Satiating One's Thirst at the Nether's Gate (Chyril 26th, TT

[Craghley]

Of course he didn't see it coming. Rosie had caught his attention far too well, though for the wrong reasons. When the unease came to her eyes he felt the twist of guilt for his callousness, but he didn't have time to soften his countenance before the Red Lady was upon them.
An excited shiver ran down the bony length of Craghley's spine at her touch, branching off two thirds of the way down to pass through his guts and tie them into messy knots. He craned his head back to look LaRouge in the eye.

"LaRouge," he said half to himself, his accent thick in the pronunciation. Distinct above other subtle differences he rolled the 'r', and gave 'Rouge' an ever so-slightly breathy lead. "Bonny nam, aye... och, please, sit yersel' doon! Cannae stand on yer feet all day."

[Keaira Morgandy]

OOC: Can't get a hold of Graves, so I'll move this forward a tiny bit.

Rosie smiled widely at Ophelia, shaking her head and shrugging at the same time. "Nah, not me, 'm not sure I believe in such things. But Klebb's ma, she says she can talk to 'em. Lotsa folk jus' call her crazy, though. Poor lady."

Seeming to still be considering the mental state of this Klebb fellow's mother, Rosie absentmindedly took the tankard and glass and refilled them with ale and whiskey, respectively. She didn't seem to have any intention of leaving the woman alone, however, unlike Melissa had done. She simply smiled wider, leaning against the bar. "D'you b'lieve in ghosts?"

Melissa smiled mischievously at Craghley when he tilted his head back, and she was tempted to plant a kiss on his lips right then and there. She resisted, however, moving past him and dropping suddenly -- yet somehow still elegantly -- onto the seat next to him. "That's true enough," she agreed good-naturedly, before leaning her elbow on the table and girlishly batting her eyelashes at him. "You've a lovely accent, Mister Donovan. Where do you get it from?"

[Ophelia da Yrsa]

OOC: Believe she left a note saying that RL was preventing her from posting... stupid RL...

Ophelia continued her eating, but listened. Ghosts would be a continual presence in conversations concerning Pax, but as of now, news of them was rather alarming. Rather, it was shocking so many people considered them real and that folks might communicate with them. "I have a respect for spirits," she started cautiously, not wanting to offend D`arcy. There was an aura around the woman that suggested she believed very much in the paranormal.

"But I've not met any, so I can't say I believe they're all walkin about' and givin hellos to people in Pax," she shrugged. The bard took a swig from her newly filled ale, and managed to drink a good quarter in the process. She had intentions on sleeping this evening, and sleeping well at that. Alcohol had a way of numbing the senses. She sure as the nether didn't want the noises of the women of the building keeping her up all marks of gravetide.

However, there was still the bet with the Commander to keep in mind. Perhaps it was this thought that sobered her from finishing the drink merely to keep the new barmaid busy. "How about you? Seen any of these ghosties?"

[Craghley]

Craghley could not help but keep a smile from his own face and he leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head and elbows in the air.

"Islay heighlander, born and bred!" Craghley declared proudly. "The brogue is a source of pride tae oor folk, and ane of amusement tae most everyone else. O' course, I haf tae dull it doon a mite, else nane can understand me, and 'tis even worse when put tae song.
"How 'bout yerself? How long hae you lived here?"

Craghley reminded hismelf that Pax was a place for refugees, and such questions could be painfully sharp to many residents.

"Och, sorry, I don't mean tae pry. Well, o'er much, anyway."

[Graves]

"Ghosts and spirits are most definitely real, at least real to the people who are blessed with the talent to see them," D'arcy smiles gladly at the new intrusion into their conversation, delighted to see once again that immediate, incautious intimacy that she assigns to the lower and middle classes-- the very people she no longer desires to be among. "After all, it is like that with all things. If you go to a man from the desert, who has lived there his whole life, and talk to him of snow, you will find yourself having a very short conversation, now won't you?"

"I suspect ghosts are much the same way. Real if you've seen them, imaginary until you do."

Her right eyebrow lofts itself delicately. "Yes, have you seen any spirits yourself, or do you know whereabouts they might linger still?" The tone is delicate, but the intent behind it is razor sharp. "So that I might know which places to avoid if I am not in the mood for a fright?" She chuckles, a much lower sound compared to her normal mode of speech and with a perhaps feigned dissonance thrown in. D'arcy looks at Ophelia for a moment, wondering suddenly what the woman is thinking of her, before taking another drink and awaiting a response.

[Keaira Morgandy]

Rosie seemed a bit surprised at D'arcy's words, her head tilting in mild confusion. Apparently it had never occurred to her that being able to see spirits would be any kind of blessing. "Like I said, most people'll just call yeh crazy. Though, y'know, will all this madness about, people're more likely ta listen ta funny stories." She laughed softly at that, then looked between the two women. "Me? No, I've never seen anythin' like that. Like I said, though, Klebb's ma talks to 'em. You know Klebb? Owns Klebb's Carvings. Anyway, she says she can chat with 'em, same as you and me talkin'. I wonder what spirits talk about?"

Melissa laughed softly as Craghley elaborated on the source of his accent, deciding that she found him quite charming. She didn't seem at all offended by his question, and smiled at him when he apologized for 'prying.' "Not at all, sweetheart, not at all. I suppose I was one of the first to show up here in Pax, just a few months ago. Opened the 'Gate up right quick, seeing as how lots of people will probably pass through here. I'm enjoying it so far, despite all this talk of spirits and ghosts. I guess they're not very much interested in this place, I haven't had any run-ins with them."

[Craghley]

"Gi' them a wee o' yer ale an you would'na be able tae keep the bastarts oot. But aye, enough talk o' them ghosties," Craghley stated abruptly. With an eye wandering the length of Melissa's body head to toe, he continued. "There's more important things at hand."

Best to change the topic if it ired Melissa. Plus, Craghley was haunted by an unnerving urge to make bad jokes with all that talk, and was worried they'd ghost from his mouth if he kept at the spirits - and then there'd be no bringing their conversation back from the dead.

"Seems like ye ken a bluidy guid idea when ye see ane." He shifted his leg, wincing at the savaged flesh. A hand went down to probe the damage... some of the injuries he'd taken against the hunter still smarted, too. Why didn't he just go out into the woods to find a bear to finish the job?

"Tell me what ye do fer kicks, though. This place can't take up all the time in yer hands, surely. Then again, custom like that Cyril and hiring on musicians, I can see that."

[Guido Cercatoro]

Melissa sighed, brushing one hand through her long, lustrous hair. “I’m afraid that running this place takes up most of my time. I honestly can’t recall the last time I had a day off. Indeed, I’ve hardly ever been outside this place since I’ve arrived. I’d love to take a look at the sights…the river, the mountains….” An almost wistful look crossed the woman’s eyes before she shrugged. “Although it would be a little tedious on one’s own…”

[Craghley]

OOC: given that Pax events have required considerable focus from you Guido, that others may have moved on from this thread, and that Craghley and Melissa's conversation may be largely superfluous, I would be happy to let you close this and determine the outcomes if you and others involved prefer.

[Guido Cercatoro]

(OOC: agreed. I'll wrap this up for skilling, no need for any summarising)

[Guido Cercatoro]

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