Homesick pirate (Jygust 30th late ET)

[Elvira Rodriguez]

A crooked wooden sign, nearly falling free of its hinges, depicts a drunken man adorning a wooden table, an empty beer mug and money pouch resting next to him. Welcome to The Freely Poured Inn, established by a wandering minstrel as a place where fellow travelers could come and quench a throat parched with the dust of travel. This Inn caters to the lowest common denominator of Roque. Here the smugglers, lower class, scattered thieves, and shifty bards gather for a drink or take a room for the night. A few of the braver – or less respectable – nobles find there way here, but it is for the most part the home of the common man. Here, if you ask nicely or look hard enough, you can find food and lodging, spirits, gambling, information, and above all else job offerings. So pull up a chair, drink heavily and quickly, and remember always hold tightly to your money pouch, for everyone is welcome at the Freely Poured Inn.
The Inn's front doors are slightly warped, and the stairs to the upstairs rooms creak when stepped upon. The wooden floors are worn, and the long wood bar splintering. The large round tables that dot the common room are scarred and ugly, and the chairs that surround them are no better. The man behind the bar is tall and fierce looking with massive eyebrows and a ready glare. A large club hangs on the wall within easy reach of the barkeep, and bears signs of frequent use.
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Adventurous she might be, but Elvira was never stupid and even though she yearned for a bit of proper décor and fun, she did not come alone. Even in the days when she was nothing more than Joseph’s bed companion and little more than a whore by most standards, she always had escort when walking around the town. Now, that was doubly true, and the dark-haired vixen strode into the run-down inn and took a good look. Behind her the door was blocked by the shoulder of two of largest sailors, whom were promised free drinks and the next day off if they stayed at her side and did not start too much trouble. Stretching and rolling her shoulders the woman took a deep breath and felt right at home, making her way to the bar and slipping into the stool, whilst the burly sailors took their seats nearby, giving Captain Rodriguez some privacy.

[Frank]

Frank walked through the bar, scratching his head with his eyes half-closed. Man, I'm really tired, I didn't expect so much to happen in one day! To think I thought the only thing happening was my boat inspection, but wow, things picked up fast! He stood in place for a little bit, counting the change in his hand while the occasional drunkard ran into him, only to fall as if they'd hit a brick wall. He was used to that sort of thing. He only brought enough money for two pints of lager, as he always did (Frank may be a giant, but he's no better guarded than anyone else when it comes to a little sleight of hand). The first time he came here all his money was taken. Thankfully his father was there to pick the thief up by his ankle and shake him until the money hit the floor. Frank, however, was not raised on the battlefield, and if he were ever to gain such perceptual reflexes, he'd have to learn the hard way. For now, he just wanted a drink, and so he approached the counter and picked a stool. When he sat down, the stool creaked under his weight. After placing his money down, he just sighed and waited. The bartender was not very friendly for conversation, and always seemed suspect of Frank for starting trouble, perhaps because he was so huge.

[Elvira Rodriguez]

Fidgeting in her seat, Elvira watched the tall hulking form of Frank approach, finding the lack of a good firm back preventing her from putting her legs on the bar and truly enjoying her drinks. That was the problem with bars. All the good chairs were at the tables, but all the fun was near the bar. Life really loved to kick you in the teeth like that. In as good mood as she would ever be, she winced when the chair under the half-giant’s bum creaked, half-expecting it to break, half-hoping it would so she could have a reason to laugh her own pert behind off. With a flick of her hand a Circlet shone in the girl’s hand and rolled on the top of the bar, held upright by her nail on the edge. A finger pointed at her own mug and then at Frank’s, before the silver coin rolled towards the edge on the bartender’s side of the bar. It was a fairly obvious way to get him close enough for an order. “Now, be a doll and pour li’l ol’ me another mug of your good beer, and give the same to the darlin’ boy over there, will ya?” She turned and then added over her shoulder. “And get yourself something, while you’re at it.”

She tossed the man a smile and a wink and then focused on the hulking boy next to her. “Now, how come a boy got so big? What did your mama feed ya when you were little?” She smiled and added with a mischievous grin. “Scratch that. How did she afford feeding such a big boy, eh? Must have cost a fortune to get you this big.” As the drinks arrived, she pointed to the mug placed before Frank. “That one’s on me. Consider it a small favor I am paying to whomever if feeding you. It’s a little, but it’s a start.”

[Frank]

Frank sat quietly hoping his chair didn't smash (it had happened before, and is one of the reasons the bartender is so unfriendly to him). He looked down at his mug, and he noticed a flamboyant display from a pretty but tough looking girl to his right. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, trying not to look directly. Tough looking girl's probably got a tougher looking guy. A big hulk like me would do well not to even make eye contact with such a damsel in a place like this. As he returned his eyes to his mug, she actually engaged him. She was talking to him! This time he turned his head to look at her. She looked like one of those girls confident enough to tackle even a scary looking Half-Giant. He was intrigued.

"I'm a giant. There are more like me in the land of Amun-Rah, but you don't really see much of our kind around here. If we ever ran out of food my father would probably catch the nearest living thing with his bare hands and tear it in half, so even if I didn't work two tides we'd probably survive." She offered him a drink and he threw back the one he had in one gulp. He put his fingers around the outside of the mug she had brought him because they were too big to fit through the handle. "Most of our income comes from my work in the shipyard. My parents are too terrifying for the most part to hold down a job, but occasionally my father gets his hands dirty at the Broken Blade Arena. He doesn't make much off the wagers because everyone bets in his favor anyway. I, however, build and repair ships and help make simple furnishings. I'm still a little new to the trade, but I got a good job today. How about you? What's a proud dame like you doing in a heap like this?" He lowered the pitch of his voice for the last question, not wanting the bartender to become even more tense with him.

[Elvira Rodriguez]

OOC: pardon my silence. Been busy like hell in RL

Tough looking girl like Vi hardly needed a tough looking guy to keep her happy, though a few of those were not to be shunned just in case trouble came along, since she did not want to get blood all over her silken robe. Silk stained so easily. She did listen to Frank, her expression slightly condescending, since she did not expect a big lug like him to be very smart, and such prejudices were hard to beat out of the brunette’s pretty head. “So, in short you build while you father is much better at smashing things. Balancing each other out. Very nice.”

She did grin at his question, enjoying even that empty flattery, she chuckled and swept her gaze over a tavern. “What if this proud dame told you she worked in a place like this a few yahren ago. Heck, it was even worse than this, but not by much. Cheap drinks and trouble all around you. Fun ain’t it?” She winked at Frank and took a sip from her own drink. “I am Captain Elvira Rodriguez. And I don’t think I caught your name, big fella. So, why don’t you start by telling me that and then we can see if perhaps we can come to some sort of business arrangement.”

[Frank]

Frank took a draught of the second drink, and was thinking about putting down money for another. It's been one heck of a day, I wouldn't mind a nice reward. He watched Elvira closely, amused by her mannerisms. Most people that spoke to him were gruff and reserved, and so he didn't get too many fun people talking to him. He could tell she thought he was a dolt, but that didn't even phase him. He knew that from his appearance it appeared as though there wasn't enough blood in his body to power both his body AND a brain, but he was used to these assumptions. People would fear him more if they thought he could think.

“So, in short you build while you father is much better at smashing things. Balancing each other out. Very nice.”

He stroked one of the larger hammers on his toolbelt, that lay right next to a grappling hook on a rope that looked almost like an anchor hanging off his belt. "Don't misunderstand, I'm very good at smashing things, I just like to refrain from smashing people." He finished off his drink and put down another coin, and wiped his mouth. "I'm very impressed that one could go from wiping a bar counter to captaining a ship in a few yahren, though I'm not sure that beginning sounds fun to me; I wouldn't much like to be on the other end of this counter." He said that softly once again, hoping the bartender didn't hear him. "Perhaps fortune will favor me in such a fashion too, I wouldn't mind getting to sail a ship under my name one day."

"My name is Frank Poundwright. Believe it or not, this kind of setting is the one in which people leave me alone the best, so that's why I like drinking here."