School of Hard Knocks
There had been a break in his longshoring shift this afternoon and honestly, he'd needed it. Upon giving a wave and a chirp to the 'shoremen he works alongside, the imp had first gone back home to check on the place.
Now, in retrospect, he should have stayed there.
The Red Dragon Inn was quiet with but one, maybe two patrons when he'd arrived. Not finding this unusual -- figuring all establishments have their lulled, slow moments -- Renne crawled to the bar to fetch some coffee. However, as soon as he'd dropped a coin in payment down, he heard an old, familiar sound. Knuckles cracking just behind him.
Hoping to avoid an all-out fight, Renne chirped a friendly "hello" to the stranger and had been just about to get his coffee.
"Hey."
Then he found himself lifted effortlessly into the air by an annoying-bordering-on-painful grip on his head. Not his hair. His head.
And that pissed him off. He was at first, nice about it. Sort of. At first, all he did was raise his temperature up in a tactual warning and bare his teeth. Indeed, he has fangs, he has venom and he wasn't at that point, afraid to use them.
He ended up having to, much to his dismay.
And to think I became trusting of Outworlders!
By this time, the pressure on his head had become unbearable and instinct, plus that pressure, allowed his fangs to fire off some of that venom he'd warned about.
Before he could really get a good comeback started however, the grip on his head suddenly released and he found himself flung into the Red Dragon's wall.
-Teach that Male a lesson!-
Not yet. It would do no good.
-Why not? That Humanoid attacked and without reason.-
You have faced this kind of cowardice before. What good would it do? What of Home?
-I am left alone there.-
So? It is still Home.
-Yes. I shall wait. He shall make his own karma.-
Ultimately, he had managed to crawl out in one piece. Granted, this particular bully had left him with a massive headache and a twisted, possibly broken ankle, but he hadn't taken Renne's pride.
Upon reaching the Maritime and for once, feeling like he can let go a bit, Renne half-curls up on the bar to sleep off the pain in his head for a while.
He'd worry about his foot later.
Right now, just being home is relief. Right now, Renne lets his mind think on other things -- Archie, Harold and just Home all in one big picture.
The big picture to him, feels wonderful even if he doesn't quite know his place in it.
-------------------------
It was about an hour or so later when he woke. It wasn't much sleep, but better than nothing. And when he woke, he realised two things: His left foot had become nearly useless and his head still hurt like hell.
And he still had the audacity to try and go back to the Red Dragon even if it was just for some coffee.
It was logical to at least hope that the miscreant had by then departed so Renne had gone. On a happier note, he had found Captain Kidd and at least got to say hello to the man. On the darker side of things, the Black Knight was indeed there.
He had found someone else to pick on.
And that pissed the imp off enough to try and intervene.
True it earned him a kick half across the room but he had been lucky enough to land a bite this time. Or try to.
Not really knowing or much caring if he'd gotten in a good bite or no, Renne had at least tried to check up on the other victim of the Black Knight's not-very-chivalrous bullying about.
It was then he learned that sometimes it's best to watch from a distance.
Still, the man had at least been tended to (even if by despised magic) and that was all that mattered.
In the end, he'd crawled back to the Maritime to check himself over and renew the lessons of life. And later that night, despite his pains, to complete his little ritual down by the dockside.
There had been a break in his longshoring shift this afternoon and honestly, he'd needed it. Upon giving a wave and a chirp to the 'shoremen he works alongside, the imp had first gone back home to check on the place.
Now, in retrospect, he should have stayed there.
The Red Dragon Inn was quiet with but one, maybe two patrons when he'd arrived. Not finding this unusual -- figuring all establishments have their lulled, slow moments -- Renne crawled to the bar to fetch some coffee. However, as soon as he'd dropped a coin in payment down, he heard an old, familiar sound. Knuckles cracking just behind him.
Hoping to avoid an all-out fight, Renne chirped a friendly "hello" to the stranger and had been just about to get his coffee.
"Hey."
Then he found himself lifted effortlessly into the air by an annoying-bordering-on-painful grip on his head. Not his hair. His head.
And that pissed him off. He was at first, nice about it. Sort of. At first, all he did was raise his temperature up in a tactual warning and bare his teeth. Indeed, he has fangs, he has venom and he wasn't at that point, afraid to use them.
He ended up having to, much to his dismay.
And to think I became trusting of Outworlders!
By this time, the pressure on his head had become unbearable and instinct, plus that pressure, allowed his fangs to fire off some of that venom he'd warned about.
Before he could really get a good comeback started however, the grip on his head suddenly released and he found himself flung into the Red Dragon's wall.
-Teach that Male a lesson!-
Not yet. It would do no good.
-Why not? That Humanoid attacked and without reason.-
You have faced this kind of cowardice before. What good would it do? What of Home?
-I am left alone there.-
So? It is still Home.
-Yes. I shall wait. He shall make his own karma.-
Ultimately, he had managed to crawl out in one piece. Granted, this particular bully had left him with a massive headache and a twisted, possibly broken ankle, but he hadn't taken Renne's pride.
Upon reaching the Maritime and for once, feeling like he can let go a bit, Renne half-curls up on the bar to sleep off the pain in his head for a while.
He'd worry about his foot later.
Right now, just being home is relief. Right now, Renne lets his mind think on other things -- Archie, Harold and just Home all in one big picture.
The big picture to him, feels wonderful even if he doesn't quite know his place in it.
-------------------------
It was about an hour or so later when he woke. It wasn't much sleep, but better than nothing. And when he woke, he realised two things: His left foot had become nearly useless and his head still hurt like hell.
And he still had the audacity to try and go back to the Red Dragon even if it was just for some coffee.
It was logical to at least hope that the miscreant had by then departed so Renne had gone. On a happier note, he had found Captain Kidd and at least got to say hello to the man. On the darker side of things, the Black Knight was indeed there.
He had found someone else to pick on.
And that pissed the imp off enough to try and intervene.
True it earned him a kick half across the room but he had been lucky enough to land a bite this time. Or try to.
Not really knowing or much caring if he'd gotten in a good bite or no, Renne had at least tried to check up on the other victim of the Black Knight's not-very-chivalrous bullying about.
It was then he learned that sometimes it's best to watch from a distance.
Still, the man had at least been tended to (even if by despised magic) and that was all that mattered.
In the end, he'd crawled back to the Maritime to check himself over and renew the lessons of life. And later that night, despite his pains, to complete his little ritual down by the dockside.