She walked into the inn, calm as always. At least on the outside. She used semi-official dress code, the only thing indicating her affiliation and rank being bishop medallion. For a while she pondered about a drink, when a young male that was seemingly replacing bartender, asked if anyone needed drinks.
" I would trouble you a bit. A glass of Chardonnay if possible," priestess spoke calmly.
"Coming right up, m'lady," his voice didn't have the high pitch and questioning rise of tone in the end of the phrase - features that disgusted her in the slavelike pronounce of G'fenvass followers. The young man found a sufficiently chilled bottle of wine she asked for, poured a glass and handed it to Rhaine with a warm smile. " Here you are."
She deposited several heavy silver coins in payment, and took a long sip of wine. Precisely the temperature. There was something about this boy... Halfbreed! She recognized the typical traces of heterosis lines in his spectrum. For a while she quietly watched him. Interesting. Different from the brainless Dimitri she had known from the Adventurer Guild. The manner of participating in harmless chat differed. More intelligent, less arrogant. Could be used, was her verdict.
"Need a refill yet?", the halfelf asked, taking a quick look at her glass after a while.
" I drink for taste, not for alcohol," she replied coldly. " You're going to be a new bartender here?"
" I would hope that you drink for taste, because you could surely order drinks with more alcohol if that was your desire," he noted. Not bad, she thought to herself. " I hope not. I'm just back here to help out until someone takes over. In fact, if no one else wants a drink, I think I'll move to the side of the bar where I'm more comfortable."
This time he found a place within the field of view, so she didn't even have to turn to keep the conversation more or less polite.
A few word tosses, disputing drinks as a form of leisure, and aspects of drinking for taste, made the young halfelf more curious. While dropping one phrase, she felt she was unconsciously building them in a form of pre-recruitment - dropping triggers for either a questioning or a dispute. And a trigger did hit its point.
"Other than watching others engage in irrational behavior, what does entertain you then?" green eyes of half-elf looked at Rhaine.
"Out of nonviolent pastimes? Or violent ones included?"
" I would trouble you a bit. A glass of Chardonnay if possible," priestess spoke calmly.
"Coming right up, m'lady," his voice didn't have the high pitch and questioning rise of tone in the end of the phrase - features that disgusted her in the slavelike pronounce of G'fenvass followers. The young man found a sufficiently chilled bottle of wine she asked for, poured a glass and handed it to Rhaine with a warm smile. " Here you are."
She deposited several heavy silver coins in payment, and took a long sip of wine. Precisely the temperature. There was something about this boy... Halfbreed! She recognized the typical traces of heterosis lines in his spectrum. For a while she quietly watched him. Interesting. Different from the brainless Dimitri she had known from the Adventurer Guild. The manner of participating in harmless chat differed. More intelligent, less arrogant. Could be used, was her verdict.
"Need a refill yet?", the halfelf asked, taking a quick look at her glass after a while.
" I drink for taste, not for alcohol," she replied coldly. " You're going to be a new bartender here?"
" I would hope that you drink for taste, because you could surely order drinks with more alcohol if that was your desire," he noted. Not bad, she thought to herself. " I hope not. I'm just back here to help out until someone takes over. In fact, if no one else wants a drink, I think I'll move to the side of the bar where I'm more comfortable."
This time he found a place within the field of view, so she didn't even have to turn to keep the conversation more or less polite.
A few word tosses, disputing drinks as a form of leisure, and aspects of drinking for taste, made the young halfelf more curious. While dropping one phrase, she felt she was unconsciously building them in a form of pre-recruitment - dropping triggers for either a questioning or a dispute. And a trigger did hit its point.
"Other than watching others engage in irrational behavior, what does entertain you then?" green eyes of half-elf looked at Rhaine.
"Out of nonviolent pastimes? Or violent ones included?"