seem to not look at David still shirtless.
Gwen had a few spare shirts she kept in a locker downstairs, just in case one of her shirts became too slashed up while dueling. Those were loose and large, much easier to hide the multiple sheathed knives that way, and now they came in handy. David wasn't so much larger than she and so she lent him one. Good and bad....good that she was polite and helpful, bad that she couldn't see David shirtless anymore.
He had asked her what he owed her for the shirt. At first she said nothing but there was an opportunity there and she took it. "If you find yourself in one of the sporting facilities you can dance with me. And by dance I mean stab, jab or throw magic."
"You would want to beat me up?" This was said with a pout and it took Gwen by surprise. There was a part of her brain screaming to say no that she definitely would not want to beat him up. It repeatedly shouted at her to just say that, what she heard coming from her lips was,"Yes, yes I would. I mean in the rings I would. I don't randomly beat people up outside the rings. Just the usual, you know, undead, super villains, and the like."
His reply also surprised her. "Undead. Like vampires?" She laughed brightly at that. "Vampires are just myths." He leaned in with a serious expression and asked that she look at him. She complied, looking at him was easy. "Vampires aren't a myth, in this town they are just as real as you," he was close to her now and he parted his lips far enough to show fangs.
What Gwen did next she was pretty sure was under the list of "Do-NOTs" when meeting people, or vampires; a hand darted out of its own volition and with a finger lifted his top lip as she leaned closer. David, as it turned out, was pretty mellow for a vampire and he took it with a grace she wouldn't have managed; he even gave her a few moments before leaning back.
He also didn't seem to mind answering a barrage of questions, Gwen had never met a vampire before and was curious. Time passed, and when Gwen looked at the clock she was surprised at how much had slipped by without notice. David was easy to talk to, and ...and something else she had not put a name to yet.
When he rose Gwen felt an unexpected twinge of regret. "Leaving?" He smiled at her and asked,"Maybe, do you want me to stay?"
There was a moment of silence as she considered that. "I was supposed to close up our shop an hour again I stayed because..." Because why' Probably she had never met a myth before and that was interesting. Sure, the problem with lying to herself was that she could sniff out the lie a million miles away. "I wouldn't mind seeing you again."
"See me again?" His brows rose in a manner that suggested something other than what she had meant, or so it seemed to Gwen. "Oh! I don't mean you have to take off your shirt! Not that taking off your shirt wasn't nice to see!" Part of Gwen's brain was watching this conversation fascinated, it wasn't often that she started digging a hole that was hard to get out of easily. "I mean, I enjoyed talking with you." Totally brilliant, one might never suspect she was a well renowned bard.
"Next time I'll let you take the shirt off yourself." He chuckled again and again Gwen thanked whatever Gods there were she didn't blush.
"So, I'll see you again." Was what she choose to take from that.
With a smile he turned and left, something in that grin saying he knew she'd be watching....he was right, she did, all the way until he was out of sight.
Approaching the bar she nearly performed the half-turn hop onto the bar that was her normal mode of lurking in the arena but she stopped before she hopped. Sliding onto one of the bar stools she was greeted by an unfamiliar woman behind the bar, and an unfamiliar man sitting a few seats down.
"Evening." Was how he opened, it was an expression she'd heard before but she was feeling a little cheeky and the response reflected that. "It is indeed. Though I've yet to figure out why people insist on telling me. I rarely lose track of whether it's day or night. Pretty rarely."
The woman, soon introducing herself as Jax, laughed at that. That encouraged Gwen to continue. "The other night a man asked me what was up. Everyone should have that information so I gladly provided him with the definition of the opposite of down. Oh, nice to meet you both, I'm Gwen."
Jax had an easy smile and added, "Some of the folks I've run into perhaps don't have the brain power to keep such things in their heads."
David chuckled. "Could be worse. Some of those people could be here right now. Those or the crazy people."
While it was probably true that David was not speaking about her, Katt or Trist the automatic denial was pouring forth from her lips before she could think, "It's totally not true what they say about Minxes!" Thankfully she got no further and then attempted to just sit and look innocent.
David looked at her a long moment before asking. "You're a minx?"
"Oh, Minx as in that's my surname, not the animal or the adjective." She provided with a grin, it was good they didn't think she was crazy yet.
The conversation was pleasant, harmless, shirtless" Gwen wasn't sure how they had gotten to the point where David removed his shirt, but he had. She was pretty sure she didn't actually purr aloud, no that was the tiny dragon hatchling that managed to tear the shirt in an effort to keep David from putting it back on. Good and bad....good the purr wasn't her, bad she couldn't seem to not look at David still shirtless.
Gwen had a few spare shirts she kept in a locker downstairs, just in case one of her shirts became too slashed up while dueling. Those were loose and large, much easier to hide the multiple sheathed knives that way, and now they came in handy. David wasn't so much larger than she and so she lent him one. Good and bad....good that she was polite and helpful, bad that she couldn't see David shirtless anymore.
He had asked her what he owed her for the shirt. At first she said nothing but there was an opportunity there and she took it. "If you find yourself in one of the sporting facilities you can dance with me. And by dance I mean stab, jab or throw magic."
"You would want to beat me up?" This was said with a pout and it took Gwen by surprise. There was a part of her brain screaming to say no that she definitely would not want to beat him up. It repeatedly shouted at her to just say that, what she heard coming from her lips was,"Yes, yes I would. I mean in the rings I would. I don't randomly beat people up outside the rings. Just the usual, you know, undead, super villains, and the like."
His reply also surprised her. "Undead. Like vampires?" She laughed brightly at that. "Vampires are just myths." He leaned in with a serious expression and asked that she look at him. She complied, looking at him was easy. "Vampires aren't a myth, in this town they are just as real as you," he was close to her now and he parted his lips far enough to show fangs.
What Gwen did next she was pretty sure was under the list of "Do-NOTs" when meeting people, or vampires; a hand darted out of its own volition and with a finger lifted his top lip as she leaned closer. David, as it turned out, was pretty mellow for a vampire and he took it with a grace she wouldn't have managed; he even gave her a few moments before leaning back.
He also didn't seem to mind answering a barrage of questions, Gwen had never met a vampire before and was curious. Time passed, and when Gwen looked at the clock she was surprised at how much had slipped by without notice. David was easy to talk to, and ...and something else she had not put a name to yet.
When he rose Gwen felt an unexpected twinge of regret. "Leaving?" He smiled at her and asked,"Maybe, do you want me to stay?"
There was a moment of silence as she considered that. "I was supposed to close up our shop an hour again I stayed because..." Because why' Probably she had never met a myth before and that was interesting. Sure, the problem with lying to herself was that she could sniff out the lie a million miles away. "I wouldn't mind seeing you again."
"See me again?" His brows rose in a manner that suggested something other than what she had meant, or so it seemed to Gwen. "Oh! I don't mean you have to take off your shirt! Not that taking off your shirt wasn't nice to see!" Part of Gwen's brain was watching this conversation fascinated, it wasn't often that she started digging a hole that was hard to get out of easily. "I mean, I enjoyed talking with you." Totally brilliant, one might never suspect she was a well renowned bard.
"Next time I'll let you take the shirt off yourself." He chuckled again and again Gwen thanked whatever Gods there were she didn't blush.
"So, I'll see you again." Was what she choose to take from that.
With a smile he turned and left, something in that grin saying he knew she'd be watching....he was right, she did, all the way until he was out of sight.